Koh Tao Island - travel diary

Having left Kho Pha-ngan we headed off to discover another little island in the Gulf of Thailand. It's Kho Tao, a much smaller island, which according to many still retains some wild features, renowned above all for its extremely clear and crystalline waters which make it an ideal destination for all diving enthusiasts. We left the port of Kho Pha-ngan around 10:30 with the cheapest boat we could find. It was a kind of ex fishing boat adapted to carry people, which took about two hours to get us to our destination. It's always fascinating arriving on a new island, but the spectacle Kho Tao offers is superlative: it first shows its wild side made up of a sea violently beaten by the wind crashing against the enormous and smooth monoliths of the coast; just above these surprising rocks a very rich vegetation starts to grow.

But the island gives its best once you arrive at the port, built in a large bay (probably the only bay where it's possible to dock). Here the scenery changes completely and the "rough" sea and the wind suddenly cease and give way to a long white beach protected by a magnificent coral reef. To be honest the beach is only there in the afternoon when the waters retreat with the low tide... this way in the morning you have all the time to sleep and relax (what a coincidence!!!).

Having disembarked on the island we had quite a hard time finding accommodation for the night since most of the resorts only let you rent a bungalow if you also decide to take a diving course or at least do a few dives... in fact the whole island revolves around diving and it's understandable that especially in high season they give priority to people interested in spending money to get their certification.

The first night we opted for a temporary place with the promise of getting up early the next morning and starting the search again. And so it was and we were also very lucky because within about an hour we had already found our little house.

Just enough time to unpack and we were already in the water... Kho Tao really lives up to its fame: the water is exceptional, so clear it doesn't seem real. And if you consider that it also has an interesting coral reef all around, it's easy to see why it's considered a kind of mecca by all diving enthusiasts. Once you put on mask and snorkel you could spend whole days admiring the splendid seabeds, the corals, that whole multitude of brightly coloured fish. Sometimes you don't realise how deep the seabed is because the visibility is so absolutely perfect and sharp that you could just as easily be at a depth of three metres as ten... incredible!

Our days on the island really flew by, spent between beach, endless swims, exploring the interior and a pleasant nightlife. In the blink of an eye it was already time to leave for a new destination: Kho Samui, the largest island in the whole Gulf of Thailand.