Since our first trip more than a decade ago, we’ve spent several months on Koh Lipe between multiple trips. We love this little Thai island and are super passionate about all things Koh Lipe!
Here is our completely Updated Koh Lipe Thailand Travel Guide for the 2024 season.
In this Koh Lipe guide, we will cover how to get to Koh Lipe, ferry schedules, where to stay, restaurants, beaches, and, of course, all the amazing things to do in Koh Lipe to help you plan your next trip!
Jump to Information on Koh Lipe:
Where to Stay in Koh Lipe
There are three main areas when looking at Koh Lipe hotels: Sunrise Beach, Sunset Beach, and Pattaya Beach. Our favorite area to stay is Sunrise Beach. It’s the best beach with great restaurants, quiet at night, and still close to walking street.
Great Location, Steps to the water, Beach Chic Style
Area: Sunrise Beach
9.2 Rating
Best Hotels in Koh Lipe
If you are looking for a luxury hotel, look no further. Ten Moons is right on Sunrise Beach, and it has the softest white sand in all of Koh Lipe.
- Best Hotel on Sunrise Beach Ten Moons
- Best Value Koh Lipe Accommodation Salisa Resort
- Secluded Romantic Hotel Serendipity Beach Koh Lipe Resort
- Rustic Chic Beach Huts Castaway Resort Koh Lipe
- Best Hotel on Sunset Beach The Cliff Lipe Resort
- Best Hotel on Pattaya Beach Mali Resort
Koh Lipe Map
Click here to see our Koh Lipe Map, which pinpoints several places mentioned in this Koh Lipe Thailand guide.
Things To Do In Koh Lipe
1. Take a Koh Lipe Island Hopping Tour
One of the best ways to see Koh Lipe and the surrounding islands is to take a long-tail boat trip. There are a bunch to choose from, and they all go somewhere different.
Honestly, go on as many as you have time for. They bring you to so many great spots.
Day Trip Program 1 – A full day of exploring with stops at Jabaang, Koh Hin-Ngam, Koh Yang, Koh Rawi, and Koh Adang. More on Koh Lipe Program 1 day trip here
Day Trip Program 2: Full Day trip to 5 awesome stops Koh Hin Saun, Koh Lok Goi, Monkey Beach, Koh Dong, and Koh Pung. More on Koh Lipe Program 2 day trip here
Sunset Trip Koh Lipe: A shorter half-day option the sunset snorkeling tour combines some of the most popular aspects of program 1 (Jabaang, Koh Hin-Ngam, Koh Yang) and finishing at Koh Adang for sunset.
Pro Tip – It might be cheaper or only a few dollars more to rent a longtail boat for the day and go where you want when you want. If you are traveling with another person or a group of friends, compare the price for your everyone in your group on a tour vs. the cost of a private boat.
Private Day Trip Koh Lipe: You can also hire a private longtail boat for the day to take you wherever you would like to go, including all of the programmed day trips. We rented a private longtail right from the taxi boat shack on Sunrise Beach.
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2. Rent a Kayak and Visit Koh Kra
Rent a kayak for a few hours or the whole day and go out kayaking. There are several other small islands right in front of Sunrise Beach that can be accessed within 10 minutes, and some gorgeous beaches to relax on.
3. Explore Walking Street
Walking Street is the “downtown of Koh Lipe,” filled with tons of restaurants and shops. This is where the whole island comes to after the sun goes down.
You can meet travelers from all over the world, have some great local and international food, and shop at small shops of local artists and craftspeople.
The whole street can be walked in about 15 minutes in each direction, but it’s fun to shop, eat, and linger.
4. Hike to Koh Lipe Viewpoint
Take an early morning or late afternoon walk to one of the highest points of the island is a top thing to do in Koh Lipe. Located in the hills on the long southwestern tip of Koh Lipe, this spot gives great views of Koh Adang and further Islands.
The road ends shortly after The Cliff Resort, but a dirt path continues bringing you to the tip of the island for nice views. This is a nice spot for sunset, but bring a headlamp or flashlight for the walk back, and some bug spray would probably be a good idea too.
5. Snorkeling from the Shore near Koh Usen
Grab a mask and fins and see beautiful marine life just a short way from the shore. One of the best places to snorkel from shore is in front of Ten Moons Resort. A large area is roped off for snorkeling between the shore and Koh Usen.
Be sure to stay inside the designated buoyed areas. There’s a lot of long-tail boat traffic, and swimming outside the proper areas is extremely dangerous.
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6. Hike to the Koh Adang Viewpoint
For the best view of Koh Lipe, you’ll have to take a longtail boat over to Koh Adang. Boats cost 100 baht per person and can be arranged at the taxi boat stands on Sunrise Beach. It is also possible to kayak from Koh Lipe to Koh Adang.
