Fun Vibes & Visas in Koh Lipe, Thailand.

If you are thinking of sailing in South East Asia, and Thailand in particular, it is most likely you will pass through Langkawi Island, the northernmost exit on Malaysia’s west coast on your way to Thailand. If so, you will check in and out in Kuah Town where there is a large comfortable harbour, Latitude 06﮿18’.94N and Longitude 099﮿50’54E and good shops for provisioning. On entering Thailand by sailboat the Thai Customs Department gives you a 30 days entry visa on arrival in Koh Lipe, which is just 40 nm north of Kuah. Immigration for yachts can be done here but only for the sailing season from November to end of March. You will need to check for up to date information on http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/123/15393-Visa-on-Arrival.html The whole island closes down after the tourist season.

Map of Koh Lipe

Christian and I really enjoy the ultra laid-back vibe in Koh Lipe. Because it is such a short distance away from our marina in Langkawi it makes a very convenient port to enter for a visa run from Malaysia. In Malaysia a person can stay for 90 days and a boat can stay indefinitely, however one has to be out of the country for at least seven days before returning to Malaysia. This is no hardship when visiting Koh Lipe and the surrounding islands with stunning bays and clear waters. We have visited Koh Lipe several times over the past five years of being based in Langkawi. It is a small island of just 1.6km square with three major beaches; Pattaya with its 1km long sandy beach, Sunset and Sunrise beaches. Because there are regular passenger ferries from Langkawi Island, this is a busy little place, a favourite with tourists. The island offers mostly mid-range accommodation with no high rises or hotel chains but prices rise steeply in the peak season around December.

Christian on Pattaya Beach walking back from Immigration

On our sailboat ‘Stardancer’ we anchor or take a mooring at Sunset Beach which is roughly north west, Latitude 06 ͦ29’74N and Longitude 099 ͦ 17’.82 E facing dramatic Koh Adang. As its name declares, this is the spot from which to enjoy the amazing sunsets. In the late afternoon the stretches of beach on this side of the island are covered with people who suddenly materialise to watch the nightly show. Not much else happens on this little island. There are full moon parties, some good bars and the occasional live reggae band, but mostly after 10pm it is very quiet!

Sunset Beach itself is a narrow strip of soft sand by a shallow shelf of turquoise water where the local small fishing boats and water taxis pull up onto the beach. At one end is a stunning point of brilliant white sand sticking out into the sea which attracts not only body bronzers but also those who enjoy windsurfing and kiteboarding. This stretch of sea is often very windy with strong currents. We take the dinghy ashore to leave in front of the Fisheries Department, where there is one green rubbish bin, then walk up the path, turn right onto a narrow road then take a hard left down a track. This leads out onto Pattaya Beach where the gaily painted local boats are lined up to whisk the tourists off on snorkelling and island day trips and where you must go to check in and out with Immigration.

To find Immigration, walk east along the soft white sand past the groovy beach café The Reggae Bar that surprisingly has great Blues blaring to just past the Bundhaya Resort and you will have reached Satun Immigration Check Point – Lipe. If fast ferry speed boats are about to arrive or depart there will be lots of tourists milling around and it may take a while to inch your way along the queue to tell the officer behind the partition you are a yacht wishing to check in. You are then given three forms to sit down and fill in, then if the officer is free you can hand him the forms along with your 200baht fee, Last Port of Call sheet, passports and boat papers. The Immigration Officer does the lot; Immigration, Customs and Harbour Master. We were impressed how quickly and efficiently the process was handled.

Unlike Langkawi’s main beach, Cenang, where buildings block access to the sea, Pattaya Beach is generously wide with little bars, hostels and hotels set back with only low rise buildings. There are no cars; just motorbikes with sidecars used as taxis or scooters to hire. The access to Walking Street is off this beach. This is a fun place to spend time after late morning when the little stalls, boutiques and cafes open. The narrow lane heads inland for about half a kilometre. At night it comes alive with pretty lights, food and music until about midnight.

Anything goes…

I am a coffee fanatic. Each destination becomes my hunting ground for the best coffee. I only have one a day, but it must be a good one. Another favourite of mine is anything avocado, especially avocado and chocolate smoothies, but sadly this is not a good avocado season so I missed out, though probably a good thing for my waistline. I had a coffee instead and I was in raptures. I only hope Blooms Cafe and Hostel keeps up the high standard consistently because we shall visit again. This big village has everything you may need and probably much that you do not. There are pharmacies (no hospitals), atms, hairdressers, dive shops, souvenir shops, clothes boutiques, a small supermarket, lots of cafes selling local foods, many massage places, a pricey but good international restaurant/bar named The Box which does great hamburgers with good Australian beef.

But our favourite stop is a tiny pizza place. For the past few years we have dropped by and got to know the people who run it. The owner works the season in Koh Lipe while her husband does the same in Koh Phayam, further north offshore of Renon, in their other pizza shop. The Thais we have met work hard and seem to be most friendly. Wandering the lanes that split off the main street is fun as well as an excuse to walk off the delicious coconut ice-creams and do some people watching. Koh Lipe is a cosmopolitan place and just about anything goes with the tolerant Thais.

Our pizza place.

The scenery of nearby islands with their limestone karsts and sheer cliffs is dramatic. Tarutao Island is a large island approximately 20nm away from Koh Lipe, with an interesting history as a penal colony and as a pirate hangout. It has good anchorages, and at 53nm away, Koh Muk is another favourite. We paid 200baht each for tickets to enjoy the national parks for five days which goes towards helping keep the beaches clean and neat. Hopefully you will want more than the taste of Thailand that Koh Lipe will give you and will wish to explore more of this magical country. Over the years we have travelled many thousands of kilometres by sea and by motorbike up to the border with Myanmar and Laos and continue to be enthralled at the diversity of scenery, their culture and the smiling people. There is a feeling of joy here. You just can’t help smiling in return.

Shrine on Sunset Beach