Koh Lipe is an ideal island for a beach holiday in Thailand. Koh Lipe Island in Thailand: useful information and our review Koh Lipe Island

There are many beautiful places in Thailand that are worth visiting at least once. Therefore, the question often arises of where exactly to go. Should you give preference to the islands in the south of Thailand or go to the waterfalls of the north? Surely, most people, having heard about the island of Ko Lipe, first of all asked the question “why go to Ko Lipe?” What is so attractive, interesting and beautiful about this tropical island of Thailand?

Koh Lipe is not as crowded as Phi Phi. Lipa has much better infrastructure and is much easier to get to than the Similan Islands. Lipe is much more compact than Samui. If we talk about the size of Koh Lipe, then it is only 3 km long (half of these 3 km is an uninhabited mountain), the distance between the beaches is a maximum of 1 km. You can take a leisurely walk and walk from one beach to another in 15 - 20 minutes. For those who do not like to walk, there are motorcycle taxis (moped with sidecar) in Lipa.

Lipe Island is a kind of rising star of tourism in Thailand, which is only gaining popularity. You can rarely hear Russian speech on the island. Koh Lipe is a popular holiday destination among Thais and their Malaysian neighbors. Therefore, on weekends and holidays the number of vacationers on the island increases significantly. Why do these tourists go to Koh Lipe when there are so many alternatives in Thailand?

1 | Incredibly beautiful seascapes

The beauty begins already on the way to Koh Lipe; from board a speedboat or ferry you can take many beautiful photos and enjoy the endless sea distance with islands rising out of the water here and there.

Seascape (photographed from a speedboat on Koh Lipe)

2 | Rich underwater world

A variety of fish, corals, and strange marine life that anyone can see (even those who can’t swim). There is no need to wear diving equipment to see the underwater beauty of the Tarutao National Marine Park (which includes the island of Koh Lipe) - just a mask and snorkel, which, if necessary, can be rented from a hotel or travel agency. You can get to the most interesting and beautiful points by purchasing a group excursion or ordering an individual tour.

Prices for excursions start from 650 baht (~$20) per person.

The most popular excursions on Koh Lipe:

sunset tour to the most beautiful places with snorkeling and a picnic on the beach,
morning tour with lunch on the beach and snorkeling in the most beautiful places,
tour with 2 scuba dives (experience not required),
a walk through the jungle of Ko Adang island with a visit to the observation deck and snorkeling.

Sea stars

Clownfish and anemone

A short video clip (2 minutes), which contains sunsets, beaches, underwater beauties of Koh Lipe and neighboring islands:

Video clip from Koh Lipe and excursions to neighboring islands

3 | Snow-white fine sand and turquoise water of the beaches of Koh Lipe

Despite a number of shortcomings (which I will discuss later), the beaches of Koh Lipe delight with their natural beauty. First of all, we are talking about the snow-white and fine, like powdered sugar, sand on Pattaya beach. Please do not confuse it with the resort of the same name in Thailand, which is located near Bangkok, which is much north of Koh Lipe.

Pattaya Beach on Koh Lipe is famous for its white sand

Good hotels for a holiday on Pattaya beach:

The Breeze Lipe Resort 3* (you can book the hotel on booking.com or agoda.com),
Bunbhaya Villas 4* (you can book the hotel on booking.com or agoda.com).

Sunrise beach is no less beautiful, especially its northern part:

Northern part of Sunrise beach

Good hotels to stay on Sunrise beach:

Salisa Resort 3* (you can book the hotel on booking.com or agoda.com),
Idyllic Concept Resort 4* (you can book the hotel on booking.com or agoda.com).

4 | Sunrises and sunsets within walking distance

In the morning you can meet the beginning of the day on one side of the island, and in the evening take a walk to the sunset point on the other side. Few islands can boast a beach where you can watch both sunrise and sunset. Ko Lipe can. This is Sunrise beach. Although it is customary to watch the sunset on the corresponding “sunset beach” - Sunset beach.

Sunset on Sunset beach

5 | Beach bars where the sea laps at your feet

Relaxing with a glass of your favorite cocktail or juice on the beach, in a comfortable sun lounger, enjoying the seascape and gentle waves at your feet - this is truly a heavenly holiday.

