Erawan Museum is one of the more interesting and unique museums in Bangkok. The museum's centrepiece is a massive bronze statue of a three-headed elephant. As well as being a museum this is a popular place of worship for Buddhists.
Thailand: Koh Lipe
Ko Lipe is a Thai island in the Andaman Sea, near Malaysia's border. It's part of Tarutao National Marine Park, which is populated with small islands and known for its coral-rich waters. The island has sandy beaches, including Pattaya and Hat Chao Le.
Koh Lipe was the first place we ever visited in Thailand, and it was a perfect introduction. It is tiny so getting around on foot is very easy. It is one of those places where you can stay and never wear your shoes – unless you are exploring the jungle trails. Despite its size, there are many places to stay from five-star resorts to hostels to AirBnBs that can fit anyone’s budget. The main hub of activity is the walking street with its shops, bars and restaurants. Beware this narrow thoroughfare can get busy during the evenings!
Most people come here to relax and spend time around the hotel pools or on the beach, or venture out to the crystal blue sea diving or snorkelling around the reefs.
We spent four nights here, which was a perfect amount of time for us.
1. WALKING STREET
Koh Lipe’s walking street is the main thoroughfare where there are dozens of dive shops, tour operators, restaurants, bars and massage shops. It is called a walking street, but this doesn’t apply to motorbikes, scooters and worst of all motorbike taxis. The latter vehicle is a motorbike which is attached to a trailer of sorts which wraps around the side and back of the bike. The combination took up about two-thirds of the walkway and was a constant irritation and threat.
There are limited things to do around Koh Lipe, apart from relax. If you do want to try out one of the island’s activities there are plenty of shops to book these from. No need to do any of this before arriving here.
The most popular activities are diving and snorkelling. One of the things we wanted to do whilst we were on the island was to do some snorkelling. We talked to people at a few of the small shops running as tour operators and settled on one man who gave us the best explanation of what the snorkelling trip included.
2. SNORKELLING & DIVING
There are plenty of opportunities for diving and snorkelling tours from Koh Lipe. We are not divers, so we had booked ourselves on a day of snorkelling.
Our instruction for the morning was to meet our boat on the beach by the Site Beach Resort at 9:30 am. We scuttled down to get breakfast, with all our gear and then walked the few yards to the beach. The tide was out so there were a number of long-tail boats high and dry on the beach. We were not the only ones waiting on the beach for a boat. As time passed more boats started to turn up, but it was not clear who was with what boat. Karen called the man we had booked the tour with who said the boat was on its way and was ‘coming over the hill’. We waited and waited until we were the only people left on the beach waiting for a boat. Of course, by now we were getting a little worried. Finally, our boat turned up and we were surprised to see our friends we’d met the day before, Art and Corine, aboard together with another couple who turned out to be from China.
Our captain set out for our first snorkelling spot. Koh Lipe is in an island group called the Satun Islands, a National Park that is renowned for its marine life. This of course makes it a haven for divers! The day included visiting several spots around the Satuns. After about 20 minutes of crossing some choppy waters, we pulled up on a beach on Koh Adang, an uninhabited island that is much larger than Koh Lipe. We climbed off the boat, put on our snorkelling gear and launched ourselves into the sea. The reef started only feet from the shore, and we were soon swimming over the most beautiful coral, it was the best I’d ever seen, with a huge variety on display. Among the coral were some of the most beautiful giant clams with a variety of coloured ‘lips’ – the most stunning of which was a dark blue. Swimming in and out of the coral was a large variety of fish including parrot fish, butterfly fish and one of my favourites, yellow and black angel fish. We spent about 45 minutes swimming on the reef before climbing back on the boat. On the way to our next destination, Koh Yang, where we’d be having lunch.
Koh Yang was the place where all the boats came for lunch, and there was quite a number already there when we arrived. There were some picnic tables set up, and we grabbed one. The company provided us with a delicious rice and vegetable lunch.
After we had eaten, we had some downtime before heading out again.
Half an hour later it was time to leave for our next snorkel spot. It took about 20 minutes to reach Koh Hing Ngam, which was a rocky shore, small island. This time we didn’t beach, instead the captain set anchor about 400 metres offshore. We put on our snorkelling gear and got into the water. Here the water was a lot deeper, and the combination of cloudier weather, depth and things in the water made visibility not as good as earlier in the day. There were lots of small particles in the water that had brought the fish to the surface to feed on – we later suspected that these were some small creatures and that they bit, as everyone later said they felt as if they were being stung. Not so nice. Anyway, there again was lots of coral and fish. Karen was concerned that we were not, or at least I was not following the ‘buddy’ system, as I was totally engrossed in filming with the GoPro. When I looked up, we had drifted 300 metres from the boat, so we decided to head back. As we swam, as hard as we could, back to the boat we began to realise that there was a strong current and we were not making much headway. Karen eventually managed to find some water with less current and got back to the boat. I was really struggling. However hard I swam I was not going anywhere fast. Karen asked if I was okay, and I said ‘no’. I was getting tired. I could float but getting back to the boat was now not easy. Another boat had arrived and one of the passengers who had gotten into the water kindly gave me his life jacket. Our captain brought the boat closer and threw in the lifebuoy and eventually, I was dragged back to the boat and to safety.
