Koh Nang Yuan
Koh Nangyuan off Koh Tao’s northwest coast, is actually a group of 3 tiny islets formed by sea currents interacting with the 3 peaks of the island. The best snorkelling in the Gulf of Thailand is found here. The sandbar beach that links the islands together is iconic and probably the most photographed part of the area, a short hike up to the viewpoint also provides great photo opportunities. These incredibly beautiful and unique islands are located 1 hour north of Samui by speedboat and should not be missed.
Haad Tien Beach
Haad Tien is commonly known as “Rocky Bay” and is one of the furthest beaches from Mae Haad, and one of the best. It has the clearest water and the cleanest beach, with only a small selection of quite exclusive resorts there. It is sometimes also called “Shark Bay” for the number of black-tip reef sharks you can snorkel among.
Mango Viewpoint
Mango Viewpoint is located in the hills in the north of the island, offering a spectacular view of Mae Haad and Sairee Beach. It’s reached either by taking a long, challenging hike up the hill from the 7-Eleven in Sariee or by riding a motorbike up a steep and risky road. There is a small fee for access to the viewing platforms.
Tanote Bay
Tanote Bay is the largest of the east coast beaches. It’s also the busiest and most populated area on this side of the island. There are a few resorts around this 260-metre-long beach, as well as some independent bars and restaurants.
Two Views Viewpoint
Two Views is one of the most challenging viewpoints to get to, being on Koh Tao’s highest peak. It’s part of a circular hiking route starting from Sairee. There are a couple of restaurants at the viewpoint, giving you the opportunity to refresh before you head back down the hill.
The namesake views are over Sairee Beach to the west and Tanote Bay to the east. On a clear day, you can even see Koh Phangan, Ang Thong National Marine Park and Koh Samui.
Sairee Beach
Sairee Beach is probably Koh Tao’s best-known beach, where you’ll find the majority of the nightlife, including beach bars and restaurants. Despite being the longest beach on the island, it’s also one of the busiest, being immediately to the north of Mae Haad and home to a lot of budget accommodation.
Mae Haad is the island’s main town, where you will find the pier as well as plenty of guesthouses, shops, bars and other services. Naturally, this area is among the busiest.
John-Suwan Viewpoint
John-Suwan Viewpoint is right at the southern tip of Koh Tao and the view to the north is spectacular. From this little peninsula, you can see both Chalok Baan Khao Bay and Haad Tien beaches and the hilly interior of the island. There is a small entrance fee to the viewpoint, as well as a short and relatively easy hike to reach it.
Diving in Koh Tao
Koh Tao is famous as a diving destination and many a visitor has come away from their visit with an Open Water Diver qualification. The dramatic coral landscapes are home to turtles, stingrays, reef sharks, barracudas and, if you are very lucky, whale sharks.
Koh Tao lies approximately 60 km north of Koh Samui. There are numerous dive sites in and around the island, here, the water visibility ranges from 15-30 meters.
Diving is an attractive and rewarding experience in the Gulf of Thailand. Many people head to picturesque Koh Tao to learn diving, but there are plenty of other dive sites to discover as well.
Chumporn Pinnacles
Chumporn Pinnacles is one of the most challenging dive sites in Koh Samui. It occasionally has strong currents and depths of 10-35 meters. True to its name, this dive site indeed consists of fascinating submerged pinnacles.
The highest of these rocks is approximately 16 meters below the surface. Chumporn allows you to swim with man-sized groupers and other large pelagic fish, including schools of barracuda, tuna and mackerel.
White Rock
White Rock is a Koh Samui dive site that explores 2 submerged pinnacles, only 2 metres above the surface but extends between 18-22 meters underwater. Schools of butterflyfish and angelfish dominate the area.
Colonies of staghorn corals attract breams and damsels to make their homes in White Rock. On any given dive, look out for sea snakes, turtles, morays and blue spotted stingrays. It's possible to encounter White Rock's resident titan triggerfish, which are territorial by nature.
Southwest Pinnacles
Southwest Pinnacles consist of 3 rock formations that range from 4-30 metres below the surface, representing a series of short wall dives. At the top of the pinnacles are blankets of underwater plant life in an array of colours.
Between the rocks, you can see many bushy black coral sea whips and gorgonian sea fans. Leopard sharks are often spotted in the Southwest Pinnacles, and it's even possible to meet a whale shark. Most of the time, the dive site has groupers, scribbled filefish, masked porcupine fish, yellowtail, barracuda, and snapper.
Samran Pinnacles
Samran Pinnacles is a dive site that tends to attract advanced divers in Koh Samui. Here, the water is deeper and currents are much stronger than most sites in the Gulf of Thailand. The rocks are submerged in 12 metres of water and attract large schools of jackfish (bigger varieties), trevally, and giant barracudas.
Hin Wong
Hin Wong is a large and varied site east of Koh Tao, with depths ranging from 10-30 metres. Unfortunately, the only shortcoming of the site is the unpredictable water visibility, which cannot be assured at all times.
Nevertheless, the site abounds with delicate sea fans and spiralling wire coral. It's also home to many types of fish, including groupers, filefish, and snapper. If you are lucky and keep your distance, you may even see turtles feeding around the reef system.
Green Rock
Green Rock is a dive site in Koh Samui that provides a good selection of swim-through opportunities in depths of 4-25 metres. The rock consists of large archways, caverns, caves and crevices. Common sightings include harlequin sweetlips, blue-ringed angelfish and moray eels. It's possible to spot whitetip reef sharks when diving in Green Rock. Large groupers, schools of yellowtail, and blue and yellow fusiliers can be found further out in deeper water.
Sail Rock
Sail Rock is an internationally renowned dive site north of Koh Samui, between Koh Tao and Koh Phangan. Although only 15 metres above the water, the structure extends 40 metres below the surface. Its main attraction is a naturally formed, 15-metre high underwater dive wall (or chimney). Divers can ascend from 18 metres up the chimney wall to the surface, making this a unique diving experience.
Visibility is usually excellent, at around 30 metres. The chimney has small holes housing white-eyed and yellow margin moray eels and sea anemones. Sightings of reef sharks and manta rays are also common, as are large schools of tuna, jacks, trevally and barracudas. It's possible to encounter whale sharks if you're diving in Sail Rock during the winter months.
Koh Yippon and Koh Wao
Koh Wao and Koh Yippon are the most popular dive sites in the Ang Thong National Marine Park. Both offer incredible swim-through experiences, not to mention encounters with caves, tunnels and passageways. Water visibility is around 15-25 metres.
Ang Thong National Marine Park lies approximately 30 km northwest of Samui. It comprises 42 islands and offers some of the best diving in Thailand. The best time to visit this marine park is between September and January.
Island Tours & Excursions
One of the best ways to see the attractions on Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan, is to book a snorkeling trip or a begginers diving course, making sure you experience the very best of the islands above and under the water.
Visitors to Koh Samui can enjoy the benefits of booking tours in advance through our tour partner Viator - Reserve now and pay later with free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour starts. To browse available trips to Koh Tao click the insert below:
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