Once on Koh Adang, stop in the ranger’s office to look at the island map to locate the start of the hike. There are three viewpoints, with the third being the best. It will take about 45 minutes to an hour to make it all the way to the third viewpoint.
Note during the low season, Ko Adang is not fully serviced and may be partially or fully closed. Generally, the Viewpoint and National Park on the island are not open for visitors in low season. Check ahead if traveling in low season.
Make sure to bring enough water. There is a restaurant on Koh Adang just before the trail starts with large bottles of water at reasonable prices. Once at the top, you’ll get an amazing view of Koh Lipe and nearby stunning beaches.
Related Article: Ultimate Koh Adang Guide
7. Trash Hero Koh Lipe Project
Picking up trash on your holiday? It may not seem like a normal thing to do in Koh Lipe, but it’s actually fun and for a good cause.
There’s a reason Koh Lipe is one of the cleanest Thai islands, and it’s because of efforts like Trash Hero.
8. Enjoy the Sunset on Sunset Beach
Ko Lipe has some of the most spectacular sunsets we’ve ever seen. Don’t take it for granted. Every night is another great sunset. Grab a blanket & beer and make your way over to Sunset Beach or the very end of Sunrise Beach and catch the free show.
9. Diving in Koh Lipe
If you love snorkeling, you need to try diving! Already certified – even better! What better place in Thailand to go diving than diving in Koh Lipe?
Whether you are dive certified or not, if you have time, you should go diving in Koh Lipe.
There are a number of sites, but most dive masters will tell you not to miss the Stonehenge dive site located on the far side of Koh Talang. The site got its name from the giant stones scattered around, many covered in white and purple soft corals – there is also a huge resident school of yellow snapper.
There are several dive shops around Koh Lipe. A few are Castaway Resort Dive Shop, Adang Sea Divers, and Satun Dive Shop. We dove with a few, and I highly recommend Adang Sea divers.
10. Get A Thai Bamboo Tattoo
If you want to remember your trip to Koh Lipe forever, then sit down in the chair of the traditional bamboo tattoo artists on Koh Lipe’s Walking Street.
We recommend a Sak Yant Tattoo done in the traditional style, but you can get just about anything. We got ours done in Chiang Mai.
11. Get a Beach Massage
Right next to our hotel, there were beach massage ladies. All throughout Koh Lipe, prices were 300 baht an hour for a Thai massage or Foot massage, 400 baht for an oil massage, and 500 baht for an aloe massage.
We suggest getting a Thai massage on your first day, as you shouldn’t be sunburnt YET. Trust me. You wouldn’t want a Thai massage with a sunburn. If you happen to get too much sun, make sure to get an after-sun aloe massage to help heal the sunburn and provide a cooling effect.
Beach massage places usually close after sunset, but in town on Walking Street, most massage places are open until 11 p.m.
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Where is Koh Lipe, Thailand?
Koh Lipe is the southernmost island in Thailand, located just 60 km from the mainland. The closest pier is in the town of Pak Bara, Thailand & and is also accessible from Langkawi, Malaysia (30km).
When is the Best Time to Visit Koh Lipe?
If you ask us, the best time to visit Koh Lipe is mid-December through March. May to October is the rainy season, which is very warm and rainy. Most afternoons, the ferry service still runs, but some businesses choose to close or make renovations.
November can be good, but on our last trip during this time, we had rain for half of the trip. April is drier, but the temperatures start to go up, and rain will begin toward the end of the month.
Koh Lipe Beaches
There are three main Koh Lipe beaches: Pattaya, Sunrise, and Sunset. There are several small private beaches as well. Our favorite beach in Koh Lipe is Sunrise Beach; it is the only place we’ll stay when visiting.
Sunrise Beach
White sand beach for miles with chill beach bars, little boat traffic, great snorkeling, and only 5 minutes to Walking Street.
Pattaya Beach
Nice beach at the start of Walking Street. The busiest & loudest beach, with lots of boat traffic as the ferry boat comes & goes.
Sunset Beach
It is the smallest beach in Koh Lipe and the most secluded. The best place for sunset on the island. 15 minute walk to “town.”
Best Restaurants In Koh Lipe
Don’t head to TripAdvisor looking for the best restaurants in Koh Lipe. The list is wrong. We found that the bigger restaurants with more marketing budgets have an advantage.
We have spent more than a month eating at as many restaurants in Koh Lipe as possible. Here are our top restaurants in Koh Lipe.
- On The Rocks –Great lunch spot set up on the rocks looking out to the ocean. It’s more affordable than you’d imagine considering it’s in one of the fanciest hotels on the island, Serendipity.
- Bombay Indian – There are several Indian restaurants in Koh Lipe, but Bombay is the real deal. Get the garlic naan and chicken tikka masala, and you won’t be disappointed.
