Koh Lipe is a small island located next to the Satun Province of southwest Thailand, close to the Malaysian border. The island is also called the “Maldives of Thailand” and it is easy to see why. The white sandy beaches and turquoise blue waters make Koh Lipe a paradise on earth. We stayed here for three days and spend most of our time exploring the beaches and swim in the ocean. Below we compiled a list of all beaches that can be found on Koh Lipe.
Koh Lipe only has three beaches; Sunrise Beach, Sunset Beach and Pattaya Beach. Sunrise Beach is in our opinion the most beautiful beach on the island and also the best place to go snorkelling.
Sunrise Beach is 800 meter long and is located on the east side of the island, next to a wide shallow bay. The best time to go snorkelling is during high-tide, because at low-tide the coral can be very shallow. However, on the far north side of Sunrise Beach the water never gets really shallow, making this a great spot to snorkel any time of the day.
In front of the Sunrise Beach you will find two small island, Koh Kra and Koh Usen. Koh Kra can easily be reached by kayak or boat, while Koh Usen can be reached by foot at low-tide. Both islands are great spots to snorkel.
Sunset Beach is located on the north of the island and is way less crowded. This is because the ocean is more rough on this side and the water is a bit murky. However there is still a good place to snorkel on the left side of Sunset Beach, where the beach turns into a steep cliff.
Some parts of the Sunset Beach are hidden from the main beach, making these beaches very private.
Pattaya Beach is the longest beach (1km) and the most active beach. Next to Pattaya beach you will find the “Walking Street” and many hotels, restaurants, boutiques and bars. In our opinion Pattaya Beach is less pretty than Sunrise Beach, but it is definitely more active because of all the surrounding activities.
If you still haven’t seen enough of this beautiful island, check out this short video compilation we made during our stay on Koh Lipe.
