Koh Tao - or turtle island as it's affectionately referred to - is the northernmost and smallest in the chain of the three inhabited island in the Samui Archipelago, with an area of 21 sq km. The south and west coastlines are dotted with white sandy beaches: the north and east coasts have a couple of small sandy bays but are predominantly formed by large granite boulders stacked high above the water and rising to fringe the island's forest
The island's single town, Mae Haad, is located on the western coast. There's a bold selection of restaurants with international and local menus, and a post office, internet services, general provisions shop and a handful of driving centres and credible retail outlets purveying diving equipment and accessories.
Diving around Koh Tao
The diving around Koh Tao is amongst the best in the Gulf of Thailand with enough variety to satisfy all levels of divers. There are deep shipwrecks, (some only suitable for technical divers) and towering submerged pinnacles; with their craggy rock faces seemingly alive with various hard and soft coral species. There sites are constantly visited by large pelagics. In contrast are dives along gentle sloping coral reefs. These are good places to see many different species of laminate and foliaceous corals and a rich diversity of marine life. There's a few good snorkelling sites which can be reached off the beach of Nang Yuan island.
How to get there
By air and boat: There are no airports on Koh Tao but planes fly to neighbouring Koh Samui and to the north of Chumphon on the mainland, providing a relatively comfortable, though indirect, access to the island.
Bangkok Airways exclusively serves Koh Samui from Bangkok with up to 17 flights a day flights direct to and from Singapore. Flight times are 1 hr 20 mins and 2hr 20 min respectively. There are also daily domestic flights from Samui to Phuket. For further information contact Bangkok Airways, Tel: +66(0)2 265 5678
Transfer to the connecting boat services is by air-conditioned minibuses. Two high speed catamarans depart twice daily (weather permitting). Both boats stop off at Koh Phangan to pick up and drop off passengers en route. The overall trip takes around two hours and is the preferred way to reach Koh Tao from Koh Samui. The catamarans also sail between Chumphon and Koh Tao on a daily basis. For further information contact Lomprayah High Speed Catamarans, Tel: +66(0)2 77 247 401 or Seatran Discovery, Tel:+66(0)77 246086-8
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