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Region: Southern Thailand> Province: Surat Thani>Location: Ko Tao
Ko Tao sights and attractions
Famous stones - Ancient graffitti
Haad Sairee
Description
A large stone bearing the initials of King Rama V, who visited the island in 1899, is located at the south end of Haad Sairee. A small plaque decorates the memorial at the highly-revered site -- don't even think of adding your own initials. The stone isn't worth a special trip, but do check it out if you happen to be passing through.
How to get there: Travel info Walk to the south end of Haad Sairee along the beachfront path, and you can't miss it. A statue of Rama V stands facing the sea just before the large stone.
John Suwan Mountain Viewpoint - Decent view, one hell of a climb
Between Ao Chalok Ban Kao and Ao Thian Ok
Description
This once popular viewpoint has become overgrown and difficult to reach. The poorly-maintained loose dirt path above Freedom Beach Bungalows is no longer marked, so ask a local if you want to check it out. Unfortunately, a few coconut trees and other foliage block a good deal of the view that once was. Don't plan on a great photo opportunity, but if you're in the neighbourhood, the bay views are quite lovely from this great height if you're up to a hot, perilous journey.
How to get there: Travel info Walk up the road above Freedom Beach Bungalows and follow the dirt path. Take a left upward rather than continuing south around the headland. When you simply cannot go any further, you're there.
Thai boxing and cockfighting - Not for the squeamish
Hat Sairee Village
Description
Enjoy men, women and children -- and Thai fighting cocks -- beat on each other in these often gruesome matches. Thai boxing (muay Thai) and cockfighting are separate events held at different times. Muay Thai events typically feature a number of fights, starting with women and children and culminating in top Thai fighters pitted against westerners. Matches can be entertaining if you've got the stomach for it. For those who can't wait to get in the ring, muay Thai training camps are also available.
Opening Hours: Fights are held irregularly but usually start at 21:30 on Sundays
How to get there: Head east on the road running through Sairee village toward Ao Hin Wong.
Diving - Ko Tao is famous for it
Description
Diving has always been Ko Tao's tourism mainstay. The most popular sites such as Chumphon Pinnacle, Sail Rock and Shark Island are some kilometres from the island, where fish gather in larger numbers. Diving visibility and weather conditions tend to be best around the middle of the year. The monsoon kicks into full swing in November and many dive shops close for that month. Things slowly start to pick up again from December, although visibility in March is often obstructed by large amounts of plankton in the water.
The biggest event on the diving calendar is the Underwater World Festival, usually held early in the year. In February 2006, 750 divers from across the island converged at the same site, a world record. For more information on the festival and other diving-related events on Ko Tao, check out www.kohtaodoc.com.
Dive Schools
More than 40 dive schools on Ko Tao are competing for your business, with many employing instructors speaking languages other than English and Thai. Most try to keep their groups small, with four to six students in a PADI open-course, but be sure to inquire. At some of the bigger resorts you might feel you're diving with more humans than fish. Typical prices are: 9,800B for an open-water course, 8,500B for an advanced open water course, 1,800B for two fun dives, and 25,000B for a divemasters' course. Many dive resorts also provide free or discounted accommodations for their students and discounted diving after certification. The flipside of this is dive resorts pressuring non-divers to take courses, so be warned.
