Back in Thailand: Amazing Koh Tao

This time we don't want to write this post day by day. The last few days of our trip went by too fast... We can't believe it's been over 2 months since we started and unfortunately the end is in sight. But first, we're enjoying a few relaxing days in the island paradise of Koh Tao. And it truly is: with its beautiful beaches, turquoise blue water, fabulous underwater world, green hills full of palm trees and jungle, rock formations, viewpoints, and many great bars - a little paradise!

Reunited at the other end of the world:

If not here, then where? We came to Koh Tao partly because we wanted to see our friend Andi from our training program, who is also on vacation here. We enthusiastically exchanged our travel experiences, stories, news, and job details. Of course, we also didn't miss out on partying and once again we were a brilliant beer pong team ;) It was great to see each other again!

Bars and restaurants:

Here in Koh Tao, you can find something for every taste: whether European-Western, Asian, or just tons of fresh seafood - the restaurants offer all sorts of things, with Thai food always being the cheapest. The Thai pancakes at the street stands are also recommended - where you get a show that resembles that of a professional bartender, for free.

Every bar seems to have a different happy hour at any given time, and there's live music almost every other night (our tip: Bro&Sis at the main pier). The cover singers from all over the world are really good here, and it was super relaxing to listen to them! There are regular fire shows at the main beaches (Sairee Beach) that you can watch for free.

Amazing underwater world - at the 5 best snorkeling spots:

We spent a day on a boat with a booked snorkeling tour. Koh Tao is truly THE island if you want to get a cheap diving license. But because Tina was too scared for that, we wanted to try snorkeling first and see what we could discover. Plus, this tour only cost 11€ per person, including equipment and lunch.

But now let's talk about the cool discoveries underwater, which kept getting better throughout the day: We started at the triple island Koh Naang Yuan, a few meters away from Koh Tao. This island group is one of the most famous pictures of this area. You can see the islands held together from a narrow beach, which you can enjoy from a viewpoint. Of course, everyone wants to go up there, which is why it costs a little entrance fee and you have to wait forever (for us it was over an hour, while being eaten alive by mosquitoes in the forest...). We passed the time with travel stories from Joel, a Canadian guy in our group, who had not such great experiences in Cambodia like we did... But reaching the top is worth it! >If your captain tells you to leave your shoes on the boat, don't do that! Our feet almost burned on the long wooden piers.< Unfortunately, there wasn't much time left to snorkel here, but we still spent half an hour in the warm waters, where we saw many colorful fish and several sea cucumbers in the crystal-clear water. Unfortunately, the high number of diving tourism has also led to many coral reefs being destroyed, so you should definitely not touch or take anything here.

We were the last ones on the boat, as you can easily lose track of time while snorkeling, but well... we continued to Mango Bay. The water here was much deeper, but again, there were many colorful fish and many beautiful corals near the rocks. After half an hour, we returned to the boat, and lunch was already served (all you can eat until it's gone). After everyone was full, we moved on to the next spot. Unfortunately, we couldn't remember the exact name... but it was the same as the last two.

The fourth stop was at Aow Leuk Bay, where we followed the guide and suddenly a school of fish appeared beneath us, apparently consisting of millions of fish! We saw nothing but fish, it almost looked like a sea of its own... a few meters away, there was also a large school of yellow fish, but probably with only a hundred fish. Still very impressive!

Finally, at the last stop came the grand finale: the Shark Bay! It's not just called that for fun... There are supposed to be some sharks of different sizes here. From our friend Andi, who had taken a diving course, we knew that sharks don't actually like humans, not even if they bleed! So forget about Hollywood ;) Without fear, we jumped into the water behind the guide, and a few seconds later, he showed us a beautiful large sea turtle with two cleaner fish. You should know that Koh Tao is known as the turtle island. Just a few meters away, there was another turtle that absolutely thrilled us: without exaggeration, it was bigger than Tina and was leisurely grazing on the seafloor... Incredibly beautiful! The guide asked us if we had seen a shark yet, and when we said no, he pulled Carsten's arm and suddenly there was one! He swam past us in a very leisurely manner, about 5 meters away. Of course, you shouldn't bother them, we don't guarantee that... Later, we saw two more sharks ourselves, about the size of Carsten. Impressive!

Then it was time to return to the port. Despite using SPF 50 sunscreen and being pre-tanned from 2 months of traveling, we realized that our backs were sunburned and getting more and more painful... That's probably the fate of snorkeling. >Maybe it's better to swim with a shirt on!<

Beaches:

Without a doubt, every beach on this island is worth a visit, as most of them have beautiful sand and great water! However, there are some with sharp rocks, cliffs, and corals, where you should be more careful... We've seen more than enough people on the island with thick bandages. If you prefer it a bit more secluded and lonely, it's best to rent a scooter to get to the bays where not everyone goes.

We rode a scooter to Aow Leuk Beach, where it gets deep right away and you can swim super well, but it costs 100 baht to enter, and to Tanote Beach, which has huge rocks in the bay and where you can already discover great fish even without snorkeling.

The main beach, Sairee Beach, is also really nice, very long, but the water is very shallow. At least it's great if you like a lot of hustle and bustle or want to try stand-up paddling.

Viewpoints:

Even if some of the climbs require a little surefootedness, climbing, effort, searching, and waiting - it's worth it!!

We went to "Love Koh Tao," where there's a nice little café and no one was there. From here, you also have a great view to the east over Tanote Bay.

We already described the view from the small hill of the triple island Koh Naang Yuan, with its awesome beach that connects all three. Check out the photos, it's worth the wait! Or just check into the resort on the island, then you can go whenever you want ;)

The John Suwan viewpoint offers an amazing view of Shark Bay and Freedom Beach, which you can reach after a little climb and some hiding.

Final thoughts: We really liked Koh Tao! Even though it's always a bit more expensive on the islands, we could have stayed here longer... Overall, Koh Tao is probably not as touristy as other Thai islands, and we're glad we chose this one.

Now it's time to head back to Bangkok and the clock is ticking...