Beach bar on Sunrise beach

6 | Lunch or dinner in a restaurant with a gorgeous view of the sea and neighboring islands

In good weather, the Langkawi Islands belonging to Malaysia are visible from Koh Lipe. The most beautiful view of the sea opens from the restaurant on the cliff at the southern edge of Sunrise beach, at the Serendipity Resort hotel. The restaurant is open from 12 noon to 9:30 pm, drinks are served from 10:00 to 22:00 (the prices are not high, the food is delicious). If you want to wake up in a room with a beautiful view of the sea, then you should stay in Serendipity Beach Resort(you can book the hotel on booking.com or agoda.com).

Restaurant overlooking the sea and neighboring islands

7 | Wide range of seafood in restaurants

In the evening, feasting begins on the main street of the island, Walking street. Restaurants display trays of seafood, light barbecues and lure hungry tourists with the alluring smells of cooking food. There are so many temptations around that it’s not a sin to arrange a real belly celebration. In addition to the classic restaurant options, where you can choose a specific dish from the menu, on Walking street there are seafood buffets, where for a certain amount you can try everything that is in the establishment’s assortment (the price for such a buffet is from 490 baht ~ $15 per person).

Assortment of seafood in one of the restaurants on Koh Lipe

Disadvantages of Koh Lipe and what you should be prepared for

Holiday disappointments await those who are not aware of the shortcomings of the place where they are going. The island of Koh Lipe is rapidly gaining popularity and many disadvantages are associated with the growing tourist flow:

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there is too much garbage that local authorities do not have time to deal with;
a large number of boats, which are designed to satisfy the needs of tourists, filled the beaches (especially Sunrise and Pattaya beaches),
there are many quite large dogs that make a good living on restaurant waste (they can be annoying and unceremonious),
prices on Koh Lipe are higher than in other places in Thailand (even in the 7 Eleven store chain prices for all goods are 1.5 - 2 times higher),
The service in many hotels is lower than expected (due to the lack of experienced and qualified staff) and choosing a hotel on Koh Lipe should be approached with special care.

The natural disadvantage of the island of Koh Lipe is the pronounced ebb and flow of the tides. At high tide, most of the sandy edge of the beaches is under water and there is no place to sunbathe, and at low tide it becomes so shallow that it is impossible to swim. The only place on the island where you can sunbathe and swim almost at any time is the northern part of Sunrise beach.

Knowing all the pros and cons of the island of Koh Lipe, you can choose the right hotel and organize your stay on the island so that only pleasant memories remain of your vacation on this tropical island. If you're looking for a quiet, relaxing holiday with some new experiences, Koh Lipe is a great option.

Resources that will save you time and money:

Medicine in Thailand: level, prices and why insurance is needed.

On a small island in the south of Thailand, Ko Lipe, it’s more difficult to get to than Samui or Phuket, but it’s worth the effort and time spent on the road. From this article you will learn which transport is most convenient to get to the island of Koh Lipe from Bangkok, Krabi, Koh Lanta and other regions of Thailand, as well as from the Malaysian island of Langkawi, how much tickets cost, how and where you can buy them and how long it will take road to Koh Lipe.

Koh Lipe on the map - nearest airports and piers (seaports)

No matter how you plan to get to Koh Lipe, at least the last leg of your journey to the small island of Lipe will be by sea.

Nearest port on the territory of Thailand, from which they depart speed boats and ferries on Koh Lipe, called Pak Bara Pier(Pak Bara Pier) and the distance to Lipe Island is 63 km in a straight line. Approximately the same distance to port on the island Langkawi(Malaysia).

Nearest to Koh Lipe airports are located:

on the island Langkawi (Malaysia)- about 60 km by sea,
in the city Hat Yai (Thailand)- about 123 km by land to the Pak Bara pier and then another 63 km by sea.

Koh Lipe island, neighboring islands, ferry and speedboat routes

How to get to Koh Lipe from Phi Phi and Koh Lanta islands

During the calm sea season (from October 20 to May 15), there is a sea connection between Koh Lipe and other islands of the Andaman Sea - speed boats, which can take you to Koh Lipe from Phuket, Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, Koh Muk and Kradan. Using such a speedboat, you can move from one island to another, taking turns relaxing on any island you like along the route.

My advice: when buying tickets, choose a transport company that is famous for its new boats, trained staff and punctuality.

Schedule and route of speed boats from Koh Lipe to the islands of the Andaman Sea

Duration of the trip, cost of a ticket for a speedboat to Koh Lipe from other islands with links to the website where you can buy tickets:

- the journey by speedboat will take about 5 hours and cost 3,400 baht.
- 4.5 hours, cost - 2600 baht.
- 3 hours, cost - 1900 baht,
- 2.5 hours on the road, cost - 1600 baht,
- 1 hour and 45 minutes travel time, ticket price - 1400 baht,
- 2 hours travel time, price - 1400 baht.

