Don’t visit Ko Lipe

After 19 years, I finally returned to Ko Lipe, the Thai island I spent about a month on in 2006. Back then, it was one of those super off-the-beaten-track destinations that few but the most intrepid travelers visited, where the electricity only worked a few hours a day, basic bungalows right on the beach were about $2 USD, and there really was a last boat for the season.

There was a lot to do here but that was the point. You hung out on the beach, read a book, snorkeled, went back to the beach, drank beers at the only beach bar on the island, rotated meals between the five restaurants there, and went to bed early.

It was a paradise and a place where many people were trapped. Here days easily turned into weeks.

If you were to ask me what the highlight of all my travels was, it would be the time I spent on Ko Lipe. I made amazing friends, lazed around, met locals, learned a little Thai, and generally lived that idyllic backpacker life we ​​all dream of.

Over the years, I have avoided returning to Ko Lipe because the memory of my time there is so strong that I didn’t want to ruin it. Any new visit would simply be trying to recreate a magic that couldn’t be recreated because the special people wouldn’t be there. I would be chasing ghosts of travel. And, since I know my dream paradise has developed a lot over the years, I was also too afraid that seeing that would make me sad.

Tourism in Thailand tends toward the unsustainable. No island really develops well. It’s all build, build, build.

And I didn’t want to see my Ko Lipe like that.

But while I was planning my recent trip to Southeast Asia, returning to Ko Lipe made sense. I was heading down the Thai side of the Indian Ocean on my way to Malaysia and passed through there.

And since I was looking for a lively place for New Year’s Eve, it seemed like the best option. I knew there would be travelers there and there were no other islands nearby that would work, especially since Ko Lipe has a boat to Langkawi, which was my next stop.

So I sucked it up and left.

And I am sad to report that Ko Lipe adopted Ko Phi Phi’s tourism model and is now extremely developed.

In an unsustainable way.

Most of the island is now paved, the old dirt roads have been turned into cement for cars and construction trucks. Palm strips are now sites of high-end resorts with swimming pools (on an island with no natural water supply). Construction of more resorts continues at a rapid pace. The coral around the island is dying, a victim of all the boats, anchors, pollution and overfishing. The beaches are now littered with boats, whose exhaust fumes spill into the ocean, leaving a glowing film that you can watch as you swim. And the restaurants cater to tourists looking for bad Western food, not great Thai cuisine.

The island’s rise has displaced many locals, who were forced to sell to mainland developers, and much of the island’s workforce now comes from the mainland. They see few of the benefits of this tourism boom.

So lies Ko Lipe, another victim of Thailand’s all-too-common overdevelopment and exploitation of limited resources.

There I met many people who loved the island. If it’s your first time, I can see why you’d love it. After all, the area is postcard perfect, the water is a perfect baby blue, the sand is a beautiful white, and since you’re surrounded by a national park, many tours take you to some secluded islands.

And compared to Ko Phi Phi, Krabi or Phuket, it is less developed, so I can’t blame someone who steps foot here for the first time and says “wow!”.

But in reflecting on the island and its overdevelopment, I have come to the same conclusion as Ko Phi Phi: people should not visit it.

I am not against growth, but I am against this type of growth. It is not managed sustainably and getting there will only further tax the island’s limited resources. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle and no local is going to say “sure, I’ll run out of money so you can have an idealized view of the world.”

But this is not the way.

And, with so many other islands to visit that are well managed (Ko Lanta, Ko Jum and Ko Mook, to name three nearby), I think you should skip Ko Lipe.

A visit there will only make things worse.

It pains me to say that, because it was such a beautiful place and my original visit had a huge impact on my life. But if we want to be good administrators and travelers, sometimes it is enough to say enough.

And Ko Lipe is a place where enough is enough.

Go somewhere else that is better managed.

Because your decisions have an impact.

Elephant riding in Thailand disappeared as consumers became more aware of it. Ecolodges grew thanks to consumers. Consumers talk as much about overtourism as locals.

Maybe if enough people start doing something, Ko Lipe will change.

I doubt it but one can hope.

But at least by not going you’re not contributing to the problem.

Get the detailed budget guide for Thailand!

My 350+ page detailed guide is made for budget travelers like you! It cuts through the nonsense found in other guides and gets straight to the practical information you need for traveling in Thailand. You’ll find suggested itineraries, budgets, ways to save money, things to see and do on and off the beaten path, non-touristy restaurants, markets, bars, safety tips and much more. Click here to learn more and get your copy today.

Planning a trip to Southeast Asia

Get all my best Southeast Asia travel tips and free planning guides delivered straight to your inbox