Ko Tarutao is one of the 51
islands that belong to the Tarutao National
Marine Park in Satun Province
Tarutao National Park
Tarutao is the first marine park of Thailand.
It is famous for its distinguished history
and natural beauty. It is located in the
Andaman Sea 40 kilometres from town or 22
kilometres from Bara Pier. The park borders
Mu Ko Phetra National Park in the north
and the Thai-Malaysian sea border in the
south. The park occupies an area of 1,490
square kilometres and comprises 51 islands.
Seven large islands are Ko Tarutao , Ko
Adang, Ko Rawi, Ko Li Pe , Ko Klang, Ko
Ba Tuang, and Ko Bit Si. Tarutao was proclaimed
a National Park on 19 April 1974 and declared
by UNESCO as an ASEAN Heritage Park and
Reserve in 1982. The best time to visit
is from November to April.
Ko Tarutao is the biggest island in the
park that covers an area of 152 square kilometres.
The island is teeming with verdant forests
and white sandy beaches. There are also
camping and diving facility to see corals.
Penitentiary Memorial on Tarutao Island
comprises two parts; Ao Talo Udang Prison
is at the southernmost bay of Tarutao Island
and Ao Talowao Prison, a prison for common
and political prisoners which is situated
in the south and the east of the island.
The historical six-kilometre road trail
was built by prisoners connecting Ao Talowao
to Ao Talo Udang and is 12 kilometres long.
Ko Tarutao is part of Tarutao National
Marine Park, whose administration provide
a number of facilities for guests to the
island, including the following:
Restaurant serving good
food (45-150 Baht) all day with cold soft
drinks, water and canned beer.
Toilets and cold showers
Fresh water showers near
the beach for rinsing off saltwater
Small museum/information
centre
Mini-mart for snack foods,
soft drinks and bottled water
Internet (2 Baht per minute
and slow)
There is No ATM facility
on the island (the closest is in La-Ngu)
There is a one-time 400
Baht National Park entry fee upon arrival.
How to get here
By Bus From Phuket
Buses labelled "Phuket to Satun"
leave at 08:15 and 10.15 (317 Baht), passing
through La-Ngu at 3pm and 5pm. Songthaew
from La-Ngu bus stop to Pak Bara Pier (20
Baht) get you there at 15:30 and 17:30 -
too late for the last ferry (15:00) so plan
to stay the night in Pak Bara. Use the afternoon
to visit the National Park Office next to
the Pak Bara pier and book accommodation
on the island, as it is frequently booked
out.
By Boat From Pak Bara
Slow ferries (250 Baht one way, 400 Baht
return, 1 hour) leave Pak Bara for Ko Tarutao
at 10:30 and 15:00, and after dropping passengers
at Ko Tarutao continue on to Ko Adang and
Ko Lipe. Return tickets can be used any
day. Its best to avoid the speedboat (350
Baht one way, 650 Baht return, 30 mins,
depart Pak Bara 11:30, depart Ko Tarutao
11:00) as it is almost always running late
and the vendors are happy to sell more tickets
than the speedboat’s safe capacity
(don’t worry – most of the people
continue on to the other islands rather
than getting off at Tarutao). If the speedboat
is a must, some of the travel agents at
Pak Bara Pier can be convinced to sell tickets
for 200 Baht each way. Either way, don’t
be suckered into paying 10 Baht to walk
onto the pier – the pier can be accessed
without charge via the National Park Office.
What to do
Activities on
Ko Tarutao
Walking trail from the National Park Office
on Ao Phante Malaka is a 12-kilometre
walking trail which runs through verdant
forest all the way to Ao Talowao. Various
types of trees, wild animals like wild
boar and mouse deer, and birds, hornbills
in particular, are found along sides this
trail. An eight-kilometre walking trail
begins at Ao Ma Lae ends at Ao Son, passing
through virgin forest where various kinds
of birds are found. Bird-watching is ideal
here.
Boat rides on a long-tail boat around
island for eco-tourism is recommended.
The National Park provides boat service
with guides for visitors to tour around
beaches. The journey could begin with
bird-watching on Ao Chak, going to see
the longest white sandy beach on Tarutao
Island at Ao Son, tracing historical trail
on Ao Talo Udang, enjoying natural beauty
on Ao Talowao , ending with diving and
visiting mangrove forests. For more information
on a one-day trip, contact the tourist
centre at the Tarutao National Park.
About KohTarutao Satun Thailand
