Why should you go there and how do you do it right?

Koh Tarutao is the largest island in the national park of the same name. It stretches as a long jungle ridge with beaches on the west coast and mangrove rivers reaching inland. Almost the entire island is undeveloped. From 1936, the penal authorities operated a penal colony here for convicts and political prisoners. Some of the inmates later turned to piracy in the strait. The remains of the camps are now a reason to visit. The park headquarters in Ao Phante Malaka in the northwest now offers a jetty, a visitor center, a restaurant, bungalows, and a campsite. Further south, in Ao Mo Lae, there are additional accommodations within the park.

Tarutao is the complete opposite of Koh Lipe, which you can reach in an hour by speedboat. There are no bars or resorts, the beaches are long and mostly deserted, and you get around on foot, by rental bike, or using the park vehicles. It's suitable for one or two nights in a park bungalow between the mainland and Koh Lipe.