- Salisa Resort – One of our go-to lunch spots, and it’s right next to the popular Happy Vibes beach bar on Sunrise Beach. Salsa has really good mango shakes 100% fruit 90 baht. Their spring rolls are the best on the island.
- La Luna Italian – Fresh pizza and handmade pasta is their specialty. We highly recommend La Luna pizza and gnocchi with pesto.
- Madame YooHoo – Known for her smoothies and pancakes, this cute old gramma will be yelling “Yaa-Hoo” pancake pancake pancake.” She still runs her food cart but opened up a super affordable restaurant with a large menu.
- Rak-Lay Restaurant – Seafood BBQ, where you pick fresh seafood or meats and pay by weight, pick how you want it cooked, pick your glaze/seasoning, and add some sides like baked potatoes or rice.
- Elephant – Known for their burgers, which are hard to come by in Thailand, average by Western standards, but decent considering where you are. It’s a good break from Thai food if you need one.
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Koh Lipe Video
A short video from one of our many trips to paradise, Koh Lipe. After watching this, you’ll know why they call this island the Maldives of Thailand!
Enjoy planning your trip to Lipe, it is a very special place for us, and I hope after your visit, you’ll feel the same!
How to Get to Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is not connected to mainland Thailand. It is the southernmost island in Thailand. There is no airport on Koh Lipe. The only way to reach this paradise island is by boat. Let’s go over the Koh Lipe travel options.
Koh Lipe can be reached year-round from Pak Bara, Thailand. In high season, boats also run to Langkawi, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Phuket, and several small islands in the Andaman Sea. We have taken speed boats both from Pak Bara and Langkawi, Malaysia.
Read our detailed guide on how to get to Koh Lipe for the most popular and easiest ways. There are many ways to get to Koh Lipe. If you are island hopping you can easily tie in Koh Lipe. To book tickets from Krabi Town, Ao Nang, Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, or Koh Lanta, click here.
What is the Best Way to get to Koh Lipe?
Koh Lipe is accessed by two main ports Pak Bara on the mainland of South Thailand and by the nearby island of Langkawi, Malaysia. Getting to Koh Lipe from the Pak Bara pier is the easiest and best way.
Pak Bara ferry service runs all year long while Langkawi ferries only operate during high season, and no matter the time of year, it will be a rougher boat ride – and immigration is also more of a process.
How Many Days in Koh Lipe?
For most visitors, 4-7 days is the right amount of time in Koh Lipe. Traveling to and from Koh Lipe takes at least half a day, so to ensure you have enough time to enjoy everything Koh Lipe has to offer, 4 days is the minimum amount of time we recommend.
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Nightlife In Koh Lipe
There is a great selection of chill beach bars and a handful of bars open late into the night. If you are looking for a beach day with umbrella drinks, head on over to one of the Sunrise Beach bars and get to day drinking!
Walking Street Bars
Only a handful of bars are open past 11 p.m., and all of them close by 2 am or earlier. The best Walking Street bars are Corner Bar, Rainforest Bar, The Living Room, and Elephant. Koh Lipe is not your party island like Phi Phi or Koh Phangan.
Don’t forget your insurance! You never know when you’ll need it. We suggest getting travel insurance with Safety Wing. Which coverage includes medical, trip interruption, lost luggage, and more. Often rates are as low as $12 a week.
We hope our ultimate Koh Lipe guide helped you plan your trip to this magical island paradise. If you have any questions that we missed in our travel guide, please leave them below in the comments.
We are always updating this article, so it is the most useful guide out there to plan your visit.
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Oona
Thursday 27th of October 2022
Beautiful post!
I've been to Thailand several times, and Ko Lipe is one of my favorite islands in the country. If not the most favorite. I spent there only 4 days, and it was too little time, even though the island is so small. Next time I'll spend more time on the island.
An Bui
Friday 30th of October 2020
Thanks for nice photos and very detailed information. I hope to get there soon
Phil
Tuesday 16th of June 2020
Next time you are over in Koh Lipe why not stop by at our dive shop (DJL Diving) to come for a couple of dives with us, we'd love to take you out as it doesn't look like you have been out with us on any of your previous trips. Our dive centre has been open on Koh Lipe since 2011 at the western end of Pattaya beach.
Jove
Monday 17th of February 2020
Wow your intro video is amazing. What equipment do you use ie camera, drone etc
Hannah Lukaszewicz
Monday 17th of February 2020
This video was mainly shot with a DJI Phantom Pro drone. Koh Lipe is a place you'll want a drone!
Jove
Monday 17th of February 2020
Wow your intro video is amazing. What equipment do you use ie camera, drone etc
Hannah Lukaszewicz
Monday 17th of February 2020
Thanks! The video was shot with a DJI Phantom 3 for the most part.