Koh Tao and Koh Samui, Thailand

On previous visits to Thailand, we visited the main tourist areas of Bangkok, Phuket, and Chang Mai and loved them all. This time Shay was on a girl’s trip with a friend from college and decided to visit the less visited islands of Koh Tao and Koh Samui.

Koh Tao means “Turtle Island” and is known for being a top scuba diving destination. While I didn’t see any turtles during my dives, I saw lots of colorful fish. It felt like I was swimming through a huge aquarium. Most of my itinerary for Koh Tao is scuba diving, but they also have a lot of nature hikes you can check out if you’re not into scuba diving.

Koh Samui has something for everyone – cultural sites, rainforest adventures, and beautiful beaches. It’s much larger than Koh Tao, so if you don’t have a lot of time, you’ll need to prioritize what you want to see and do. Since we were coming out of 3 busy days in Koh Tao we decided to start with a half-day tour to see some of the key cultural sites and then focused on relaxing with massages and just enjoying our hotel pool and beach area.

If you are looking for gorgeous beaches, friendly people, and delicious food, it’s hard to go wrong in Thailand. There is so much to see and do there, you could easily spend several months and not see everything. Since this was a trip with a friend and costs were split, costs noted in the itinerary are for one person versus the usual two people you see when we travel as a couple.