Koh Lipe is located 60 km from
the Thai Mainland, the closest pier is in Pak Bara. It is the most Southern
island in Thailand and on a clear day you can see Langkawi Island in Malaysia,
which is just 30 km away.
The island is part of the Adang
Archipelago, a cluster of about 10 uninhabited islands (Koh Lipe being the
exception). Day trips to the surrounding islands are popular and highly
recommend as they are the best way to explore the marine park.
This cluster of islands is part
of the much larger Tarutao National Marine Park, a nature reserve established
in 1974 as Thailand’s second National Park. It consists of about 50 islands and
covers 1500 km².
Koh Lipe’s white sandy beaches
are perfect for relaxing and you can snorkel right of all them. Several top
dive sites are close by for the more adventurous underwater explorers. There
are plenty of other things to do too!
You can sleep in anything from
simple bamboo huts to plush luxury resorts with a swimming pool. There is a
great variety of restaurants on the island ranging from tasty Thai street food
to delicious international cuisine. Several coffee shops and bars are there to
keep you caffeinated and hydrated.
The main transport hub for Koh
Lipe is Pak Bara with daily boats running all year. Minibuses and taxi’s are
available to the closest airport in Hat Yai, or to other destinations in the
south like Krabi and Ao Nang. In high season daily boats connect Koh Lipe to
Langkawi, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Phuket and other islands in the Andaman Sea.
Koh Lipe is a small and
relatively flat island, its name means "Paper Island" in the local
Sea Gypsy (Chao Ley) language. There are 3 main beaches on Koh Lipe and a
handful of smaller, sometimes private beaches. Koh Lipe's main street is called
"Walking Street" and closes down for motorbikes from 18:00 until
24:00 in high season. Everything is connected by concrete roads, and it usually
takes between 10 and 20 minutes to walk between 2 of the main beaches.
In the night time most roads are
lit by streetlights but it's a good idea to take a torch if you go out and
explore in the dark.Since 2013 there are official motorbike taxi's (with sidecar)
that can take a couple of people for a fixed price per person. You can spot the
taxi drivers by their purple jacket and their colourful motorbikes.
