Pierre Drake takes us to the Andaman Sea’s Koh Lipe, a little gem 60 km off the coast inside the Tarutao National Marine Park.
Written by Pierre Drake
Koh Lipe, a small island in the Andaman Sea, is a little gem 60 km off the coast inside the Tarutao National Marine Park. Koh Lipe has become the southern anchor of the busy north-south Andaman tourist route and getting there these days couldn’t be easier with boats arriving from all up and down the coast including Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, Krabi and Trang. Koh Lipe is also the jumping off point to Langkawi and Malaysia.
At its largest the island is only 2 km long and 1 km wide. With 2 main beaches each with their own distinct character, there is something for everyone. The busy one, Pattaya beach has a wide beach stretched in a long crescent of fine white sand. In the evening it transforms as restaurants and bars set out chairs and bamboo mats on the sand and lit by candle lit, reggae tunes drift down the beach.
On the other side of the island is Sunrise Beach with views of several small nearby islands and a cool onshore breeze most of the year. Sunrise Beach is the opposite of Pattaya beach, with just a few resorts and bars, it is very laid back. It also has a very large coral reef with the best snorkelling on the island directly from the beach.
There are no cars on the island, and thankfully few motorbikes so people get around by walking. The whole island can be explored on foot in a couple of hours. Pooh’s Bar in the middle of the island is run by the charismatic Pooh and is almost an institution on the island. Famous for its live music in the evenings it draws a large crowd.
Karma Bar at the north end of Sunrise Beach is well known on the back packer scene with its mellow music and great location. At the other end of Sunrise beach is Castaway Resort. Castaway Resort has stunning sea and island views which viewed from its raised candle lit deck has to be the ultimate in chilled out dining and drinking.
Tarutao National Marine Park has some of the best dive sites in all of Thailand. Within easy boat reach of Koh Lipe are hundreds of coral reefs with an amazing variety of huge hard and soft corals. The corals and seas around Koh Lipe are full of marine life, offering everything from turtles to huge rays. Even if you aren’t a diver you can enjoy the marine world drifting along the edges of coral reefs with a mask and snorkel. Compared to other dive and snorkel areas there is so much to see and no competition to see it.
Koh Lipe still has a lot of cheap backpackers accommodation, with places like Varin offering simple bamboo huts close to the beach. At the top end is Sita Beach with a swimming pool and Castaway Resort with its 2 story breezy bungalows which was described by the Lonely Planet as ‘the most chic on Lipe’.
Tips for Travellers:
* If you are travelling from Hat Yai, be in Pak Bara before 11 am to catch the speed boat.
* If you are travelling from Langkawi the boat journey is shorter and there is a small efficient immigration on Koh Lipe.
* There are no ATM’s on the island so make sure you bring enough cash for your stay, and then double it as you’ll end up deciding to stay longer!
* Varin 2 on Sunrise beach has the newest and cheapest bamboo bungalow huts.
* Castaway resorts has the chicest accommodation. See photos of Castaway resorts at www.flickr.com/photos/castawayresorts/
* For great hotels on nearby Koh Samui and in other Thai cities, visit Hotels Combined.
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AMAZING!! Looking at these photos make me want to go away this minute. Those 2-storey beach huts look so quaint yet chic. I would love to stay in one of those! And the water…it’s just so beautifully..turquoise! Gosh..!! I need a vacation!
jen laceda’s last blog post..A Tale of Two Designs
There are some nice shots here. I like the last one. Makes me want to fly out there, find a boat and jump into that water. Such a free feeling.
Cate’s last blog post..Malaysia, my love affair with Laksa
that hut is the size of the house i want to build, except it will be concrete with a thatch roof and a rooftop deck. these photos are gorg. you take them?
kari’s last blog post..Who’s gonna drown in your blue sea?
Koh Lipe of Thailand eh? The Last Secret Island seems to be a pretty good name for it, except for the fact that it isn’t a secret anymore! Looking at this pics alone gives me quite a drive, this really makes me want to go there.
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Thanks for your lovely comments!
@kari, these photos were taken by Pierre Drake who wrote the post.
@Travel Blog, True. Koh Lipe is no longer a secret (for the majority of travelers), but the name did sound pretty good. Then again, what good does it make that a title sounds good when it’s not entirely accurate? So, I changed it.
Our taste in travel topics is very similar, Erica. As it happens I just wrote a two-part review of Thailand’s islands. And I picked Ko Lipe as Thailand’s best overall island destination:
http://travel.spotcoolstuff.com/thailand/best-islands
One tip for other travel bloggers out there: unless you are trying to be depressed do NOT write about beautiful, warm Thailand islands during cold and gray winter days in Massachusetts
Spot Cool Travel’s last blog post..More of Thailand’s Best Islands
that island in the top picture has great snorkeling around it.
i love lipe but that is all everyone talks about nowadays. its officially ruined!
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@Spot Cool Stuff, What a coincidence, Will. I just had a look at your articles. The pictures are stunning!
@Matt, But not as ruined that it’s a waste of time to pay a visit
The islands around this area are truly beautiful. The waters as blue and clear as the pictures show.
Cheryl
Cheryl Marie Cordeiro’s last blog post..Semla in a bowl of warm milk, a northern Swedish tradition
God I miss this place! We stayed at Forra (next to Castaway and less of a thai beachbar cliche) and the vibe was brilliant.
Lipe is no longer the well-kept travelers’ secret that it used to be, but it’s still a long way from the likes of Phi Phi, Samui, Krabi, et al.
If anyone’s planning to go, try talking one of the local boatmen into taking you for a day-trip around the nearby islands. Then you get the beach all to yourself, and crazy, clear warm waters to swim in for hours.
Tip: at peak season they don’t really bother with non-divers so you are going to have to convince them to give you room to stay
May’s last blog post..Week 5: The Great Pancake Race
@Cheryl, I couldn’t agree more. A Thai island surrounded by clear, blue water is not a destination you would want to leave in the first place.
@May, Forra. I will keep that in mind if I ever find myself on Lipe in the future. Thanks for your great tips!
Yep, Lipe jumped the shark sometime in the last 18 months. Shame really but it is just following the cycle that all the great Thai islands are following/followed. When the folks with money realize they can score big, they move in and over commercialize the place until its just too much. That combined with word getting out on the ‘net from travel forums and bloggers and these places don’t stand a chance. We’ve been 3 times since 2005 and were blown away this year by how much it had grown/commercialized.
Now its time to find the next one…
Too bad they’ve all gotten so exploited. Hope you’ll find a new favorite
I recently read in a Swedish travel magazine about Koh Kradan, an island with no roads or cars, not even a supermarket – just one stand by the beach where you can buy drinks and chips. There’s a small resort/restaurant in the middle of the jungle called Paradise Lost that sounded good, as well as the more expensive Kradan Beach Resort.
You’ll get to the island by taking a taxi to Koh Muk Pier from Krabi, then boat. Might be worth a visit before it gets too commericalized.
Look’s amazing as always. Glad that all the unrest has started to calm down over there. It’s doubtful that the next election will settle things, but here’s hoping.
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Yes, hoping we must!