"Heaven of the Pirates"

Seasons change, feelings change, people change and even islands change, too. I'll take you to the island that once claimed the title of "Heaven of the Pirates", an island that harbored pirates from the raging sea during monsoon season, and provided a hiding place for them from the authorities all the time. Even the name of the island at that time would make your hair on end. However, later on, Thai officials controlled the island, and because of the impossibility of escaping from it, the Thai government made the island a prison-camp during WWII. The inmates were political prisoners. Because of the island's natural high security, the guards main duty was not guarding prisoners but making fences. Many prisoners back then perished from the harsh conditions of this malaria-infested island.

However, more recently, after the Democrat party won the Thai election, charges against them were lifted and all the prisoners were freed. The many stories about the island were all but forgotten. Nobody wanted to mention it anymore. But nowadays when we find it is a marine national park, TARUTAO ISLAND.

You may have seen the American TV show "SURVIVOR". Koh Tarutao was chosen for the show. You shouldn't miss visiting and seeing it for yourself and trekking through the mangrove and nipa palm forest (the palm's fronds are customarily used for roof thatching).

Crab-eating monkeys are commonly seen. You may be lucky and spot a monitor lizards, weighing up to 60 lbs, or a band of black monkeys with white rings around their eyes. There are a lot of colorful birds, including King fishers, Oriental Pied and Southern Pied hornbills. The variety of animal life seems infinite here.

You'll simply love it. Remember to bring a bird guide and a pair of binoculars in your bag. The trekking tour is very close to the white sand long beach. Besides trekking you can paddle along the tidal rivers of the unspoiled nature habitat island, the scene you can imagine from the TV show "SURVIVOR".