After my near-death experience, we went a little way around the corner of the island to a beach with huge dark pebbles, made from metamorphic stones that have been made smooth over the millennia by the action of the sea. It is believed that whoever takes any rocks from the island will be cursed by the island guardian spirit called “Chao Pho Tarutao”. Art didn’t seem to have read this as he took some smaller pebbles with him. There are also signs on the beach not to make stone towers, but they say those who can make a tower with 12 rocks, their wishes will come true. I only managed about 5 rocks in my tower, but I was a little shaky from my near drowning.
On the way back our captain skipped the last snorkelling point as the conditions were not great and there were too many boats in the small area. Instead, he took us on a ride around the other side of Koh Lipe Island.
3. A DAY TRIP TO KOH ADANG
From Koh Lipe, you can make the short hop to the close by island of Koh Adang. From the Nothern part of Sunrise Beach, you can take a long-tail boat to Koh Adang. The cost one way per person is 100 baht ($3.20 USD) and just let the driver know when you would like to be picked up from Koh Adang.
Besides beautiful, white beaches, you can also find a magnificent viewpoint on top of the Chado Cliff that overlooks Koh Lipe. It’s nice to hike to this viewpoint and to watch the amazing views. There is a simple map at the visitor’s centre. The hike should take you approximately 45 minutes one way. Be sure to have decent shoes because it is a pretty steep climb up the hill.
4. HANG OUT ON THE BEACHES
Koh Lipe has some stunning beaches. The largest and most crowded is Pattaya Beach probably, where most of the hotels and resorts are located. From here you can walk straight into Walking Street. If you fancy somewhere a bit quieter, you can go around the corner and visit Sanom Beach.
Sunset Beach and Sunrise Beach are other beautiful beaches. Like the names already tell, at Sunset Beach you can watch the sunset and at Sunrise Beach you can watch a beautiful sunrise.
The quietest beach is Secret Beach (Patai Galah Beach). You have to walk a little through a “jungle” path, but you won’t be disappointed
5. WATCH A FIRE SHOW
One of the things we enjoyed doing in the evenings was to go down to the bars along Pattaya Beach, where there would be nightly ‘fire shows’ given by some of the locals. This incendiary entertainment is popular with tourists and if you are brave enough you may even get to try it out yourself.
Getting to Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe isn’t the easiest island to get to, but it is definitely worth it once you’re there. Most people travel from Krabi, Phuket or Koh Lanta to Koh Lipe. Another option is to travel from Langkawi (Malaysia) to Koh Lipe. The island can only be reached by boat. It’s easy and straightforward to travel from Krabi, Phuket or Koh Lanta to Koh Lipe. We travelled to Koh Lipe from Langkawi in Malaysia. Our taxi collected us at 7:30 am to take us to the Telega Harbour Marina, where we’d be taking a high-speed ferry to Koh Lipe. On the way Karen got the driver to stop at the only post box for miles to put some postcards in. The Telega Harbour ferry terminal is tiny, so finding where to go was not an issue. Working out what to do was another thing. Like us, many people had arrived early, but there was no one on duty except a security guard with poor English. Eventually, at 8 o’clock some people arrived to explain what the process was. If you have vouchers, but no tickets you have to wait in one line. We had our tickets but needed to check in to get our boarding passes. Of course, the check-in desk was not open – that didn’t happen until 8:30. There was a coffee shop which you had to line up for in the same small space as people were waiting to check in – so things were crowded and confused. They also didn’t hand out the departure and arrival documents to fill in until the last minute, so people ended up scrambling around looking for pens while waiting in the check-in line. Oh, the joys of travel. Once checked in we headed down to the lower deck. There were chairs, but they were wet, but a kind young American man produced a towel and dried them for us. We got talking to them. Tim and Becca were from Austin, Texas – well they were Californian born but had moved to Austin for work. Their employer was a semiconductor company who had recently built a plant near Penang, and they had managed to wangle a job there – Becca was on a five-year contract. They were taking a few days of leave to explore Koh Lipe. Finally, it was time to board. We had all assumed we’d be leaving from the lower deck we were on. Of course, that wasn’t the case. Everyone had to file back up the narrow staircase, passed the check-in office and through another door, where we had our departure card collected and passport stamped. Before boarding the boat, we all had to hand our passports over to a crew member of the ferry. I have always felt nervous handing my passport over to a stranger and letting it out of my sight – but there was no other option. The journey to Koh Lipe in Thailand only took about an hour, with the ferry pulling to about 200m offshore. There is no dock on Koh Lipe’s main beach, Pattaya. So, we all had to disembark on to Thai long-tail boat, which the swell made it difficult to climb aboard. We all had to say goodbye to our luggage, hoping that it would follow us on a later long-tail boat. Once we got to the beach, we climbed out onto a floating dock made of blue, plastic jerry cans lashed together with rope, which was a bit wobbly to walk on. Once on Terra Firma, we were instructed to sit down and wait to be called for our immigration check-in. There are worse places to wait to get through immigration than a sandy beach, in the shade of a palm tree watching the waves lapping up on the beach. Plastic chairs were provided so we could relax a bit. We ended up sitting next to the young couple from Texas again, Tim and Becca, and an older couple from Vancouver, British Colombia, Corine and Art. As we waited, we all got chatting and speculating who would get called up first. As it turned out those with Malaysian passports were called up first. We had to wait about 20 minutes to be called, and said goodbye to our new friends, knowing we’d probably see them again on this small island. Once we had our passport stamped, we had to walk a few feet to pay our 200 baht National Park fee as Koh Lipe sits inside a National Park. We were told to keep these on us at all times because if we were approached by a Ranger and couldn’t show the pass we’d be fined. A man from our hotel, the Sita Beach Resort, was waiting for us and took Karen’s case, whilst I dragged mine down the beach.
