Ko Lipe

Ko Lipe's beaches, offshore reefs and Karma Beach over four days

Four days suits Ko Lipe. Walk the island from Pattaya Beach to Sunrise and Sunset beaches on day one, snorkel the reefs around Ko Adang and Ko Rawi on day two, swim at Karma Beach on day three, and keep day four loose for the boat to Pak Bara and the drive to Hat Yai.

Walk from Pattaya Beach up Walking Street to Sunrise Beach, where Urak Lawoi' boats are pulled up near the villages, then cut across to Sunset Beach for the evening. The whole island takes under an hour to cross, so by dinner you will know its lanes.

On day two, book a longtail snorkel trip to the reefs around Ko Adang and Ko Rawi; leave early, when the water is clearest and the boats are fewer, and bring reef-safe sunscreen and water. Stop for lunch on one of the beaches inside the national park, where your park ticket covers entry.

Day three can be slower. Swim at Karma Beach on the north shore, looking over the channel to Adang's forested hills, or hire a longtail to drop you on one of the small south-western beaches near Batata and Galah. Try a dive with one of the shops on Pattaya Beach if the snorkelling has hooked you.

Keep the last day loose, because boat times change with the weather and the queue at the pontoon can be long. If you are flying out of Hat Yai International, take a morning boat to Pak Bara and book a later flight to Bangkok, since the road transfer adds a couple of hours.

Walking Street dinners, and asking where the seafood comes from

Most Ko Lipe visitors eat breakfast at their resort and dinner on Walking Street, the inland lane between Pattaya and Sunrise beaches. Fishing is illegal in the waters around the island, so ask where any seafood comes from or order curries such as massaman and gaeng som. 7-Eleven beer costs far less than bar drinks.

Walking Street is the busiest strip: cafes, bakeries, Thai kitchens and bars sit side by side, and it stays lively late. Pattaya Beach adds tables on the sand at night, and a restaurant on the hill above it serves Thai food with a view over the bay.

Because of the fishing ban, skip any dish sold as locally caught and anything offered as a fishing trip; if the answer on sourcing is vague, order massaman or the sour southern gaeng som.

Cocktails are the priciest order on the island. Many resorts with large water jugs will refill your bottle if you ask politely, which cuts down on plastic on a small island with nowhere to put it. Reggae bars on the beaches set the tone after dark.

Snorkelling Ko Adang, Ko Rawi and Tarutao National Marine Park

Ko Lipe's best snorkelling is on the reefs a few minutes offshore around Ko Adang and Ko Rawi, inside Tarutao National Marine Park. Longtail trips visit several sites in a half or full day. Calm water and the best visibility run from November to April, and Ko Tarutao itself is about 45 minutes away.

The reefs are among the healthiest in Thai waters, partly because the 2004 tsunami did little damage here. Trips also take in the smaller rocks between the islands and stop on empty beaches.

Ko Adang, directly north across a narrow channel, is part of Tarutao National Marine Park and almost entirely forest, with a ranger station and trails into the hills. Ko Rawi, to the west, is quieter still. Ko Tarutao, the largest island in the park, makes a long day trip or a night in park accommodation.

Currents here are mostly tidal, so conditions at a site change through the day; good boatmen and dive shops time their trips accordingly. Wear reef shoes in the shallows, where stonefish have been photographed, and never stand on coral. If you do need help, Lipe Hospital next to the school on Sunrise Beach has an English-speaking doctor, and several private clinics are dotted around the island.