Mae Haad
Asia Divers: T: (077) 456 055, F: (077) 456 016. http://www.asia-divers.com
Blue Diamond Dive Resort: T: (077) 456 880, F: (077) 456 881. http://www.bluediamond-diving.com
Cartoon Diver: T: (077) 456 367. cartoondiver@yahoo.com
Crystal Dive Resort: T: (077) 456 106, F: (077) 456 105. http://www.crystaldive.com
DAN – S.E. Asia-Pacific: T: (077) 456 783. thailandtraining@danseap.org
Davey Jones' Locker: T: (077) 456 216. http://www.techdiving.com
Divepoint: T: (077) 456 231, F: (077) 456 231. http://www.divepoint-kohtao.com
Easy Divers: T: (077) 456 010, F: (077) 456 321. http://www.thaidive.com
LV Dive Center: T: (077) 456 039, F: (077) 456 1717. http://www.tommy-lvdive-resort.com
Master Scuba Divers: T: (077) 456 314, F: (077) 456 765. http://www.masterdive.org
Planet Scuba: T: (077) 456 110. http://www.planet-scuba.net
Sairee beach
Ban's Diving: T: (077) 456 064 http://www.amazingkohtao.com
Big Blue Diving Resort: T: (077) 456 415. F: (077) 456 772 http://www.bigbluediving.com
Coral Grand Divers: T: (077) 456 432, F: (077) 456 430. http://www.coralgranddivers.com
Island Dive Club: T: (077) 456 296, F: (077) 456 296. http://www.islanddiveclub.com
Koh Tao Divers: T: (06) 0699 244. http://www.kohtaodivers.com/
New Way Diving: T: (077) 456 070. http://www.newwaydiving.com
Phoenix Divers: T: (077) 456 033, F (077) 456 034. http://www.phoenix-divers.com
Sairee Hut Dive Resort: T: (077) 456 815, F: (077) 456 399 http://www.saireehut.com
Seashell Resort: T: (077) 456 299, F: (077) 456 271. http://www.kohtaoseashell.com
Scuba Junction: T: (077) 456 164, F: (077) 456 013. http://www.scuba-junction.com
Siam Scuba Dive Center: T: (077) 456 628. http://www.siamscubakohtao.com
Simple Life Divers: T: (077) 456 329. http://www.simplelifedivers.com
Chalok Baan Kao
Big Bubble Dive Resort: T: (077) 456 669. http://www.bigbubble.info
Big Fish Dive Resort: T: (077) 456 290, (01) 8945 106. http://www.bigfishresort.com
Buddha View Dive Resort: T: (077) 456 074, F: (077) 456 210. http://www.buddhaview-diving.com
Carabao Diving: T: (077) 456 635, F: (077) 456 402. http://www.carabao-diving.com
Koh Tao Resort Dive Center: T: (077) 456 133, F: (077) 456 419. http://www.kohtaoresort.com
New Heaven Dive Shop: T: (077) 457 045, F: (077) 456 587. http://www.newheavendiveschool.com
Reef Rider: T: (077) 456 084, F: (077) 456 083. Reef-riders@hotmail.com
Scuba Shack: T: (077) 456 390. http://www.thaidiveteam.com
Stingray Divers: T: (077) 456 752. http://www.stingray-divers.com
Sunshine Divers: T: (077) 456 597 http://www.sunshine-divers.com
Taa Toh Lagoon: T: (077) 456 503. http://www.taatohdivers.com
Tanote Bay
Black Tip Dive Resort: T: (077) 456 488, F: (077) 456 489. http://www.blacktipdiving.com
Calypso Dive Center: eugenetao@yahoo.de
Haad Sai Daeng
Impian Divers: T: (077) 456 482, F: (077) 456 482. http://www.impiandivers.com
Snorkelling
If you're not keen on diving, snorkelling is still a fantastic -- and much cheaper -- way to explore Ko Tao's aquatic life. Fins, snorkels and masks can be rented from almost anywhere on the island and usually cost 100B per day. Many dive schools also offer snorkelling trips.
Ko Tao's best snorkelling is on the isolated east coast, which has a lack of beaches but an abundance of rocks and boulders to use as a jumping-off point. Ao Tanote, Ao Lang Khaay, Ao Hin Wong and Ao Leuk are each home to many types of fish and coral. Laem Thian, just around the corner from Ao Tanote, is also home to a number of harmless sharks. It's also where you're most likely to see turtles, which have long bred in the area. Good snorkelling can also be found in the north at Ao Mango and around the rocky bays of the south and southwest.
Sairee Beach isn't a great option because of its long drop-off -- you sometimes have to wade out a few hundred metres to get waist deep. Mae Haad isn't much better thanks to all the boat traffic muddying up the waters, but there's some underwater life to be seen around the northern end of the beach near the rocks.
Boat trips - Circle the island
Most beaches
Description
Boat trips can be organised from virtually any beach on Ko Tao through any travel agency or most hotel receptions. Trips tend to leave around 10:00 and return by 16:00. Costs vary, with a longtail typically charging around 550B per person, and a big boat around 650B. The advantage of the latter is more shade, but the longtails tend to visit more beaches. If you are hiring a whole longtail, be sure to specify exactly which beaches you want to visit before leaving. These trips typically include hotel pickup and lunch.
