The Ultimate Koh Lipe Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know
If you have heard about Koh Lipe and decided to plan a trip to go there, you came to the right place. I’m absolutely obsessed about that island and I’m not even exaggerating when I say it’s literally my favorite place in the whole World.
I spent so much time planning my trip to Koh Lipe, so I know what you’re wondering about and I’m here to share all the information you need to know before you go there. Let’s dig into it!
Best time to visit Koh Lipe
When you‘re planning to visit a place like Koh Lipe, one of your main concerns is going to be the weather. It’s no fun going all the way to a paradiasic place just to have to sit inside the hotel room all day because it’s pouring rain 24/7.
The good news is that Koh Lipe is a tropical island, so there can be plenty of sunshine in between the heavy showers of the rainiest months – meaning one very important thing: you have a chance of getting sunshine there no matter the time of the year.
But you’re obviously much better off if you visit during peak season, when clear skies are much more common than heavy showers and you can enjoy the island in its full spledor. The absolute best months to visit are January and February, making Koh Lipe a perfect winter escape for anyone who needs a break from the cold and dark weather of their home countries.
How to get there
Koh Lipe is a very small island in the Andaman sea and there is no airport there. The only way to get there is by taking a boat and there are several routes connecting the island.
✔️ The best route: From Langkawi, in Malaysia
Langkawi is Malaysia‘s northernmost island and it‘s located just 50 kms away from Koh Lipe. It has an International Airport, so you can easily fly there and then take a 1.5-hour ferry to Koh Lipe.
Another important factor that makes this the best route to get to Koh Lipe is the fact that it’s the only ferry route going to Koh Lipe. If you decide to go to Koh Lipe from any other place, you will need to take a speedboat – and that’s not ideal, as I’ll explain later.
I took the ferry from Langkawi to Koh Lipe and it was a fast and easy experience, but please keep in mind that ferries don’t run all year round. They start running in mid-October when the rainy season is coming to an end and that route is usually operational until the end of May.
📅 The route that can take you there all year round: From Pak Bara
🚤 If you’re coming from Koh Lanta, Phi Phi islands or Phuket:
With that being said, if you really want to take the speedboat from any of those destinations to Koh Lipe, here are your options:
- Koh Lanta – Koh Lipe: if you are going from Koh Lanta to Koh Lipe, the only option you have is speedboats. Good luck 🍀
- Phi Phi islands – Koh Lanta – Koh Lipe: by either ferry + speedboat OR 2 speedboats. Even though there‘s information online about a direct speedboat, the information I got from everyone on the island is that there’s no such option, so you will need to change in Koh Lanta. The whole trip takes about 4 hours. If you wanna avoid the speedboats for the stretch where you have a ferry option, you can take a ferry to Koh Lanta (1 hour ride) and then the speedboat to Koh Lipe.
or
- Phuket – Koh Lanta – Koh Lipe: by either ferry + speedboat OR 2 speedboats. There’s no direct connection to Koh Lipe from Phuket either, so if you are coming from there, you will need to transfer in Koh Lanta. The good news is that there are some ferry connections between Phuket and Koh Lanta. They take 4 hours but you can avoid the speedboats at least on that part of the journey. The stretch between Koh Lanta and Koh Lipe can only be done by speedboats though. Check both of these travel options through the links on the right.
or
I‘m sure you get what I mean now, right?
Getting there really isn‘t the easiest thing ever but if you‘re willing to put up with some planning and long journeys, you will be rewarded by visiting one of the most beautiful places in the World.
Thai Immigration & visas
Koh Lipe is such a tiny island but due to its locating, it’s actually the place where many people enter Thailand. Everyone who is coming in from Langkawi in Malaysia, will have Koh Lipe as their first point of entry in Thailand and will need to clear immigration on the island.
That’s what I did and it was one of the most surreal and fun travel experiences I ever had: it’s probably the one and only time I will clear immigration with my feet on the sand.
If you take the ferry from Langkawi like I did, the staff will take your passport and keep it during the ferry ride. Once you get to Koh Lipe, simply hang out at the beach next to the Immigration and wait for your name to be called up by the staff to give you your passport back and clear immigration.
