Koh Lipe

There's no airport on Koh Lipe, so getting there is genuinely part of the trip. The standard route is to fly into Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) — well connected to Bangkok (both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang) on AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air, and Thai AirAsia, usually for well under 1,500 THB one-way if booked ahead — then take a combined minivan-and-speedboat ticket to the island. The minivan leg to Pak Bara Pier takes about 2 hours, followed by a roughly 90-minute speedboat crossing; combined tickets (bookable through 12Go, Bookaway, or any travel agent in Hat Yai) run around 900–1,200 THB and are worth arranging in advance rather than on spec, especially November–April when boats fill up. Speedboats from Pak Bara typically run at set times — around 09:30, 11:30, and 14:30 — so build your flight arrival around those rather than assuming you can just turn up and go. Coming from Malaysia, a direct speedboat from Langkawi (about 1 hour, with a Thai immigration stop en route) is the easier option and a genuinely popular visa-run route — no need to backtrack through Hat Yai at all. From Bangkok, an overnight train to Hat Yai (roughly 15 hours) followed by the same minivan-and-boat combo is a slower but scenic alternative if you're not in a rush or want to skip flying. Whichever route you take, remember the island effectively closes to boat traffic for stretches during the May–October monsoon season, when rough seas can cancel crossings for days — check conditions before booking if you're travelling outside the November–April dry season. On arrival, high-season boats dock at a floating pontoon off Pattaya Beach and a longtail ferries you the rest of the way for about 50 THB, so keep small notes handy for that last stretch.

Once you're actually on Koh Lipe, forget wheels almost entirely — there are no cars and, unlike most Thai islands, no motorbike rentals for tourists either (the sandy paths are simply too narrow, and the local council has kept it that way on purpose). Locals run a handful of motorbikes as informal taxis instead — flag one down for a flat 100 THB to anywhere on the island, agree the price before you climb on, and expect to squeeze on the back with your bags balanced across your knees. Walking is genuinely the default: nothing on the island is more than a 20-minute walk away, and Walking Street itself goes pedestrian-only after dark, which is honestly the best way to experience it — grill smoke, fairy lights, and no traffic to dodge. Renting a bicycle (roughly 100–150 THB/day from stalls near Pattaya Beach) is a nice way to cover ground faster, though the sandy, uneven paths inland make it more workout than cruise. To reach Ko Adang, Ko Rawi, or the other outer islands you'll need a longtail — either a shared seat on an island-hopping tour or a chartered boat from Sunrise or Pattaya Beach — and note that getting between some beaches (Sunrise to Sunset, for instance) is genuinely easier by longtail than on foot at high tide, when parts of the connecting path disappear underwater.

Leave Grab and Bolt out of your plans entirely — neither operates on Koh Lipe (Grab's Thailand coverage stops at bigger islands like Phuket and Koh Samui), and there's no food-delivery app either, since everything worth eating is a five-minute walk from wherever you're staying. Book boat tickets ahead through 12Go or Bookaway rather than counting on booking anything last-minute once you're there — connectivity outside the main strip is patchy, and high-season boats do sell out. Bring a Wise or Revolut card for fee-free withdrawals at the ATMs now dotted along Walking Street and the pier — the island is still largely cash-based day to day, and machines occasionally run dry on busy weekends, so don't rely on being able to top up at the last minute. LINE is the messaging app locals, dive shops, and tour operators actually use to confirm bookings, so it's worth having installed before you land rather than trying to chase things over WhatsApp. Mobile data is 4G-only and can get patchy along the busiest stretch of Walking Street at peak times — a local SIM (AIS or True Move both have reasonable Lipe coverage) or an eSIM loaded before you fly is worth having as a backup to resort Wi-Fi, which varies wildly in speed from place to place.

Bring more cash than you think you'll need — tuk-tuks, market stalls, dive shops, and plenty of smaller guesthouses here are cash-only, and while ATMs exist now, they're not always reliable, especially on busy weekends in high season. The island sits inside Tarutao National Marine Park, so expect a national park fee (around 200 THB for adults, cash only) either on arrival or when you book a snorkeling trip — hold onto the ticket, as rangers do spot checks on the outer islands. The park itself typically closes mid-May to mid-October each year to let the reefs recover from monsoon swells, which can affect island-hopping trips and even ferry schedules during that window — if you're travelling May–October, build in flexibility and expect some businesses to be shut for the season. Dress is properly casual, but throw a shirt or sarong on walking through the village behind Sunrise Beach if you've come straight off the sand — it's home to the Urak Lawoi, or Chao Ley, sea-nomad community who've lived here since well before the resorts, and it's still a working fishing village underneath the tourist layer, not a photo opportunity. A service charge isn't automatically added at most restaurants and bars, so a small tip for good service is appreciated but never expected. And go easy on single-use plastic — there's no mainland-scale waste system on an island this size, so nearly everything you bring in has to be shipped back out by boat, and the marine park rangers do take reef protection seriously, so no touching or standing on coral while snorkeling.

Sunrise Beach is the easy first-timer's pick — calm, clear water good for a swim right off your sunbed, gentler morning light, the island's healthiest coral reef just offshore (look for the turtles), and a short walk to Walking Street without sitting in the middle of its noise. It's also the longest stretch of beach on the island, running past the Urak Lawoi fishing village toward the northern tip, so options range from basic bungalows to genuinely upscale reef-front resorts, and it's generally the most expensive of the three beaches. Pattaya Beach is the liveliest stretch and where most boats come in, putting you steps from restaurants, dive shops, and the island's nightlife — beach bars here run fire shows and bonfires most evenings — so go here if you want to fall out of dinner and straight into a bar, or if you're diving and want to be close to the shops; Bloom Cafe & Hostel is a solid, well-reviewed budget base right in the thick of it. Sunset Beach, on the rockier west coast, is the quiet option — fewer resorts, cheaper rooms, a genuine 15-minute walk to Walking Street, and a noticeably more laid-back, budget-friendly scene than Sunrise's polish — but it's unbeatable for a sundowner and a stillness the other two beaches don't really have anymore.

