Koh Lipe: The Maldives of Thailand
Combine Koh Lipe & Koh Lanta for the best 10-day itinerary:
About Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is the perfect getaway from the crowded places like Krabi, Phuket or Bangkok. It is an island that allows you to combine adventure and relax, while having nightlife and being full of life!
There is practically 1 street, the Walking Street, where most restaurants, shops, tour operators and hostels are located, and then on the sides of the beaches you can find resorts, bungalows and other activities.
How to get to Koh Lipe
We went from Bangkok, however, it is also very common to go from Koh Lanta, Krabi, Phuket or even Langkawi!
We booked a flight from Bangkok to Hat Yai with AirAsia.
From Hat Yai, we booked the rest of the tour with www.12go.asia: We took a VAN to the Pier and from there a speedboat to Koh Lipe [fixed price of 700baht]
In the pier is when you are required to pay all the fees [all in cash]:
- 200baht for the Koh Tarutao National Park fee [keep this at ALL times as it is required for ALL islands in the area!]
- 20baht pier fee
The speedboat is nice as it makes 2 stops in Koh Tarutao and Koh Khai, which are an amazing way to enter Koh Lipe. Both stops are brief, you are allowed to visit for 15-20 minutes, but they leave you speechless.
You will arrive to Pattaya beach, which is the beginning of the walking street. Do not stress about taxis, you are most likely at walking-distance from your accomodaion! Otherwise, taxis fairs are fixed in Koh Lanta: 50baht per person&ride or 400baht full day service.
Day 0 - arriving to paradise
The first day we got there late, so it doesn't really count. Depending on the tour, sea conditions, etc your arrival time may vary so I am leaving this day free for you to decide according to how much time you have!
We checked in the hostel and went straight to Bloom Cafe to work on some things using their free wifi and enjoying their INCREDIBLE food.
We then went directly to Forra Diving near Pattaya beach to book a diving tour for the following morning. We wanted to ensure availability and try on the equipment to find our sizes. We also left a 500baht deposit.
After that, we enjoyed the most welcoming sunset ever from Pattaya Beach:
Day 1 - Diving with Forra Dive & bioluminescent plancton!
We started the day at 7h30 at the Elephant Cafe [the closest place to Forra Dive that opened the earliest] for a big breakfast before the long day ahead.
At 8h30, we met the Forra Dive team to start our expedition.
Who to book it with: Forra Diving
Schedules
Our tour started at 8h30 and ended at 16h30. It could have been shorter [until 14h] but we chose the longer itinerary not to miss the recommended location.
Location 1 is mandatory for those who do not have the PADI, which is Koh Sai, and the location 2 and 3 are optional.
We chose location 1 [Koh Sai] and location 3 [Stonehenge]. 100/10.
Prices
It was a total of 4000 baht per person including 2 dives of 1h each [approx], coffe&Tea, lunch and the national park diving fees.
Price list:
3730 baht "discover scuba diving" 2 dives / 1 day
200 baht National Park diving fee
70 baht diving insurance
It also included all the equipment.
Personal opinion
Forra Dive was the best option, since we were always the only boat in the locations. It really made you feel alone in the corals. Each of us had an instructor and we were starting the dives in different points to not even see the other people of the tour. As a beginner, it was very easy and comfortable.
would recommend to anyone!
After the dives we showered and changed and had a relaxing dinner at Sea la vie. We had the Pad Thai and Masaman Curry. It was delicious. They also have happy hour [buy 1 get 1 free].
The cherry on top of the day was seeing bioluminous plancton in front of the Sea La vie! [sunrise beach]. It was in my bucketlist and it was incredible to see. Hard to explain the emotions...!
Day 2 - Sunrise yoga, secret spot and sunset beach
We also started the day early for a nice sunrise yoga at 6am with Keirita's yoga.
After that, we had breakfast at Mojo, one of the cutest places we saw. We had another strong breakfast so that we could go on all day without having to stop!
For this day, we decided to leave all guides aside and not do any tours and explore the island ourselves. We found this beach you can only reach by walking or by boat in the south of the island, and we decided to give it a try. Spoiler - we had a private beach just for us with the clearest waters and snorkelling spots!
We took a taxi there using Google Maps and then walked 10-15min to the beach. Very easy and nice. We stayed there all day, snorkelled, saw many fish and mini stingrays, and relaxed until it was time for sunset!
For sunset, we obviously had to go to Sunset Beach, and it did not disappoint! It was beautiful to see how everyone gatheres there and sits to simply look at the sun go away.
