After 11 weeks of rarely spending more than 2 nights in one place and living out of my backpack, I felt that a proper rest with a few more nights in one location was overdue. Since there are only flights from Paro to either Kathmandu, New Delhi, Kolkata, or Bangkok, the choice was quickly made. I had been to Thailand before, so it was not initially on my list of countries to visit during this trip. Oh boy, am I happy that I changed my mind about that.
How to reach Koh Tao from Bangkok
There are several ways you can make this journey. The easiest is probably to book a flight from BKK to either Chumphon or Surat Thani and then take the ferry to Koh Tao.
Since train travel grew on me over the last few months, I decided to do things differently. After landing in Bangkok (around 6 pm), I made my way to the central train station via metro (takes about 50 minutes, you have to switch lines once; a very easy process like many other metros in the world).
I had a train prebooked that departed at 11 pm and was scheduled to arrive around 5 in the morning in Chumphon. This left me with enough time to enjoy the first of many Thai dishes before heading to the train. Bangkok’s train station is huge and is organized somewhat like an airport. Each platform has a gate that only opens a short time before the train arrives, where tickets are checked before accessing the platform.
There was another train option leaving at 9 pm and arriving at 3 am. I could have easily taken that one as well, but 3 am did not seem like a good time to arrive, especially since the first ferry departs only at 6:30 am.
There is no need to book the ferry in advance. Some online tour operators sell a bus and ferry ticket, but these are overpriced. I found the train very convenient (although it was not a real sleeper train like in India), and when you arrive in Chumphon in the morning, you have more than enough time to make your way to the pier and buy your ferry ticket at the normal rate. As mentioned above, the ferry departs at 6:30 am and arrives in Koh Tao around 9 am. You will probably be too early to check in, but just hang out at one of the cozy beach bars and treat yourself to a nice breakfast while looking at the beautiful white sand beach.
Koh Tao
Koh Tao, which means “Turtle Island,” is a small island in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand. It is primarily known for being a scuba divers’ paradise, with a high density of diving schools and therefore diving opportunities at very reasonable prices. Whether you are an experienced diver, want to try it out for the first time in your life, or want to take one of the many special courses, the options are (almost) as vast as the ocean, and there is something for everyone who wants to dive with a Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (now you know!).
Besides the many dive centers, Koh Tao also harbors several tattoo studios, where you can get inked either by machine or by the traditional Thai bamboo method. This method pierces less deeply into the skin and is therefore considerably less painful, but it takes a longer time. Tattoos in Thailand are quite affordable compared to Western European rates, and the artists are equally highly skilled.
There are also several beaches to be explored. Sairee Beach in the west is somewhat the main beach of the island. I reccommend coming at least once to Shark Bay in the south (about 2 km from Sairee), where you can spot the (harmless) blacktip sharks just by snorkeling in the bay. You can walk there, hitch a taxi, or rent a scooter.
Last but not least, one can, of course, enjoy the excellent Thai cuisine in Koh Tao.
Be careful when coming to Koh Tao; you might easily lose track of time once you’re here. I intended to stay maybe 5 days, but ended up spending more than double of that.
Enjoying the sweet life in Koh Tao :
Nice picture from underwater world.
Time file so fast when living there.
Varan on the sea , wow!!! Looks like komodo dragon 😂
Nice diving 😍