Getting to Koh Lipe: Everything You Need to Know

Are you dying to add Koh Lipe to your Thailand itinerary, but are unsure on how to reach this incredible island paradise? 

Koh Lipe is part of the protected Tarutao National Marine Park, a large archipelago consisting of 51 islands, which means that large ferries are not allowed within a certain radius of the island.

This leaves speedboats as the only means of reaching Koh Lipe, and to say these speedboats have built a reputation is an understatement.

Riding on one of these definitely was an unforgettable experience.

We got lucky and found nothing but calm seas on our way to the island, but saw first-hand what mildly rough waters could do on the way back to the mainland.

We spent the better part of two hours with our fellow passengers getting literally launched out of our seats, landing painfully back down and making a genuine effort to keep our breakfast from joining us on deck.  

In light of our memorable experience, today we’ll be taking a look at everything you need to know in order to be prepared for your trip to Koh Lipe, from useful items and medications to essential tips to make your journey more enjoyable!

Let’s get started.

Reduce your travel time

The first step in reducing the discomfort of travelling on a speedboat is to make sure you’re on it for as short a time as possible.

• If you plan on travelling from the mainland, your best bet is to choose Pak Bara Pier in Hat Yai as your launching point. The journey from there will take you around 2h30 hours, and is the shortest possible from the mainland.

  If you’re flying in, you even can book a seat plus a transfer to the pier directly from a kiosk near the exit of the airport. Just keep in mind that the last boat leaves at 15h00, so make sure to plan your flight accordingly. If you can’t make the connection, we recommend spending a night in Hat Yai; It’s a lovely city with a real authentic feel, and an amazing food culture to tie it all together! 

• If you’re already busy visiting islands in the Andaman Sea, then we believe Koh Lanta would be your best choice. The journey should again take you around 3 hours, but be aware the sea has the tendency to be a little rougher than what you would encounter when travelling from the mainland. 

Finally, another popular destination to catch a speedboat to Koh Lipe is Phuket. Considering that it would take you 5 hours to reach your destination, we don’t really recommend this option. If you’re unlucky and come across bad weather you could be in for an absolutely miserable experience.

Phuket was actually our last stop before Koh Lipe, and we opted to fly down to Hat Yai and catch the speedboat there. We hopped on an early flight from Phuket, and arrived to Pak Bara Pier with plenty of time to catch a speedboat in the late morning.

We chose Sea@Holiday as our carriers, and were really happy with the service!

Take sea sickness into account

Regardless of whether or not you usually suffer from sea sickness, you should take some extra precautions for this trip.

Speedboats have no bathrooms or sick bags, so if you need to throw up you’ll have to do all over yourself or overboard, which you can’t do because you’d be at risk of falling out yourself.

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With that in mind, here are a few tips that help us manage sea sickness:

• Go easy on meals.

  You don’t need to fast before your boat trip, but a slightly empty stomach will help you manage your nausea more effectively.

• Try to move with the boat.

  It’s easier said that done when you’re being lifted out of your seat, but following the movement of the boat instead of fighting against them an excellent way to manage sea sickness.

• Take sea sickness medication.

  Even if you’ve never used them before, we really recommend taking some sea sickness medication before your trip. It’s difficult to predict what the sea conditions will be on the spot, and you might just be taking on more than you can manage.

  All in all, everyone has a limit, and this trip is not the best place to discover yours.

• Sit further back.

  The front part of the boat is the one that will get the brunt of impacting the waves, and you’ll feel the bumps a lot more there. The further back you sit, the less shaky it will be.

• Music is a great distraction.

  Listening to songs with a fast, rhythmic beat such as Rock and Hip-Hop can help your body get more in tune with the movement of the boat, reducing the impact on your stomach.

Travel light

While you won’t have any trouble carrying your suitcase on board, be aware that the space on the boat is limited. Large bags are usually stored together in an open space by the back of the boat, and are therefore more exposed to spraying sea water.

On the other hand, if you travel light you can easily keep a small to medium sized backpack with you (along with any sensitive electronics and valuables)!

Wear the right clothing

Koh Lipe does not have any speedboat piers, which means you will have to wade through the water to get in and out of the boat. The water will usually be at about knee height, so we recommend wearing comfortable clothes and shoes that you don’t mind getting wet, and footwear that you can quickly take on and off.

Pro-Tip:

Our outfit of choice is simple shorts and flip-flops or sandals. Swim shorts are also a perfect choice, but they can get uncomfortable after sitting long hours in the boat.

Bring earphones/headphones

Speedboats are extremely noisy, and the constant droning sound of the engine will quickly get on your nerves, especially on longer journeys.

For this reason, we definitely recommend you bring a good pair of earphones or headphones with you (ideally noise-cancelling), and download at least a couple of your favourite albums to listen to on your trip!

Pro-Tip:

If you can, bring a pair of wired earphones, as the shaking of the boat can easily knock them out of your ears.

Think carefully before travelling with small children

We didn’t see many visitors with children on Koh Lipe, and we believe we now know why.

While we don’t have any ourselves, we’re still fairly sure that the sea conditions we experienced would be too much for a small child to go through.

In addition, we’ve heard from other travellers that several carriers don’t provide children-sized life-vests; Since we don’t travel with kids and there were none on the boats during our trips we can’t confirm or dismiss this claim, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.

Don’t be fooled by the weather

Koh Lipe’s weather can change in an instant, and is highly dependant on the time of year.

Plus, there are countless things that can affect the calmness or roughness of the sea; Factors such as currents, wind, weather, all of these can have a huge impact on how your crossing turns out.

For this reason, you should never be fooled by a clear, blue sky, as you never know how the sea will behave.

In fact, our first trip from Pak Bara went great, despite the cloudy weather. On the other hand, our return to the mainland was an absolute nightmare because of the strong wind that picked up during the morning, despite the weather being absolutely clear.

Be on time

Speedboat operators run a tight schedule, and they do not wait around. In addition, schedules are a little more informal and subject to change that if you were hopping on a plane or a train, so make sure you arrive at the pier with plenty of time to spare.

Plus, arriving and boarding on time will allow you to pick the best seats for yourself , adding a little extra comfort to your trip.

With a bit of preparation, we’re sure that your journey to this island paradise will be a breeze.

Koh Lipe is one of our favourite destinations in Thailand, and absolutely worth going through the effort of getting there, even if it’s a bumpy ride!

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