Speed boat from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

If you decide to relax on one of the islands along the speedboat route, here are ready-made links to hotels on each island that will save your time searching for hotels:

hotels in Ko Phi Phi: booking.com and agoda.com,
Ko Lanta hotels: booking.com and agoda.com,
hotels hotels Ko Ngai: booking.com and agoda.com,
Ko Mook hotels: booking.com or agoda.com,
hotels Ko Kradan: booking.com or agoda.com,
Ko Lipe hotels: booking.com or agoda.com.

Pattaya Beach and Bunbhaya Villas 4* hotel on Koh Lipe

How to get to Koh Lipe Island from Bangkok

To get to Koh Lipe from Bangkok, you need to overcome three sections of the route:

Bangkok - Hat Yai (plane, bus,),
Hat Yai - port Pak Bara Pier (,),
port Pak Bara Pier - Lipe Island ().

More details about each stage of the journey from Bangkok to Koh Lipe:

1. First, let's figure out how to get there from Bangkok to Hat Yai and how much are the tickets:

tickets cost from 855 baht and depend on the class of carriage and the corresponding amenities. The train is a convenient transport option if you want to experience Thai trains and are not in a rush (the journey takes about 15 hours).
bus from Bangkok to Hat Yai, in which you will have to travel for about 20 hours, I would not recommend (why suffer in a bus seat for 20 hours if there are other more comfortable and faster transport options),
cheap air tickets from Bangkok to Hat Yai from 750 baht can be found on the Aviasales and Skyscanner websites.

2 and 3. From the city Hat Yai to Pak Bara Pier You can get there by minibus or private taxi. From Pak Bara Pier to Koli Lipe there is only one option - a speedboat.

for 600 - 900 baht per person includes travel minibus from Hat Yai to the pier plus a place in speedboat to Koh Lipe(the journey will take 5.5 hours).
For families with children, companies of more than 4 people, tourists with large suitcases or those who like an individual approach, the following option is more suitable:
- from Hat Yai to Pak Bara Pier, which costs 2000 baht per car (2 hours on the road),
- , a ticket for which costs 600 baht per person (the journey takes 2 hours).

How to get to Koh Lipe from Krabi and other regions of Thailand

From Krabi or Ao Nang to Koh Lipe you can get:

by sea:, which promises to get from the pier in the city of Krabi or the Railay Peninsula to Lipe Island in 4.5 hours for 1800 - 2400 baht.
by land and sea: by (600 baht per person) or (from 4,000 baht per car) to Pak Bara Pier and beyond -

Koh Lipe, Thailand: reviews of independent travel, how to get there, weather, accommodation, beaches

Date of trip: January 2015

Ko Lipe - how to get there?

Koh Lipe is a small Thai island located on the border with Malaysia. That is why a trip to the island of Langkawi is often combined with a holiday in Koh Lipe. There is no airport on the island; it can only be reached by water transport. There is a ferry from Langkawi and back, the journey time is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes. Tickets can be purchased in advance on this website www.bundhayaspeedboat.com.

Departure to Langkawi comes from the capital of the island - the city of Kuah, the port is called Jetty and is located in the city center behind the main attraction - the eagle statue. At the port you go through passport control and your passport is stamped with a stamp indicating you are leaving the country. Upon arrival in Koh Lipe, you will also go through passport control, so be careful, if you are a citizen of a country that requires a visa to Thailand (including a visa on arrival), you will need to apply for it in advance; visas are not issued on Koh Lipe. You will have to sail to Satun, apply for a visa there, after which you can enter the territory of Thailand. The only problem is that there is no connection between Satun and Koh Lipe. Therefore, you will have to think through the route, but in any case there is no convenient route.

Accommodation on Koh Lipe

We went on New Year's holidays, peak dates, so we booked accommodation in advance. But it turned out that there were quite a lot of available housing options, apparently this was due to the economic situation and a large number of cancellations. Therefore, I can’t say for sure whether it’s worth the risk and going to Koh Lipe without a hotel reservation.

In general, there are quite a lot of accommodation options, despite the small size of the island. Price category - from cheap housing to luxurious expensive hotels.

If you want a quiet and relaxing holiday, choose a hotel further from the main street - Walking Street, where all the cafes and bars with music and crowds of vacationers are concentrated. The quietest place on the island is near Sunset Beach.

