Ko Tarutao

Ko Tarutao is about 150 square kilometres, the largest island in its national park, about ten kilometres north of Langkawi in Malaysia and almost entirely covered in rainforest with long empty beaches and mangrove creeks. Its history is grim and central to the place. From 1938 the Thai government ran a penal colony here for ordinary prisoners and later political detainees; during the Second World War supplies were cut off, guards and prisoners starved, and the survivors turned to piracy in the Strait of Malacca until a British force suppressed them in 1946. Ruins of the prison camps remain and can be visited. Accommodation now is national park bungalows and camping only - there are no resorts and no private development - with limited electricity, one shop and no bank machine. The park closes entirely from mid-May to mid-November. Hornbills, macaques and monitor lizards are common; the interior is genuine forest.

What's there

• The prison ruins - camps from the 1938 penal colony, and the piracy that followed.
• The forest - rainforest across most of a 150 square kilometre island.
• The empty beaches - long strands with park bungalows and nothing else.
• The wildlife - hornbills, macaques, monitors and mangrove creeks.

When to go

Mid-November to mid-May; the park closes completely outside that. Book park accommodation in advance - it is the only option and it is limited.

Good to know

Park bungalows and camping only, with limited electricity, one shop and no bank machine. Closed for six months a year. Ninety minutes by boat each way. No resorts, restaurants or nightlife of any kind.

Nearby

Ko Adang and Ko Lipe are further out; Pak Bara is the mainland pier.

Key facts