How do I get around Koh Tao?

Koh Tao covers about 21 square kilometres, and most first-timers spend their entire stay on the one concrete road that runs from Sairee Beach through Mae Haad to Chalok Baan Kao. Your ferry lands at Mae Haad pier, where a line of pickup-truck taxis waits and the drivers shout bay names over the diesel rattle. These shared pickups are called songthaews, and they are how most people travel between Koh Tao's beaches. Expect around 100 baht per person from Mae Haad to Sairee and 150 to 200 baht to Chalok Baan Kao. If you ride alone, drivers often ask for a 300-baht minimum, about USD 8.90 at the October 2026 rate, so agree the price in baht before the tailgate slams shut. Grab and Bolt don't operate on Koh Tao, which means the price list at the Mae Haad taxi stand is the closest thing to a meter. On the flat stretch between Sairee and Mae Haad, walking is fine. The sand path from the north end of Sairee to Mae Haad takes about 25 minutes, and it's far cooler after 5pm than at noon.

Scooters rent for about 200 to 300 baht a day along Mae Haad's main road, and they are also the option most likely to end your trip early. The hills above Chalok Baan Kao toward the John-Suwan Mountain Viewpoint have loose gravel and red dust on the bends, and after an October shower they get as slick as soap. Island clinics treat so many scraped knees and forearms that locals call the injury the Koh Tao tattoo. Rental shops in Mae Haad set two more traps: many keep your passport as a deposit, and some bill 3,000 baht or more for scratches that were there before you signed, so photograph every panel at pickup. Carry an International Driving Permit with a motorcycle endorsement as well, because police checkpoints near Mae Haad tend to fine riders who have no licence or helmet, typically 500 baht. If you have never ridden at home, Koh Tao is the wrong place to learn.

The east-coast bays are where the island gets harder to reach. Ao Tanote and Ao Leuk sit at the end of steep concrete-and-dirt tracks, and pickup drivers quoting 300 to 500 baht a head from the pier will sometimes refuse the drop to Ao Mamuang (Mango Bay) when the track is wet. A longtail boat is often the better answer: boatmen on Sairee Beach and at Chalok Baan Kao rent by the half day, usually 1,500 to 2,500 baht for a boat that seats six, and the trip around to Ao Hin Wong comes with the tock-tock of the engine and a fine salt spray on your sunglasses. For Koh Nang Yuan, take the resort shuttle from Mae Haad pier or a Sairee longtail, and budget for the island's separate landing fee too, currently a few hundred baht.

On Koh Tao, timing matters more than which transport you pick. Pickup taxis thin out after about 10pm, so if you're drinking at Sairee's beach bars but staying in Chalok Baan Kao, book the ride back before dark or ask the bar to phone a driver. October also starts the Gulf of Thailand's wet season on Koh Tao, which lasts into December: on 9 October 2026 the island read 28.1°C under overcast skies with 73% humidity, feeling like 32.7°C, and that sticky air soaks your shirt on the Sairee walk. Pack a light rain shell and a dry bag for your phone. In November chop, longtail rides throw spray over the bow, and the east-coast boats may not run at all on the roughest days.