Exploring Koh Tao on foot

I didn’t stay in the most popular area in Koh Tao, which is near Sairee Beach. I stayed further, and I’m happy I did so because my hostel was a 2-minute walk away from Chalok beach. I liked this beach even though if the tide is high, there is almost no dry sand available. But when the tide is lower, the beach has some beautiful trees that provide some very much-needed shade. The beach is beautiful to my eye!

Book your ferry ticket to Koh Tao HERE!

I went to Koh Tao during high season, which was not very good as I struggled to find cheap options for where to sleep last minute. It felt like all the hostels were fully booked. I was left with the cheapest one on the island, which is not the usual Thai cheap. It was more than 10€ a night for a bad hostel. With that money, I could afford something much better somewhere else. But Koh Tao is not a cheap island. It is, in fact, one of the most expensive Thai islands I have visited, indeed. Maybe because it really felt like this island lives for tourism and nothing else. The boat to get there was absolutely packed with Western people, and I definitely saw more foreigners than locals on the island.

Koh Tao is known for diving, and lots of people go there to undertake a diving course. That’s what most part of tourists in Koh Tao do. They take a diving course. This is supposed to be one of the cheapest places in the world to take a diving course, I think. It was not my case. I came to see the beauty the island has to offer. I have been in Koh Tao before, and I didn’t see much because I ended up having a motorbike incident where I twisted my ankle and got traumatised by motorbikes, haha. Koh Tao is not the place for you to learn how to ride a motorbike for the 1st time in your life. The island has so many steep streets. Like, crazy steep. Scary to look at, and many people have motorbike accidents here, so be careful.

Walking around Koh Tao

This time I didn’t rent a motorbike, not because I was scared of riding it, because now I have way more experience, but because I saw several walkable places to visit in the area where I decided to stay. I spent my days walking. I didn’t see all around the island, but instead I saw a lot of what the area around Chalok and the John Suwan viewpoint has to offer. I think I explored it all very well.

So, on the first walking day, I decided to go from Chalok to the pier, walking next to the ocean. On maps.me, there is a path marked along the shore, and I decided to try to follow it. Clearly, no one is walking here. But there are several easy access points by motorbike to the beaches I came across during this walk. It was such a beautiful walk, though.

I walked from Carabao Dive Resort to Jansom Bay. It took me a couple of hours to do it, but not because of the distance between the places. It isn’t such a long walk, actually, but I stopped very often as I came across many beautiful views.

You won’t find the walking path on Google Maps. You need to use the app Maps.me to see the walking trails. It is possible to follow the ocean and reach Jansom Bay on foot.

I came across several beaches, resorts, and restaurants, and I was actually surprised to realise that each one of those beaches had a resort. I found no empty beaches, which was surprising cause I thought this area would not be so explored. I also came across some abandoned bungalows with furniture and all inside. Maybe there are too many options in here,… I don’t know.

I came across Cape Ja Te Kang, Sai Nuan Beach, and many others whose names I don’t know.

Sai Nuan Beach

Sai Nuan Beach deserves to be a standout because of its beauty. It was definitely the most beautiful one I saw along this walking route on Koh Tao. The water is stunning, and the beach is not crowded.

Jansom Bay

Near Jansom Bay are some abandoned huts with a great sea view, and in that spot I saw a diving boat and people diving. Not sure if they were just practising or if that is actually a good diving spot. Might be worth a try.

Jansom Bay is beautiful, and not many people come here. Apparently, if you come by motorbike, you will have to pay an entry fee, but as I arrived unconventionally, I didn’t pay anything. I know it because I met a friend who went by motorbike, and he said he had to pay.

This beach had a cute guest, a goat. Once I arrived, I saw some girls scared of something, and then I noticed a goat, haha. The goat was roaming around freely, and I made friends with her. She liked some cuddles. The beach has clear waters, and all the bungalows are abandoned. It is a quiet spot, though, and the water was stunning! So clear! Lovely and surrounded by coconut trees. This island has so many coconut trees! Wow. Love them!!

Sairee Beach

From here I didn’t walk anymore because I met a friend and we went on his motorbike to Sairee beach. Sairee Beach is very wide and so crowded! It feels like everyone is there. It is beautiful indeed, but I would rather go somewhere less crowded. We ended up at a viewpoint to watch the sunset, but it was absolutely packed!! It is called Secret Bar, but it is obviously not secret. We couldn’t find a seat, so we moved somewhere else for the sunset. If you want to go to this spot, I think you should go a while before sunset to guarantee a spot.

Deishaview viewpoint

We ended up at Deishaview viewpoint, which looked stunning even though it is not in the sun’s direction for a perfect sunset. The view from here was so beautiful. I sighed a few wow’s, and I made sure to go back during the day to see the beautiful shades of blue the sun could reveal. It was still a pleasant place to enjoy the end of the day. The next morning, I made sure to visit it again, haha.