Do you dream of with beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters and underwater adventures? ¡Koh Tao is your destination! Koh Tao is a beachfront paradise great for nature lovers, and especially for those who want to start diving or practice snorkeling. In addition, Koh Tao also offer excellent options of tourism, nightlife, and dining. In this guide, I will reveal to you the secrets that I discovered Koh Tao so you can plan your ideal trip, saving you time, money and avoiding silly mistakes.

1. How to get to Koh Tao? Can Bus, train, or plane?

Bus+ferry is the most common and economical to get to Koh Tao from Bangkok. It costs between 30€ and 50€, depending on the company and the hours. I booked the cheapest, and I was great. You can book your transport from Bangkok to Koh Tao in Baolau. On these platforms also it is possible to find combo tickets for train and ferry.

On the other hand, the plane can also be an option. Although there is no direct flight to Koh Tao, it is possible to fly direct to Koh Samui, an island near Koh Tao, and from there go to Koh Tao by ferry. Is the fastest option but also the most expensive to. Skyscanner is also in Thailand, the best platform to find flights at the best price and I recommend using it during the preparation of your trip.

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🚍 PRO TIP TRANSPORTATION: it Is recommended to book transportation with a few days in advance. In my case, I trusted too much and I tried to book the day before, but it was impossible because they had exhausted the tickets. At the end I had to leave a day later. You can book your transport to Koh Tao at Baolau.

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Where to stay in Koh Tao? Find your paradise

► Area next to the beach of Sairee

The area next to the beach of Sairee is quite commercial, with bars, beach bars, shops of all kinds, and beach. This area is perfect for socializing and partying, and sacrificing a little bit of the tranquility of areas, less commercial.

► Area of the bay of Chalok

On my last trip I stayed at the bay of Chalok. This area to the south of the island with all the services, but is more quiet and has very good beaches (such as the freedom beach). In addition, it has 2 balconies nearby in which it is a pleasure to sit down with a drink and watch the sunset. I stayed at the Koh Tao Tropicana Resort, and I was very happy. To highlight your beach front restaurant and the fact that it is near a supermarket, 7/11, and several restaurants and clubs in front of the sea.

► Beach Resorts

Finally, there are several resorts in front of the sea in different areas of the island, as, for example, Tao Tong Villa 2 or Bow Thong Beach Resort. This is the perfect option for those who want peace of mind complete, although in some of these resorts, the problem is that they often do not have shops, restaurants and other services such as supermarkets in the vicinity.

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🛌 PRO TIP ACCOMMODATIONS: it Is a key book in advance. I was there for 8 days in February and I found that the vast majority of accommodations on the island were occupied during those dates (I even thought of not going).

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Getting around koh Tao?

Move around by motorbike in Koh Tao

Move on a bike is one of the transportation options more popular on the island,. Rent a scooter costs around 200 baht a day (about 5€). Typically establishments that rent amounts require that you leave your passport as a deposit, although some will accept an identity card, plus a deposit of 5000 baht (130€). You must make a video of the bike in the store where you rent to make sure they don’t try to charge you for damage that you have not occurred.

My recommendation is to just rent a bike if you have card international motorcycle and confidence when riding. Despite the fact that the roads are fairly quiet, there is a clear risk of accidents, especially for those less experienced. If you have an accident on the island, the health care is limited, and if you’re driving without card international, your insurance may not take care of the expenses, without counting that si atropellas someone driving without card you could get in the mess of your life.

Do you travel on foot, by taxi or tuk tuk for Koh Tao?

It is possible to scroll to walk to many points of the island. For example, I met a girl who was staying in the area of Chalok, and that was giving walks to lookouts and beaches more or less close. In addition, there is the possibility of booking a car with driver or tuktuks. Normally, the accommodations, and tourism agencies are going to be able to contact taxi services and/or tuktuk for you, and you will be able to give the price of the trip in advance.

Snorkeling, the best activity of Koh Tao – Corals, fish, turtles and sharks

Snorkle you can see colorful fish, corals of different types, and even with lucky animal a little bit larger species such as turtles and sharks. I did snorkeling for free in Shark Bay, Freedom Beach, Sai Nuan Beachand Nang Yuan Terrace (from the resort). For me it was a totally unforgettable experience.

On the other hand, I dedicated a day to do an organized tour of snorkeling. In this tour we were taken by boat to 5 dive spots of. The tour includes the use of mask and tube for snorkeling, food, and bar free coffee or instant tea, and biscuits. During the tour I was able to see sea turtles in one of the beaches and, in addition, I had the luck to see a small shark. I did this tour snorkeling and I liked it a lot. However, this snorkeling tour is a good price and very good reviews, which is also recommended.

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🐠 🤿 PRO TIP SNORKELING: If you plan to do snorkeling for free, I recommend that you bring with you a scuba mask and tube, a t-shirt from scuba diving to protect you from the Sun and maintain body temperature, and a sun cream that is respectful of marine life (Ocean Friendly). And finally, if you want to keep a memento of your day doing snorkeling, you can take a waterproof camera like the GoPro Hero 12.

