Koh Tao is one of the most popular backpacker destinations in all of Thailand. It is estimated that more than half a million people will visit the island in 2023 and they all have one thing in common – they can’t wait to visit one of the islands beautiful beaches.
Once secret spots like Freedom Beach and Tanote bay are now popular beaches to experience the islands beautiful coastline and world famous snorkelling. And while I love Koh Tao’s buzzy atmosphere and easy-going social life, there is still a deep craving to experience the raw, unfiltered beauty and tranquility that once drew pioneering backpackers to fall in love with the island almost 30 years ago. Yet nowadays the ever increasing crowds make it difficult to find any beaches on Koh Tao that aren’t crowded in peak season and harder still to find some with a healthy shoreline coral ecosystem. Difficult yes, but not impossible.
After living on the island and spending almost every free day searching for secret coves and the locals favourite bays, I have drawn up a list of the best uncrowded beaches in Koh Tao.
Quiet beaches in Koh Tao
Si Nuan Beach
Admission – Free
Possibly the best beach to watch the sunset in all of Koh Tao, Si Nuan beach sits in a small, charming bay featuring 2 laid back restaurants and a criminally under visited reggae bar called Banana Rock. Snorkel around the rocks here and you’ll spot a variety of tropical fish and if you are lucky the green turtles that swim into the bay at sunset.
Benjamin Baer Beach
Admission – 200 baht
A secluded picturesque beach that looks exactly like the palm tree lined topical paradises in your imagination. This quiet escape is always uncrowded and only has one beach shack restaurant on the sand. If this beach was easy to get to it would be flooded with besotted travellers. Luckily for us it isn’t. Reaching this serene shoreline is a well kept secret im about to share.
How to get there – Head to nearby Si Nuan beach and then hike north towards Mae Haad pier along the coastline for 5 minutes. You’ll soon reach the palm tree lined bay and see the small beach shack restaurant.
Mao Bay Beach
Admission – Free
By far the most remote bay on our list Mao Bay is a popular dive spot which is known by diving instructors as some of the clearest waters to dive in. There is nothing here except jungle, sand and sea. You’ll always have this beautiful bay to yourself, unless a dive boat comes by for its renowned snorkelling!
How to get there – Only accessible by boat unless you are an avid hiker in which case you can follow the coastline South from Ao Hin Wong.
Ao Hin Wong
Admission – Park up the hill and it’s Free
Hidden away on the East side of Koh Tao you’ll find one of Koh Tao’s best snorkelling spots. Although there’s a few small hotels and restaurants this bay it is far from the overly developed beachfront of Sairee. If you rent snorkelling equipment and a kayak here to explore the ocean and you’ll be rewarded with crystal clear waters, living coral and countless tropical fish.
How to get there – This beach is actually super easy to get to from Sairee beach. Your phone or SatNav will lead you straight there.
Lighthouse Beach
Another unspoilt beach that is famed for being snorkel spot that has a plentiful display of all sorts of undisturbed marine life. If you swim out passed the coral there is a large drop off where larger marine life such as black tip reef sharks, turtles and even manta rays can sometimes be be seen. This rocky bay only has a small areas of sand at high tide but you won’t have to fight for a spot to put your towel as there are rarely more than a few people here at any one time.
If you are feeling brave enough you can climb the lighthouse ladder for a unique viewpoint of the island that not many dare to see.
How to get there – There is no direct access by road to this beach. By car or motorbike you can drive as far as a half finished resort where you’ll need to park before hiking 5minutes down a steep, overgrown path that winds down to the beach. If you are an avid hiker you can walk to lighthouse bay from Sairee beach if you follow the North Mountain View Trial for 6km which will take just over an hour or so.
Mango Bay
Once a secret spot for Koh Tao’s locals and Expats Mango Bay has now become a well known cove due to its beautiful scenery and accident prone journey. So don’t expect a crowd less experience.
Nevertheless this beach has stunning white sand that also make up much of the seafloor giving the waters a turquoise shade that is brighter than most other bays in Koh Tao.
Named after the Mango trees that used to grow around this bay, this is a favourite beginner diving spot because of the sandy sea floor but it’s also a great place to see some of the most diverse marine life on the whole island.
How to get there – The route to Mango bay is easy to follow but tricky to ride. Loose gravel and sharp slopes await so only make the trip if you are confident on a moped. To reach the beach however you’ll have to swim the short stretch of water from the rocky bay.
Most accessible quiet beaches in Koh Tao
Freedom Beach
Admission – 50 BAHT
If you dont fancy a difficult journey to a faraway cove and are happy to share the beach with a small crowd then Freedom beach is a recently discovered bay that has been renovated in the last few years to have a small restaurant, sun beds and bar. This once secret spot has now become popular as an incredible snorkelling spot just metres off the beach.
How to get there – No dodgey google maps directions here, it will lead you directly to the car park.
Tanote Bay
Admission – Park up the hill and it’s free
Although the road to Tanote bay is easy to follow and perfectly smooth it is still very steep with sharp turns that are risky for inexperienced motorcyclists so go slow and steady. A beautiful bay enclosed by large limestone boulders and cliff side rainforest on either side. Out to sea you’ll spot a large 15 foot boulder which is Koh Tao’s best cliff jumping spot. The beach itself has some development so you’ll have plenty of restaurants available and even a few accommodations on offer. The snorkelling here gives you a chance to see an array of marine life and even black tips but it is more suitedfor confident swimmers as there is a stronger tide and much deeper water.
Luckily, for any reader who stumbles across this article, Backpackers quite often tend to follow the trails of other backpackers rather than seek out the more secluded and harder to reach bays of Koh Tao. They stick to Sairee beach, Sharks Bay, and when feeling adventurous head over to Tanote and Freedom bay. These are all incredible adventures and stunning beaches in their own right but they are likely to be rather busy, especially in peak season.
A word of caution before you seek out these beautiful bays and unexplored beaches on Koh Tao. Most motorbike accidents in Koh Tao are either from complete beginners or motorcyclists unfamiliar with steep, uneven and winding roads. The routes to Mango Bay, Tanote Bay and Si Nuan beach are known for tourist accidents so please go slow and steady or you’ll join the precession of bandaged backpackers limping through Sairee beach.
We hope this list helps you discover some of the more unexplored areas of Koh Tao to get a sense of the true beauty of this island before the tourists came across quite literally by the boat load.
