Ko Lipe (, ) is a small island in the Adang-Rawi Archipelago of the

Strait of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...

, in Satun Province of southwest

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, close to the Malaysian border. Its Thai name, the corrupted form of the original Malay name, ''Pulau Nipis'' ('thin island') is transliterated in many different ways into English. The most common names are "Koh Lipe", "Koh Lipeh", "Ko Lipey", and "Ko Lipe". Ko Lipe is on the border of the

Tarutao National Marine Park Tarutao National Park () consists of 51 islands in the Strait of Malacca, off the coast of Satun Province of southern Thailand. The Tarutao National Park consists of two island groups: ''Tarutao'' (, or ) and ''Adang-Rawi'' (, ), which are s ...

and is directly south of the larger islands Ko Adang and Ko Rawi, and about 50 km from the island of

Ko Tarutao Ko Tarutao island () is the largest island of the Tarutao National Park in Satun Province of southern Thailand. The island is long and wide. It is one of the most unspoiled islands in Andaman Sea and in all of Thailand. Ko Tarutao is located a ...

. It was originally settled by a group of Malayic-speaking people, sea gypsies (''chao leh'' in Thai and 'orang laut' in Malay), known as the

Urak Lawoi’ people Urak Lawoi (; ; ) are an Aboriginal Malay, aboriginal Austronesian people residing on the islands of Phuket Province, Phuket, Phi Phi, Jum (island), Jum, Ko Lanta District, Lanta, Bulon and on Ko Lipe, Lipe and Ko Adang, Adang, in the Adang Arch ...

. The islands economy is largely centered around tourism, especially because of its white sandy beaches and

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

Access

During high season (October to June), there are several locations from which travellers can take a ferry or speedboat to Ko Lipe, including: Ko Lanta, Pak Bara,

Phi Phi The Phi Phi Islands (, , ) are an island group in Thailand between the large island of Krabi Province, Krabi and the Straits of Malacca coast of Thailand. The islands are administratively part of Krabi Province. Ko Phi Phi Don (, ) (''ko'' 'isl ...

, Trang, and

Langkawi Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) located some 30 km off the coast of northwe ...

(Malaysia). During low season (Mid June to mid October), the only way to get to Ko Lipe is by speedboat from Pak Bara. The ferry from Langkawi to Ko Lipe operates from mid October until mid May From Langkawi, The ferry schedule will be one trip or two trips daily depends on months, travellers can depart / arrive at Kuah Jetty Terminal or Telaga Harbour Terminal. From Ko Lipe, travellers can depart & arrive at Bundhaya Resort or Pattaya Beach. The journey will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Tourism

Ko Lipe has three main beaches which are Sunset Beach (''Hat Pramong''), Sunrise Beach (''Hat Chao Ley''), and Pattaya Beach. The calm, clear water makes Ko Lipe ideal for snorkeling, with 25 percent of the world's tropical fish species found in the area. Ko Lipe is also popular with Generation X and typically older generations looking for a peaceful break.

Environmental concerns

Development on the island is rapidly growing to meet the increase in tourism, leading to issues with waste management, wildlife conservation, and energy supplies. The parks department is trying to control the amount of building on Lipe as many developers have built resorts on National Park land. Upon arrival at Ko Lipe, visitors are charged with National Park admission fee and environmental fee.

Activity

Popular activities for visitors to the island does include sight seeing of natural features, water sports such as scuba diving, snorkeling and kayaking, boat trips to nearby islands and reefs such as Ko Usen and Ko Kra and drinking and dining, particularly fresh seafood on walking street. Visitors take in sunrise views on Sunrise beach and partake in nightlife on Pattaya Beach. Scuba diving and snorkelling around Koh Lipe is often viewed as some of the best in Thailand because of the healthy reefs and range of marine life.

References

External links

Koh Lipe Island the independent Guide

Ko Lipe Facts
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How to get to Koh Lipe Island and about Koh Lipe
{{Borders of Thailand Islands of Thailand Lipe Geography of Satun province