Koh Tao

(Turtle Island ) is an island in Thailand located near the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area of about 21 km². Administratively it forms a tambon within the district (Amphoe) Ko Pha Ngan of Surat Thani Province. As at end 2006 its official population is 1382 The main settlement is Ban Mae Hat.
Koh Tao is serviced by ferry services from Surat Thani (4 hours day boat, 9 hours on overnight boat), Chumphon (1.5 to 3 hr), Ko Samui (approx 2.5 hr) and Koh Pha Ngan (approx 1 hr). All ferries dock at Ban Mae Haad. Journey times vary due to the different boats used by the various ferry companies. Ticket prices are almost the same for all companies, however, the boats themselves differ greatly. The two main ferries are Lomprayah and Songserm, with Seatran also offering services between the islands and mainland. Lomprayah offer the quickest service on the newest boats, and also have VIP lounges where passengers can watch movies in an air conditioned lounge. In contrast, Songserm is a no-frills point to point fast ferry, where most passengers disembark slightly more green in the face than when they boarded. Koh Tao has no airport, so anyone wishing to fly would need to fly to Koh Samui and then transfer over on a ferry. Flights to Samui are operated by Bangkok Air and Thai Air only. Another option for flying down from Bangkok is to fly to Surat Thani, and then catch the boat over after a bus ride of 2 hours to the ferry terminal from the airport. Flights to Surat Thani are much cheaper than flights to Samui, and budget airlines such as Air Asia (and previously Fly-1-2-go who currently aren't flying) service the airport from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Phuket. A flight from Bangkok costs around £30 one way, and a ferry from Surat Thani costs around £5 including coach transfers. Train services are available from Bangkok down to Chumphon where travellers can then catch a ferry. A first class ticket on an overnight train will cost around £20.