Empty beaches
White sand.
Rushen — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Toey19863 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Toey19863 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Toey19863 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Toey19863 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Tarutao National Park is a marine park of 51 islands in the Strait of Malacca off the coast of Satun Province, southern Thailand, just north of Malaysia's Langkawi. The main island, Ko Tarutao, lies about 46 km west of Satun and 42 km northeast of Ko Lipe in a straight line. The park has two island groups, Tarutao and Adang-Rawi, scattered 20 to 70 km off the coast. It covers about 1,490 square kilometres, mostly sea, and became Thailand's second marine national park on 19 April 1974. Its name is said to come from a Malay phrase meaning «old, mysterious island». Ko Tarutao is the largest, 26.5 km long, with forest covering more than 70 per cent of it. Long, almost empty white-sand beaches run beneath thick forest, with clear turquoise water and green mountains on the horizon. At Ao Ta Lo Woo pier a tall limestone rock rises from the water, and other beaches are covered in smooth pebbles and long-tail boats. Visitors arrive by boat from Pak Bara pier near Satun or from Ko Lipe and stay in park bungalows or at the campsite. The park usually opens from mid-October to mid-May and closes in the monsoon season.
White sand.
A rock over the water.
Covering most of the island.
Strait of Malacca, off Satun Province, southern Thailand
By boat from Pak Bara or Ko Lipe.
Usually mid-October to mid-May.