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Isabel
& Ronald - Thailand Trip 2007 - ´Koh Tao´ (01)
Koh Tao
(Thai: เกาะเต่า, lit.
"Turtle Island") is an island in Thailand located near the
eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand.
- Area:
About 21 km˛
- Province:
Surat Thani
- District
(Amphoe): Koh Pha Ngan
- Population:
approximately 5000
- Main town:
Ban Mae Hat
The economy
of the island is almost exclusively centered around tourism,
especially scuba diving.
Koh Tao was
named by its first settlers for the island's turtle-like geographic
shape. Coincidentally, the island is an important breeding ground for
Hawksbill turtles and Green turtles. Development of tourism has
negatively impacted the health of these grounds but a breeding program
organised in 2004 by the Royal Thai Navy and KT-DOC, a coalition of
local scuba diving centres has reintroduced hundreds of juvenile
turtles to the island's ecosystem.
Koh Tao is
serviced by ferry services from Surat Thani (4 to 9 hours) (only night
boats), Chumphon (1.5 to 3 hours), Koh Samui (4 hours) and Koh Pha
Ngan (2.5 hours). All ferries dock at Ban Mae Haad.
Koh Tao has
no airport.
 The
most popular place for tourists is Sairee on the West coast, which has
a white sandy beach of 1.7 km interrupted only by a few huge
boulders. Resorts are scattered with varying density, however, along
the many small bays of the island.
Koh Tao is
less developed than Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan, but has become
increasingly popular especially with the mid-20's backpacker crowd in
search of relatively inexpensive scuba diving certification.
The island
does have cell phone towers, internet access and ATMs, all added
within the last 3 years.
Internet
access can be expensive, running at 120 Baht per hour in most places
though access is available costing 1 Baht for two minutes.
Anyway, now
in 2007 there is a trend to more upmarket resorts which don't
concentrate singularely on diving. Free WIFI is provided in increasing
numbers and even the first sailing charter company on Koh Tao has
opened.
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