We spent 4 slow and relaxing days exploring the best of Koh Lipe during a month long trip we took to Thailand. The tiny tropical paradise island in the Andaman Sea was our very last stop after traveling through the country from north to south, and boy was it the right place to end our trip in style.
In this guide we walk you step by step through the best way to spend 4 memorable days in Koh Lipe, based on our experience. Read more about us.
Koh Lipe’s charm is centered around laid back vibes, white sand beaches and warm waters filled with marine life. It’s not the easiest place to get to, but once we arrived we immediately knew it was worth the effort.
We’re going to show you what to do, give you an itinerary example and explain how to get to the island so you know what you’re getting into. Our itinerary blends the things you can’t miss with the calm relaxation you’d expect from a tropical island. Okay, let’s begin!
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What You Need To Know
Let’s start with a general summarized overview about what you should know before planning your trip to Koh Lipe:
- Transport: Ferry or speedboat
- Immigration: Passport control on beach upon arrival
- Visa: 60 days
- Language: Thai but English widely spoken
- Currency: Thai baht (US $1 = 34 baht)
- ATM: Huge charges on foreign cards and exchanging
- Fees: Compulsory 200 Baht upon arrival for national park
- Size: 2.5km long by 1.5km wide
- Getting around: Walk, moped or bike
- High season: November-April
- Low season: May-October
- Best months: December, March, April
- Nightlife: Very quiet, not a party island
- Restaurants: Plentiful, cheap eats to fine dining
- Water: Not safe to drink from taps, use bottled
Beaches
Koh Lipe’s beaches were one of its biggest draws for us. We knew one was famous for having legit powdery white sand, and we couldn’t wait to see it. Let’s take a look at the three beaches you’ll find on the island.
Pattaya Beach
Pattaya Beach is the best beach in Koh Lipe. It’s the only one of the three that has proper powder sand and it genuinely feels like you’re walking through flour. It was the busiest beach and it was where we arrived by boat during the high season, but it was the place we spent most of our downtime on the island.
There’s tons of hotels lining the beachfront, along with a walking street filled with restaurants and amenities. We stayed within easy walking distance of Pattaya Beach and we’re glad we did because it was the liveliest part of the island, had more going on and of course it had the powder sand.
Sunrise Beach
Unsurprisingly, Sunrise Beach is located on the east side of Koh Lipe with wide open views over the Andaman Sea. We enjoyed walking along the beach here, passing by lots of scuba/snorkeling companies and generally appreciating the lack of crowds. Also, we took a long-tail boat from here to reach Koh Adang, the bigger island nearby.
But the sand was coarse and there wasn’t much going on other than a few high end restaurants. We’d stay here if we wanted a more upscale escape, and it is only 5 minutes walk from the main drag near Pattaya Beach.
Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach is the quietest, most laid back and secluded part of Koh Lipe. We walked a good 15 minutes from the main street to watch the spectacle and it was worth doing, but we didn’t bother going back to the beach again.
It’s got a real deserted island feel because there’s nothing around at all, except a handful of tourists drinking booze on the sand. As savvy travel planners we remembered to take our headlamps and that paid off a treat on the way back after the sun had gone down!
What To Do In Koh Lipe
For such a small island, we were surprised at how much there was to do. Sure, most of it was beach and chill based, but there were a few other fun things to get stuck into. And the best part is that everything we did was within easy walking distance.
Here’s what you can do on the island:
Beach Hopping
Okay, we’ve already explained the three beaches but let’s face it, this is the reason you’re going to Koh Lipe. There aren’t many places we know that have three beaches so close to each other that tick the boxes of sunrise, white powder sand and sunset.
We preferred Pattaya Beach because we couldn’t get enough of the sand. But you might prefer sunrise or sunset beach so we recommend trying all three.
In our itinerary example later we cover all three efficiently so you can see each beach, but you could always sack the itinerary and just spend a few days lounging on the sand!
Sunrises And Sunsets
One of our favorite things to do on Koh Lipe was watch sunrise and sunset over the Andaman Sea. Honestly, it never got old. That said, we have to admit we found the sunsets to be more intense and colorful in Koh Lanta, but maybe that was just luck with clouds at the time.
When you’re on an island this small with easy access to stunning dawn and dusk viewing areas, it’s almost a crime not to take advantage. Check sunrise and sunset times in Koh Lipe so you don’t miss the action.
