Koh Lipe: beaches, snorkelling trips and how to get there

Koh Lipe is a small island in the far south of Thailand, about 1 hour 30 by speedboat from the Satun coast and as long again from Langkawi in Malaysia. You go for white beaches you can walk between, coral a few strokes from the sand and longtail trips to the islands of Tarutao National Park. Getting there means a flight, a van and a boat, or a ferry from Langkawi or the Andaman islands between October and May. We checked fares, fees and seasons on 14 November 2026 and mark every figure that is only reported.

Tours and activities to book in Koh Lipe

Most visitors book one snorkelling day in the park, and these are the trips booked most from the island.

See more activities in Koh Lipe

Koh Lipe beaches: Pattaya, Sunrise, Sunset and Karma

The island is small enough to cross on foot in under an hour, so every beach is a walk or a 50 THB tuk-tuk ride away. Each one has a different job: arriving, snorkelling, sunset or quiet.

Pattaya Beach

Pattaya Beach is where you land, and it has nothing to do with the city of Pattaya. It is the longest and busiest beach, a curve of soft sand lined with resorts, seafood grills and the longtails that leave for the islands. The water is clear, but swim away from the boat lane in front of the floating pontoon.

Sunrise Beach

Sunrise Beach runs about a kilometre along the east coast and is the best beach for snorkelling without a boat. Koh Kra and Koh Usen sit a few hundred metres offshore. Kayaks cost about 100 to 200 THB an hour, which is the safer way to reach them, because the current between the islands can be strong.

Karma Beach and North Point

Karma Beach is the northern tip of Sunrise Beach, where a sandbank points towards Koh Adang and changes shape with the season. North Point, next to it, is where much of the island gathers at sunset. Arrive by 5:30 pm in high season to get a spot near the rocks.

Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach, on the west side, is only about 200 metres long and much less built up. A reef starts about 50 metres out from the rocks, so you can snorkel straight from the sand. It takes 10 to 15 minutes on foot from Walking Street.

Walking Street, and is Koh Lipe a party island?

Walking Street is the island's centre, a narrow, mostly pedestrian lane of about 500 metres that links Pattaya Beach to Sunrise Beach. Restaurants, dive shops, massage places, minimarts and the ATMs are all here. A foot or Thai massage costs about 200 to 350 THB an hour.

Koh Lipe is not a party island. Evenings mean a sunset drink at North Point, live music in a few bars and dinner on the street. A beer costs about 100 THB in a bar and half that in a minimart. If you want full moon parties, Koh Phangan is on the other coast. In the low season the street can be almost empty.

Other things to do in Koh Lipe

Away from the boats, the island has a few quieter outings. Kayak from Sunrise Beach to Koh Kra, where a short path climbs to a view back over Koh Lipe. At low tide some people wade there, but on many days the water stays too deep.

Yoga classes run on Sunrise Beach at sunrise, in the morning and late afternoon, at about 400 THB a session, reported in 2026. The island's only temple sits in a patch of forest a short walk from Walking Street, so cover your shoulders and knees. A local group runs a beach clean-up on Mondays, reported by a 2026 travel guide.

Koh Lipe snorkelling trips in Tarutao National Park

Koh Lipe sits inside Tarutao National Marine Park, which has 51 islands. The reefs worth the trip are on the islands around it, reached by longtail boat on a group trip or a private charter. Group trips follow two usual routes, sold as program A and program B.

From about mid-May to mid-October the park closes its outer islands, including Koh Rawi and Koh Hin Ngam, and low-season trips stay near Koh Adang. Water is clearest from December to April.

Koh Adang

Koh Adang is the large, forested island facing Sunrise Beach, ten minutes away by longtail. Boatmen on Sunrise Beach ask about 100 to 200 THB a person each way, and they do not wait, so agree on a pick-up time. On the south side are the park's ranger station, a campsite and a canteen.

The Chado Cliff viewpoint above the ranger station is a steep climb with little shade. Take water and proper shoes. A path of about 2.5 km leads to Pirate Waterfall, which can be dry in the dry season.

Koh Rawi

Koh Rawi, west of Koh Adang, has long white beaches and very clear water. It is a stop on program A trips, and it is one of the islands closed during the park's low-season closure.

Koh Hin Ngam: look, do not take

Koh Hin Ngam is a small island covered in smooth black stones instead of sand. Thailand's National Parks Act forbids removing anything natural from a park, stones included. The park has also put up signs asking visitors not to stack the stones, and a fine is reported for doing so.

A local legend says anyone who takes a stone away will be cursed, and the park is reported to receive stones posted back by visitors every year. Take photos only.

Diving at Koh Lipe

Dive shops line Walking Street and Sunrise Beach, and dive the reefs and pinnacles of the park, including a site called Stonehenge. Shops list fun dives from about 1,500 THB, while two-dive days often cost 2,500 to 3,500 THB. An Open Water course costs about 13,000 to 16,000 THB, reported on shop listings.