We lived in exotic bungalows - with a thatched roof, a jungle on the hotel grounds and crazy birdsong every sunrise.

Weather in Koh Lipe in January

January is one of the best months for a holiday on the island. The air temperature is very comfortable, +30 during the day, +22 at night. Rains are rare and mostly short-lived. And the bad weather on Koh Lipe looks very fascinating!

Beaches on Koh Lipe

There are a total of 3 beaches on the island. Beach Pattaya Beach is a port. Tourists arrive here and this is also the departure point. Therefore, there are always a large number of boats on this beach. If you like swimming among boats, this beach might be for you. Although you can find more secluded corners if you step aside.

Sunrise Beach- the largest in length. The beach is beautiful, the water is clear, but before lunch the water goes away, it’s too shallow for swimming, the tide is high in the afternoon. There is not enough shade on the beach; there is nowhere to hide from the scorching sun.

Sunrise Beach

There is a hotel on the right side of the beach; if you walk through its territory, you can get into a small beautiful bay.

Cove at Sunrise Beach

Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach is the most secluded beach; it is also good because here you can hide from the sun in the shade of trees and go snorkeling.

You can rent snorkel masks right on the beach (on the left side). The corals are mostly dead, but not much fish can be seen. A little further from the shore there are a lot of sea urchins, you need to be careful.

Sunset Beach

Island hopping around Koh Lipe

Here, where they provide snorkeling masks, they offer a one-day trip around Koh Lipe, which includes snorkeling and fishing. Duration from 9 am to 16 pm. Snorkeling is really worth it. For lovers of the underwater world, it's worth a trip. But you don’t need to count on fishing, the only equipment you have is fishing line, and of course, it all depends on luck. We caught 8 small fish and they grilled them for us in the evening. You will also visit Monkey Island with a beautiful beach.

The island of Koh Lipe is amazing; it combines the opportunity for secluded relaxation and noisy parties in colorful bars. Everything about it is cute, if not for one BUT. The only negative impression of the island is that the beautiful beaches are bordered by dirty construction sites, garbage dumps and destroyed buildings that have not been restored for 10 years after the tsunami in 2004. Local residents are not particularly clean and are in no hurry to remove garbage from the island, which, unfortunately, entails many negative consequences. Perhaps now there is still a little time to see all the beauty of the nature surrounding the island, but in 5-10 years this place will no longer be possible for a tourist holiday.

Koh Lipe is one of the inhabited islands of Thailand in the Adang Rawi archipelago in the Andaman Sea, located in Satun province, near the border with Malaysia. It is part of the Tarutao National Marine Park. The distance to the mainland is 70 km, the island of Koh Adang is in close proximity, and Koh Tarutao is 50 km away. The Thai name for the island in English has many variant spellings: Koh Lipe, Koh Lipeh, Ko Lipey and Ko Lipe.

More than a hundred years ago, the island was originally inhabited by sea gypsies originally from Malaysia known as the Chao Lei or Urak Lawoi people. They still live here, numbering about 800 people - this is the main labor force on the island. Some were able to open small businesses.

Koh Lipe is popular for its white sandy beaches and clear sea. There are many islands nearby where you can go for a secluded holiday, snorkeling, diving, and also try your luck at fishing. There is no special entertainment on Koh Lipe; it is mainly a beach holiday with people gradually spreading to numerous bars after sunset. Life on the island calms down towards midnight.

The food on Koh Lipe is quite varied; in addition to seafood and Thai cuisine, there are many different establishments aimed at Europeans. Low prices for seafood - everything is freshly caught, but there is not much variety. Prices for food and services are average for Thailand, at the level of Phuket.

In recent years, Koh Lipe has changed a lot in terms of infrastructure and has become less “wild”. Good hotels appeared, electricity (24 hours a day) and the Internet became available, but, in turn, there were fewer secluded corners. Although even on peak dates it is not very crowded. There are no supermarkets or chain stores like 7 Eleven, but there are local mini-marts, their prices vary, but are approximately the same.

The island of Koh Lipe is located in the south of Thailand, on the border of the territorial waters of Thailand and Malaysia.
There are several options for getting to Koh Lipe

1) Any airport in Thailand-> Hat Yai (air) -> taxi to Pakbara (1800 baht). Pakbara -> Koh Lipe by high-speed ferry or speedboat 3 times a day.

