Best known for its scuba diving and snorkeling, but it’s also home to some of the best beaches in Thailand! These 10 best beaches on Koh Tao will give you the best idea of what to expect when visiting the island.
I had the opportunity to visit beautiful Koh Tao for a week and had the best time! After living in Thailand, and traveling all around I can confidently say that Koh Tao is one of my favorites. This island is filled with adventure sports, beautiful beaches, and a laid-back lifestyle. However, I took my time to visit many beaches while on the island.
In this post, you will learn the best beaches on Koh Tao plus some tips to help you along the way!
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10 Incredible Beaches on Koh Tao
Tanote Bay – Best Beaches on Koh Tao
One of my personal favorite beaches on Koh Tao is Tanote Bay. Tanote Bay is a large white–sandy beach with beautiful views, some shaded areas, and cliff jumping!
It’s free to enter and a large enough beach to give everyone space to spread out. You’ll soon learn that beaches on Koh Tao can be quite small, and visitors tend to sit close to each other.
Here, this is not the case! Come to Tanote Bay to spread out and enjoy the views.
As I mentioned, Tanote Bay has cliff jumping for those brave enough, and it’s pretty intense cliff jumping! The jump is about 16 feet (5 meters) and makes for really interesting people watching.
To get to Tanote Bay, you’ll need to get a motorbike. Motorbikes are really the only way around the island unless you are okay walking.
Tanote Bay is located on the West side of the island, tucked down a little curvy and steep road. It’s one of the many beaches on Koh Tao that you’ll want to be comfortable on a bike before you drive to.
Freedom Beach
Oh Freedom Beach, you are beautiful and clean, but you are very crowded.
This beach has to be one of the best beaches on Koh Tao with it’s soft white-sandy beaches, mangrove lined entrance to the water, sunsets, restaurant, and more. I really love Freedom Beach.
However, the biggest downside to this beach has to be the crowds. It’s one of the best beaches on Koh Tao, so many others love this beach too. This makes it insanely crowded in the afternoons.
My tip for you is to arrive early! Or else you may struggle to find a spot at this beach.
One of the best reasons to visit her is the shade! There is so much shade, so you won’t need to worry about sunburns.
To get to Freedom Beach you will want to go to the south of the island, its located at the very southern tip actually. It’s quite easy to get to and to find.
There is a 50 baht/person entry fee to Freedom Beach, however it gives you access to a gorgeous beach and also to John Suwan Viewpoint!
Aow Leuk Beach
Aow Leuk Beach is a beautiful and spacious beach that is the perfect place to relax. The beach itself is quite nice, and there are facilities here for you to use such as toilets and a restroom.
Aow Leuk is one of the last beaches on Koh Tao I had the chance to visit, and I wish I had gone earlier! I absolutely loved this beach.
When I visited Aow Leuk Beach, the waves were actually really big! This made it fun to play in the water and a bit different from other beaches.
Aow Leuk Beach is famous for snorkeling with reef sharks. It is quite common to spot them here. In fact, I found one during my visit! Little reef sharks roam the area, and the water is really clear so you are able to see everything.
The entrance fee to Aow Leuk Beach is 20 baht/person.
Shark Bay – Best Beaches on Koh Tao
While not technically one of the beaches on Koh Tao, Shark Bay is less of a beach and more of a snorkeling area. Actually, it’s some of the best snorkeling in Koh Tao!
Everyday here tourists find turtles and reef sharks. However, sometimes you need to be patient to see them.
The entrance fee is 50 baht to the snorkeling entrance and you can rent a mask for an extra 100 baht per day.
Once you pay the fee you can walk down to the rocks to set your things and begin swimming! As I mentioned, it’s important to be patient here. However, there will also be lots of fish and colorful coral to see too.
Hin Wong Beach
Located on the Western side of the island, Hin Wong Beach is a small and hippie beach. Here, you will find the nearby bar playing Jamaican music and honestly, it is a vibe.
The beach is free to enter and has lots of nice amenities. The beach is small and a bit rocky too, so this is a good one to bring shoes too.
However, I have heard from other travelers that sometimes this beach ends up with a lot of trash, which is a shame because I had a really nice time here.
Sairee Beach
Sairee Beach is the biggest and one of the most popular beaches on Koh Tao. Here, you will find white sandy beaches for miles in the morning and fancy restaurants on the beach at night. Also, there’s always a fire show happening!
It’s also home to many party hostels, which brings lots of young people here every night!
Although I do think there are better beaches on Koh Tao to visit during the day, a visit to Sairee Beach at night is worth doing.
Sai Daeng Beach – Best Beaches on Koh Tao
Located on the south side of the island, close to Shark Bay is Sai Daeng Beach. This beach feels like luxury because two nice hotels share it with the public.
Sai Daeng Beach is free to park and to enter, and it’s really nice. The parking area is covered and well paved.
Also, the drive here is absolutely beautiful, with ocean views the whole way down. You are going to want your camera for this one!
The biggest downfall in Sai Daeng Beach is the boats. There are a lot of boats going in and out of this area, used as taxis. So, this takes away from the peacefulness of it a little.
However, it’s definitely worth a trip and is one of my favorite beaches on Koh Tao.
Chalok Baan Kao
This large beach is lined with hotels and restaurants but makes a really nice sunset point. Located on the south side of the island, there are a lot of beautiful spots along this beach, as well as volleyball in the afternoon!
Chalok Baan Kao is free to enter and is a nice place to walk around.
This beach is large, with fewer tourists than the other beaches. However, I would not fully recommend this beach, as I think the others are a bit nicer.
Mango Bay – Best Beaches on Koh Tao
Located on the less visited north side of the island, Mango Bay is an awesome spot to visit, although it’s hard to get too.
The roads are very narrow and steep, so if you are not confident in your driving abilities maybe it is best to take a water taxi here.
Mango Bay has some of the best snorkeling on the island too! Here you will find lots of colorful fish and coral.
It’s a small beach, but it does not tend to get too crowded because it is hard to reach.
If you are feeling adventurous, this could be a good beach to explore.
Koh Nang Yuan
Okay, this beach is not technically part of Koh Tao, but it is really close. You can reach here by water taxi or kayaking. You also may recognize this beach from photos, as it is one of the most picturesque places!
This beach is gorgeous and the sand bar connecting the islands makes it very fun and unique. This area is so nice and so beautiful! If you have time I definitely suggest checking this spot out.
Final Thoughts on the Best Beaches on Koh Tao
Koh Tao is filled with so many stunning beaches filled with white sandy and an abundance of wildlife. There is no shortage of perfect places to spend your day.
