It’s no secret that I am a sucker for a good view, if there is a point of high elevation around I’ll get up there to take in the vistas. There is something awesome about being able to see everything around you. Koh Tao’s mountainous terrain is great for finding spectacular views of the island and Gulf of Thailand.

Whether you are looking for a hike that ends somewhere beautiful or just want a good spot to get that awesome instagram shot, here are the best views in Koh Tao!

Fraggle Rock

You’ll get panoramic view of the whole east side of the island including Sairee Beach and Village and Mae Haad. It is a bit of a hike to get up to the rock with some boulder scrambling, but it is totally worth it to be able to sit on the rock at take it all in. You can read more about the hike in this post.

Directions: From Sairee Village head up the road from the main road towards Mango Bay, you’ll pass Asia Divers Resort and Koh Tao Gym and Fitness. Once out of town follow the road up a steep hill and when you get to a fork take the right side (the other way will take you to Mango Bay). A few meters down the road you’ll take another right turn up a steep and skinny path, you’ll follow that path all the way up past an abandoned hotel. Path stops being paved at this point and you’ll be walking through the trees, once you hit a stack of boulder you are there and all you have to do is climb up.

Love Koh Tao

At the top of the hill above Tanote Bay there is a little cafe with a great view. It’s a great spot to sip on a fresh coconut, enjoy the view and take pictures in front of the Love Koh Tao sign.

Directions: Coming from Mae Haad or Sairee take the main road towards Chalok, then turn left up the road to Tanote Bay, just before heading down the hill towards the bay take a left up a smaller street that goes up the mountain. At the top you’ll find the cafe with a large grass area and picnic tables.

The View Bar

Get up early and catch the sunrise from the deck at the View Bar. The little deck built out over the mountains on the east side of the island is super chill with hammocks for lounging and a little hut where you can grab a cup of coffee while you watch the sun come up, or beers later in the day.

Directions: Take the road up from Sairee towards Mango Bay, you’ll pass Asia Divers Resort and Koh Tao Gym & Fitness, go all the way up the hill. At the fork take the left towards Mango Bay. Stick to the right as you pass Jim’s Bar and again at the next dirt fork where you should see a signpost pointing towards a good view with “no fee”.

Top of the Rock

This is a good hike if you are looking for a challenge with a great view as your reward. Once you’ve gotten up to the rock you can walk around it to see the whole south and western sides of the island. You get beautiful blue ocean on one side and lush green jungle on the other. For more about the hike check out this post.

Directions: Head towards Tanote Bay from the main road, take a left up a small road marked “Top of the Rock Restaurant” and “View Point 2”. Follow the signs for Top of the Rock, once you get to the Top of the Rock Restaurant, take the dirt path to the left up to the rock.

Nang Yuan

Koh Nang Yuan is a little island off of Koh Tao with beautiful white sand beaches a small mountain with a great view of both islands. This is the view you will see if you google image search Koh Tao, and it’s a pretty good one. You can take a long boat over from Mae Haad or Sairee for around 300-400 baht round trip, and you’ll have to pay an entrance fee when you get to Nang Yuan of 100 baht per person. One thing to note is that the island doesn’t open up for day trippers until 10AM so make sure you don’t get there too early (like we did, and had to wait around for 30 minutes). The view from the top is awesome and totally makes the trip over worth it!

Directions: Once on the island walk to the left side of the beach from the pier, at the end of the beach is a small mountain with little cabanas. There is a skinny concrete path leading around and up, at the top the path ends in boulders which you’ll have to climb up for the view.

The Better Than OK View

The top of this hike is awesome for sunset! From one side you have the west with the excellent sunset views, on the other you get rocky cliffs and jungle, it’s pretty spectacular. The hike is a bit of a challenge, but the views you get make it totally worth it! For more about this hike, read this post.

Directions: On the main road, about halfway between Sairee and Mae Haad there is a sign for the “OK View” which is where you want to turn up the hill. You’ll come to a fork and you want to take the left road, do not follow signs for the “OK View” any more. The paved road heads up hill for quite a while, eventually there will be a dirt road off to the right side which you will take. Just before the top of the hike there is a large open area with the great view of the west side, if you continue up you’ll find a rock outcropping with views of the east side of the island.