Snorkeling in Koh Tao (Thailand)
After our trip to Bhutan, we fly again to Bangkok then take a night bus + speedboat to Koh Tao, where we stay for a week.
Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips
Part 1: Travel Journal
Transport Bangkok – Koh Tao
JB books the tickets on 12go asia (link) but he picks the wrong category. There are two categories for the bus leaving at 9pm and you need to take the more expensive one at 1550THB, it’s the VIP bus with twice as much space as a regular bus.
JB made a mistake and bought the regular bus tickets, and it took five massages afterwards to get my bones back in place. Around 6:30am the bus drops us at the port. We have about 30 minutes to grab a drink or something to eat if needed (there are two cafés on site) before boarding the speedboat. Suitcases are stored at the front, while backpacks have to be stored inside.
Before going to Koh Tao, there’s a quick stop at Koh Nang Yuan (two islands connected by a sandbar). JB already went there last time and hiked up to the viewpoint. I’ll just settle for this view from the boat.
Arriving in Koh Tao, we walk 5 minutes to the first hotel JB booked for the first two nights (Field-D House, Booking link). It’s a decent hotel with air conditioning, very clean, but the stifling heat makes us want a pool. After several searches, we conclude that there are no hotels with a pool that we like enough in Koh Tao and decide to rent a scooter (150THB/day) to explore the hotels without a pool we spotted on Google Maps.
We end up at Aow Leuk Grand Hill (1800THB/night, Booking link), which has bungalows with a view over the bay. It’s the most incredible spot on the island for snorkeling. Not only are the corals very close to the beach, they’re beautiful, colorful, and there are two resident blacktip sharks, the main attraction of this beach.
The downside of this hotel: none of the bungalows have air conditioning. Despite the wind, the two fans, and numerous showers after 6 nights here, I feel like I’m slowly dying. In the evening, we can’t air out the room properly because the light from our smartphones is enough to attract insects. And the internet isn’t stable enough, so we mostly work from the hotel’s restaurant.
The hotel restaurant closes at 5:30pm so for dinner, we have to take the scooter and brave the dark to eat in town. The road isn’t always lit, but once you know it well, there’s no danger. The two times I got a bit stressed was when I saw two dogs running behind us as we left the hotel and I was afraid they might stop me from getting back to my room. But when coming back, I just heard them barking and that was it. The restaurant always has 1 to 3 dogs, one of which barks every time someone arrives. It’s not always reassuring to see a big dog barking at you, but luckily, it never happens to me. He’s never there when I arrive, and he doesn’t bark at customers already there. Anyway, despite the dream setting, there are still these little details that stress me out a bit 😀 I’ve already been bitten by a dog in Asia so I’m not super calm when one of them barks. They’re raised to guard the house, not to be petted like in Europe. And they can sense when you’re afraid of them.
Apart from that, the snorkeling is absolutely incredible! You have to do it early in the morning or from 5pm onwards to have the place to yourself, because this bay is constantly visited by tourist boats, coming either for snorkeling or diving. The guides like to circle one of the resident sharks to attract it towards the tourists so they can see it too. We often hear from our bungalow “shark”, “towards you”…
When the water is calm, you can even see the shark from our bungalow, it’s just a big fish, very friendly, and it swims across the bay, while tourists don’t even notice it. The first time I went snorkeling, I came face to face with it and chased it for a while before realizing I was a bit scared ahahah. Then, while swimming, I saw a shadow moving, I thought it was a ray, but when I put on the snorkeling mask, I recognized another shark. There are two here, a small one and a bigger one, but they remain small compared to the ones we saw in French Polynesia. I’d say they’re about the size of a large salmon.
JB is thrilled! He goes snorkeling morning and evening. Both sides of the bay have corals, but our side is the most beautiful. The opposite side can have turtles in the morning, from what I’ve been told. The restaurant on the other side of the bay belongs to another hotel, which we also visited.
