Thailand's Andaman Coast · National park
Koh Tarutao
Koh Tarutao is a national-park island off Satun province near the Malaysian border, closed to visitors during the monsoon/off-season, reached via Pak Bara pier after arriving in Hat Yai.
Overview
Overview
Koh Tarutao is a national-park island off Satun province near the Malaysian border, closed to visitors during the monsoon/off-season, reached via Pak Bara pier after arriving in Hat Yai.
Tarutao National Park is closed to visitors in the monsoon/off-season for safety reasons — sources disagree on the exact reopening date, so confirm current park-open status directly before planning; Koh Lipe, the park group's other island, remains open year-round.
Experience
What it's like
Things to do
- Park activities — Tham Chorakhe (Crocodile Cave), 300 metres deep, is reached by a 15-minute long-tail boat ride from Pantaemaraka Gulf past the mangrove forest. A jungle trail to Toh Bu cliff instead starts on foot directly from Ao Phante Malaka, the main arrival bay and park headquarters.
Plan your visit
Plan your visit
When to go
Tarutao National Park's own authority states the park is closed to visitors in the monsoon/off-season, since travel during that period can be dangerous — it is not a year-round destination. Sources disagree on the exact reopening date, so no single date is asserted here; a separate source's December-February comfort guidance for calmer sea crossings and clearer trails is editorial, not an official reopening edge. Koh Lipe, the park group's other island, remains open throughout the monsoon.
Getting there & around
Getting there
Reaching the park's Pak Bara pier gateway starts with getting to Hat Yai, either by a budget local bus/minibus connection (around 100 baht) or by flying or taking the overnight train to Hat Yai and booking an onward minivan, which Pak Bara pier sits roughly 60km from.
Your trip
How Koh Tarutao fits your trip
May suit travelers wanting an off-the-beaten-path national-park island near the Malaysian border, provided the trip falls within the park's open season.
Dates, other stops, and what matters on this trip can make this fit clearer.
Add dates and other stopsInformation used
Information used
Wherely research — Wherely's own governed depth-production research for Koh Tarutao — drawn from independently-owned travel sources — covering gateway, access, and local-mobility choices, landmark and activity choices, and seasonal timing. Exact fares, schedules, and prices change too often to publish as fixed facts.
Photo credit
Hero photograph: Koh tarutao hero photograph by Rushen, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
What to do next
What to do next
Return to Thailand's Andaman Coast when you want the wider geography, or save this Place when it still fits.