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Koh Tao
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Koh Tao

Dive Island of the Gulf

Plan this trip
3 daysIdeal stay₹2,530From / night₹1,260Food / day₹700Entry

A small rocky island that certifies more new scuba divers than almost anywhere in the world: PADI Open Water courses run three to four days, and the snorkelling at Koh Nang Yuan and Shark Bay is good straight off the beach. Reached by Lomprayah catamaran from Chumphon or from Samui and Phangan. Seas get rough from November to early January.

Highlights

  • PADI Open Water course
  • Koh Nang Yuan three-island sandbar
  • Snorkelling with reef sharks at Shark Bay
  • John-Suwan viewpoint
  • Sairee Beach sunset
  • Freedom Beach
  • Night dive
  • Round-island long-tail snorkel trip

Things to do

  • Two fun dives or a discover-scuba sessionMorning · 4h
  • Koh Nang Yuan viewpoint & snorkelMorning · 4h
  • Round-island long-tail snorkelling tripMorning · 6h
  • John-Suwan viewpoint hikeAfternoon · 2h
  • Sairee Beach sunsetEvening · 1h 30m
  • Shark Bay snorkel from the beachAfternoon · 2h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Koh Taovia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Koh Taovia Klook

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When to go

Best time: March – September

Worth knowing

Gulf Islands Rainy Season

The Gulf islands are on the opposite cycle to Phuket: dry from January to August, wettest from October to December, peaking in November with heavy downpours. Ferries to Koh Tao are the first to be cancelled when the north-east monsoon blows; keep a day spare.

  • Buddhist holy days (Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asahna Bucha) · Visakha Bucha 31 May; Asahna Bucha and Buddhist Lent 29–30 Jul — Candle-lit processions round the temples at dusk, worth seeing in Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya. Alcohol may not be sold anywhere, bars included, for 24-48 hours (hotels and airport duty free excepted); the Full Moon Party moves a night.
  • Christmas and New Year peak — The most expensive fortnight of the year on the islands: resorts set 5-7 night minimums and compulsory gala-dinner charges on 24 and 31 December, and Phi Phi, Samui and Phuket ferries and flights fill a month ahead. Indian school holidays add to it. Book by October.