It was once the detention place for political prisoners similar to Koh Tarutao of Satun Province historically, but today it is a great place for divers or anybody who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Ko Samui and want more than the Full Moon Party on Koh Pha Ngan. Ko Tao is a great place to learn how to dive. There are hardly any currents and a wide selection of dive sites and dive shops, schools and resorts. Activity options are growing outside of diving and the food and nightlife options are some of the best in the Gulf of Thailand.

The only option is by boat. The nearest airport is in Koh Samui, which is fairly well connected to major cities in the region (Bangkok, Penang, Singapore, etc).

If you're coming from the south, you can take a ferry from Surat Thani (around 3 hours) on the mainland, or from Koh Samui (1.5 hours) or Ko Pha Ngan (1 hour). If you're taking a boat from Surat Thani, one possibility might be an overnight ferry - depart around 23:00 and arrive in the morning, about 06:00 (subject to changes). It's advisable to arrive early to grab a mattress as most are formerly cargo boats, so facilities are basic.

If you're coming from the north, you can catch a ferry from Chumphon. Numerous agents sell tickets for a variety of boats of varying size and speed. The fastest takes about 90 minutes, the slowest almost 5 hours. the overnight train BKK (dep 18.15)- CHUMPON is best value: bed included and optional feed and drink, if you prebook.

You can also day trip on diving charters from Koh Samui. Many have high speed boats that can make the trip to Koh Tao in about an hour.

Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran or Seatran are the fastest and most comfortable way to get to Ko Tao. They run twice a day from Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Chumphon. They also have online booking - useful for checking availability at peak times and all their boats have air conditioning and movies for all passengers.

Sangserm offer "VIP" combined coach and boat tickets from Bangkok, claiming to take 6 hours by bus and 1.5 hours by boat - in fact, it takes closer to 9 hours by bus and 3 hours by boat, neither of which are particularly comfortable. In this traveller's opinion, the Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran (2 hrs) and bus (8 hrs) are much more comfortable and quicker (ticket: 850 bth cat and bus).

There is one main road running North to South on the island with many smaller roads diverting off it. Some roads lead over the spine of small mountains the run along the middle of the island and are all dirt and can close out after rain. There are usually plenty of taxi cars available on both Sairee village and Mae Haad, however they tend to be expensive given the actual distance you travel.

You can rent bicycles and motorcycles at a few places on Sairee Beach, Mae Haad, and Chalok. Be careful if you rent a motorbike as the dirt roads can get dangerous. ATV's are dangerous (ask any medical clinic) and expensive (500+ THB a day) and should be avoided in favor of Honda Dream's (150-200 THB a day) or Sonic's (200-250 THB a day).

Be aware that an increasing number of rental shops are charging large amounts of money for non-existent scratches on bikes when returning them, notably the shop next to 7/11 in Sairee . Make sure you note down all scratches and dents before you rent a bike from anyone.

Longtail boats offer rides to and from certain beaches on the island. They are a more comfortable way of getting to isolated beaches than attempting to ride over the mountains. Round island longtail 500-700 baht, short trips 100-200 baht.

You can take a bike around the island. Shark Bay is a good place to go snorkeling for the day (don't worry too much about sharks, they are only small black-tip reef sharks). Koh Nang Yuan, Freedom beach, Laem Thian, Mango Bay and Tanote Bay are good day excursions, accessible by road or boat.

However, to see the best places, go by foot as some are inaccessible to motorists. There are a number of good viewpoints around the island such as John Suwan mountain viewpoint in the South of the island, Two View in the center and Fraggle Rock in the North.