Ko Lipe is a tiny island in the Andaman sea and is one of the 51 islands of the Taratoa National Marine Park. It is a paradise to experience with long stretches of white sand that each morning are strewn with flowers - lifted by the night breeze from trees that fringe the sand. The Coco Bungalow beach huts are simple and perfect, and literally nestle in front of the sea. A real Robinson Crusoe experience. A simple mat on the floor is your comfy bed, but even the cheapest (only a few pounds) come with toilet and shower.
It is a family owned resort and feels intimate and safe. We were left to ourselves to get up with the sunrise and sit on our balcony and brew coffee (we'd brought a kettle and the tiny local shop supplied us with coffee and bananas for breakfast.) The rest of the day might be spent with dreamy long walks seeking shells along the beach, snorkelling in the clear, blue and lusciously warm waters, or trying to chat and play with the kids of the island. The Chao Ley are the indigenous inhabitants; a nomadic tribe that I watched for hours as they painstakingly and skillfully created long tail boats on the waters edge, under the shelter of Casuarina trees which flowed gently in the warm breeze.

Coco Bungalows, Sunrise Beach,
Thai Bhat 400-2200.
Access via speedboat/ferry from Pak Barra on mainland, southern Thailand. 1.5-2 hours. They run between November and May. Then longtail boat from ferry to the beach as there are no piers.
Google map: bit.ly/eijczG

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Koh Lipe, a small island in the Andaman Sea, is a little gem 60km off the coast inside the Tarutao National Marine Park. Koh Lipe has become the southern anchor of the busy north-south Andaman tourist route and getting there these days couldn’t be easier with boats arriving from all up and down the coast including Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, Krabi and Trang. Koh Lipe is also the jumping off point to Langkawi and Malaysia.

At it's largest, the island is only 2km long and 1km wide. With two main beaches each with their own distinct character, there is something for everyone. The busy one, Pattaya beach, has a wide beach stretched in a long crescent of fine white sand. In the evening it transforms as restaurants and bars set out chairs and bamboo mats on the sand and lit by candle lit and reggae tunes drift down the beach.

On the other side of the island is Sunrise Beach with views of several small nearby islands and a cool onshore breeze most of the year. Sunrise Beach is the opposite of Pattaya beach, with just a few resorts and bars, it is very laid back. It also has a very large coral reef with the best snorkelling on the island directly from the beach.

There are no cars on the island, and thankfully just a few motorbikes, so people get around by walking. The whole island can be explored on foot in a couple of hours. Pooh’s Bar (www.poohlipe.com) in the middle of the island is run by the charismatic Pooh and is almost an institution on the island. Famous for its live music in the evenings it draws a large crowd.

Karma Bar (www.karmabar.net) at the north end of Sunrise Beach is well known on the back packer scene with its mellow music and great location. At the other end of Sunrise beach Castaway Resort (kohlipe.castaway-resorts.com) has stunning sea and island views, which viewed from its raised candle lit deck has to be the ultimate in chilled out dining and drinking.

Tarutao National Marine Park has some of the best dive sites in all of Thailand. Within easy boat reach of Koh Lipe are hundreds of coral reefs with an amazing variety of huge hard and soft corals. The corals and seas around Koh Lipe are full of marine life, offering everything from turtles to huge rays. Even if you aren’t a diver you can enjoy the marine world drifting along the edges of coral reefs with a mask and snorkel. Compared to other dive and snorkel areas there is so much to see and no competition to see it.

Koh Lipe still has a lot of cheap back packers accommodation, with places like Varin offering simple bamboo huts close to the beach. At the top end is Sita Beach with a swimming pool and Castaway Resort with its two-story breezy bungalows which was described by the Lonely Planet as ‘the most chic on Lipe’.

www.kohlipemap.com
Tips for travellers:
* If you are travelling from Hat Yai, be in Pak Bara before 11am to catch the speed boat.
* If you are travelling from Langkawi, the boat journey is shorter and there is a small efficient immigration on Koh Lipe.
* There are no ATM's on the island, so make sure you bring enough cash for your stay, and then double it as you'll end up deciding to stay longer!
* Varin2 on Sunrise beach has the newest and cheapest bamboo bungalow huts.

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Probably one of the most beautiful spots in Thailand - in Tarutao national marine park. Emerald green seas, not too many tourists, and beautiful, empty, white sand beaches.

There's a video and podcast summing it up that some friends made uploaded on this website:

There's a video and podcast summing it up that some friends made uploaded on this website:
www.earthoria.com/video-beautiful-koh-lipe-island.html
www.earthoria.com/podcast-koh-lipe-tarutao-marine-park.html

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