Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
18.5km²
Area
29km
Coastline
372m
Highest point
1,382
People
30°C
Warmest sea
May
63km
To the mainland
When to go to Ko Tao
Best for the beach from January to March.
The sea is warmest in May (30 °C) and coolest in January (28 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in the Gulf of Thailand
Ko Tao is an island in Thailand. It belongs to Samui archipelago. It covers 18.5 km², with 29 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 372 m. About 1,382 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 63 km away.
Getting there
- Samui International Airport (USM)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 65 km in a straight lineCar hire at USM airport (Na Thon)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesChumpon - Koh Tao, Ko Tao - Ko Pha Ngan, Surat Thani - Koh Tao, Koh Tao - Sail Rock
- 63 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to Marchbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Ko Tao.
- 22beachesHaad Sai Nuan 2, Laem Thian, Haad San Chao and 19 more
- 56viewpointsTanote Peak, Sairee Viewpoint, John-Suwan Mountain Viewpoint (view on ao Chalok and ao thian beach) and 53 more
- 2lighthouses
- 4ferry terminalsLomprayah Koh Tao Pier, Songserm Koh Tao Pier, Nightboat Koh Tao Pier and 1 more
- 56dive centresBan's Diving Resort, Phoenix Diver, Dive Supply and 53 more
- 1campsitesGolden View Campsite
- 239hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 354restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Ko Tao in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Ko Tao, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
30.2°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 111 m above the sea. 83 % of it is below 200 m.
- 30 %0–50 m
- 53 %50–200 m
- 17 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Koh Tao1,382 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 27 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 116 | 36 | 104 | 106 | 220 | 227 | 242 | 225 | 250 | 255 | 286 | 192 |
| Wet days | 12 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 19 |
| Sun h/day | 6.8 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 6.7 | 6.1 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 6.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 17 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 20 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −0.1 |
| 2021 | −0.8 | −0.7 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −0.2 |
| 2022 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.4 | −0.2 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.6 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.3 |
| 2023 | −0.4 | ±0.0 | −0.5 | +0.4 | +0.7 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.7 |
| 2024 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +0.4 |
| 2025 | −0.3 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Ko Pha-ngan
Thailand123 km²630 m44 km away
PhuketThailand536 km²507 m285 km away
Ko ChangThailand217 km²743 m354 km away
King Island
Myanmar450 km²181 m312 km away
Ko KutThailand111 km²309 m345 km away
Koh Rong
Cambodia78 km²326 m379 km away
Koh KongCambodia104 km²421 m372 km away
Koh Rong SanloemCambodia24 km²202 m382 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q525940) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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