8 Things You Must Know Before Travelling to Koh Lipe

Koh Lipe is a beautiful island in the Andaman Sea, off the west coast of Thailand.

It’s one of the best destinations in the country for scuba diving, and an amazing location for travellers looking for an escape from city life. Offering activities such as swimming, diving, hiking, kayaking or just relaxing on the beach, Koh Lipe is a must-visit in our book!

Visiting the island, however, requires some careful planning.

We found that information on Koh Lipe is a little scarce, so we have gathered 8 essential facts that we have learned during our own stay on the island that will surely help you when organising your trip!

Reaching the island can be a bit rough

Koh Lipe is part of the Tarutao National Marine Park, a protected zone comprised of 51 islands in the Andaman Sea. For this reason, there are no passenger ferries allowed, and small speedboats are the only way to and from the island.

While you might get lucky and have a fairly smooth ride, you could also very well experience what we went through on our way back to the mainland:

Even though the sea was only a little choppy due to some strong winds and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, it seemed to be enough to literally launch the boat into the air with every wave. Every time it did, we were completely lifted out of our seats, only to painfully crash back a moment later.

Most of our fellow passengers spent a good portion of the trip screaming their lungs out, some seemed to be making a serious effort not to throw up and one looked on the verge of passing out. We spent an hour and a half holding on for dear life, until we finally made it back to the mainland. 

While the boat ride to Koh Lipe has a pretty bad reputation and we had expected the journey to be rough, we were caught by surprise because the way there had been such a breeze. If you’re an adrenaline junkie you’ll love it, but it’s not something we recommend for small children or the faint of heart.

On the left you can see the speedboat we took when we left Koh Lipe.

While this shouldn’t discourage you from visiting this amazing island, you should definitely follow some tips before you board:

• If possible, choose an itinerary that reduces the duration of the journey by as much as possible. If you’re travelling from mainland Thailand, we recommend leaving from Pak Bara Pier, near Hat Yai. You can easily book a transfer which includes a shuttle bus and the boat from a kiosk when you land at Hat Yai Airport, and the boat ride from Pak Bara only takes around one and half hours. 

• It is essential you prepare yourself and take some medication beforehand, even if you’re not prone to sea sickness. The boats are very small and don’t have toilets or sick-bags, so getting sick is not an option. 

• Listening to music is a great distraction, and a rhythmic song can help you feel more in sync with the movement of the boat. Ideally, use a pair of wired earphones or headphones, so that you don’t lose them if they get accidentally knocked out of your ears. The boat is also quite loud, so having some music to drown the noise of the engines is helpful. 

• Finally, try to sit in a spot where you can hold on to something, such as a railing or a seat in front of you. Avoid the first row in the middle of the boat, as you won’t have anything to grab apart from the person next to you. 

The Sun beats down hard

While we had gotten quite used to the heat in Thailand, the Sun in Koh Lipe beat down a lot harder than we had expected. It felt much closer to what we experienced in Malaysia, and the humidity was also no joke.

With that in mind, plan your activities accordingly; Visit the beach early in the morning (although it might coincide with low tide), and stay indoors from around 1:00 pm to at least 3:00 pm. This is the hottest time of the day, but luckily you’ll find plenty of shaded cafés and restaurants to have lunch and relax during that time. 

Something else to keep in mind is sunscreen. We saw plenty of lobsters walking on the beach, so be sure to pack a good quantity of cream before going to Koh Lipe, especially if you have small children or are prone to sunburn. We do not tend to burn easily, and we were still turning slightly pink with SPF 50. Also, while it is possible to buy sunscreen on the island, the only store we saw that sold any was extremely expensive.

Koh Lipe’s North Point Beach.

Lack of shade on most roads

Koh Lipe is very small and has the advantage of being very easy to traverse on foot. However, most roads offer very little shade despite the heavy vegetation.

If you plan on walking around the island, you should do so during the cooler hours of the day, and sunscreen is a must. It is also essential you bring a hat and a light scarf or sarong to cover your neck and shoulders. We found it a great idea to soak our scarves before heading out, as a way to be extra protected and to stay cooler.

Many accommodations also offer free transport across the island via tuk-tuk. We stayed at Plaloma Resort, a wonderful family-run bed and breakfast, who’s owners offered several times to taxi us around. It’s an amazing eco-friendly stay, and we absolutely recommend it. 

Stray dogs are everywhere

Stray dogs are everywhere on the island. And we mean everywhere.

We had a pack of 7 or 8 that hung out every evening only a few dozen meters down the road from our accommodation, and at times would completely block the way. In our experience, they are mostly very tame and completely unbothered by tourists, even though they might take an interest in any food you’re carrying around. Still, even though they pose little to no risk, you should keep your distance. In fact, there are several signs warning visitors to not interact with stray dogs in any way.