Hike To Koh Adang Viewpoint
We’re hikers so we absolutely couldn’t miss the chance to hike up to an elevated viewpoint overlooking Koh Lipe from the larger nearby island called Koh Adang. We hired a long tail boat from Sunrise Beach, and arranged a set time for the same boat to pick us up later that morning.
Now, Koh Adang has very few accommodations or people for that matter, but we hiked up a fairly steep trail to reach the awesome viewpoint and highly recommend you do the same. The heat and humidity made our hike harder than usual, but we did it early in the morning to avoid the worst of the conditions.
Snorkel Or Scuba Dive
The best piece of advice we can give you for visiting any of Thailand’s islands is to grab a mask and a pair of fins, and get yourself in the water. We did it in Koh Lanta, Koh Muk and Koh Lipe. And it was awesome!
In Koh Lipe, you can choose between tons of snorkel or scuba options depending on how much you want to spend.
We booked a 6 hour snorkeling tour called Program B (which you can see in our photo above), which was superb. If we’d had more money in our travel budget we would definitely have done some scuba diving, but snorkeling was good enough.
Trash Hero Beach Cleanup
Trash Hero is a fantastic initiative run by locals who encourage tourists to help clean up beaches on nearby islands. They do it every single Monday at 10:00am from Pattaya Beach, and we were there on a Monday, so we thought why not – we’re happy to do our part.
It took almost an hour by long tail boat to get to our designated island, so we had numb backsides by the time we arrived. Honestly, it was a real eye opener to see the beach we landed on completely covered in rubbish. We could have played a game of spot the sand and nobody would have won.
There were around 30-40 volunteers on our day, and everyone worked hard to clear the beach. It took maybe an hour before the sand was cleansed, which was so satisfying to see. The sad part is that beach would have been full of trash by the next week.
Take A Yoga Class
The whole point of going to a place like Koh Lipe is for ultimate relaxation, and yoga fits the idea perfectly. There’s a ton of classes you can take on all sides of the island, so choose one that fits your budget.
And if you don’t want to pay for a class, just walk down to one of the beaches, find a secluded spot and get to work on your downward dog! We saw so many tourists doing different forms of yoga or meditation on Pattaya Beach, especially early in the morning.
Unwind With A Massage
If yoga sounds like too much effort, go for a Thai massage instead. You can’t visit southeast Asia and not take advantage of excellent massages at quite frankly ludicrously cheap prices. You wouldn’t even get a 30 second fingernail massage at home for the same price as a 1 hour full body massage in Thailand!
We spent 6 months living in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Siem Reap in early 2023 and honestly we booked in for massages 3 times a week. Back in the US or UK we’d never be able to afford that, so seriously make the most of it when you’re in Koh Lipe.
Enjoy Walking Street
One thing we can guarantee with 100% confidence is that you’ll find yourself wandering up and down Koh Lipe’s Walking Street like a yo-yo. It connects Pattaya Beach with Sunrise Beach, it has tons of restaurants and it’s where you’ll do things like book a snorkeling tour or take a massage.
We walked the street what felt like a hundred times during our 4 day trip to Koh Lipe. It’s a hive of activity by day but by the end of dinner time it gets super quiet. Our guilty pleasure in Asia is popping into 7 Eleven for snacks, and there are two on this street.
Chill At A Beach Bar
Koh Lipe might not be a party island but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some cool beach bars for chilling and day drinking. If you go to Sunrise Beach we recommend On The Rocks, Sea La Vie and the Happy Vibe Bar. Or if you go to Sunset Beach we like The Hill.
At Pattaya Beach you can get a beer at most restaurants, but we recommend heading up Walking Street to Maya which has a DJ or Corner Bar which has craft beers and cocktails.
4 Day Itinerary
Okay, let’s put those things into an efficient but relaxing Koh Lipe itinerary. We’re going to show you exactly how we did it, so you can see what you like or don’t like the sound of.
We began with arrival in the afternoon of day 1, with 3 more full days making up the 4 days. We then needed a fifth day for departure and onward travel. Arriving on Sunday was perfect because midweek is quieter and cheaper, plus Trash Hero operates on Mondays.
Okay, let’s get into it!
Day 1: Orientate + Explore
Our first day was all about getting to the island, checking in and seeing what was going on. So after being packed into a speedboat like sardines (it’s way less cool than it sounds!) we arrived onto Pattaya Beach, lined up to pay our national park entrance fee and show our passports with Thailand stamps. If you arrive from Langkawi you have to pay entry to Thailand and get your stamp.
