Walking street At Lipe Island(Koh Lipe) - panoramio

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

Strait of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...

, in Satun Province of southwest

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, close to the Malaysian border. Its Thai name, the corrupted form of the original

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

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 ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติตะรุเตา) 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 isla ...

and is directly south of the larger islands

Ko Adang Ko Adang ( th, เกาะอาดัง, ) is the second biggest island within Tarutao National Marine Park, in Thailand, very close to Ko Lipe island. The island is 6 km long and 5 km wide. The highest point on the island is 690 m. ...

and Ko Rawi, and about 50 km from the island of

Ko Tarutao Ko Tarutao island ( th, เกาะตะรุเตา) is the largest island of Tarutao National Marine 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 ...

. 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 ( ms, Orang Laut; th, อูรักลาโว้ย; ) are an Aboriginal Malay people residing on the islands of Phuket, Phi Phi, Jum, Lanta, Bulon and on Lipe and Adang, in the Adang Archipelago, off the western coast of T ...

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

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

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 Ko Lanta ( th, เกาะลันตา, ) is a district (''Districts of Thailand, amphoe'') in Krabi province, Thailand. History The district was established in December 1901. It consists of four island groups: Mu Ko Lanta National Park, M ...

, Pak Bara,

Phi Phi The Phi Phi Islands ( th, หมู่เกาะพีพี, , ) are an island group in Thailand between the large island of Phuket and the Straits of Malacca coast of Thailand. The islands are administratively part of Krabi Province. Ko Phi ...

, Trang, and

Langkawi Langkawi, officially known by its sobriquet Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah ( ms, Langkawi Permata 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) locate ...

(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 June. From Langkawi, 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.

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 you must pay a 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.

References

External links

Koh Lipe Island the independent Guide

Ko Lipe Facts

Things To Do In Ko Lipe! The Five BEST Activities date 24/04/2018
{{Borders of Thailand Islands of Thailand Lipe Geography of Satun province