- Tarutao National Park -
kayaking to tropical islands, secluded beaches & great snorkeling

Level: moderate to mildly strenuous (depending on the season)
Season: November through mid April is moderate 
The outer islands are closed from the end of April through the middle of November.
Accommodations: Deluxe camping with electricity for fans and lights, plus a dining tent. Due to mass tourism ruining Ko Lipe, we no longer offer bungalow stays. Camping gives you the ability to experience the natural wonders 24 hours per day, in comfort. 

Tarutao is a marine national park is on the border between Thailand and Malaysia. In fact, Langkawi (a huge island in Malaysia) is just five miles from Tarutao. Tarutao has been designated by UNESCO as an ASEAN Heritage site. The park consists of 51 islands - seven big ones. The main island, Ko Tarutao, features tidal rivers, old-growth mangrove forests, old-growth hardwood forests, primary nipa palm forests (this palm's fronds are customarily used for roof thatching), limestone karst islands and lots of wildlife. 

Crab-eating Macaques (monkeys) are common on Tarutao. We often see them walking the mudflats at low tide searching for crabs or whatever else they can eat. Dusky langurs, cute black monkeys with white rings around their eyes, are common too. We frequently see monitor lizards. They get as big as 60 pounds and as long as six or seven feet! We do see huge one occasionally, but the smaller one are much easier to see.

There is a park headquarters with bungalows where we land. The long beach in front of the park adds much beauty to an already stunning scene. A tidal river next to the park is where we do our first bit of exploring. Actually, you could spend several days exploring just this one area. We paddle in a mangrove forest beside steep limestone cliffs. There are lots of birds in the mangrove. Brown-winged Kingfishers, bright orange birds with brown wings and a blue back, are often seen. Oriental Pied hornbills and Southern Pied hornbills regularly cross over the mangrove channels or soar along the side of the massive limestone mountains. Greater Ratchet-tailed Drongos, medium-sized black birds with two very long tail feathers, flutter between trees at the park headquarters in their constant search for insects.

If you'd like to take a quick look at some sample photos of Tarutao National Park, click on the images below.

Click here to see a map of Tarutao National Park, including the outer islands.
Click here to see a map of Ko Tarutao only.

The American TV show "Survivor" is being filmed on Ko Tarutao in June of 2002. PaddleAsia offers a variety of tour packages to Tarutao National Park. If you'd like to learn more, see our Tarutao Survivor page.

PaddleAsia is in no way associated or endorsed by the CBS Survivor program.

On our eight-day trip we normally spend a couple days on Tarutao before departing for some islands further out to sea. On our four or six-day trips we head straight out to the outer islands. These remarkable islands have crystal clear water and primary jungle down to the white sandy beaches. Instead of limestone, these islands have granite boulders. Sea gypsies live on Ko Lipe.

We paddle around several islands, taking time to relax and/or snorkel at the numerous beaches. We've managed to find several areas where the coral is in superb condition. Globally, this is rare. This is one of the most idyllic areas in Thailand for snorkeling Click here to visit our snorkeling page!

We have a local sea gypsy escort boat skipper who shuttles our camping gear ahead of us. Our skipper and another sea gypsy set up the camps. We believe that employing the sea gypsies is the only way to go down here. They are at the bottom of the social ladder unfortunately and don't have much going for them. They are lovely people who need a break. Our sea gypsy team is friendly and very hard-working. You'll love them for sure.

Camping allow you to experince this very special national park without having to deal with the people who go to Tarutao to party and make noise. You, on the other hand, get to spend your nights on the many gorgeous beaches and experience watching the stars, listening to the waves lapping the shore and listening to the sounds of the jungle.

As individual paddlers, we search for ways to get away from other tourists. Tarutao is a superb area for those who wish to see the deep south without the crowds.

We offer a four-day, six-day and an eight-day tour to Tarutao for two to eight people. These islands are well off the beaten tourist path - this is PaddleAsia.

If you'd like to read more about Tarutao, check out our previous trip reports:

Tarutao stormy weather story
The Trang and Tarutao expedition
Suvivor Thailand
The joy of crossings

No experience is needed for any of our trips, though this trip is seasonal for novices. The majority of our guests have never paddled before. No problem, we'll teach you proper paddling technique.

Our trips are all-inclusive. This price includes: all transfers (airfare not included), all equipment, all camping gear, all meals, all snacks, coffee and tea, a complimentary PaddleAsia shirt and comprehensive insurance.