As for visa requirements, Thailand has just extended their Visa Exemption agreements, so nationals from 93 countries are currently allowed to stay up to 60 days without needing a visa. Check if you are from one of those countries here.
Here are the requirements for the Visa Exemption:
- To be a national from one of those 93 countries
- To have a valid passport that is valid for at least 6 more months
- Pledge to be in Thailand strictly for touristic purposes
- Provide proof of accommodation in Thailand
- Provide proof of financial means to support yourself during your stay in Thailand (a minimum of 10000 Thai Baht for solo travelers and 20000 for a family)
- Have proof of onward travel: a ticket out of Thailand at the end of your stay
There is lots of talk about these entry requirements among travellers and many people are really concerned about how strictly enforced they are.
While I do think you should follow all these requirements and have them ready to show the immigration officer, I do think that most of those requirements are rarely enforced.
I had all of those documents and was only asked for my passport – so my conclusion is: it’s usually an easier process than most people imagine and you shouldn’t stress too much about it.
Koh Lipe’s unique Immigration process
National Park Fee
ATMs on Koh Lipe
You will find some outdated information online claiming that there are no ATMs on Koh Lipe but I visited in November of 2023 and there were several.
This one has pretty bad reviews on Google Maps but it’s the one I used and I never had any problems with it.
Tip: all ATMs in Thailand will charge you a 220 Baht fee for any withdrawal, no matter the amount of money you wanna take. So you’re much better off taking out a lot of money at once so you don’t need to constantly make withdrawals and keep paying that annoying fee.
And, if you’re wondering if you really need cash to make payments or if you can pay by card in most places, let me tell you this: you will need cash all the time in Thailand.
Where to stay
- “The Street” Hostel: clean and stylish, this cheap hostel has really friendly staff and is located just a couple of hundred meters from the beach.
- Bloom Cafe & Hostel: really centrally located hostel with great reviews and a nice cafe at the bottom. I made some friends in Koh Lipe who were staying there and they wouldn’t stop raving about this hostel.
- The Chic Lipe: a fancier option that still does not cost a lot, perefct for someone who wants to stay at a hostel but doesn’t wanna compromise on style. It’s located slightly outside of the main area, which can be great to get a more quiet and relaxed vibe while still being close to everything thanks to Koh Lipe’s tiny size.
💲💲 Medium budget stays:
- Wapi Resort: this is the perfect place if you wanna stay in bungalows straight in front of the water for quite a reasonable price.
- Forra Dive Resort Sunrise: if you wanna stay literally at the beach without paying a fortune, this is the perfect option for you. At Forra Dive Resor Sunrise, you can stay at low-key bungalows located 50 meters from the sea. I walked past those bungalows everyday on the way to the beach and they looked so dreamy that I really wished I had decided to stay there.
- Lipe Banyan Apartments: this is the perfect option for you if you want to have a sea view without paying too much for accommodation.
- Bundhaya Villas Koh Lipe: this 4 star hotel with an amazing pool and beautiful rooms would cost a ton in other parts of the World. Take advantage of Thailand’s low prices and enjoy some luxury for a very reasonable price!
💲💲💲 Luxury stays:
- Idyllic Concept Resort: a stylish four star hotel straight in front of the nicest beach in Koh Lipe. Choose their Deluxe Suite with a Seaview for the most gorgeous seaview you have ever seen from a hotel room.
- Irene Pool Villa Resort: the most special and luxurious hotel in Koh Lipe. This 5 star hotel is located on the most beautiful stretch of sand of the whole island. All rooms have private pools and some even have pools with an absolutely gorgeous sea view. There cannot be a better hotel to choose if you wanna splurge and make sure that your time in Koh Lipe is truly unforgettable.
I hope this blog post help you plan your trip to Koh Lipe and answered the questions you might have had about the island. It’s not the absolute easiest place to get to and that’s why it requires some research and planning, but I can promise you that it’s totally worth it and you will have the time of your life there!
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