Ko Tao
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Koh Tao (also often Ko Tao, Thai: เกาะเต่า, lit. "Turtle Island" not due to its shape, but because there were lots of turtles living here in times past) is an island in Thailand, located near the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand.
Administratively, the island is part of Surat Thani province, in the district (Amphoe) Ko Pha Ngan.
All boats dock at Mae Haad, a small village with only a few bars and shops. The most popular place is Sairee's beach. Sairee's white sandy beach stretches about 1.7km over most of the west coast, interrupted only by a few huge boulders.
Tourism
The island is well known for scuba diving. Unlike Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao is not yet developed and thus not flooded with tourists, although becoming increasingly popular.
In the past several years development on Koh Tao has boomed. As of this writing (Dec05), Koh Tao has about 150 resorts offering accommodation and probably near 50 bars/clubs. Most of the resorts are still bungalow-style, not hotel/resort style. The massive growth can be attributed mainly to the Scuba Diving market which continues to appeal mainly to the mid-20's backpacker crowd. Accommodation prices are still much lower than nearby Koh Samui. Most dive shops offer scuba diving PADI certification classes as well as hostel/bungalow accommodation. Accommodation rates drop significantly upon registering for scuba classes. Typical open water certification classes run around $200-250 (8000-10000 Baht) and last 3-5 days.
Koh Tao is serviced by about 6 different ferry services. Due to the terrain of the island, there is no airport, and it's unlikely one will ever be able to be built there. This adds to the welcomed remote feel of the island for many of its long time residents.
The island does have cell phone towers, internet access and ATMs, all added within the last 3 years.
Internet access is expensive, running at 120baht per hour.
95% of all traffic on the island is motorbike, with mopeds and dirt bikes being the main mode of transport. Mopeds can be rented for around $5 (200 Baht) per day.
Almost all roads are dirt roads, with few exceptions. However, new roads are being paved at a quick rate.
Transportation
The island is reachable by boat from Ko Pha Ngan in app. 1 hour, from Surat Thani in app. 6 hours and from Chumphon app. 3 hours. This island can also be reached in one and one-half hours from Ko Samui.
See also
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