In our midterm break we visited the most beautiful island in Thailand, called Koh Tao. The island’s name means turtle island. It is located in the Thai gulf in Surat Thani Province. We chose to take the overnight train from Bangkok, then the morning ferry from Chumphon. The train was super cold, but I still had a good sleep during the night. If you are higher than 190 cm I would not recommend travelling with this train as you will struggle to fit in the cabin. The ferry takes another 3 hours to get to the island.
Koh Tao is the number one destination for scuba diving and snorkelling in Thailand. You can see a wide range of sea animals at the coral reefs around the island. We were swimming with normal sharks, giant whale sharks, turtles, puffer fishes, sea snakes and many more. One thing I would like to highlight which is important: the only dangerous animal in these waters is the puffer fish, as during the reproduction season they are viciously protecting their nest and they could leave you in stitches if you are at the wrong place at the wrong time. However, we had many instances where we swam into a pufferfish, and they were calm all the time.
The island has numerous breath-taking beaches with crystal white sand. It is recommended to hire a scooter to explore the beaches and the viewpoints around the island. I would strongly recommend the shark bay where you can swim with blacktip reef sharks and the turtle bay where the big-mama lives and if you are lucky enough you could swim with this giant turtle. I would strongly recommend going for a full day snorkelling tour, even if you are not a fan of snorkelling. They will provide every necessary equipment such as a mask, pipe and life jacket if needed as well as a delicious lunch. The guides are super friendly, and it is worth it to swim along with them as they know the secret spots for amazing sea animals. I believe Koh Tao is the cheapest and most beautiful place to get your scuba diving license. I did my advanced scuba exam here at -30 meter when a huge 7-meter whale shark swam above us.
The restaurants are amazing on the island, they are also considerably cheap. There is a wide range of accommodation from beach bungalows to hilltop luxury villas. I would recommend having your own mask and pipe as you will be able to snorkel every day. Also, make sure you have strong sunscreen as it could be very painful if you forget it. The nightlife is very pleasant in Koh Tao. There are parties every day right at the beach with fire shows.
It is easy to spend 2 weeks in Koh Tao thanks to the beautiful beaches, sea life and sunset viewpoints. However, I would recommend visiting Koh Samui and Ko Pha Ngan while you are in the area.