Visitors will find hiking trails of various levels of difficulty that end with the promise of picturesque views, rock-climbing, live jam sessions where locals and tourists showcase their talents, beach barbecues accompanied by fire shows and even trapeze-flying classes. The draw though for many visitors remains scuba diving. With dozens of dive sites, plenty of scuba schools and notably inexpensive scuba certification costs, Ko Tao is the most popular place to learn to dive in Thailand.
It hasn’t always been snorkels and sunscreen on Ko Tao though. Mostly uninhabited aside from the fishermen who would occasionally take shelter on shore here, Ko Tao became a political prison in 1943 when more than 100 prisoners were transferred from Ko Tarutao.
The prison was home to several prominent Thais including the novelist Nimittramongkhon Nawarat, who authored The Dreams of an Idealist. In 1944 the prisoners were issued a general pardon and released to the mainland. Many had been incarcerated for a decade or more and their release to Surat Thani was met with bowls of food and wishes of good luck from local ... Travelfish members only (Full text is around 1,900 words.)
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