Ko Tarutao is part of Tarutao National Marine Park, whose administration provide a number of facilities for guests to the island, including the following:
There is a one-time National Park entry fee upon arrival of 200 baht for foreigners and 40 baht for Thai citizens.
Buses labelled "Phuket to Satun" leave at 08:15 and 10.15 (317 Baht), passing through La-Ngu at 3pm and 5pm. Songthaew from La-Ngu bus stop to Pak Bara Pier (20 Baht) get you there at 15:30 and 17:30 - too late for the last ferry (15:00) so plan to stay the night in Pak Bara. Use the afternoon to visit the National Park Office next to the Pak Bara pier and book accommodation on the island, as it is frequently booked out.
Slow ferries (250 Baht one way, 400 Baht return, 1 hour) leave Pak Bara for Ko Tarutao at 10:30 and 15:00, and after dropping passengers at Ko Tarutao continue on to Ko Adang and Ko Lipe. Return tickets can be used any day. Its best to avoid the speedboat (350 Baht one way, 650 Baht return, 30 mins, depart Pak Bara 11:30, depart Ko Tarutao 11:00) as it is almost always running late and the vendors are happy to sell more tickets than the speedboat_fs safe capacity (don_ft worry ? most of the people continue on to the other islands rather than getting off at Tarutao). If the speedboat is a must, some of the travel agents at Pak Bara Pier can be convinced to sell tickets for 200 Baht each way. Either way, don_ft be suckered into paying 10 Baht to walk onto the pier ? the pier can be accessed without charge via the National Park Office.
Government-run minivans (120 Baht, 2 hours) leave from in front of the pier at Pak Bara for Hat Yai every hour on the hour. Never fear - these are government run mini-buses and thus are not subject to the same tricks of the tourist-focussed mini-buses. Tickets can be purchased from the driver.
The National Park runs and manages a restaurant that provides a considerable range of good quality meals, and is open all day. In addition to meals, cold soft drinks, canned beer and bottled water are availabe from the restaurant
The National Park also runs a small mini-mart for snack foods, soft drinks and bottled water. They do not tend to stock the necessary items to allow for self-catering.
All accommodation on the island is National Park owned and managed, and guests have the choice between bungalow or camping accommodation.
Bungalow accommodation is 500B per room, which can house up to 4 people. Bungalows have a varying degree of luxuriousness: some are a simple room with 4 beds, some have room divisions and some have outdoor toilets.
Tents can be hired from the National Park Office on the island for 150B per night, which includes the cost of the tent site right behind the beach. The tents are not waterproof, fit 2 people without luggage, and are short for anyone over 5_f10_h. Luggage can be stored in the office to free up space in the tent. Tent sites are 30B per night if you bring your own.