Koh Lipe: The Ultimate Guide to Thailand’s Paradise Island

Koh Lipe is known as Thailand’s ‘paradise’ island. Only 3.5km in length and 2.5km in width, Koh Lipe is home to some of Thailand’s most beautiful white-sand beaches, crystal clear blue water, and the greenest jungle. 

Although Koh Lipe is a little trickier to get to than other islands in Thailand, it is very much worth the journey. This island paradise is for travellers who want a more laid back vibe. The general feel of the island is ‘zen,’ as it focuses more so on yoga, meditation, and wellness, rather than partying.

–

–

In this blog post I will be filling you in on everything you need to know to make your trip to the island of Koh Lipe a perfect, fun-filled, but tranquil experience. 

From how to get there, to the best places to eat, to what there is to do, this blog post has it all! 

How do I get there?

Koh Lipe is located roughly 80km from the coast of Satun Province and lies at the very south of Thailand, making it difficult and timely to get to from Thai mainland. The easiest way to visit Koh Lipe is by taking a speed boat from the island of Langkawi in Malaysia. 

–

–

Koh Lipe was our first stop in Thailand, and that is because we came directly to Thailand from Malaysia via Langkawi Island. There is around 35km between the islands which makes travelling between the two quite easy.

The nearest point to the Thai mainland is Pak Bara, where speed boats depart from to Koh Lipe everyday. Other nearby Thai islands to Koh Lipe are Ko Adang, Koh Rawi and Koh Turatao, which can all be easily travelled to from Koh Lipe.

We booked a speedboat from Langkawi to Koh Lipe via https://12go.asia/en, which took approximately 1 hr 30 minutes.

What is there to do in Koh Lipe?

1. Kayak to Ko Adang

Ko Adang is Koh Lipes neighbouring island, which is perfectly in line with the island’s north beach, called Sunrise Beach. We rented a kayak on Sunrise Beach from one of the rental shops, which cost €4 for 3 hours.

It takes around 45 minutes to kayak over to Ko Adang, so make sure to bring water and snacks because kayaking for 45 minutes straight is hard work.

–

–

Over on the island of Ko Adang you can explore the forests, lay on the beach, hike, and go to the island’s secret waterfall. We had the island basically all to ourselves, which was so special.

If you are not a fan of kayaking, you can also get a taxi boat over to the island. 

–

–

2. Visit Koh Lipe’s 3 Beaches

Pattaya Beach is the perfect place to go if you are looking to sit back and sunbathe but you also want to have all the best bars and restaurants near you for some well needed food and drink breaks. This beach is probably the busiest on the island, but it is beautiful.

–

–

Sunrise Beach is where you can try out some water sports. There are endless shops along this beach offering rentals for kayaks, snorkels, paddle boards, and all types of other water sporting activities.

Sunset Beach is the quietest beach of the 3, which is the perfect place to go for some well needed relaxation. If you want a beach to yourself, you could definitely find this at Sunset Beach.

It is worth exploring the 3, as the island is not big and you can easily walk to them.

3. Snorkel

Koh Lipe is big on its water based activities, which is understandable as it has crystal clear water. It is worth renting or buying a snorkel and heading out to sea to explore Koh Lipe’s underwater wildlife.

–

–

4. Watch The Sunrise and Sunset

The beaches names make it self explanatory on where you can catch the sunrise/sunset. We woke up one morning to see the sunrise and it was just breath-taking, so many people gathered at sunrise beach to watch it together and it was just beautiful. They also do a morning meditation at sunrise on the beach.

–

–

You can hike up to the viewpoint at sunset beach to watch the sunset over the island.

5. Get a Thai Massage

I would recommend going to Walking Street if you are looking for the best massage parlours at the best prices. This would be the perfect way to end a day at the beach.

6. Shop at the Boutiques on Walking Street

Walking Street is made up of some of the most beautiful boutiques and shops, which are so worth heading over to if you are looking to do a bit of shopping. 

–

–

Make sure you haggle to get the right price as often they will start high with pricing.

7. Fireshow and Live Music

Head down to Pattaya Beach every evening after 7pm to catch a fireshow and some live music. This is such a special experience, especially because Koh Lipe isn’t as busy as other Thai islands so there never seems to be too much of a crowd.

8. Morning Yoga and Meditation

You will see this advertised everywhere on the island, but one place in particular that had such a cool set up was Mojo cafe. After yoga you can head upstairs for some delicious breakfast.

Where To Eat In Koh Lipe?

1. Bloom Cafe 

The perfect spot for some breakfast, smoothies, and coffee, this place had such a chill vibe to it and served super yummy food. It is also a great cafe if you need to get some work done. 

–

–

2. The Box

The food here was INSANE! I still think it was one of the best meals we had in South East Asia. Head to The Box for some dinner and drinks, you won’t regret it.

–

–

3. Papaya Mom

This is the busiest restaurant on the island, and I understand why. A super authentic Thai restaurant that serves the yummiest fried rice! 

4. Owl

These shops are all around Asia, but our first time trying it was in Koh Lipe. They sell so many varieties of Boba Tea, which makes the perfect refresher after a day in the sun.

–

–

5. Elephant

This place serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and is super good! I loved the food here, we went several times while we were in Koh Lipe.

–

–

6. The Steakhouse

Located on Pattaya Beach, this is a super beautiful place for dinner and drinks on the water.

7. Mojo

The best and most affordable breakfast on the island.

–

–

Other Tips for Koh Lipe?

– The best area to stay in is Pattaya Beach. We stayed in a hotel called the Lipe Inn, which is located directly on walking street. I couldn’t recommend this place enough! 

This was where we stayed: 

https://www.booking.com/hotel/th/lipe-inn.en-gb.html?aid=356980&label=gog235jc-1DCAso3QFCCGxpcGUtaW5uSDNYA2hpiAEBmAEJuAEXyAEM2AED6AEBiAIBqAIDuAKD0PKmBsACAdICJDEyODRhOWFlLTIwZDQtNGUxYS1iNGY5LTVlOWExMzI1ZjEyOdgCBOACAQ&sid=cae27dd0c0c8bfb89183e10eed85af36&dist=0&group_adults=1&group_children=0&keep_landing=1&no_rooms=1&sb_price_type=total&type=total&

– I would stay 3/4 nights in Koh Lipe, but honestly it is so gorgeous you could stay a month and not be sick of it.

– As Koh Lipe is a smaller island it can be a little more expensive than other Thai islands but I still found it to be super affordable.

That is my full travel guide for the paradise island of Koh Lipe! 

Chat again soon,

Aoife x