Walking Street is dinner central once the sun goes down, with grills firing and the island's best-loved kitchens clustered within a few hundred metres of each other. Restaurant Ranee Seafood is the one everyone raves about for fresh-off-the-boat seafood done simply and well — point at what you want from the ice display and they'll grill or steam it to order. Tonkow Restaurant and Nèe papaya Thaifood & BBQ are reliable go-tos for proper Thai barbecue and southern classics like gaeng som pla (a sharp, orange, fish-based curry) without the inflated tourist-strip pricing. For something different, BOMBAY INDIAN RESTAURANT has built a serious following for genuinely good curries — it's consistently one of the most-reviewed spots on the whole island, and worth booking ahead in high season. Butsara Noodle is the low-key noodle stall locals actually eat at, good for a cheap, fast lunch between beach stops, while SYMBOLIC CAFE is a solid midday stop for something lighter. Bloom Cafe & Hostel does a good, reliable breakfast if you're staying nearby and want real coffee before the day's boat trip. When the kitchens wind down, Zodiac Bar and Monkey Bar keep Walking Street going late with drinks and a properly social, sandy-footed crowd — Zodiac in particular is the spot for a last drink right as the street empties out and the grill smoke settles.

Seafood is the whole point here, and it doesn't get much fresher: nightly BBQ stalls along Walking Street lay out the day's catch — tiger prawns, squid, snapper, barracuda — on ice for you to pick and have grilled or steamed to order, usually with a garlicky nam jim seafood dipping sauce on the side. Restaurant Ranee Seafood is the name everyone mentions first for this, but half the stalls along the strip do a genuinely good version. For proper Thai cooking beyond the grill, look for gaeng som pla, a sharp, tamarind-and-chilli orange curry with fish that's a southern Thai specialty and shows up on menus at places like Tonkow Restaurant and Nèe papaya Thaifood & BBQ, alongside tom yum goong (the classic sour-spicy prawn soup) and khao pad kra pao (stir-fried holy basil over rice, usually with a fried egg on top). Roti — the crispy, folded flatbread sold from small carts, plain or stuffed with banana and drizzled in condensed milk — is the go-to Walking Street dessert or late-night snack. BOMBAY INDIAN RESTAURANT is worth knowing about even if Thai food is why you came, since it's genuinely one of the best-reviewed kitchens on the island, not just a tourist fallback. For something quick and local, Butsara Noodle serves the kind of simple noodle soup that's built its reputation on repeat customers rather than marketing. Wash it all down with a Chang or Singha beer at sunset, or a fresh coconut or Thai iced tea (cha yen) during the day — and if you're around in mangosteen or rambutan season, look for baskets of it sold along the main strip.

Walking Street doubles as the shopping strip and is worth a slow wander even if you're not buying — stalls sell sarongs, beachwear, and the usual souvenir circuit, but there's enough genuinely handmade stuff mixed in (batik, woven bags, driftwood art, local jewelry) to make digging through worthwhile. It properly comes alive as a night market from around 5pm, when vendors set up tables alongside the food stalls, so aim for early evening before the best pieces sell out — a bit of friendly haggling is expected and won't offend anyone. A few dive shops and boutiques along the strip also sell decent swimwear and reef-safe sunscreen, worth grabbing if you forgot yours, since options are limited once you're actually out on the water. Beyond Walking Street there isn't much of a shopping scene here; this is a beach-and-boat island, not a retail one, so don't expect malls, fixed-price boutiques, or much beyond what fits on a market table.

The main event is getting out on the water: a full-day longtail island-hopping trip to Ko Adang, Ko Rawi, and Ko Hin Ngam (roughly 700–800 THB depending on season) takes you through some of the clearest snorkeling in the Andaman, with a lunch stop on Ko Rawi's white-sand beach where monkeys sometimes turn up uninvited. Ask about adding Ko Yang and Jabang to the route if your operator offers it — Ko Yang's shallow, coral-packed bay is one of the best beginner snorkel spots in the archipelago, while Jabang is known for unusual pink and purple soft coral that looks almost artificial. If you dive, the reefs and drop-offs around Ko Adang and Ko Pung are reason enough to add an extra day or two — operators like Adang Sea Divers run trips straight off Sunrise Beach, and it's not unheard of to spot a passing manta ray or whale shark on the deeper sites. On Ko Adang itself, the viewpoint hike (about 45 minutes each way, steep and root-strewn near the top) rewards you with the best whole-island view of Koh Lipe you'll find anywhere — go for sunrise or late afternoon to avoid the worst of the heat. Back on land, get a Thai massage — Triluck Massage is the standout, usually booked solid by mid-afternoon for good reason — and close the day with a sundowner at Zodiac Bar or down on Sunset Beach itself, just as Walking Street shuts down to traffic and fills with grill smoke and fairy lights. If you're curious about the island's roots, the Urak Lawoi village behind Sunrise Beach is a reminder that Lipe was a fishing settlement long before it was a destination — walk past respectfully rather than treating it as a sightseeing stop.