The best time to visit Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe’s high season begins in November and ends in early May. Peak season begins in mid-December, and finishes at the end of February. It’s peak season during that time for good reason. The dry season runs from November to March, and it is considered peak tourist season on Koh Lipe and hotel and resort prices usually increase with demand. The driest months of these months are December through February. Humidity is at its lowest and the seas are calm and ideal for snorkelling, diving and swimming. The rainy season begins in March and rainfall steadily increases through to October – with rainfall at the highest point during the months of September and October. For comparison, the average rainfall for October is 344mm compared to only 47mm in February – the driest month of the year. Rainfall in the Wet Season is usually brief but heavy with plenty of sunny intervals in between. There can be long periods of rain on occasion but this is far less frequent than average short spells and should not deter anyone. Humidity is higher and the seas can be choppy – resulting in fewer ferries running during the Wet Season.
Where to eat in Koh Lipe
1. TONKOW
We’d walked passed a restaurant called Tonkow during our stroll around Koh Lipe’s walking street and the food looked good. It was also very full, which is always a good sign. So, we thought we’d try it out for dinner.
When we sat down to eat we were surprised when a British man brought us the menu. It turned out that this was Tom from Gloucester who had been running the restaurant with his wife for seven years. We ordered a vegetarian green curry for me and a tom yum soup for Karen. When the food came, we were amazed by the number of vegetables that were in the bowl – so much so that we wished we hadn’t ordered the extra side dish of vegetables. After dinner, we wandered around the village a bit more before heading back to the hotel for the evening.
2. THE ELEPHANT
We’d walked passed a restaurant called Tonkow during our stroll around Koh Lipe’s walking street and the food looked good. It was also very full, which is always a good sign. So, we thought we’d try it out for dinner.
When we sat down to eat we were surprised when a British man brought us the menu. It turned out that this was Tom from Gloucester who had been running the restaurant with his wife for seven years. We ordered a vegetarian green curry for me and a tom yum soup for Karen. When the food came, we were amazed by the number of vegetables that were in the bowl – so much so that we wished we hadn’t ordered the extra side dish of vegetables. After dinner, we wandered around the village a bit more before heading back to the hotel for the evening.
Where to stay in Koh Lipe
1. MID RANGE – SITA BEACH RESORT
The Sita Beach Resort sits on Pattaya Beach, and is only a 10-minute walk, if that, along the beach from where we had landed. It is a beautiful property. Some men took our bags to our room, and we followed behind on foot. We passed the lovely swimming pool and climbed the hill, following the signs ‘Tsunami Evacuation Route’, which encouraged Karen somewhat. Our room was a ‘superior’ room with a pool view on the first floor (or second floor to our American friends). It was lovely, we did have a sneak view of the pool, but more importantly from our large patio, we had a view of the sea.
2. LUXURY – IRENE POOL VILLA RESORT
Facing the beachfront, Irene Pool Villa Resort, Koh Lipe offers 5-star accommodations in Ko Lipe and features an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center and restaurant. Featuring a bar, the hotel is close to several noted attractions, around a few steps from Sunrise Beach (Chao Ley Beach), a 13-minute walk from Pattaya Beach and 0.8 miles from Sunset Beach (Pramong Beach). The property provides a 24-hour front desk, a shuttle service, room service and free WiFi throughout the property.
3. BUDGET – BLOOM CAFE & HOSTEL
Bloom Cafe & Hostel is located in Ko Lipe, a 7-minute walk from Military Camp. Each room at the 2-star hostel has city views, and guests can enjoy access to a shared lounge and to a bar. The tour desk is available to assist guests in planning their days out.
More to Explore
