Koh Tao is twenty-one square kilometres with hills rising steeply from the coast. That is good news if you want to get above it: fifteen minutes of climbing already gets you a view over half the island.
The five viewpoints on this list do differ, though, and not in the view. The view is good from all of them. The difference is the way up. Two you reach without any trouble, one costs you a proper climb, and two sit at the end of an unpaved road, which on this island is where things go wrong most often.
So that is what this list is about: how much effort each view costs, how to get there and what time of day to go. What you actually see from the top, and how these spots compare with everything else here, is in our things to do on Koh Tao.
1. John-Suwan Viewpoint
If you only do one, make it this one. John-Suwan is the only spot where you look down on two sides at once, with a rocky point between two bays, and that makes it the best view on the island as far as we are concerned.
Allow fifteen to twenty minutes up, and do not expect a neat trail. The first part walks away easily, but the last stretch gets steep and goes over boulders where you need your hands now and then. On the scale of this list it is the hardest climb you can do with no real risk attached: hard work, but nothing goes wrong as long as you wear proper shoes and do not set off in the midday sun. Flip-flops do not work here, and there is nothing for sale at the top, so bring water.
The viewpoint sits right at the southern tip, around the corner from Shark Bay, which plans your day for you: snorkelling in the morning, somewhere in the shade until the heat drops, and up at the end of the afternoon for the sunset. Go in the middle of the day and the climb is twice as hard and the sun so high that the light goes flat.
Our verdict: worth the climb, and the one to do if you only have time for one
2. Love Koh Tao Viewpoint
This is the opposite case: the most view for the least effort. Love Koh Tao sits above Tanote Bay on the east side and you simply ride your scooter up a road that behaves itself.
That makes it different from the rest of this list, and useful in two ways. You need no shoes, no fitness and no early start, and you can sit there with a drink instead of heading back down after ten minutes. If you are with a group where not everyone is equally fit, or you just do not fancy a hike on your day off, this is the easiest win on the island.
Fit it into the day you are spending along the east coast anyway. Tanote Bay is right below and the snorkelling water there is good, so you do not need a separate trip for it.
Our verdict: the most view for the least effort, which makes it our second pick
3. Koh Nang Yuan Viewpoint
Officially this one is not on Koh Tao but on the three rocky islets just off the coast, and it still belongs on the list: this is the view of Thailand you know without ever having been there.
Here the way up is not a road but a boat. You come over on a longtail from Mae Haad or with a snorkelling trip that docks here, and that decides your whole schedule. The climb itself is short, about fifteen minutes, though the heat and the last metres over the rocks still make you work.
The real problem at the top is not the climb but the space. It is narrow up there, and every island-hopping tour on Koh Tao stops here, so between eleven and three you end up shuffling around each other. Take the first boat of the day. You will have it almost to yourself, and you will be on the beach in the afternoon while everyone else queues for the climb. Bring your snorkel, because the coral around the sandbar is good.
Our verdict: go for it, on the first boat and not in the afternoon
4. Mango Viewpoint
Mango is in the north, right among the green hills, and the view from up there is stunning. The road to it is the most adventurous stretch on this list, and that is not meant as a compliment.
Riding towards Mango Bay yourself is for people with real experience. The road is unpaved in places, steep and rough, and where you leave the scooter there is still a solid climb waiting. On this side of the island you also have little to no signal in places, which is a nuisance if you need navigation or help along the way.
There is an easier way, and it is not the soft option: take a longtail boat to Mango Bay and make an afternoon of it. The ride along the coast becomes part of the experience, and you arrive without having spent the whole day concentrating.
Our verdict: only with real scooter experience, otherwise just take the longtail
5. Grape Viewpoint
Grape is also in the north and it is the quietest spot on the island. That is exactly why it made this list: you usually have it to yourself, on the green side where almost nobody sleeps.
The route is the same kind as the one to Mango: the same unpaved stretches, the same steep little climbs, and hardly anyone along the way. Expect to put in more effort than for the better-known spots, and expect it to be a bad idea in poor weather.
Staying only a few days? We would stick to the first two. Staying longer? Then Grape is where you go once you want to explore the island further.
Our verdict: a good one if you are staying longer
Fitting them into your days
If you have one free day alongside the diving, do Love Koh Tao in the morning and John-Suwan at the end of the afternoon. Little effort, two very different sides of the island, and you finish on the sunset.
If you have two, put Koh Nang Yuan on the second day and take the first boat. You are up early for it anyway, so pair it with the snorkelling and keep your afternoon free.
Mango and Grape are for people staying longer. They are close together in the north, so if you do them, do them on the same day.
The scooter is the real risk here
Four of the five spots involve a scooter, and that is where things go wrong on this island. A scooter costs about €6 a day, but the hills are shorter and steeper than they look on the map.
Three things to sort out before you ride off. Take photos and video of every existing scratch when you pick it up, because damage you did not cause is a known problem here. Never leave your passport as a deposit, a copy will do. And do not ride in flip-flops.
If you are not comfortable on one, just take a taxi to the spot you want to see. It costs more than a day’s scooter rental and it saves you a scar.
Which viewpoint on Koh Tao should you pick?
If you have time for one, make it John-Suwan, at the end of the afternoon, and stay for the sunset. No other spot on the island lets you look down on two sides at once.
Want to take it easier? Then Love Koh Tao is our second pick: no hike, just ride up on the scooter. Number three is Koh Nang Yuan, as long as you take the first boat and add some snorkelling.
Mango and Grape are a different story. The routes there are steep, rough and partly unpaved, and we only recommend riding them if you are genuinely experienced on a scooter. If you are not, take the longtail boat to Mango Bay instead. There are plenty of beautiful views here you can reach without the risk, and no view is worth a broken ankle.
