Hiking Trails in Koh Tao: The Complete Local Guide

The best hiking trails in Koh Tao lead to things most visitors never see: a three-floor abandoned resort above a beach with nobody on it, a bar at one of the island’s highest peaks, and bamboo huts slowly being eaten by jungle.

Koh Tao is only 21 square kilometres, but it’s 21 square kilometres of steep green hills — which means every hour of walking buys you a view that scooters can’t reach. We’ve walked every trail in this guide ourselves, most of them many times — our hostel runs weekly group hikes, and John Suwan is practically in our backyard. Below: six trails with honest difficulty ratings, current entrance fees in THB, and the exact directions that aren’t on the signs (because half these trails don’t have signs). For everything else on the island, start with our complete Koh Tao guide.

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Koh Tao Hiking Trails at a Glance

One honest note on scope: Koh Tao’s viewpoint bars — Love Koh Tao, Fraggle Rock, Exotic — are mostly drive-up spots, not hikes. They’re covered in our best sunset spots guide. This page is for the trails you actually walk.

1. Laem Thian Hike — The Abandoned Resort (Our Favourite)

If you only do one of the hiking trails in Koh Tao, do this one. Laem Thian is a roughly 30-minute jungle hike on the east side, starting north of Sairee, that ends at a three-floor abandoned resort standing over a secluded beach with crystal-clear water. The building has open access — abandoned rooms, a rooftop, the lot — and the beach below is one of the quietest on the island precisely because it’s this hard to reach. Follow the rocks and it’s a genuinely good snorkelling spot too (more on the east coast in our snorkelling guide).

Getting there: the trail starts at Tarna Align Resort, north of Sairee. Take the small road on the right of the resort, keep right until you hit a steep uphill — most people park their scooter at the bottom and walk from there. After 5–8 minutes uphill you’ll pick up a jungle trail; follow it past a Thai house (the man there sells coconuts and he’s very kind — buy one), and when the path splits, go straight, not left. The wide left path looks right. It isn’t.

Know before you go: no entry fee, moderate difficulty, shoes recommended. There are almost no signs, and phone signal drops in the jungle — download the route on AllTrails (it’s listed) before you start. Go in the morning, spend the day at the beach, and head back before late afternoon. The return is the harder direction: it’s downhill on the way in, uphill on the way home, and Thai heat doesn’t negotiate.

2. John Suwan Viewpoint — The Best View on the Island

The classic, and still the king. John Suwan Viewpoint sits at the island’s southern tip near Chalok: 15–20 minutes up a steep, sandy-rocky trail with a rope section near the top, and then a view that earns every drop of sweat — the whole of Chalok on your left, Shark Bay on your right, and Sairee in the far distance. For a first-timer asking “which viewpoint?”, this is the answer.

Getting there: head to Freedom Beach — the viewpoint trail starts right next to it and is well signposted from the beach. The 50 THB entrance covers both, which makes the maths easy: hike first, then cool off with a swim at Freedom Beach on the way down. From Wonderland it’s one of the closest trailheads on the island — a few minutes by scooter.

Know before you go: wear shoes if you’re not sure-footed — you’ll be climbing through rocks with a rope assist, and the footing is sandy. Go morning or later afternoon; the trail is exposed and midday heat turns it into a punishment. It’s short and not technical, but it’s not a walk in the park either.

3. Northwest (Top) Viewpoint — The Sunset Challenge

The hardest hike on this list and the highest payoff at golden hour. The Northwest Viewpoint — “Top Viewpoint Street” on Google Maps, Koh Tao Northwest Viewpoint on AllTrails — climbs to one of the island’s highest peaks above North Sairee, where a small bar called Top Point marks the summit. From up there you get a perfect line on the sunset and a full view of Koh Nang Yuan sitting in the sea below — if you want to visit the island itself rather than just see it from a distance, our Koh Nang Yuan guide covers getting there and what to expect. Entry is 100 THB, and it’s worth it.

Getting there: follow the main road north through Sairee almost to its end, then keep going up. Technically you can ride it, but the road is so steep we’d only recommend that to very experienced riders — for everyone else this is a hiking trail, about an hour up. Start around 4:30pm to land the summit before sunset.

Know before you go: it is very steep. Zero exaggeration. Watch your footing the whole way, bring more water than you think you need, and never attempt it in midday heat. You’ll arrive sweaty. The sunset forgives everything. If sunset missions are your whole thing, our sunset spots guide ranks every option on the island.

