For connoisseurs of Asian holiday destinations, the idyll bears the name Koh Tao. The island in the Gulf of Thailand looks back on a relatively short but eventful history of human use. On site, interested travellers will find witnesses to the times when the small island (area: a good 21 square kilometres) served as a temporary fishing refuge, former prison island and, most recently, as a habitat for a few Thai families. Only towards the end of the 20th century did individual travellers discover Koh Tao, an island belonging to the Samui Archipelago. The translation of the island name "Turtle Island" refers to one of the attractions. The breeding and reintroduction of mussels and sea turtles is one of the important current nature conservation projects, with which the increasing development of tourism is compensated. Until today Koh Tau is still attractive for individual travellers, backpackers and divers.