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 Tarutao
Marine National Park
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Thailand’s fi rst marine national park, established as such
in 1974, Tarutao lies off the coast of Satun Province and comprises
51 mountainous and forested islands, with caves, mangrove swamps
and beaches strung along their shorelines. The dramatic beauty of
the scenery is all the more striking when compared with the islands’
history.
Tarutao Marine National Park, SatunThe word ‘tarutao’ is derived from Malay and translates
as old and mysterious, a reference to the legend that the islands
were long hidden from the world and were to remain troubled after
a curse was cast upon them by a beautiful princess wrongly accused
of adultery. Whether one believes in the curse or not, it is a historical
fact that the archipelago was for centuries a dangerous haunt of
pirates, and an unsavoury reputation persisted into the 20th century
when, between 1939 and 1946, Tarutao was a penal colony.
Perhaps largely due to this dark history, which kept the islands
remote, Tarutao today is as near pristine in its natural beauty
as can be found anywhere in the country. For the visitor there are
various walking trails, fi ne beaches, superb views and much more
to discover, including a comparatively rich fauna among which wild
pigs, crab-eating macaques, dusky langurs and monitor lizards are
all fairly common. The surrounding waters are home to dolphins and
sea turtles, while whales and dugongs, although rare, have also
been spotted.
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