Lighthouse Bay, also known as Gluay Teun Bay, is one of Koh Tao’s best-kept secrets, offering some of the island’s clearest waters for snorkeling and diving, along with the chance to climb to the top of the old lighthouse for unbeatable views.
Located on the northeastern coast, it’s one of the most remote bays on Koh Tao and is accessed via roads and trails you won’t find on Google Maps. To get to Lighthouse Bay, you can either hike through the jungle or take a longtail boat from Sairee– but I personally recommend the hike—it’s one of my favorite hiking trails on Koh Tao.
In the guide below, I’ll share everything you need to know about hiking to Koh Tao’s lighthouse, how to climb inside, and my top tips for snorkeling spots in this incredible bay.
Koh Tao Lighthouse: Overview
If you’re up for a bit of an adventure, I highly recommend taking the hike to the lighthouse for epic views and snorkeling. However, if you’re only interested in the snorkeling and want to skip the hike, Lighthouse Bay is usually included on the island snorkeling boat trip.
Here's what you need to know to hike:
- Location: Northeastern coast of Koh Tao, accessible from the road leading to Mango Bay, with several trailhead options available.
- Access: You can either hike from the Mango Bay turn-off on the Sairee to Hin Wong Bay road or, as I did, ride your motorbike to an abandoned restaurant called "Por Jai View" and start your hike from there. Note that this spot isn’t marked on maps, so follow the directions below for guidance.
- Hike Distance: 3.2 km return.
- Elevation Gain: 275 meters in total, mostly on the return hike.
- Time: 1.5 to 2 hours for the full return trip.
- Difficulty: Moderate—expect some steep sections and remote terrain, making it a solid adventure for those looking to explore Koh Tao off the beaten path.
- Entrance fee: 100 THB per person (however seems to be abandoned).
- Map: Check out my Strava route here for the exact trail
Tip: If you’re confident on a motorbike, I highly recommend riding to the trailhead for the Koh Tao Lighthouse hike. However, the roads are steep, remote, and include many unsealed sections, so don’t attempt it unless you’re very comfortable on a motorbike. Alternatively, you can hike the entire way from Sairee, but it’s much longer and involves a lot more elevation gain along the road.
How to Get to Koh Tao Lighthouse Trailhead
From Sairee, head up the main road (same road as 995 Duck) towards Hin Wong Bay. Continue up the road past Summer Hostel and keep going, passing the turn to Koh Tao's abandoned resort hike.
After a few steep turns, you’ll come to the turn-off for Mango Bay, marked with signs for Grape View, Jim Bar, and a few others. Many people choose to park here and start their hike from this point, but if you’re confident, you can continue by motorbike.
The road quickly switches to an unsealed path, but it’s still pretty manageable. Soon, it transitions back to steep, narrow concrete sections. Eventually, after climbing for a while you’ll reach a spot known as “Tar Bar,” a small shop selling drinks and gasoline.
Turn right here and follow the road towards Mango Bay for a little longer.
The left turn here leads to several other great viewpoints, including Summit View and Grape View. These are worth exploring if you’re keen, but for now, stick to the right and continue down the road.
Continue on and begin descending to Mango Bay but don't go too far. Soon there'll be a partially collapsed road leading to the right. Take this turn and drive all the way to the end. There, you'll arrive at “Por Jai View,” an abandoned restaurant and viewpoint marking the entrance to the Koh Tao Lighthouse trailhead.
Park your motorbike here and start your hike by walking through the restaurant and following the sign pointing right from the bar toward the lighthouse, along a narrow path through banana trees.
Note: The trailhead on AllTrails tells you to continue on the concrete road downhill from the restaurant. However, after following this path we found it led to a blocked-off fence with a 5,000 baht fee if you jump it. So we instead walked through the restaurant.
My Experience Hiking to Koh Tao's Lighthouse Bay + Directions
When we got to the trailhead, there wasn’t anyone around to collect the 100 THB entrance fee, though the signs mentioned it included a free drink—would’ve been nice! Since no one was there, we went ahead and started the hike (it looks abandoned).
The trail begins just to the right of the bar, winding through a green garden of banana trees and flowers.
Right from the start, it was easy to follow thanks to the red and white dots painted on the rocks. The path descends through the garden, which was a bit overgrown in some sections making the trail hard to follow.
However, soon enough, we reached the road again, which connects to the official AllTrails route (no fence-hopping needed from the restaurant). From there, the trail dives into the forest.
The forest is very thick with a lot of treefall, but again, the red and white markers make it easy to stay on course. Be prepared, though— this part of the hike gets super dense with mosquitoes and bugs, and it’s incredibly humid, especially around midday.
The trail eventually takes a sharp descent. Thankfully, the ground wasn’t too slippery, and it’s pretty easy to manage.
Before long, we arrived at Lighthouse Bay (Gluay Teun Bay). Unfortunately, the beach had a fair bit of trash washed up, likely because of its remote location where no one gets out to clean. However, the water was crystal clear and rubbish-free.
Hike to Koh Tao Lighthouse from Lighthouse Bay
Lighthouse Bay is one of the best snorkeling spots on Koh Tao, so if you’re up for it, take a dip and cool off after the long hike down.
But the real adventure continues—you can actually climb to the top of the lighthouse. It’s not immediately obvious, but you’ll spot the lighthouse on a hill surrounded by dense jungle on the other side of the bay.
To get there, head around the boulders to the far side of the bay. You’ll pass by an old, abandoned concrete building. Keep walking along the shore to the right from there, and soon enough, you’ll notice those familiar red and white dots painted on the rocks, marking the start of the trail to the lighthouse.
This last section is only about 300 meters but it’s pretty steep and cuts straight through the jungle. Even though the trail was a bit overgrown when we went, finding our way was easy thanks to the markers. After about 5 minutes of climbing, we reached the lighthouse, tucked away in a small clearing.
Climbing to the Top of Koh Tao Lighthouse
We were pretty stoked to find that the door to the lighthouse was unlocked, so naturally, we had to check it out. Inside, there’s a steel ladder that leads all the way to the top. There are three levels of ladders, and after a bit of climbing, we found ourselves exiting through a small hatch at the top.
At the top, there’s a wide platform with a sturdy concrete railing. It actually looked like the lighthouse is still functional, with solar panels and light bulbs in decent condition, though we couldn’t confirm since we did the Koh Tao lighthouse hike in the morning. From up there, the views were fantastic—panoramic shots of Lighthouse Bay and the rugged northeast coastline.
We hung out at the top for about 15 minutes, capturing some cool drone shots before heading back down to the beach for a refreshing swim.
Hiking Back to the Starting Point
The Koh Tao lighthouse hike is an out-and-back trail, so after exploring the lighthouse, we had to double back and tackle the steep jungle trail to get back to where we’d parked the bike.
The return hike is definitely more challenging, as you’ll be going straight up the mountain the entire way. Make sure to have some water handy because you’ll need it for the climb! It’s a tough ascent, but worth every step after the adventure to the lighthouse.
I hope you've enjoyed this quick hiking guide to Koh Tao's Lighthouse Bay!
Check out my guide to the best things to do on Koh Tao for unique adventures and hidden gems you won’t want to miss!