Next, we made our way straight to our hotel which wasn’t too far up Walking Street and slightly off to the left. Don’t worry about dragging your suitcase up the main drag, you’ll see everyone else do it over the next few days. If you don’t want to walk with your baggage, you can pay for a speedboat or moped with sidecar to take it to your hotel instead.
First Impressions
After checking in, it was time to get out exploring. We had a decent amount of daylight left, so we headed straight back down Walking Street to feel that powdery sand on Pattaya Beach but well away from the boats.
Next, we decided to beeline it for Sunset Beach because it was a nice clear evening. So we quickly grabbed our headlamps and walked northwest to the beach. After the sunset we walked back to the top end of Walking Street and grabbed dinner at Bombay Indian Restaurant.
Yes, we know we’re in Thailand, but we had plenty of Thai food over the previous 25 days and Mark loves a good curry! Afterwards we had a few quick cocktails in Maya Bar and called it a night.
Day 2: Trash Hero + Pattaya Beach
We began and ended our second day at a super slow pace. After taking a stroll down Walking Street, grabbing breakfast and coffee (and maybe a cheeky banana pancake for good measure!), we arrived to Pattaya Beach at 10:00am so we could take part in Trash Hero beach cleanup.
We met tons of other tourists who wanted to do their part, boarded a long tail boat and off we went to some unknown uninhabited island. Thankful that we remembered sunscreen and water, we mucked in and filled bag after bag of rubbish. At the end we all had a celebratory beer and went back to Koh Lipe before being invited to a buffet lunch dinner as thanks.
Powdery Sand
Now we finally had chance to spend some serious time lounging around on the flour-like sand of Pattaya Beach. We read our books, listened to music and swam in the shallow waters. But we’re pretty useless at lounging, so we bought a spade and built a speedboat into Pattaya Beach instead (see Mark looking proud as punch in the photo above)!
If you liked Sunset Beach, there’s no reason not to go each evening. But we decided to stick around Pattaya Beach and Walking Street instead. We ate at Cafe Tropical which served up healthy vegan and vegetarian options just for something a bit different.
Day 3: Sunrise Beach + Koh Adang
We started and ended our third day at Sunrise Beach, with a little independent excursion in the middle. After waking up early to watch sunrise on the beach (which we had entirely to ourselves), we found a nice little spot along the beach for breakfast.
Koh Lipe isn’t a place to rush around, so we had to reign ourselves in by taking an extended breakfast with a few rounds of coffee. Eventually we couldn’t sit still anymore so we walked down the beach and hired a long tail boat to take us to Koh Adang.
Note: If you want to try some yoga on the beach for sunrise, take a look at the top rated company called Keiritas Yoga.
Koh Adang Viewpoint
It took around 15 minutes to cross the channel, which was surprisingly choppy, before landing on a beach in Koh Adang. The guy who dropped us off pointed us in the right direction and we saw a sign for Chado Cliff to follow.
The trail was easy to find as it turned inland and upward. But it did get pretty steep at times, with a few places requiring us to hold onto in-built ropes to help with climbing. We were happy to get here early in the day because the worst of the heat was still a few hours away.
Most of the signs were crude or broken but it was hard to go wrong, and before long we summited onto a flat rocky area with our reward – awesome views over Koh Lipe. We only saw 2 other couples the whole time, before getting back on our pre-arranged boat back to Sunrise Beach.
Fine Dining
Back on Sunrise Beach we spent a few hours chilling out, reading and we may have also slipped into Sea La Vie for a few cold ones. This day would work amazingly well if you stay on Sunrise Beach, but we didn’t so we had to walk back to our hotel to change into smarter gear before returning to the beach for dinner.
That night we treat ourselves to a wonderful meal at On The Rocks which specialized in Asian flavors with a lovely ambience and great cocktails. It was fantastic, but if we ever went back to Koh Lipe, we’d try Ten Moons which serves up delicious Mediterranean food.
Day 4: Snorkeling + Sunset Beach
We spent our last full day in Koh Lipe taking the Program B snorkeling tour, which began at 9:00am on Pattaya Beach. It cost us around 700 baht back then for transport, mask, snorkel, fins, lunch, fruit and water. You can also pay more to hire your own boat and have the driver take you to the same places the groups go but before they get there so you have the spots to yourself.