For example, from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Hat Yai Lion Air flight at 7:45.
At 9:15 in Hat Yai. Receipt of baggage.
Exit and select a transfer (group by minibus or individual by taxi) to Pakbara. Travel time 1:30.
Pakbara: buying speedboat tickets 11:30 to Koh Lipe (450 baht) + 20 baht fi pier.
Travel time to Koh Lipe is 1:30.
Disembarkation either directly onto the shore or onto a floating platform (depending on the tide).
If disembarking on the platform, then +50 baht for delivery ashore by boat at 13:00

2) Malaysia. From the island Langkawi(Langkawi), Malaysia on the ferry Langkawi - Koh Lipe ().
3) Koh Lanta. From Koh Lanta island (Krabi province) by speedboat.
4) Trang. From the pier Hat Yao Pier(Trang) on the yellow high-speed ferry http://www.tigerlinetravel.com/
5) Phuket. From the pier Rassada(Phuket) by high speed ferry with two stops Phi Phi and Hat Yao (Trang):

I described in detail how we got to Koh Lipe from Phuket
Transfer connection: morning (7:15) flight Phuket – Hat Yai + taxi to Pakbara + a speedboat to Koh Lipe allows you to be on Koh Lipe by lunchtime on the same day.

There are several more exotic options, but due to their exotic nature and time-consuming nature, I will not consider them here.
However, option 3 is also not interesting to describe since the transfer is on a speedboat - therefore it is very seasonal and depends on the weather (cancelled if there is a lot of bumpiness).
The most common option: a trip by speedboat or ferry (from November to May) to Koh Lipe from the pier of the village of Pakbara, Satun Province (the nearest airports are Hat Yai and Trang).

What is the village of Pakbara famous for?

It used to be a terrible hole
When I first came to Pakbara, there was not a single hotel in the fishermen's village, except for 4 rooms on the second floor of a grocery store with one toilet in the corridor for everyone. And the ship that brought tourists from Pakbara to Koh Lipe was made of wood and resembled a Spanish galleon of the 15th century (it broke down twice per voyage)

Now you won’t recognize Pakbara: a 7/11 store, ATMs, seafood restaurants (though Muslim ones with menus in Thai)
The port in Pakbar is a building made of stone and glass
It’s a pity I don’t have any photographs of the port of Pakbara-2002 at hand: on the river bank there are sandbags on which 2 boards are thrown

How to get to Pakbara

Airports closest to Pakbara:
– Trang(Trang)
– Hat Yai(Hat Yai)
Trang Airport is slightly closer to Pak Bara than Hat Yai Airport.

For example: you flew to Trang from Bangkok ()
Exit to the arrivals hall and go to the transfer counter (left side of the hall).
A taxi to Pakbara costs 2,200 baht and takes an hour and a half to travel. The price is fixed and written on the board in front of the counter.
If you have high speed ferry tickets Tigerline, then you need to take a taxi to the pier Hat Yao– it’s 50 minutes from Trang airport)

You can team up with someone and split the cost of a taxi.
You can go out onto the main road and try to find a ride or negotiate with a taxi directly.
But the fact remains: a taxi from Trang airport to Pakbara costs 2,200 baht.
Taxi ride from Trang Airport to Pakbara Pier: 1 hour 30 minutes.

Speedboat schedule from Pakbara to Koh Lipe

The schedule varies depending on the season, the weather and the number of tourists going to Koh Lipe.
In general, it is better to clarify the information on the spot.
As of August 2016, the schedule looked like this:

You can see something on the website http://kohlipethailand.com/koh-lipe/transport/boat-timetable/
Speedboats depart from Pakbara at 9:30, 11:30 and 15:30 during low season.
The best option would be to take the first speedboat at 9:30 so that you can be there (in Koh Lipe) at 11-11:30
To do this, you need to arrive in Pakbara the day before leaving for Koh Lipe.

See what flights arrive to Trang or Hat Yai at
Add 20 minutes to collect your luggage and find a taxi.
Add 1.30 for the road to Pakbara and 10 minutes for buying tickets and figure out which speedboat you have time for.

Where to stay in Pakbar

There was a simple hotel near the pier - Best House.
But in August it looked like this, although it was offered by Agoda.

But there is something nearby - Marina Resort and Restaurant.
If you want more comfort, it is better to stay in the city Langu 7 km from Pakbara.
For example, they praise Farmsuk residence and resort or Bara Resort 3 km from the pier (on the right) - not in the booking, but the houses are good.