Koh Tao

Currency

A small island with few booths and unremarkable rates. Change money before you arrive if you can.

ATMs & cards

Machines are concentrated in Sairee and Mae Haad and do run out. The 220 THB foreign card fee applies; dive schools mostly take cards, beach bars mostly do not.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Safe, with two things worth knowing. Scooter rental scams — damage claimed on return that was already there — are more common here than elsewhere in Thailand, so photograph the bike from every angle before you leave the shop. And choose a dive school on its safety record rather than its price; the cheapest courses cut corners on equipment servicing.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Rabies if you will be near animals or staying a while
• Japanese encephalitis for long rural stays

Getting treated

One of the best places in the world to have an accident. Private hospitals in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai are excellent, fast, English-speaking and cheap by Western standards — a consultation runs a few tens of euros. They expect payment or an insurance guarantee up front.

Dengue is present year-round and worse in the rainy season; there is no prophylaxis, so repellent is the defence. Rabies is present in street dogs and monkeys — any bite or scratch means a clinic the same day.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Mae Haad has the cheaper local kitchens; Sairee is priced for divers. The 995 THB open water course lunch is usually included — ask, because it is often the best value meal of the day.

Getting around

• On foot — Sairee Beach and Mae Haad are both walkable end to end
• Songthaew — 100-300 THB, more for the steep east coast bays
• Scooter — the roads to the viewpoints are steep and loose; rent only if experienced
• Longtail boat — the sensible way to reach the east coast bays
• No airport: ferry from Chumphon (2h), Koh Phangan (1h) or Samui (1.5h)

Must-see

Things to do

• Take an open water diving course
• Snorkel at Koh Nang Yuan
• Climb to John-Suwan viewpoint
• Swim at Shark Bay with blacktip reef sharks
• Kayak the west coast at sunset
• Free-dive the pinnacles

Nearby day trips

Religion

Theravada Buddhist

About 93% Buddhist, and it governs a lot of daily etiquette. Monks may not be touched by women. Never point your feet at a Buddha image or climb on one — people have been prosecuted for it.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Return the wai greeting — palms together, a slight bow — when someone offers it first
• Remove shoes before entering temples and homes
• Cover shoulders and knees at temples, including for men
• Keep your cool; visible anger loses you the argument and the respect

Don't

• Do not touch anyone’s head, including children — it is the most sacred part of the body
• Do not point your feet at people or at Buddha images, and never step over someone
• Do not say anything critical of the royal family; lèse-majesté carries prison sentences and is enforced
• Do not climb on Buddha statues for photographs