Koh Tao'''Koh Tao''' (????????), literally Turtle Island, is an island in the Gulf of Thailand in the South (Thailand)|south of Thailand. Image:KohTaoBeach.jpg|thumb|Sairee Beach, Koh Tao, Thailand ==Understand== Koh Tao is a great place for divers who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Koh Samui and want more than the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan. Koh Tao is a great place for backpackers to learn how to dive. There are really no currents and you have to travel in a boat for at least an hour to find depths deeper than 40 meters.. ==Talk== ==Get in== The only option is by '''boat'''. Express boats connect from Surat Thani on the mainland as well as the nearby islands of Ko Samui (1.5 hours) and Ko Phangan (1 hour), and there is also a slow night boat from Chumphon. ==Get around== There is only one road on the entire island, so the only other means of transport is water taxis. You can rent pedal bikes and mopeds at a few places on Saree Beach. Be careful if you rent a moped as the dirt roads can get dangerous. ==See== Take a bike around the island. Careful on the mopeds as the dirt roads get very hectic in places. Shark Cove is a good place to go snorkling for the day (don't worry too much about sharks, they are only small ones). ==Do== '''Diving''' is by far the biggest attraction on Ko Tao. As the island is easily accessible as a day trip, many people choose to dive with operators on Ko Samui (particularly Chaweng) or Ko Phangan. Diving in Koh Tao is easy, fun, and you can see turtles, stingrays, barracuda, lots of small fish, and there is a ''very small chance'' of seeing sharks, or even a whale shark. Nearly any time of the year '''except November''' is good diving weather in Koh Tao, In November, the visibility is reduced and the seas are choppy, but diving is good by the standards of many other destinations. When diving is good, the '''visibility''' can be 40+ meters. Average visibility is around 15-20 meters. There are a ''huge'' number of dive operators on the island, many offering budget accommodation (This is usually sold as 'free' accommodation, but this is not really true as you will generally get a discount if you are staying elsewhere). It is probably one of the best and cheapest places to learn to dive, with Oct 2004 prices around 8500 Baht for a PADI open water certification including rental and budget accommodation for the 5 day duration. Prices seem to vary only 10% between the better operators and the budget options, as competition is fierce. * '''Crystal Dive Resort''', [http://www.crystaldive.com]. Great instructors, good boats and accommodation. Accommodation, however, can become tight during peak times. * '''Phoenix Divers''', [http://www.phoenixdivers.com/]. Right on Sairee Beach, has good boats, new gear and multilingual often western staff. * '''Stingray Divers''', [http://www.stingray-divers.com/]. Very modern dive resort overlooking Chalok Ban Khao Bay. * '''IDC Koh Tao''', [http://www.idckohtao.com]. Instructor development courses (IDC's) run every month by English PADI Course Director Matt Bolton. ==Eat== Huge selection of Thai food, including lots of sea food. BBQ Fish is one of the local favourites. As a large portion of the population seem to be expats, you will find plenty of other cuisines too. Thai food is cheapest, with October 2003 prices ranging from 45 Baht for stuff-on-rice through to 220 Baht for a nice hunk of fresh BBQ fish at a decent restaurant. 25 Baht would get you a fresh banana pancake, and 60 baht a bowl of porridge with honey at a budget resorts restaurant. 200-300 Baht would get you a bowl of freshly made Italian pasta, and 160-200 Baht for pizza.. ==Drink== When you get a break from diving, there are a few bars on the island. The bars on the island rotate nights, so the best bet is to ask someone working at dive shop which bar will be crowded that night. ==Sleep== You can usually find accommodation at the pier when you arrive. However, during peak times it is worth booking ahead unless you want to sleep on the beach or spend the night in one of the more expensive lodgings. During busy periods, most resorts with dive outfits will not want you to stay unless you are diving at least every second day with them. If you don't want to stay with your dive operator and use their free accommodation, ask for a discount (although they will probably just give it to you without asking - competition is stiff!) In October 2003, 300 Baht/night would get you a room for two with a fan, 24 hour electricity, and a hole in the floor right on the beach. Prices generally go up with quality and features such as a fridge or air conditioning. The swankier bungalows may go for around 1200 Baht/night. ==Stay safe== ==Get out== There are a few ferries that run between Koh Tao, Koh Panang, Koh Samui, and Surat Thani. There are extremely slow ferries and fast hydrofoils. Ask around to find times and purchase tickets ahead of time. ==External links== WikiPedia:Ko Tao {{stub}}First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

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