With my diving adventures complete we had a few more days to kick back and enjoy some of the rest of Koh Tao. There is plenty to keep people occupied depending on what you fancy doing…
Snorkelling Mango Bay
One afternoon we decided to go for a snorkelling trip round on one of the quieter beaches. Mango Bay is just round the north side of Koh Tao and the longtail taxi boats at Sairee Beach are willing to run people round for a few hours (for a price, of course!). They have snorkels and masks to borrow and will just wait around until you are ready to come back. We got a return trip for 1000THB / £20 including some snorkelling gear but you can do longer day trips including other sites if you wish.
Get one of the colourful longtail taxis to take you round the island
Mango Bay itself was welcomingly quiet. A few other longtails were around but the beach was practically deserted, especially compared to Sairee. It’s a little more gravelly than the main beach too but by no means unpleasant. There is also some amazing snorkelling in the bay – corals and fish are plentiful – and you can easily spend a couple of hours exploring the sea life.
Hiking to the Mango Viewpoint
If lying on a beach is too much like hard work, Koh Tao has a few amazing lookout points to hike up to. We hiked up to a point in the North-West of the island to catch a killer view. This does require a bit of a health warning though as it is a steep and sweaty climb in the heat of the day – bring water and expect to spend at least an hour getting up there. There are roads up to a point but they’re in pretty bad condition so be careful on a moped. The route itself is fairly straightforward – take the road heading inland that is kinda opposite the 7-11 in Sairee here…
Head up and you should pass the Roctopus Divers accommodation. Once you are climbing there are a couple more turns but not many here’s a crude ‘drawing-on-a-map’ but if you have the MAPS.ME app that should see you right. Once you are near the top you’ll turn at Jim’s Bar and be on the home stretch. There are a couple of guys near the top collecting a small entrance fee on the final path and then you are there. In true Thai entrepreneurial style some bright spark has put a bar with a cool chill area right at the viewpoint so you can grab a much needed beer at the top. Then kick back and enjoy – you deserve it!
Visiting Koh Nangyuan
This tiny island to the northwest of Koh Tao is really stunning and it’s only a short hop from the main beach on a longtail boat. The return trip, the island entry fee, snorkelling gear and sunbeds cost a total of 1050THB / £21. Try and arrive early if you fancy a sunbed as it can get busy in the middle of the day. There is some stunning coral around the island, particularly the Japanese Garden site which attracts both snorkelers and divers from the neighbouring islands. Add to that pristine white sands to kick back on and a fairly easy climb up to the peak for this view…
And you have plenty to keep you occupied. It’s also worth being aware that cans and plastic are banned on the island and food and drink has a pretty big mark-up compared to Koh Tao’s prices.