But the owner is so in “don’t give a damn” mode, he doesn’t give us a discount for a week, and the employees at the restaurant don’t seem to want to work so we prefer our side. To get to that beach without being at the hotels, tourists go through the middle road and are each charged 100THB. In exchange, they get a lounger each. So to avoid paying that 100THB, the best is to go directly to one of the two restaurants there and not park in the middle of the beach.
Snorkeling tour
Last time, JB opted for a snorkeling tour and he loved it (it was only the second time he had ever been snorkeling). This time, I’m joining too even though I really can’t be bothered. We’re lucky to find an agency that runs the tours (SangThong Tours Koh Tao), so we’re not going through a middleman. The price is the same anyway, but at least we have a single point of contact. A pickup comes to get us and drops us off at Shark Bay. The water is shallow, so we have to get on a small boat that takes us to the big boat, which circles the island to pick up another boat and then we’re all together. We’re supposed to stop at Koh Nang Yuan (two islands connected by a sandbar) but the waves are too big, and they’ll replace this stop with a pretty boring snorkeling stop.
Almost all the snorkeling stops were pretty boring—either there aren’t enough corals, not enough fish, or the fish aren’t varied enough. Luckily, the vibe is good, our guide is great, speaks good English and is enthusiastic, and the food is good. And we end with three stops that I really like:
- Tanote Bay where we’re supposed to see millions of little fish. I’m torn between wanting to see them and fearing them. In the end, we don’t see them, but last time JB did and it was really impressive.
- Our bay: Aow Luek Bay, arriving by boat makes me realize there are plenty of other bungalows behind our hotel. The guide brought the shark to our area, so everyone got to admire it. Many are scared at first, but being in a group and with a small shark, they were really happy to have faced their fear.
- Shark Bay : where we see huge turtles—they must be about 2 meters across. They arrive around 3 p.m. each day to eat, and there are 5 in total. The biggest one has a chip on its back; we didn’t see it.
Unfortunately, during this tour, the corals gave us minor injuries, but they took two weeks to heal. There’s a toxin in the corals that’s released a few days later. I recommend coming with aqua shoes or sandals that are water-resistant.
Our favorite spots
On Koh Tao, we spent a lot of time at The Garden,a French restaurant that’s super super good. We of course eat Thai dishes, pad thai, pad see ew, papaya salad, noodle salad, etc., but the quality is inconsistent. Bro & Sis bar, for Thai dishes, is our favorite; it’s the ideal spot to watch the sunset. As for massages, we go almost every day to พฤกษา นวดเพื่อสุขภาพ (Health Massage), where older, experienced masseuses put our bones and muscles back in place. JB spends some afternoons enjoying coworking and ice baths at Blacktip Cafe.
Then, near the port, there’s a long street along the beach with lots of restaurants. It’s great for those without wheels. We find it a bit touristy at noon, but the vibe is super cool from sunset on.
In short, this island is perfect for water sports, but it doesn’t have much charm. Whereas on Koh Phangan, there’s almost nothing to do, but the energy is completely different. We’re glad we chose Koh Phangan to take refuge for the 6 months after Covid, instead of going to Koh Tao. The island is much too small, not varied, there are very few expats, very few Thai people, just passing tourists and Burmese (who are very kind, by the way) working for Thai owners who aren’t even there, so the service isn’t always top-notch.
We then take a speedboat to Koh Phangan with Lomprayah.
Part 2: Practical Tips
- Transport Bangkok – Koh Tao: departure at 9 p.m., arrival at 8:45 a.m. Book your ticket on 12go asia (link) and take the most expensive fare for a VIP bus (1550THB)
- Hotel: Aow Leuk Grand Hill (1800THB/night, Booking link)
- Car rental: 150THB to 200THB/day, more info here
- Cash withdrawal: yellow ATM opposite the 7-Eleven, about 250THB max per withdrawal
- Massage: between 350 and 400THB/hour
- Food: Thai between 100 and 200THB/dish, international: 300-400THB/dish
