Gulf of Thailand · The diving island

Koh Tao

A little granite island with world-famous dive schools, turquoise bays and hilltop viewpoints — just a ferry ride from Chumphon, down the coast from Ban Krut.

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Learn to dive
Koh Nang Yuan
Sairee beach
Snorkel bays
Viewpoints
Beach bars
Longtail boats
Turtles & reef sharks
Introduction

The diving island

Koh Tao — Turtle Island — is where the world learns to dive. The little island certifies more new divers than almost anywhere on earth, thanks to calm, warm, shallow bays stocked with reef fish, turtles and (harmless) blacktip sharks, and dive schools that keep prices among the lowest anywhere.

Sairee beach on Koh Tao

Above water it's just as good: a laid-back main strip at Sairee, granite viewpoints over impossibly blue water, and the postcard triple-bay of Koh Nang Yuan just offshore. It's the closest of the Gulf islands to Ban Krut, via the ferry pier at Chumphon.

Transport

Tickets & connections

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Tours

Tours & activities

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Quick facts

Koh Tao

  • Ferries leave from Chumphon — about 2 hours south of Ban Krut by train
  • Lomprayah catamaran: roughly 1½–2 hours Chumphon to Koh Tao
  • One of the world's cheapest places to get a PADI/SSI diving certificate
  • Koh Nang Yuan's viewpoint is the Gulf's most famous photo
  • Small island — most places are reachable on foot or by scooter
Fresh coconut on the beach
Getting there

Getting there from Ban Krut

Koh Tao is the easiest island to reach from Ban Krut. Take a southbound train to Chumphon (around 2 hours), then a ferry from the piers just outside town. Lomprayah's high-speed catamarans do the crossing in about 1½–2 hours; slower boats take 2–3 hours and cost less.

Boats at the Koh Tao pier

Combined train-and-ferry or bus-and-ferry tickets through 12go or Lomprayah include the transfer between Chumphon station and the pier — worth it, as the pier is 30–40 minutes out of town.

The night boat from Chumphon is the budget adventure: leave near midnight, sleep on a mattress on deck, wake up at the island at dawn.

Good to know

Koh Tao

  • The Gulf gets choppy October–December — take the big catamarans, not the small boats, if seas are rough.
  • Book ferries ahead around the Koh Phangan Full Moon dates — everything sells out.
  • Koh Tao's hills are steep; only rent a scooter if you're genuinely confident.
  • Many dive schools include simple accommodation in course prices.
See & do

See & do on Koh Tao

Koh Nang Yuan
Icon

Koh Nang Yuan

Three islets joined by a white sandbar, with the Gulf's most famous viewpoint above. Take a longtail from Sairee, arrive before 10 am, and snorkel the Japanese Gardens reef.

Sairee Beach
Beach

Sairee Beach

The island's social heart: two kilometres of sand with dive schools, beach bars and hammocks, facing squarely into the sunset.

Learn to dive — or snorkel
Underwater

Learn to dive — or snorkel

Open Water courses run daily year-round; if you'd rather stay on the surface, round-island snorkel trips hit Shark Bay, Mango Bay and Hin Wong in a day.

John-Suwan viewpoint
Viewpoint

John-Suwan viewpoint

A short scramble from Freedom Beach to the island's best panorama: Chalok Bay on one side, Shark Bay on the other, and blue in every direction.

Shark Bay
Snorkel

Shark Bay

Blacktip reef sharks cruise the shallows here most mornings — swim out calmly at high tide and you'll likely see them within minutes. They're small and completely uninterested in you.

Mae Haad & the south
Harbour

Mae Haad & the south

The little port town keeps the island's everyday life — good cafés, cheap kitchens — and the southern capes hide quiet coves like Sai Nuan reached by coastal footpath.

Food

Fuel for divers

Koh Tao eats well for its size: big breakfasts and flat whites for the dive crowd, grilled fish barbecues on Sairee at sunset, and honest Thai kitchens in Mae Haad where the boat crews eat pad krapow between crossings.

Evenings centre on the beach — fire shows, cold Changs and fresh catch on ice. For something quieter, the restaurants up on the viewpoint roads serve dinner with the whole island glittering below.

Beach barbecuePad krapowDive-school breakfastsFruit shakesFire-show barsSunset cocktails
Grilled squid skewers
Markets

Island evenings

Koh Tao is too small for big night markets, but Mae Haad and Sairee village fill the gap: walking lanes lined with grill stands, roti carts, juice stalls and little shops selling sarongs and dive gear.

The real evening ritual is simpler — a beanbag on Sairee sand, a mango shake or a beer, and the longtail boats silhouetted against the Gulf's best sunsets.

Boats at sunset off Mae Haad, Koh Tao
Where to stay

Where to stay

Distances are small, but the vibe changes fast between bays — party, chill or castaway, pick your cove.

Koh Tao

Sairee

Dive resorts, hostels and beach bungalows on the main strip — walk to everything, including your morning boat dive.

Koh Tao

Chalok & the south

The quieter family end: calm swimming bays, viewpoint restaurants and small resorts above Shark Bay's snorkelling.

Koh Tao

East-coast coves

Tanote, Hin Wong and Mango Bay are for switching off — reef at your doorstep, generator electricity, stars at night.

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Travel guides

Travel guides

Step-by-step transport guides for this stretch of the Gulf coast.