Tarutao National Marine Park

The Tarutao National Marine Park, 22 km off the Satun coast, is one of Thailand's most pristine protected areas — less famous than the Similan or Surin Islands but equally beautiful and far less crowded. The park covers 51 islands and a vast stretch of the Andaman Sea between Thailand and Malaysia.

Ko Tarutao, the largest island, is 152 square kilometres of largely impenetrable jungle rising to 700 metres. Most of it is uninhabited. Facilities are basic — national park bungalows and a camping ground — but the beaches are extraordinary and the jungle interior has trails through primary rainforest. Ko Lipe, at the southern edge of the park, has been fully developed into a tourist resort with dive shops, bars, and international restaurants, and represents the opposite extreme. Ko Adang and Ko Rawi between them offer good diving and snorkelling on largely untouched reefs.

Boats from Satun's Tammalang Pier reach Ko Tarutao in about 1.5 hours and Ko Lipe in about 2 hours. The park is officially closed from May to October when the monsoon makes sea crossings dangerous.

things to do sight
A story
During World War II, Ko Tarutao served as a prison island. When supply ships stopped coming due to the Japanese occupation, the prisoners and their guards — about 3,000 people in total — were left to fend for themselves. They eventually turned to piracy to survive, raiding passing ships for food and supplies. The pirates were only suppressed when British forces from Malaya arrived in 1946.