The main beaches around the island
Ordered from the most famous to the quietest little cove and the islets of Koh Nang Yuan — pick by what you actually want.
1
Sairee is the heart of Koh Tao — the longest beach on the island, on the west coast, and home to almost all the dive schools, hotels, restaurants, cafés and beach bars. By day it's a busy swimming-and-learn-to-dive beach; in the evening the sun sets straight out to sea in front of it, and then the nightlife picks up along the bar strip. The crowd is a fun backpacker and dive-student scene, lively but not the all-night madness of the Full Moon Party next door. The honest trade-offs: it's the busiest and loudest side of the island, and parts of the shore are shallow with boats moored offshore. It suits people who like company and want to walk to everything.
Mae Haad is the gateway to Koh Tao — the main pier where Lomprayah, Seatran Discovery and Songserm dock, so it's the busiest spot for shops and services: dive shops, convenience stores, restaurants, banks and ATMs, scooter rentals, and accommodation across the range clustered around the pier. Its draw isn't the prettiest sand (it's more a port area than a swimming beach) but convenience — you step off the boat and walk to your room, close to everything, with Sairee a 15–20 minute stroll up the shore. It suits short stays, your first or last night before a boat, and anyone who wants to be near everything without renting a scooter.
Chalok Baan Kao is a bay on the south of the island, and it's the pick for people who want somewhere quieter than Sairee but still with restaurants and dive shops to rely on. The bay is sheltered, so the water is calm and fairly still, and there are dive schools and accommodation across the range spread around it. The mood is a relaxed, small-village feel rather than a busy strip. From here it's a short walk up to the John-Suwan viewpoint, with its lovely look over twin bays. The trade-off: you're away from Sairee's buzz and nightlife, so you'll take a songthaew or ride in for that. It suits divers who want a quiet base, couples and anyone not chasing a party.
4
Tanote Bay sits on the east coast and is one of the best shore-snorkelling beaches on Koh Tao — a sheltered bay with clear water, coral and shoals of fish close to the sand. Slip on a mask and walk in and there they are. Its other landmark is the big rock in the middle of the bay that many people swim out to, climb and jump off. It feels quiet and peaceful because it's on the opposite side from the buzz, with just a handful of resorts and restaurants around the bay. The trade-off: the road over the hills to this side is steep and rough, so many people take a taxi or songthaew rather than ride, and there are fewer places to eat and stay than on the west. It suits snorkellers, couples and quiet-seekers.
5
Beyond the main beaches, Koh Tao hides several small snorkelling coves for people who want to get away from the crowd. Freedom Beach and Sai Nuan lie just south of Sairee, reached on foot along the shore or by longtail boat; the water is clear with coral close in and the feel is far more private and quiet. Aow Leuk, on the south-east, is a clear horseshoe bay known for snorkelling over coral right off the sand. These small coves usually have a small entry or parking fee and just a couple of little bars or kitchens. The trade-off: they're harder to reach, some paths are steep and rocky, and electricity and signal can be limited. They suit snorkellers who want a quiet bay to themselves.
6
Koh Nang Yuan is Koh Tao's iconic view — three small islands joined by a white triple sandbar, just off the north-west coast. What people come for is the walk up to the viewpoint on the rocky rise for the top-down sandbar photo that's become the island's signature, and the snorkelling in the very clear water around it, especially the Japanese Gardens with its healthy coral. The island has a single resort, so you can stay over but rooms are limited; most people come as a day trip from Koh Tao (a boat of about 15 minutes). Things to know: there's an island entry fee, and plastic bottles aren't allowed to protect the environment. It's busiest mid-morning — come early or late afternoon for more space.