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Koh Samui || Koh
Phangan || Koh Tao
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 Koh
Tao is 45-km north of Koh Samui and 40-km east of Chumphon on the m ainland.
The island is 21 square kilometers of rocks and coconut trees,
surrounded by shallow beaches. The main town of Mae Haad is
located on the west coast, and this is where most of the island's
population have settled. North of Mae Haad is Sairee beach, which
is the busiest beach with the widest choice of accommodation. South of
Mae Haad and accessible by te only other sealed road is Ao Chalok Ban
Kao, the second most popular beach. From Ao Chalok running
anti clockwise there are numerous small bays with small bungalow
resorts. However access by road can be difficult. |
| Mae
Haad |
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Mae
Haad literally translates as mother beach and although this is the
only real town on the island, it is little more than a handful of
buildings and a pier. It is the main harbor and all the boats
coming from he mainland, or the other islands dock here, as well as
nearly all the dive boats, so the area around the pier is usually pretty
busy. Along the main road, which runs parallel to the sea,
there are a few restaurants and shops and several dive shops.
There are also a couple of Internet cafes and a few travel agencies
selling boa tickets and other services. There are also several
money changers, and recently a bank has opened with an ATM machine,
making it much easier to spend your savings on a few more day diving.
South of the pier (to your right when you arrive) there is a
reasonable beach and some very nice bungalow resorts, especially Sensi
Paradise and Royal Resort. The north of the pier are Crystal Dive Resort
and The Beach Club, which are also good options, particularly
Crystal. The main advantage of staying in or close to Mae Haad is
that all the dive trips start and finish here, so if you are going to be
doing a lot of diving you don't have the hassle of transferring
backwards and forwards in songtaews twice a day. It is also a
pleasant place to stay with better restaurants than Sairee beach and a
couple of bars. The swimming is probable not as good as elsewhere
but if you walk a few hundred yards south, around the head land, to
Janson Bay, you will find a delightful little cove perfect for swimming
and sunbathing. |
| Sairee
Beach |
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Just
over the headland from Mae Haad is Sairee Beach, the longest stretch of
sand on the island with the most bungalow resorts and the most popular
destination for travelers to Koh Tao. There is quiet a wide range
of accommodation with new places opening and old places of the dive
companies have set up (or are affiliated with) resorts here and many of
them will offer good deals for divers.
The beach itself cannot rival those is
Samui and the water is really too shallow for swimming, especially from
April to September, however it is mostly clean and the sand is good
enough for sunbathers. There is a sealed road set well back that
runs for the length of the beach that runs for the length of the beach
and provides easy access to all the resorts, however most people walk up
and down the footpaths and you will see very litte traffic, which gives
Sairee a nice remote feeling. |
| Chalok
Ban Kao Beach |
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One-and-a-half
kilometers south of Mae Haad is the island's second most popular
destination. Ao Chalok Ban Kao is a very scenic coral bay with a
broad sandy beach. Unfortunately the water is very shallow so it
is not much good for swimming, but most people staying on this bay seem
to be divers so it doesn't matter much. Apart from diving there is
not much to do here, but it is very scenic and relaxing and you really
feel a long way from it all even Mae Haad can seem like a busy
metropolis after a couple of days here.
There is a wide choice of accommodation,
especially for divers and occasional parties at some of the bungalow
resorts. There are also always a lot of long term resident diving
instructors divemasters and trainees, who manage to slip into a
lifestyle that is somewhere between the Caribbean and Robinso
Crusoe. |
| Hin
Wong Bay |
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Two-a-half
kilometers east of Ban Haad Sairee over a very steep hill and along a
patch road you come to Hin Wong bay. It is a small pretty bay with no
beach but lots of boulders and very calm waters, making it a great place
for swimming. There are two small bungalow resorts, with basic
huts and shared toilet and shower facilities. |
| Ao
Tanod |
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A
secluded bay reachable by a rough road from Mae Haad, there are a few
small resorts on this scenic, calm bay. Great for swimming and
snorkeling. |
| Ao
Leuk |
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Another
small bay with a few huts and also reached by the same track from Mae
Haad, it is just south of Ao Tanod. |
| Koh
Nang Yuan |
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Nangyuan
is actually three small islands interconnected by natural sand bars,
which produces a unique island (the operators claim it is the only one
in the world) and an incredibly beautiful place to say. If you are
after peace, quiet, comfort and diving then this is the spot for you. It
is now effectively a private island as Nang
Yuan Dive Resorts is the exclusive bungalow operator, but visitors
are welcomed and indeed encourage by regular boats from Mae Haad. |
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