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	Thailand > South > Ko Lipe Island

THE NORTH I CENTRAL & EAST COAST I THE NORTHEAST I THE SOUTH

Welcome to paper island

Koh Lipe (sometimes referred to as Koh Leepeeh or Koh Leepay)is a small island in the Southern Thai province of Satun, and is situated in the Andaman Sea. The island is part of the Tarutao National Marine Park, a large group of over 70 islands. Koh Lipe is part of a smaller cluster of 10 island, about 70 kilometres off shore. All of the islands can be visited on day trips, and the largest island in the group, Koh Adang, has bungalows ran by the National Park Authority. The name "Koh Lipe" means paper Island in the local Chao Ley(or Urak Lawoi or Sea Gypsy) language.

High & Low Season

From November until May daily ferries connect Koh Lipe to Pak Barra, Langkawi, Koh Lanta, Trang, Koh Ngai, Koh Muk and Koh Bulon. From may until November weekly ferries service Koh Lipe from Pak Barra. Most ferries depart from Pak Barra, a small fishing town close to Satun. Peak season on Koh Lipe is December and January, when advanced bookings are recommended and the island completely fills up.

Life is a beach

Popular activities on Koh Lipe are snorkelling and diving. There is good snorkelling straight off the beaches, but the best spots can be seen on the popular day trips that visit a few locations in a day, combined with a pick nick on a beautiful beach. There are several dive shops, and many resorts rent out snorkel gear and can arrange boat trips. We also arrange daily snorkelling trips from our travel shop on Koh Lipe.

Pattaya, Sunset and Sunrise Beach

There are 3 main beaches on Koh Lipe: Pattaya Beach, Sunset Beach and Sunrise Beach. The first one is the most popular and has a wide variety of places to stay, drink and eat. Sunrise Beach has quite a few resorts as well as a small Chao Ley (Sea Gypsies) Village with some basic shops and small eateries. Sunset beach is the smallest beach and has only has a couple of places to stay. Take a look at our island map to get a better picture.

Activities

Snorkeling
Koh Lipe has some great snorkeling right of the beach, but the best spots can be visited on day trips to the dozen or so nearby islands.

A great spot is at the southern tip of Sunrise Beach (Near Forra, Coco and Viewpoint). Good swimmers can take fins and snorkel and head out to one of the 2 small islands in front of the beach. There are nice things to be seen when you swim around the islands, or swim from one to the other above a sharp drop-off. There are sometimes strong currents here, don't head out alone. Another good place to snorkel is Pattaya Beach, the good stuff is a bit further out. Ask at the many dive shops on Pattaya beach where exactly you need to go.

Diving
There are some great dive sites near Koh Lipe

And unlike other places in Thailand, diving around Koh lipe is still quite peaceful and relaxed. There are about 7 dive shops on Koh Lipe and they all offer a similar standard and service. The difference usually lies in the languages spoken and the general atmosphere. Koh Lipe is small enough to have a quick wander around before committing to any of the dive shops. See what works best for you!

Koh Chabang
Probably Koh Lipe's most picturesque site, popular with both snorkelers and divers. Beautiful soft coral cover a pinnacle underneath the surface to about 16 meters. There is a cleaning station here, so you never know who you're going to see.

Koh Sawang
This is a great dive with great visibility. Good chance on seeing something big from deep waters nearby. There is a huge black rock covered with soft coral that provides a fairytale backdrop. You can cruise around a few pinnacles and there is a very interesting shallow reef.

8 Mile Rock
This is a world class, but very peaceful dive for advanced divers only. Access to this site depends on weather and current conditions, so check in advance with a local dive center if you really want to dive this site. 8 miles from the shore a pinnacle rises from below 40 meters to about 16 meters. There are always leopard sharks around, and very often there are mantas.

Camping
The Park Rangers decide

On Koh Adang, Koh Rawi and Koh Tarutao Camping is foreseen and can be arranged with the Ranger station on each island. You will have to pay the National Park Entrance Fee and a fee per night for using the toilets and showers. Food and drinks are available at the restaurant. As we understand it camping is allowed anywhere if the National Park Entrance Fee has been paid - BUT we could be wrong - don't take our word for it. If you don't want an unexpected midnight visit from the rangers, visit their station first, pay the fee and ask where camping is allowed at the moment. Ask around on the island for the current deal and cool spots to go. The Chao Lay (Sea Gipsies) boatmen usually know the spots that have fresh water or great coral.

Hiking
Koh Tarutao
The largest island is the marine park is situated about half way on the Pak Barra Koh Lipe ferry line. Accommodation and camping is available from the National Park Authority. Several hikes can be done on this 11 x 26 Kilometer island including a walk along a 12 KM road build by prisoners that connects the 2 main bays and several trails to secluded beaches with the option to camp. Info and a map are available at the National Park Headquarters, near the pier.

Koh Adang
Adang can be visited for a day trip from Koh Lipe (just 20 minutes across the Lipe - Adang Channel), but Bungalows and Camping is available from the National Park Authority.3 hikes depart from the Ranger station and National Park Bungalows:

Lu Du Waterfall (2 hours)
Trail starts about 500 meters south down the beach from the Bungalows and goes trough dense rain forest leading to the waterfall. The path can be hard to find.

How to get there?

From Hat Yai
There is now a new central minibus station to all destinations, located about 2 kilometres outside Hat Yai city center. Minibuses to Pak Barra leave every hour and take around 2 hours (price: around 150 BHT). The best way to get to the minibus station is by Tuk Tuk - expect to pay around 40 - 50 BHT for this service. If you have a lot of stuff or you're in a hurry you can take a private taxi to Pak Barra for anything between 1000 and 2000 BHT, prices at the airport tend to be even higher, so if you have the time, take a minibus.

From Southern Thailand
In high season there are daily ferry connections from Koh Lanta (2 ferries) and Trang (1 ferry). These pass by Koh Ngai, Koh Muk and Koh Bulon along the way, so daily travel between these locations and Koh Lipe is also possible.

From Bangkok & the North
Depending on your time, budget and ecological considerations the best way from Bangkok is to take a train or plane to Hat Yai. Overnight sleeper trains leave Bangkok's Hua Lamphong Train Station between 17.00h and 20.00h, arriving in Hat Yai in the morning, in time to make it to Koh Lipe on the same day. A few cheap airlines fly from Bangkok to Hat Yai these days, Air Asia alone has 5 flights a day, if you take the earliest one you can also make it to Koh Lipe on the same day.

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