How to Plan a 3-Day Koh Tao Itinerary?

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Located in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Tao is a small island famous for its excellent diving opportunities.

Koh Tao’s underwater world features some of the most stunning corals. The best part is that you can even spot blacktip reef sharks and giant turtles in its crystal-clear waters!

Although I’m not a diver myself, I love snorkeling so during my 5^th trip to Thailand, I finally decided to spend 3 days in Koh Tao.

Most of my time was spent in the water, but I also managed to check out some beautiful viewpoints and admire a couple of sunsets on the beach.

So if you’re visiting soon, here’s a suggested 3 day Koh Tao itinerary, including practical tips and info on how to get there, where to stay, and more.

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3 Day Koh Tao Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Koh Tao and Relax at Sairee Beach

Depending on where you’re coming from, you’ll most probably arrive in Koh Tao at midday or in the afternoon.

I recommend taking it easy on the first day of your Koh Tao itinerary by heading to the beach for a swim or to watch the sunset.

After checking into your hotel, make your way to Sairee Beach, which in my opinion, is the most beautiful beach on the island.

During my trip to Koh Tao, I stayed at Tommy Resort, so it took less than 10 minutes to walk to the beach.

Sairee Beach is perfect for swimming, featuring calm shallow water and soft gold sand. Although the water was crystal clear, I didn’t see any fish, unfortunately.

You’ll also find several restaurants, bars, beach clubs, and shops lining the entire beach strip, plus you can even watch fire shows here in the evenings.

I also can’t forget to mention that the sunset on Sairee Beach is absolutely gorgeous, so be sure to catch at least one sunset during your 3-day Koh Tao itinerary.

Day 2: Diving or Snorkeling Trip & Nang Yuan Island

Koh Tao is renowned for its excellent diving opportunities with an underwater world teeming with marine life. It’s also one of the cheapest places in the world to get a PADI certification.

But if like me, you’re not a diver, you can instead go on a snorkeling tour.

The snorkeling tour will take you to several spots around Koh Tao as well as Koh Nang Yuan.

Hotel transfers, food, drinks, snorkeling gear, and underwater photos are also included in the tour rate.

I booked this full day snorkeling tour with Sangthong which lasted about 7 hours. The boat first took us to Koh Nang Yuan where we spent about 2 hours.

Koh Nang Yuan is a small island located about a 20-minute boat ride from Koh Tao. Famous for its stunning sandbar, viewpoint, and crystal-clear water, it’s a must-visit on any Koh Tao itinerary.

Note: The entrance fee to the island isn’t included in the tour price and costs 250 baht for adults and 120 baht for children, which you’ll have to pay right before entering the island.

As soon as you get to Koh Nang Yuan, I highly recommend heading straight to the viewpoint as it’s the most popular attraction here.

I arrived at the top at 10:30 a.m and there were already a few people there but luckily, it didn’t feel too crowded.

By the time I made my way down, there was already a long line of people waiting to get to the top.

The hike to the viewpoint is quite steep but takes only around 15-30 minutes, depending on your fitness level.

After the hike, you can then cool off in the water. Be sure to have your snorkeling gear handy as you’ll definitely find lots of colorful fish here.

After visiting Koh Nang Yuan, you’ll head back on the boat for lunch before making your way to several snorkeling spots around Koh Tao such as Mango Bay, Ao Hin Wong, and Shark Bay.

Overall, the tour was absolutely worth it, we saw so many fish and even spotted several giant turtles!

Day 3: Viewpoints and Beaches

For the final day of your Koh Tao itinerary, I recommend visiting some viewpoints and beaches around Koh Tao.

The first stop is John Suwan Viewpoint. I took a motorbike taxi from Mae Haad Pier to the viewpoint and paid 150 baht.

Alternatively, you can rent a motorbike for the day for about 250 baht or hire a taxi for about 300 baht.

Once you get there, you’ll have to pay an entrance fee of 50 baht which also includes entrance to Freedom Beach.

The hike is short but steep and takes about 10-15 minutes. Luckily there are ropes along the way but I don’t recommend wearing flip flops as you’ll have to climb across some huge boulders.