Fishing trips - Catch your dinner
Haad Sairee or Ao Chalok Ban Kao, Ko Tao
Description
For something a bit different, organise a night fishing trip from Haad Sairee or Ao Chalok Ban Kao. Trips leave around 18:00 and return at 24:00, costing around 1,000B per person. Find out beforehand what drinks are available, as they tend stock a lot of expensive cold beer. Daytime trips typically depart around 9:00 and return at 16:00. For 1,400B per person, including pickup and equipment, you are guaranteed a catch -- of course, they won't guarantee what you'll catch.
Sea Kayaking - Paddle around the rocks
Description
For something different, take a tour of Ko Tao's coast by sea kayak. A surprisingly easy way to get around, particularly if you take a tandem kayak, kayaking is a great way to appreciate the rock formations that cascade into the sea around the non-beachy parts of the island. Kayaks can be rented for about 100-150B an hour or 500-800B per day.
Hiking - Take in the turtle by foot
Description
Ko Tao is baby-sized compared to neighbouring Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Samui, but its hilly landscape offers some excellent opportunities for exploring on foot. Don't underestimate the distances involved, however: your guidebook might say it's possible to walk around the island in one day, but you will probably have already had enough after a three-hour jaunt along the coast trail from Mae Haad to Chalok Ban Kao. The best idea is to start early in the morning and take plenty of water.
Suggested routes:
Mae Haad to Chalok Ban Kao: One of the more popular hikes on Ko Tao, this will take you around a scenic series of coves and inlets. Starting from Mae Haad, you first negotiate your way past the string of resorts clustered around the beautiful Ao Jan Som. Further south the path gets more challenging and though it's not a particularly steep walk, rocks and overgrown spots present their own obstacles. Soon you'll reach the gorgeous Haad Sai Nual, which has another cluster of resorts. Continue south past Juea beach to reach a viewpoint from where you can take in a sweeping panorama of Chalok Ban Kao. From there it's a simple walk along a beach and then a boardwalk to the village.
Mae Haad to Tanote Bay: Walk over the hump of the island in this challenging walk from the busiest part of the island to the most tranquil. Start by scaling the paved path that leads up to Moonlight Bungalows, and continue on past the sign that says Park. From here it's a rough and ready trail amid a series of huge boulders that look like they might just roll all the way down the side of the mountains at any moment. Soon you'll reach a couple of usually abandoned huts at a lonely summit of Two Views, from where you can take in panoramas of both sides of the island. Follow the path downwards and you'll reach a construction site large enough for at least as couple of soccer pitches. That’s the start of a new reservoir project intended to solve the island's water-shortage woes. A little further down and you'll reach a wide, unsealed road. Turn left, and it's smooth stroll and beautiful views all the way down to Tanote Bay. Duration: About three hours.
Ko Tao Bowling and MiniGolf - For the chuckers and the putters
Mae Haad, Ko Tao
Description
Ko Tao Bowling and MiniGolf has a nine-hole golf course and plans to add another nine by the end of 2006. There's also a 10-pin bowling alley, pool table, and the beginnings of a bar and restaurant. Certainly not a fancy operation, Koh Tao Bowling and MiniGolf appears to be in a perpetual state of repair and maintenance, although as of April 2007 there was no sign of the other nine holes that were planned for the end of 2006. Nine plain cement putt-putt holes (100B/round/person) are packed together amid a good deal of clutter near the road between Mae Haad and Chalok Ban Kao. While not much to look at, some of these holes provide a moderate challenge. The very basic bowling lanes are in a dark enclosure behind the bar (240B/lane/hour) and are used primarily by expats and other long-term visitors.
Opening Hours: Daily 12:00-24:00
Ya Ka Zen - Outdoor bathing in tranquil surrounds
Mae Haad, Ko Tao
Description
A classy traditional Japanese bath house, Ya Ka Zen provides a tranquil way to unwind in a beautiful setting atop a hill overlooking Mae Haad bay. One hour of luxurious bathing with everything provided costs 700B. A home-style Japanese restaurant with great food, draft beer and sake runs about 300B for an average dinner.
Opening Hours: 17:00-22:00 daily, except Wednesdays
How to get there: Follow the Songserm Pier road east toward Chalok Ban Kao a short distance.
Apache Paintball - Shoot a friend
Mae Haad, Ko Tao
Description
Here's your chance to shoot your friends and only cause them mild pain and a welt or two. Daily paintball battles using different scenarios are held in the jungle of Sairee's northern hillside. Fast-paced action for the commando in us all.
Opening Hours: Office open 11:00-17:00 daily; Matches held at 16:30 daily