The Ultimate Guide to Koh Lipe

Are you looking for inspiration on which Thai Islands to visit on your next trip to Thailand? Then you must visit Koh Lipe – a white sandy paradise that will surely leave you wanting to come back. Read on to find out why you want to visit (photos will do it justice on their own), where to stay, where to eat and what to see and do. You will not be disappointed.

• Where is Koh Lipe
• How to get to Koh Lipe
• Why visit Koh Lipe
• What to do in Koh Lipe
• Where to stay in Koh Lipe

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Where is Koh Lipe?

Located near the Malaysian border in the Andaman sea in Thailand, Koh Lipe is one of the furthest islands to visit on the traditional Thai Island hopping route. 

Why Visit Koh Lipe?

If you like white sandy beaches, crystal clear turquoise ocean, access to dive sites and a bustling town with cool restaurants and bars then Koh Lipe is the perfect fit for you.

We loved staying on Sunrise Beach as it was one of the best beaches we visited on our trip in Thailand due to the white sand and clear ocean. It is more expensive to stay in Koh Lipe than the surrounding islands. Accommodation costs more along with essentials like soft drinks and beer in the local supermarkets being almost twice the price. But given that it was one of our favourite islands we think that it is worth spending the extra to experience it.

How to get to Koh Lipe?

There are several ways that you can access Koh Lipe with the most common being by ferry, speedboat or van+ferry combo. 

From the Islands– You can access Koh Lipe from another island (we came straight from Koh Lanta) using the speedboat service.

From the Mainland– If you travel from the mainland then you can go by ferry from Pakbara Pier with Hat Yai being the closest airport.

From Malaysia – We did meet many who had travelled from Malaysia. Langkawi is the closest main island and they offer ferries from there too.

Top Tip: We purchased our ticket for this journey from Phuket to make the journey easier as you have more options for negotiating on the mainland. However we didn’t purchase a ticket for Koh Lipe onwards before arriving and regretted it, this was because all of the ticket offices won’t negotiate, they all offer the same prices as they have a monopoly on the market as you are on an island with no other way of leaving. So we would recommend pre purchasing your tickets when you arrive, buy all of the them in bulk to get a larger discount. Obviously if you don’t know how many nights you may be staying when you arrive this is a little harder and will have to pay extra for the luxury.

What to do in Koh Lipe?

Sunset Beach

Take a walk across the island to visit Sunset Beach. You can snorkel once here and watch the sunset with a cold brew or two.

Diving with Castaway Resort

Located at Castaway Resort they run daily dive activities along with snorkelling tours. You can learn to dive with them and even hire out water sports equipment.

Walking Street

The bustling Walking Street is where all of the restaurants and bars are located. It runs directly between Sunrise Beach and Pattaya Beach. Offering a selection of food for all budgets, our favourite was Banana Roti’s from the street food stalls. You will notice how much they love condensed milk here so a drizzle of that on your Roti is the perfect finishing touch.

Sunrise Beach Walk at Sunrise

Watching the sunrise on the beach is always a favourite pastime of ours and it was made all the easier because we stayed on the beachfront. This time of the morning is always quiet here and perfect for relaxing before a busy day ahead. You could even follow your sunrise walk with Yoga or Sunrise meditation at Castaway Resort.

Palm Trees at Andaman Resort

Walk to the North of Sunrise Beach and you reach the Andaman Resort which is home to a selection of stunning palm trees. The perfect backdrop to your island vacation photos. 

Where to Stay in Koh Lipe?

Sunrise beach is the most beautiful beach on the island and we were lucky enough to stay at Castaway Resort. We stayed in a Beachfront Breezy Bungalow and it was just pure magic.

These two floored bungalows overlook the ocean which you can admire from either your hammock on the front deck or from your bedroom balcony (or even your bed if you feel like it). The ground floor is your spacious bathroom with steps leading up to the second floor bedroom. The bed situated in the centre of the room is the main focus and the perfect place to relax and listen to the ocean breeze.

With woven beach bags, floor cushions and lockable chests to keep your valuables safe, it’s the little touches that make a big difference. This eco friendly resort does not offer hot showers or air con but we felt neither of these were needed. With the heat of the sun, a cold shower was the perfect way to cool down and the ocean breeze provided sweet relief in the evenings. They also use an initiative called Trash Hero to help keep the island clean from plastic pollution by encouraging you to refill your water bottles (or purchasing one of their refillable bottles) from their filtered water station.

The resort has it’s own dive shop where you can take dive/snorkel trips and even learn to dive. You can take part in yoga classes, treat yourself to a spa treatment and even experience sunrise meditation. With a beautiful alfresco restaurant and bar offering fantastic food and a daily happy hour this resort has everything you need for a trip to Koh Lipe. To find out more about Castaway Resort click here.

How Long to stay in Koh Lipe?

We found 3 nights is the perfect amount of time to visit Koh Lipe.

Thank You to the Castaway Resort for hosting us, our stay was gifted and all opinions are our own. We truly only recommend places that we absolutely love.

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