The locals feed them and take good care of them, but diseases such as rabies are always a risk in Thailand, and Koh Lipe is no exception. If you are bitten by a stray dog, be sure to seek medical attention immediately. 

If dogs make you uncomfortable, we recommend you take a transport to and from your accommodation while on the island. This is especially the case at night, when dogs become more active.

If they really scare you though, perhaps Koh Lipe isn’t the best destination to visit.

There is dangerous sea life

As we mentioned, Koh Lipe is part of the protected Tarutao National Marine Park, and huge variety of sea creatures inhabit the waters surrounding the island. This, along with the most stunning waters we have ever seen during our travels, makes Koh Lipe a dream destination for scuba divers and snorkelers.

Jumping in the crystal clear water will be the first thing you’ll think of when you arrive, and that’s exactly what we did. At first it was pure bliss, but we quickly started noticing a stinging sensation that would randomly hit all over our bodies. While more annoying than really painful, we suddenly realised that the source of the stinging was tiny jellyfish floating in the water. These are particularly prevalent in the south of Thailand, and gather in large numbers when pushed close to the beach by the current, especially when the tide rises or the sea is rough.

However, while we only encountered small to medium sized jellyfish, dangerous species such as the box jellyfish have been found in the waters around Koh Lipe, and they can be deadly. You’ll find warning signs on the beach, along with bottles of vinegar to neutralise the stings in case of contact. 

Along with jellyfish, the biggest danger in the water comes from sea urchins. I had an unfortunate encounter with a porcupine sea urchin (Diadema setosum), one of the largest species in the area. Considering it has mildly venomous spines that can reach up to 30cm in length, I luckily only brushed the bottom of my foot against one instead of stepping on it.

Even then, I walked away with several stings that took over a month to heal completely, and I consider myself lucky. Some people can go into anaphylactic shock, and infections from untreated deep wounds is common.

Because of this, we recommend you bring water shoes and do not let small children swim unsupervised.

Apart from jellyfish and sea urchins, there really isn’t much to worry about. If we don’t count a yet still unidentified mid-sized yellow fish that decided to pick a fight with my leg when I came too close to its rock and a crab that went for my toe, we didn’t have any issues with marine life. And if you’re wondering, yes, there are sharks, and no, you won’t see any close to shore. They are quite common around diving sites, but extremely rare anywhere else.

The beginning of the jungle path in Koh Lipe.

You can hike through the jungle 

While Koh Lipe is inhabited throughout, there are some areas that are wild and covered by jungle. It can be a lot of fun to hike through the old overgrown paths, and these areas provide a wonderful escape from civilisation and the searing heat.

There are even a few hidden beaches, although sadly most are very rocky and covered in trash carried by the sea, so they are not really worth the effort of reaching them. Also, we got the impression that the locals don’t really visit these parts of the island, and as far as we know there are no guides available. A main path is indicated on Google Maps and Komoot, but once the trails begin you’ll have to figure it out on your own.

There are wild animals, and if you keep an eye out you might even spot some monkeys in the trees. Unlike most monkeys you’ll see in Thailand, however, these are 100% wild and have little to no interactions with human beings. We noticed that they do not take kindly to intruders, and started making a ruckus and coming down from the trees when they spotted us, even though we were still on the path and quite a distance away. Whatever you do, do not approach them as they can be rabies carriers. 

When hiking through the jungle, you should also keep an eye out for snakes. Koh Lipe is home to several species, and while most of them harmless some are venomous. 

The beach gets extremely windy at night

If you’re thinking of having a romantic dinner on the beach, forget it. Almost every night, the wind blows extremely hard from the sea towards land, making it absolutely impossible to even spend five minutes there. We suspect this has something to do with temperature differences between the hot sand and the cooler water, but regardless there wasn’t a soul there at night, and most restaurants and cafés by the beach were closed by 9h00pm.

However, if the weather is clear and you can stand the wind, you’ll be treated to one of the most beautiful night skies you can imagine. Stars, constellations and even some Nebulae may be visible, and it makes for an unforgettable sight!

Google Maps is borderline useless on Koh Lipe

From the first moment we turned on Google Maps on the island, we knew it would be useless.

Somehow, the maps don’t seem at all up-to-date. We found that the indicated route would often cross through private property, or be blocked by buildings and fences that were not indicated on the map. Sometimes it would just try to lead us on roads that didn’t even exist. We were not the only ones dealing with this problem, as we saw several visitors struggling as well. 

In the end we ditched Google Maps and decided to wing it most of the time. The island is small, so it didn’t take us long to memorise most of the paths, and we relied on Komoot to plan our hikes ahead of time. 

Koh Lipe really is a must destination for anyone visiting Thailand.

With just a little preparation and knowledge, and a good pair of water shoes, you’ll be sure to have the most incredible time on this island paradise!

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