After that we walked to the center and had dinner at a restaurant I would not recommend.
Day 3 - Koh Adang & Ko Kra
As usual, we like to start the day early, 9am in Benny's on the Beach, definitely my favorite breakfast / lunch spot in the whole island. Not only its location is privileged, but the food was SO GOOD. It is vegetarian / vegan, and I got the acai bowl and I enjoyed every single spoon.
From Sunrise Beach, we took a boat to go to Koh Adang island. We took the boat right in front of Benny's, as it was the cheapest option [we toured the whole beach asking for prices and compared all the options!]
the boat ride was 200 baht to go and come back per person and it takes 10 minutes. You can also kayak there if the conditions are good, but be prepared for a full workout!!
Once there, we went straight to the hike to Chado Cliff. It is a 30min hike [1h to go up and down] and it is not too hard but it is extremely hot and you must wear proper shoes. There are 3 viewpoints, 3rd one being the tallest and end-goal. From viewpoints 2 and 3, you can perfectly see the whole island of Koh Lipe and its blue water.
We even spotted some cute monkeys in the way :)
After that, we went to the main beach and swam for a little while. There are snorkelling spots around the island if you prefer!
We wanted to go back to Koh Lipe early so that we could go to our next plan: rent a Kayak and go to Kro Kra island.
We rented the Kayak with Forra Dive in Sunrise Beach [again, we compared all options and this was the cheapest! plus it was the closest point to Ko Kra, making it easier]. I
The Rent was 150baht/1h per Kayak. It takes 5-8 minutes to reach the little paradisiac island, and you can get it all for yourself and feel like in a movie. Only watch out: JELLYFISH. You may not be able to swim depending on the current and wind direction. Otherwise, you have found paradise!
After the hour, we did a 1h oil massage :) Will not say where as it was personally not my favourite place to go, although it was alright!
We saw the sunset from North Point and then headed to the hotel as I had an important meeting to attend! For dinner, we repeated Sea La Vie :)
Day 4 - Snorkelling tour & Fire show
AGAIN, for our last day, we went early to Mojo to have a quick breakfast before going on an 8-island snorkelling boat tour at 8 am.
We booked through Moonlight Lipe Travel and it was 700 baht including fruit, lunch and the equipment. Decent tour, not the best of my life. Island were beautiful, so the tour was second priority!
Some islands we could not do because of jellyfish, but others yes. We stopped at Monkey Bay for lunch and it was the funniest thing ever. Bring the ticket you bought the first day, as it is required for some of the islands.
The tour ended at around 4pm, so we had time to shower, change and go to Zodiac for sunset, a cocktail and a fireshow!
It was lovely, the cocktail was incredible and the fire show very entertaining. Definitely a thing to do here!
After that, we walked to The Box restaurant. It was definitely the priciest restaurant but it was worth it. It is run by a Spanish man, so they have Spanish Tapas that are CRAZY GOOD [coming from a Spanish myself] and also international cuisine.
There is always a long cue to enter, so make a reservation if possible!
It was a very nice way to end our trip <3
Day 5 - leaving paradise
We left to Koh Lanta the next morning, so we had breakfast at BLOOM again [close to pattaya beach] and took a speedboat that took 2h.
Important note here: all trips by ferry / bus / etc are fixed price, no matter how many agencies or companies you ask in Koh Lipe, the price is always the same.
They only offer different prices for snorkelling tours or 1-day tours to nearby islands!
Lists for you:
Personal tips
1) Always bring cash around. Always.
2) Wear easy-to-take-off shoes, all shops require you to enter barefoot :)
3) Jellyfish if you come in January [do not worry about sharks, only jellyfish!]
Restaurants
Benny's On the beach
The Box
Thaidurm
Sea la Vie
Mojo
BLOOM
Elephant
Beaches
Pattaya Beach
Sunrise beach
sunset beach
Pitiusas beach
Pantai Galah beach
North Point
Sanom Beach
Activities/to-do
Scuba Diving with Forra Dive
Koh Adang day-trip
Ko Kra kayak trip
6 or 8-island snorkelling tour
Fireshow in Zodiac or Pattaya beach
Sunrise yoga
Chado Cliff Koh Adang
Pirate Waterfall [Koh Adang]
Where to stay
Hostels
Chic Lipe
Bloom Cafe & Hostel
A Plus
Area with beautiful resorts & Bungalows
Sunrise beach [north is best]
The home for unique & authentic travel
