A brief overview of the place
Koa tao in Thailand is one of my favourite places!  This land is perfect for adventure as it has an abundance of activities for you to do. The island has a very cool, hipster vibe to it and its a brilliant place to meet backpackers and other awesome people.
My travelling buddy, Lara and I spent a week on this majestic island. We came here due to a recommendation we had been given in Bangkok and we were not let down.

How we got there
We took a bus which we booked online, which took us from Khao San Road in Bangkok to the ferry port. We then caught an overnight ferry to the island. The ferry isn’t the comfiest sleep I have ever had but it gets you from A to B for next to no money so, I couldn’t really complain. We were due to arrive in Khao tao at 9 am but we actually go there at 6 am which gave us a nice long first day.

Where we stayed
we stayed at the Khao Tao Central hostel which is a 10 min walk away from the ferry port. The hostel is next door to an excursion shop that has great prices and has very friendly staff.
The hostel is set out like a traditional hostel so, no capsules like these modern-day hostels, here its bunk beds all the way. It is clean, average wifi and you get a locker to keep all of your belongings and you get fresh towels every day. I really liked this hostel. it has aigret vibe, a great location and was a good price.

What I did there
Our week on this island was not wasted as every day we tried something new.

Snorkelling
Lara and I booked a snorkelling trip at the excursion shop next to the hostel the night before wanting to do the trip. The next morning we walked to the harbour with our fresh orange juices and caught the boat. There were about 20 other people doing the trip but the boat was huge so it didn’t feel crowded at all. The boat stopped at 4 paces during the day for 1 hour at a time so we could get in the water and swim with the fishies. The amount of life and colour was tremendous. I didn’t think anything would beat diving in The Great Barrier Reef but I actually think this was better. In-between swimming Lara and I lay on the open deck trying to catch a tan. They also served a wonderful buffet lunch which was so delicious but I didn’t eat too much as I didn’t want to feel too bloated due to all the swimming we were doing. This was an 8-hour trip and was well worth it.

Scuba diving
Due to the reefs being so good when we went snorkelling, I got thinking about going scuba diving here, so I could really get a good luck at everything. When I enquired about going diving once, the instructor started telling me about the course. After our convocation, I priced it all up online and decided to go for it. I mean, when else was I going to get my scuba diving license. The course takes 3 full days. I did it with 2 other people from my hostel. We were picked up in the morning and were dropped off about 4 pm in the afternoon so they were long days but ahhhh they were wonderful.
Of course, to start with you go through the basics and then once everyone has grasped it we started diving. To get the certificate you have to do 3 dives 10m, 20, and to finish 30m. The instructors are with you the whole time but they let you have some freedom on the last two dives.  When you’re learning all the new information there is a lot to think about but it is so amazing to see all the underwater life. We saw starfish, stingrays, sharks, octopus, so many colourful fish not to mention the coral. At the end of the 3 days I received my certificate and it was some of the best money I have ever spent.

Waterboarding
Now, my balance is not great so, I had a feeling waterboarding wouldn’t be for me. However, Lara, an ex-gymnast has amazing balance so you can see where this is going.
The beach is lined up with shelter’s offering different watersports. Something we both wanted to try was waterboarding. After being given a quick demonstration we were let loose with our boards. We both were sat on our knees while paddling into the sea and once we were at a good depth we both went to stand up. Lara sprung up no problem, but it took me a little longer. I couldn’t even blame it on the sea because the sea was ultra calm. I placed my right foot in front of my knee and pushed my self up but as I got up, I fell down. I climbed back on the board and tried this a few more times, each ending the same way but, finally, I managed to stand up. I was lent forward, shaking side to side but I was standing for all of about 3 minutes before I fell in again. In the end, I let it be and stayed on my knees while I watched Lara do handstands and a bridge on her board. Even though this wasn’t my forte, it was a lot of fun.

Where did we eat

Reef Sports Bar And Restaurant
As this was opposite to our hostel we ate and drank here quite a lot as it was always full of other backpackers. The beer was cheap and their wifi was good. Although we didn’t spend to much time on the wifi as they had an abundance of games to play like Jenga, board games and card games so its a great place to meet new people over a pint and a game.

Let me know in the comments if you have been to Koh Tao and what you thought of it.

Big hugs, Lucy x