Ko Tarutao

Ko Tarutao is one of the 51 islands that belong to the Tarutao National Marine Park archipelago in the Southern Andaman Coast of Southern Thailand. It lies WSW off the coastal city of Satun. Understand Campsite on Ko Tarutao Ko Tarutao is part of Tarutao National Marine Park, who provide a number of facilities for guests to the island: Bungalows for rent Restaurant Toilets and cold showers Fresh water showers near the beach for rinsing off salt water Small museum/information centre Mini-mart for snack foods, soft drinks, and bottled water Internet. (of dubious quality) There is a one-time national park admission charge upon arrival. 200 baht for foreigners and 40 baht for Thai citizens. There is no ATM on the island (the closest is in Pak Bara or Ko Lipe) Get in By bus From Phuket Buses labelled "Phuket to Satun" leave at 08:15 and 10:15 (317 baht), passing through La-Ngu at 15:00 and 17:00. A songthaew from the La-Ngu bus stop to Pak Bara Pier (20 baht) gets you there at 15:30 and 17:30, too late for the last ferry (15:00), so plan to stay the night in Pak Bara. Use the afternoon to visit the national park office next to the Pak Bara Pier and book accommodation on the island, as it is frequently booked up. From Bangkok There are daily buses from Bangkok to La-Ngu, which leave in the evening and arrive in the morning. There are songthaews from La-Ngu in the morning as well, but you may also find a motorcycle taxi or any other vehicle to give you a ride to Pak Bara. Every tourist you see in La-Ngu goes to Pak Bara, so just stroll on the road and the locals will offer to take you to Pak Bara. Just don't pay more than 50 baht per person. By boat From Pak Bara All ferry services running from Pak Bara to Ko Tarutao are speedboats going to Ko Lipe. There are various companies selling ticket in Pak Bara, but they all have about the same price (300 baht one-way, 650 baht return) and take about 1 hour. They leave Pak Bara at about 10:30. There is another boat (or several boats, depending on the number of people waiting) leaving around 15:00. The afternoon boat only stops on Ko Tarutao if there are 4 or more passengers getting of in Ko Tarutao. You can still get there in the afternoon if you are only 2, but you may need to pay extra. Return tickets can be used any day. It is also possible to buy a ticket to Ko Lipe and stop a few days at Ko Tarutao on the way. Just contact the park officer in Ko Tarutao the evening before you want to leave and show him the ticket. Additionally there is a 10 baht entry fee to walk onto the pier in Pak Bara. Negotiate with the ferry company to provide you such a ticket for free. From Ko Lipe During high-season from Nov- until end-Mar, you can get to Ko Tarutao from Ko Lipe by sailboat [1] Get out By bus From Pak Bara to Hat Yai Government-run minivans (120 baht, 2 hours) leave from in front of the pier at Pak Bara for Hat Yai every hour on the hour. These are government-run mini-buses and thus are not subject to the same tricks of the tourist-focussed mini-buses. Tickets can be purchased from the driver. Get around See Do Snorkelling Trips. The calm, clear water makes the Tarutao Marine Park area ideal for snorkelling, with 25% of the world's tropical fish species found in the area. On the island Ko Tarutao itself there is not much to see when snorkelling, even though there is a good spot on the northeast side of the island which you can reach by longtail boat. According to the park staff, it is not worth going if you plan to go on to Ko Lipe or Ko Adang afterwards.  edit Eat Restaurant The national park runs and manages a restaurant that provides a considerable range of good quality meals: fried rice/noodles, 70 baht; other main courses, 100-150 baht, all day with cold soft drinks, water, and canned beer (40 baht). Mini-mart The national park also runs a small mini-mart for snack foods, soft drinks, and bottled water. They do not tend to stock enough items to allow for self-catering. Drink Sleep All accommodation on the island is park-owned and managed, and guests have the choice of bungalows or camping. Bungalows Bungalows are between 600 baht (two persons) and 1,000 baht (four persons). Bungalows have a varying degree of luxuriousness: some are a simple room with 4 beds, some have room dividers, and some have outdoor toilets. Camping Tents can be hired from the park office for 150 baht per night, which includes the cost of the tent site near the beach. The tents are not waterproof, comfortably accommodate 2 persons without luggage, and are short for anyone over 178 cm. Luggage can be stored in the office to free-up space in the tent. Tent sites are 30 baht per night if you bring your own tent. Contact Get out Ko Adang Ko Lipe This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!