The season follows the park: visibility is best from December to April, and fewer boats go out in the rainy months.

How to get to Koh Lipe: Pak Bara, Langkawi and island ferries

Koh Lipe has no airport and no pier for large boats. You arrive by speedboat or ferry, from the mainland pier at Pak Bara all year, or from Malaysia and the Andaman islands in the high season.

Pak Bara from Hat Yai and Trang airports

Pak Bara, in Satun province, is the only route that runs all year. Speedboats take about 1 hour 30 and cost 650 to 700 THB one way. Bundhaya lists departures at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm, plus 9:30 am from December. Expect a pier fee of about 20 THB on top.

The nearest airport is Hat Yai, about 1 hour 30 by air from Bangkok Don Mueang, with fares from about 1,400 THB. Combined van and boat tickets from Hat Yai airport cost about 950 THB and take about four hours, with vans leaving the airport at 9 am and 11 am. A flight that lands after mid-morning means a night in Hat Yai, so plan it with your days in Bangkok and its sights.

Trang airport, about 110 km from Pak Bara, is the other option, with morning flights from Don Mueang and vans that reach Koh Lipe in the early afternoon. Overnight trains run from Bangkok to both Hat Yai and Trang.

Koh Lipe from Koh Lanta, Phuket and Phi Phi

From 15 October to 20 May, speedboats run down the coast. From Koh Lanta, a boat takes about three hours for about 1,700 THB, with stops at Koh Ngai, Koh Mook and Koh Kradan. From Phi Phi, count about four hours and 2,350 THB.

From Rassada pier in Phuket, the trip takes about five hours and costs about 2,500 THB, often with a change of boat on Koh Lanta. The sea is open on this route, so take seasickness tablets if you need them.

Koh Lipe from Langkawi: immigration on the beach

Boats from Langkawi take about 90 minutes and run from 15 October to late May. They leave from Telaga Harbour, 15 to 20 minutes from Langkawi airport, or from Kuah jetty. Telaga lists RM173 one way, with the longtail included, and Kuah fares are about 1,400 THB.

You leave Malaysia at the terminal, and the crew collects passports for Thai immigration, which is an office on Pattaya Beach. The check takes 20 minutes to an hour. Fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card before you sail, and check that your nationality can enter without a Thai tourist visa.

Malaysia is one hour ahead of Thailand, so Langkawi timetables are in Malaysian time. From June to mid-October there is no direct boat. Travellers then take a ferry from Kuah to Satun, a van to Pak Bara and a speedboat, about five to six hours in all.

Arriving: the floating pontoon and the longtail

In the high season, ferries and speedboats tie up at a floating pontoon off Pattaya Beach, and longtails carry passengers and luggage to the sand for about 50 THB. Some tickets include it. The pontoon moves with the waves, so keep one hand free and pack in a bag you can lift.

In the rainy season, boats often land on the Sunrise Beach side instead. A new pier is planned on the mainland: Pattaya Mail reported in July 2026 that work on the Tanyong Po pier in Satun is due to start between December 2026 and January 2027, to improve access to Koh Lipe and Tarutao.

Best time to visit Koh Lipe

The best months are November to April, when the sea is calm, the water clearest and every ferry route runs. December to February is the peak, with the highest room prices, and Songkran in mid-April fills the island again. Book rooms and boats early for those dates.

From May to October, rain comes in heavy showers and the sea is rougher. Boats from the north and from Langkawi stop, Pak Bara runs fewer departures, and part of the hotels, bars and tour companies close. Rooms are cheaper and the beaches empty, but plan for days indoors.

Koh Lipe ATMs, cash and costs

Bring cash. There are ATMs on Walking Street, but they are reported to run out of notes in busy periods, and Thai ATMs charge foreign cards 250 to 350 THB per withdrawal, depending on the bank and the card network. Take out enough in Hat Yai, at Pak Bara or in Langkawi before you board. Many small places on the island take cash only.

Koh Lipe costs more than the mainland. Travellers in 2026 report a pad thai at about 70 THB, a cocktail at about 200 THB and a kayak at about 100 THB an hour, and a mid-range budget of about 2,000 to 4,000 THB a day before the room. Exchange offices give cash on a card, at a commission of about 5%. On the mainland, the cost of living in Thailand is lower for the same food and transport.

How many days in Koh Lipe

Three full days cover the beaches and one boat trip, and five leave time for a second trip and a lazy day. Count one more day for the journey at each end if you come from Bangkok.

Koh Lipe works well at the end of a trip down the Andaman coast from Krabi, or as a first stop after Langkawi. On the way down, Koh Lanta and Koh Kradan are the other Thailand destinations worth a stop.