If we’re being honest, the visibility wasn’t amazing and we didn’t see an enormous amount of marine life but it was still well worth doing. Like we said earlier, we would have liked to scuba dive instead but it was out of our budget range.
Program B – The Far Islands
We chose Program B because it sounded more varied and ventured further from Koh Lipe. It’s a long day and we spent most of it numb butts from the wooden board on long tail boats, wishing we’d taken towels to sit on.
Here’s a few photos from each stop we made to show you the snorkel tour:
First stop: Hin Son – The reef was is colorful and abundant with fish, but it was the first stop so every boat was here and it was crowded.
Second stop: Bulo – We saw our largest fish of the day here, a long grey shark-like fish. It was one of the better stops and less crowded.
Third stop: Koh Dong – We were told to take lunch onto the lovely looking beaches of Koh Dong, but they didn’t tell us wild monkeys would come to steal our food. Cautious by nature, we didn’t lose any food. But we saw at least 5 other tourists have sandwiches stolen as they were ambushed!
Fourth stop: Koh Lugoi – A lot of boats congregated around this horseshoe shaped beach with shallow waters. Most people walked around the island with snorkeling but we found a secluded area away from the boats and were rewarded with clown fish.
Fifth stop: Koh Pung – We stopped in the middle of a channel with a very fast flowing current, so we had to hold onto the rope otherwise we’d be swimming hard against the current. This is where we saw the most fish, hundreds in fact, because they were so easily able to feed on plankton.
Sixth stop: Hin Gnam – Half way back to Koh Lipe we stopped at a black volcanic stone island for one last snorkel. But most of the people on our boat decided against it because they were tired from all the jumping in and out of the boat, so it was a quick stop that we all spent mostly devouring fresh juicy pineapple and watermelon instead.
Sunset & Cocktails
We’ll admit it was a pretty tiring day but we still had plenty left in the tank, so we legged it back to our hotel, got changed and made our way over to Sunset Beach for one final romantic evening.
And that was the end of our 4 days in Koh Lipe! When we woke up on day 5 it was all about checking out, getting down to Pattaya Beach and hopping on a speedboat to eventually get to Hat Yai airport.
Koh Lipe Map
Click or touch the map below to activate, zoom in and out, and scroll around. If you’d like to see a bigger version, click the “view larger map” icon in the top right, and if you’d like to see anything specific, click the arrow and square icon in the top left.
Getting To The Island
Do you know how you’re going to arrive into Koh Lipe yet?
Well, unless you have a helicopter it’s of course going to be by boat. We saw hundreds of slow ferries and speedboats criss-crossing around the Andaman Sea when we island hopped and we found it all way easier to figure out than we expected.
If you’re feeling a bit anxious about logistics, you don’t have to. Honestly our best advice to you is not to worry about getting around at all. There’s plenty of ways to book transport between all the islands and the mainland.
If you want to book in advance we recommend taking a look at Bookaway. We booked some of our island connections in advance through them and they all worked out great.
Where To Stay
One of the major downsides to Koh Lipe compared to many other Thai Islands is higher accommodation costs, especially when visiting in the high season like we did in December. We definitely found it frustrating paying over the odds to stay there, but it was well worth it.
If we were to plan another trip to Koh Lipe, we’d book our hotel months in advance to get in there early when more rooms are available. Most people who go to the island are couples or families so it’s got a real emphasis on nicer, more upscale accommodations.
We stayed half way up Walking Street in between Pattaya Beach and Sunrise Beach which we thought was a convenient spot. But next time we’d book a hotel right on one of the two beaches.
Here are the top rated places we can find in the two popular areas of Koh Lipe (based on previous guest ratings) for you to check out:
Pattaya Beach Hotels
Budget:
Mid-range:
🏨 Lipe Banyan Apartments
🏨 The Reef
Luxury:
🏨 Ananya Lipe Resort
🏨 Akira Lipe Resort
Sunrise Beach Hotels
Budget:
🏨 Lipe Beach Resort
🏨 Forra Dive Resort
Mid-range:
🏨 Castaway Resort
🏨 Wapi Resort
Luxury:
🏨 Ten Moons Resort
🏨 Mali Resort
We hope our Koh Lipe itinerary helps with planning your trip to Thailand’s Andaman Sea Islands!
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.
Gorgeous island, I’m buying one just like it when I win the lottery.
Well let us know when you do and we’ll help you pick your island! Koh Lipe is lovely, we’ll definitely go back next time we’re in South East Asia!