Heading to Koh Tao and wondering how many days you should plan on staying for?

Koh Tao is- by a wide margin- my favorite of the Thai Islands. But it’s also quite small. So where’s the balance in deciding how long to stay?

In this post, I’ll walk you through many trip length options and explain what you should expect to get out of each.

But regardless of how many days you stay for, you’re sure to have an incredible time in Koh Tao.

Note: If you’re planning a trip to Koh Tao, make sure to check out my 2–4 Day Koh Tao Itinerary to help organize your time on the island!

Quick Answer: How Long to Spend in Koh Tao

Whether you’re trip planning from home or sitting in a hostel in Koh Samui, I recognize that lots of you are very busy, of course.

So for those of you who don’t have the time to delve into the finer points of deciding how long to stay on Koh Tao, here’s a quick breakdown:

2 Days	See all the main highlights
3 Days	See highlights + a few secret spots
4 Days	Perfect for a relaxed trip
5+ Days	Best if you plan to dive

But I really do recommend sticking around to find out a bit more. I put a lot of time into this guys.

Factors That Affect How Many Days You Need in Koh Tao

There are a few factors that will certainly affect your decision making.

First, of course, is the total length of your trip. I’ll get into it more when we discuss specific trip lengths later but here’s the main idea.

If your total trip length is a week or less, I would stick to two or three days. On the flip side- if it’s two weeks or longer, say- there’s no reason why you shouldn’t stay for at least three or four.

Another big factor is if you plan on scuba diving. Koh Tao is famous for its diving scene, as it’s one of the cheapest places in the world to get an Open Water Certification.

If you plan on scuba diving (and getting your certification), you’re going to need at least 4 days, and preferably longer. This allots you time to dive and also at least one free day to explore the island.

Finally, you should look into tours for Koh Nang Yuan, a popular and immensely beautiful small island cluster just off the main island of Koh Tao.

If you’re interested in taking a day trip to Koh Nang Yuan, you’re going to want to add an extra day to your total.

Now let’s get into specific trip lengths and I’ll explain all the pros and cons.

Is 2 Days in Koh Tao Enough?

2 days sounds like a very short time, and it is.

But Koh Tao is very small. Two days give you enough time to see all of my favorite spots on the island (see my 2-4 day itinerary). In fact, if you do look at my itinerary, you’ll see that as early as Day 3 I recommend starting to repeat spots.

But ask yourself- do you really want to simply rush through the best spots and then immediately leave?

This depends a lot on your specific circumstances.

If you’re on a short trip (a week or less in the islands) and want to hit a few other spots as well, two days might be fine for you.

But if you’re on a longer trip- let alone a multi-month backpacking trip- I would certainly suggest spending more days on Koh Tao.

Is 3 Days in Koh Tao Enough?

Now we’re getting closer to the sweet spot.

If you aren’t planning on doing any diving or day trips/tours, three days is probably the ideal length of stay in Koh Tao.

It allows you time to see all the best spots, and even repeat some of your favorites- giving you the opportunity to have a far more relaxing time than if you were to do a 2-day trip.

It also opens up the option to take a day trip to the Koh Nang Yuan Islands, also it’ll feel a bit rushed.

While three days will give you enough time to see the majority of what there is to see on the island, you won’t have time to fully settle in.

And there’s something about Koh Tao that makes it the perfect place to just settle down and relax for a few days.

Is 4 or 5 Days in Koh Tao Too Long?

It depends, based on both the type of traveler you are and if you have time to spare.

If you have extra time to spare on your trip in Thailand, I would highly recommend you spend it in Koh Tao.

Backpacking is great. Moving around and experiencing as many places as possible is certainly enticing.

But sometimes it’s good to settle down for a few days. And Koh Tao is the best place to do that.

Settle into a routine for a few days. Try and form a group, and spend your days riding a scooter around the island, swimming, and soaking in the vibes.

Four days also easily allows you to take a trip to the Koh Nang Yuan Islands, which are definitely a highlight.

When I went, I’d originally planned on just 3 days and ended up staying for over a week (though I took two diving courses). I made friends working in hostels who had been there for months, and they all said they hadn’t planned for that either.

So no- 4 or 5 days here is most certainly not too long- but after 3 or so days, it will start to feel less like exploring new places and more of settling into a routine. Which can be kind of nice in the middle of a long backpacking trip.

How Many Days Do You Need in Koh Tao if You Want to Dive?

As I mentioned earlier, scuba diving is incredibly popular in Koh Tao due in part to its low cost. It also happens to be incredible diving.

If you plan on going scuba diving (and getting Open Water Certification) in Koh Tao, I would recommend you plan on staying for at least 4 days, and preferably 5 days to a week.

Getting your Open Water Certification generally takes three days, so this longer timeframe allows you to have a couple extra days to explore the island before or after you dive.

Note: If you don’t dive, you have to at least snorkel! Check out this post of mine for the five best snorkeling spots on the island.

When I arrived in Koh Tao, I had no intention on diving. While I had heard it was the cheapest in the world, $300 USD was still a big hit to my backpacking budget.

It didn’t take long for me to be convinced though. And I’m very glad I was. In fact, I ended up getting suckered in for not only my Open Water Certification, but my Advanced Deep Water Certification as well.

The combination of the cost and quality of the diving here makes it a once-in-a-lifetime sort of opportunity, so think hard before saying no!

Note: The first link is just to try diving- I recommend one of the other two to get your Open Water Certification.

How Koh Tao Compares to Nearby Islands

I feel my thoughts on this have been heavily implied, but it’s bears repeating.

Koh Tao is 100% my favorite island in Thailand.

I’m not telling you to skip other islands, but Koh Tao should definitely be prioritized.

Even though it is far smaller, I would recommend allotting more time to Koh Tao instead of islands like Koh Samui and Phuket, which feel a lot more industrialized and are just not nearly as nice.

To be honest, I’d go as far as saying that those islands can be skipped entirely in favor of Koh Tao and maybe Koh Phangan.

Perhaps that will be a subject for a later post of mine.

My Recommended Length of Stay in Koh Tao

So let’s sum it all up.

It’s quite simple: if you have the ability to stay for longer, stay for longer.

Two days, in my opinion, should only be done if you’re completely restricted by travel time. That being said, two is better than none. You can do a lot here in two days.

Three to four days is perfect for those of you who won’t be diving. Time to hit all the spots and feel relaxed, maybe even take a day trip to Koh Nang Yuan.

Finally, divers should plan on staying for 5 days to a week. This is what I did, and my time in Koh Tao was some of the most memorable from my 4 month trip to Asia.

So as you can see, the answer here is really dependent on circumstance.

But regardless of how many days you end up staying in Koh Tao, it’s sure to be amazing.

Make sure to check out my 2-4 day itinerary, where I map out the best way to explore the island, no matter how long you choose to stay on Koh Tao!