At the top, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Freedom Beach, Chalok Baan Kao Bay, and Shark Bay.

Tip: If you’re not much of a hiker, you can instead visit Sun Suwan 360 View & Bar. There’s an entrance fee of 50 baht that includes a cold drink and you’ll get more or less of the same view as from John Suwan Viewpoint.

After enjoying the view from Jonh Suwan viewpoint, make your way down to Freedom Beach.

You can spend some time swimming and snorkeling or simply relax on the free beach chairs (included in the 50 baht entrance fee).

I also recommend checking out the boardwalk trail that leads from Freedom Beach to Taa Toh Lagoon, a picturesque beach with soft white sand and huge boulders.

The trail is short and mostly flat and it takes only about 10-15 minutes to get there.

In the afternoon, you can make your way to Shark Bay, which is one of the best places to spot blacktip reef sharks and giant turtles.

Note that there are two entrances to Shark Bay. One of them is free but if you go through the resort, you’ll have to pay an entrance fee.

If you don’t want to pay, just head to this entrance. You’ll see a sign along the road saying free access to the beach.

Since I already visited Shark Bay during the snorkeling tour on day 2, I went to Chalok Baan Kao Bay instead.

The tide was high when I visited so there wasn’t much of a beach to sit down but there are several bars and restaurants along the beach where you can hang out.

Where to Stay in Koh Tao?

If you want to be close to everything (restaurants, bars, shops, etc), I recommend staying in Mae Haad or Sairee Beach.

Mae Haad has lots of cheap accommodations and hostels so if you’re on a budget, this is the place to stay but on the downside, the beach isn’t as nice as Sairee Beach.

I personally stayed at Tommy Resort, which is about a 10-minute walk from Sairee Beach.

Not only was it affordable but the room was clean and spacious and I had a panoramic view of the beach from the balcony. Just keep in mind that it’s located on a hill so going up requires a bit of effort.

Other places to stay in Sairee Beach include Blue Tao Beach Hotel (luxury), Koh Tao Heritage (mid-range), and Savage Hostel (budget).

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HOTELS IN KOH TAO

How to get to Koh Tao?

The only way to get to Koh Tao is by boat. If you’re coming from Bangkok, you can fly directly to Surat Thani or Koh Samui and take a boat from there.

Just keep in mind that flights from Bangkok to Koh Samui are quite expensive, especially during the high season so the cheaper option would be flying to Surat Thani and taking a boat from there.

Another option is to book a bus+ferry or night train+van+ferry combo ticket on 12go.asia. It’s the most convenient option as you don’t have to book each ticket individually and all connections are guaranteed.

In my case, I took the night train from Bangkok to Surat Thani and paid 724 baht.

From Surat Thani train station, I took the local bus to the Seatran Bus Terminal (20 baht) where I bought a bus+ferry combo ticket to Koh Phangan for 380 baht.

After spending 3 days in Koh Phangan, I then took a high-speed ferry to Koh Tao for 450 baht.

How to get around Koh Tao?

The best way to get around Koh Tao is by renting a motorbike, which costs around 250 baht per day.

You can also get around by taxi or songthaew but this option is quite expensive. For example, it costs 300 baht to get from Mae Haad Pier to Sairee Beach, which is just a 5-minute ride. For those traveling solo, I recommend getting a motorbike taxi instead as it’s much cheaper.

If you’d like to visit Koh Nang Yuan or the beaches around Koh Tao, you can hire a boat taxi. Alternatively, you can hire a private boat taxi to take you around the whole island for 3,000 baht (1-5 people per boat).

The final option is to get around on foot. Just keep in mind that Koh Tao is very hilly so I don’t recommend it for those who aren’t very fit.

Best time to visit

I visited Koh Tao in February and had near-perfect weather except for one day when it was slightly overcast.

The rainy season in Koh Tao is from October to December so if you want to enjoy the beaches, you might want to steer clear of these months.

Overall, the best time to plan your Koh Tao itinerary is from January to April when the weather is mostly dry.

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I hope you found this 3 day Koh Tao itinerary helpful. If you have any questions about planning your trip, let me know in the comments.

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