Thailand
Koh Tarutao
A former penal colony swallowed by jungle where crocodiles still hunt the mangrove estuaries.
In 1941, the Thai government turned Koh Tarutao into a penal colony. The prisoners were abandoned during the war. Some became pirates. The jungle reclaimed everything else. Today, Tarutao is Thailand's first marine national park — and the crocodiles in the mangrove estuaries didn't get the memo about rehabilitation.
Koh Tarutao is a 152-square-kilometre island in Satun Province, near the Malaysian border. The penal colony operated from 1939 to 1948, holding political prisoners and criminals in separate camps on the island's east coast — the ruins are still walkable. The western coast offers long white sand beaches backed by primary jungle, with sea turtles nesting between September and April. The island's mangrove estuaries on the eastern side are home to saltwater crocodiles, monitor lizards, and crab-eating macaques. Accommodation is national park bungalows and tent pitches only — no private resorts, no bars, no WiFi.
Solo
The penal colony ruins, the crocodile-patrolled mangroves, and the total absence of tourist infrastructure make Tarutao a solo adventure for travellers who prefer their islands raw and historically charged.
Friends
Camping on the beach, exploring prison ruins in the jungle, and kayaking mangrove estuaries with crocodile warnings — Tarutao is the kind of island trip groups remember for decades.
- Thailand's first marine national park was once a penal colony — prison ruins still stand in the jungle.
- Saltwater crocodiles patrol the mangrove estuaries on the east coast of the island.
- National park bungalows and tent pitches are the only accommodation — no resorts, no bars, no WiFi.
- The western beaches are empty white sand backed by primary jungle, with sea turtles nesting in season.
Camp canteen rations elevated by Thai spicing: heavily blistered holy basil with minced pork.
Simple fried rice with lime and fish sauce.
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