This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Koh Tao.
Koh Tao is a beautiful and quiet island in the southeast area of Thailand, known as a paradise for backpackers. The only way to reach this island is by boat from the islands Ko Phangan or Ko Samui, or directly from main land, Surat Thani (has a airport) and Chumphon –- both have easy bus connections with Bangkok and other cities. When you arrive to the main harbour in Koh Tao, there are a lot of tuktuks (a typical Thai taxi), so you will not have problems reaching your destination.
Koh Tao is small and much more quiet island compared to other places, so enjoy your time on the beautiful beaches with white sand and turquoise and calm waters. At night, there are a lot of restaurants and bars where you can meet a lot of other backpackers and drink the mythical “Thai bucket” of alcoholic drinks.
Koh Tao is known for being the best place to do scuba diving in Thailand, because of its amazing dive sites, wide range of corals and marine life, and great visibility – if you are interested in this activity, this is definitely the best place to do it in the southeast Asia, where there are a lot of reliable diving companies who offer all kind of courses on a budget. If you have time, try to visit the other islands of the archipelago, Ko Samui and Ko Phangan (known for the famous “full moon party”) -– beautiful islands with amazing landscapes like beaches with white sand and clear waters.
There are not so many hostels in Koh Tao (most of them are really cheap with good facilities), so in high season or event times, try to book your hostel in Koh Tao in advance to have better rates and assure vacancies.
Written by local enthusiast for Koh Tao hostels
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