Since I’m making recommendations to purchase, as I am, I recommend that you take a spray mosquito strong, because I found in Thailand are a bit light, and I still we got bitten by mosquitoes.

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Diving in Koh Tao – Start in the bucéo How to choose a scuba diving school?

Koh Tao is one of the places in the world with more schools of diving, and it is possible to make the baptism or scuba diving courses in both Open Waters as Advance in Spanish and many other languages fairly economic. Examples of schools with good reputation in Spanish on the island are Ihasia (where I did the course on Open Waters), The Bottle, Pure Life or Nitro. when choosing the course it is important to note 1) price, 2) distance between the accommodation and the school, and 3) the ratio of teacher-to-student,. For example, 2 or 3 students per teacher would be ideal.

Prices to scuba diving in Koh Tao:

► Baptism: first or first and second dive. is between 2000 and 3000 baht (50€-70€). Includes theory on how to use the material of diving, technical diving and gestures to communicate under water. In this type of dive, the instructor-guide is going to make sure that you have an experience simple, safe, and fun.

►  Open Waters: titration initial recognized internationally that allows you to dive up to a depth of 18 meters with a bottle accompanied by an instructor. This course lasts 3 days and costs between 9000 and 11000 baht (230€-280€). Normally includes 6 dives, several lectures, study material, online, etc, I made this course during my stay in Koh Tao, and it was one of the best experiences of my life.

► Fun Dive. This is a immersion to people already titled. The cost of a fun dive goes from 1000 to 2000  baht per dive (between 25€ and 50€).

► Cerficados advance: it Is possible to perform certifications advance with different specialties in Koh Tao. During my stay, I met people who were doing modalities such as diving, wreck diving, night diving, scuba diving, nitro, etc, In this case, I recommend you to check prices and conditions with several schools to have adequate information and up-to-date.

Nightlife in Koh Tao

Koh Tao is a great place to socialize and enjoy the night life. There are places for drinks in a pleasant atmosphere in many areas of the islands, but for those who want something more than running, there are plenty of clubs to party in the area of Sairee. In this area, it is possible to find different music styles (for example, I experienced both Latin music in Havana as a pop in the other bars in the area). In addition, some bars that have an area on the beach where they can socialize and enjoy a more peaceful atmosphere, as the bar Lotus.

Near the port, enjoyed live music several times a week in the Islander Hostel & Dive School. on the other side, in the area of Chalok there are also a few beach bars is quite nice open by the afternoon/night next to the beach.

Finally, at different times each month make holiday-event-thematic larger, as the Jungle Party, Secret Party, and more. There is also an activity called the Pub Crawl Koh Tao, in which you can take through different pubs/bars to experience different environments (you can hire or ask for info via their FB page).

Massage in Koh Tao (prices and info helpful)

There are a large number of massage places of good quality and at popular prices throughout the island. A massage of 1 hour costs between 300 and 400 baht (8€-10€). Massage with oil tend to be somewhat more costly. In any place mentioned tips, but I decided to leave tips in a few places when I felt that the massage had been very good quality. I have received massages in almost all the massage places in the area of Chalok, but as I say there are centers of massage on all sides.

Viewpoints on Koh Tao

There are several looked quite nice in Koh Tao. I personally visited the John-Suwan Viewpoint and the Deisha Viewpoint, and I enjoyed amazing sunsets in both places. It is worth mentioning that the pad thai of the gambling den in the Suwan Viewpoint I was spectacular, and I recommend it fully.

How much time to spend in Koh Tao?

I recommend a minimum of 3 to 5 days to enjoy the main beaches, do a diving course or introductory (for example, to make a christening), a snorkeling tour, climb to some viewpoints and enjoy the atmosphere of the island.

If you go more than 5 days , you could do a diving course or as the Open Waters (which requires at least 3 days), to enjoy the more in depth of the island and, above all, to know this beautiful place in a way more calm.

What is the best time to visit Koh Tao?

It is general consensus that the best time to visit Koh Tao is during the dry season, from November to April. In these months there is less risk of rain and tropical storms although by matching the prices are higher and there is more number of tourists,. I went to Koh Tao in February, and I can confirm that there were many people visiting the island, despite the fact that it did not feel overcrowded in the area I was in. In addition, despite being the dry season, it rained on several occasions.

The rainy season runs from may to October. At this time the prices are lower and there are fewer people, but there may be more rain. By many years of experience living in southeast asia, I would recommend you not to stop to go to Koh Tao even in the rainy season. That is the rainy season does not mean that’s going to be raining all the time, but simply that it will rain more often, usually for short periods of the day.

What travel insurance I recommend to Thailand if you’re going to Koh Tao?

Finally, I recommend that you bring an insurance that covers expenses by accident during the practice of adventure sports such as snorkeling, diving, hiking, etc., Between these insurance is the insurance of IATI Backpacking with a 5% discount, that covers diving up to 40m depth, and the insurance Mondo Trip Top with a 5% discount, that covers diving up to 20m in depth.