When I think back to my visit to Thailand, the place I think about most is Koh Lipe.  The stunning sunrises over the longtail boats, the local sea gypsies, staying in a bungalow right on the beach, the banana pancakes from The Pancake Lady, and the brilliant colors of coral that I saw snorkeling  These are just a few of the memories that I have from this special place.

It was quite a journey to get there, as it is about as far South as you can get in the Andaman Sea and still be in Thailand!  When I was trying to figure out how to get there in Phuket, some of the travel agents hadn’t even heard of it!  To get there, you will need to book a ferry, which you can do here.  I found it easiest to take the ferry from Pak Bara.  You can get a mini-bus from wherever you are staying in Thailand to get to Pak Bara.  It is an interesting experience because the ferry will drop you off in the middle of the ocean on a floating platform where you will transfer with about twenty-five other people and all of their luggage on one single longboat.  I was so excited to have finally arrived in Koh Lipe, but then terrified that our boat would sink before I made it to shore. One word of advice, I have about the ferries.  They are very crowded. Try to sit somewhere  on the outside.  I will warn you, though.  Even though I was glad to not be clustered on the inside of the crowd, sitting on the outside had its risks, too.  One guy suffered a bout of seasickness and literally threw up over my shoulder into the water.  And the worst part is, there was nowhere for me to move to get out of his way!!

I stayed in the beautiful Castaway Resort when I was there.  I highly recommend the splurge and it was one of the best places I’ve ever stayed, although there are cheaper options on the island if you are on a budget.  You can read my full review of  The Castaway here.

When you are there, make sure that you have a pancake from The Pancake Lady.  I met her on the boat ride over.  She is a very interesting person to talk to and has many different kinds of pancakes to choose from.   The next best thing is to sit in the sand at one of the many beach bars and relax and have a drink.  And, here,  you don’t have to worry about the menus being too small to read!

Definitely don’t miss the snorkeling on Koh Lipe!! The coral is some of the most colorful that I’ve seen. Other than that, there’s not much to do, but isn’t that the point?  So sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you!

For more information about the rest of Thailand, check out my Guide To Thailand!  For my blog post about more of my experiences on Koh Lipe, go here.  To read my review of The Castaway Resort, go here.