Koh Lipe
Remote Island of Clear Water near Malaysia
A tiny island at the southern edge of Thailand, inside Tarutao National Marine Park, with powder-white beaches, clear water and snorkelling straight off Sunrise and Pattaya beaches. Getting there is half a day from Hat Yai via the Pak Bara speedboat, or a speedboat from Koh Lanta or Phi Phi in the high season (November–April). In the monsoon many resorts close and boats are few.
Highlights
- Snorkelling off Sunrise Beach
- Long-tail snorkel trip to Koh Rawi & Koh Hin Ngam
- Koh Adang Chado Cliff viewpoint
- Pattaya Beach sunset
- Walking Street dinner
- Diving at Stonehenge and Eight Mile Rock
- Kayak to Koh Kra
- Barefoot beach bars
Things to do
- Long-tail snorkel trip (Koh Rawi, Koh Hin Ngam)Morning · 6h
- Koh Adang Chado Cliff viewpoint hikeMorning · 3h
- Sunrise Beach snorkellingMorning · 2h
- Pattaya Beach sunsetEvening · 1h 30m
- Walking Street seafood dinnerEvening · 2h
- Two fun dives at StonehengeMorning · 4h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: November – April
Worth knowing
Koh Lipe Low Season: Few Boats, Many Resorts Shut
The speedboats from Koh Lanta and Phi Phi stop from May to October; only the Pak Bara boats run, with fewer sailings, and many Lipe resorts and restaurants close. Sea crossings can be cancelled for days in a storm, so leave a spare day before your flight home.
- Buddhist holy days (Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asahna Bucha) · Visakha Bucha 31 May; Asahna Bucha and Buddhist Lent 29–30 Jul — Candle-lit processions round the temples at dusk, worth seeing in Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya. Alcohol may not be sold anywhere, bars included, for 24-48 hours (hotels and airport duty free excepted); the Full Moon Party moves a night.
- Christmas and New Year peak — The most expensive fortnight of the year on the islands: resorts set 5-7 night minimums and compulsory gala-dinner charges on 24 and 31 December, and Phi Phi, Samui and Phuket ferries and flights fill a month ahead. Indian school holidays add to it. Book by October.