4. Mae Haad ↔ Sai Nuan Coastal Trail — The Easy One

More walk than hike, and the only trail here you can honestly do in flip-flops. This ~20-minute coastal path through the forest connects Mae Haad to Sai Nuan Beach, passing old bamboo huts scattered through the trees, a lookout where you can see the abandoned huts from above, and a small semi-private beach that never gets crowded. Mostly concrete underfoot, easy to follow once you’re on it.

Getting there: the easy direction is starting from the Sai Nuan side — ride to Sai Nuan, walk right to Leo Beach, and take the old-looking stairs going up at the far right of the beach. From the Mae Haad side, the entrance hides behind Sensi Paradise resort and is genuinely hard to find — keep left along the beach and use AllTrails for the entry point. Leo Beach sometimes asks a small entrance fee, though in the mornings there’s rarely anyone collecting (the beach mostly wakes up for its night parties).

Know before you go: no hazards, just navigation. One rule: some huts are marked “Private property, do not enter” — respect those, explore only the unmarked ones. Go morning or evening, skip midday.

5–6. Two More Worth the Sweat: West Coast Viewpoint & Tanote Peak

West Coast Viewpoint — about 20 minutes uphill from the northwest side above Sairee, free entry, and a sweeping panorama of the entire west coastline with Koh Nang Yuan in frame. The short-effort, big-reward option if the full Northwest Viewpoint hour sounds like too much. Best at sunset.

Tanote Peak Viewpoint — one of the island’s highest points on the east side, hike-only (no vehicle gets there), with a steep 5–10 minute final ascent and a genuine 360° view of the island. Free, and at sunrise you’ll likely have it to yourself. Pair it with a morning swim at Tanote Bay below — also the island’s main cliff jumping spot.

What to Bring on Koh Tao Hikes

Short list, non-negotiable. Koh Tao trails are short by hiking standards but steep, exposed, and hot — most problems people have up there are preparation problems.

• Water — 1.5 litres per person minimum. The 7-Eleven big bottle. For the Northwest Viewpoint hike, take two.
• Real shoes for everything except Sai Nuan. Trainers are fine; you don’t need boots. John Suwan and Laem Thian both have rocky, sandy footing where flip-flops fail.
• Offline maps. Download the AllTrails route (Laem Thian and Sai Nuan especially) before leaving — jungle sections kill phone signal.
• Sunscreen + a hat. Several trails are exposed for long stretches.
• Swimwear. Half these hikes end at water — Freedom Beach below John Suwan, Laem Thian’s beach, Sai Nuan, Tanote Bay.
• Cash. 50–100 THB entry fees, coconut money for the kind man on the Laem Thian trail.

Hiking Safety on Koh Tao — The Honest Version

Koh Tao hiking is safe if you respect three things. Heat first: never start a hike between 11am and 3pm — every trail on this list is best in the early morning or from late afternoon. Footing second: the steep sections (John Suwan’s rope scramble, the Northwest Viewpoint’s whole upper half) have loose rock and sand; go slow, especially coming down. Rain third: in the wetter months, trails get slippery and the steep ones genuinely dangerous — if it’s been raining, save the climbs for another day and check our Koh Tao low season guide for how the rainy months actually behave.

Solo hiking is fine on the popular trails (John Suwan, West Coast) where you’ll see other people. For Laem Thian and the quieter jungle routes, take a buddy — not because of any danger beyond a twisted ankle, but because a twisted ankle with no signal and no buddy is a bad afternoon.

This is exactly why hostel hiking groups exist: at Wonderland someone’s organising a trail mission most weeks, and joining one is the easiest way to do the remote hikes properly. Solo travellers, that’s your move — more in our solo travel Koh Tao guide.

Hiking Trails in Koh Tao — FAQ

Trails End. The View From the Common Room Doesn’t.

Here’s the local cheat code: stay in the south and the best hiking trails in Koh Tao arrange themselves around you. From Wonderland, John Suwan and Freedom Beach are minutes away, the Sai Nuan coastal walk starts around the corner, and there’s a group heading up something most weeks — which is how a solo hike becomes six people, a coconut stop, and a swim. Tick off the trails, treat your legs to a post-hike massage, then compare notes over everything else the island offers.

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