Koh Tao Or Koh Lipe In Thailand, Which Island To Choose?

Koh Tao and Koh Lipe are both beautiful islands in Thailand. Both islands have amazing beaches and amazing dive sites. Koh Lipe is located in the Andaman Sea in southwest Thailand near the Malaysian border, while Koh Tao is located on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand.

These two islands have a similar atmosphere and vibe. And have a reasonable amount of stuff to do on each Island but there are distinct differences between the two islands. These range from the effects of the high and low seasons to which island has a better range of available accommodation.

In this post, we will go through which island to visit whether it is either Koh Tao or Koh Lipe. Let’s get started!

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Koh Tao Or Koh Lipe

Koh Tao and Koh Lipe are both scuba diving paradises. In comparing these two places, we will compare things to do in each place, accommodation, nightlife, and any other factors that would have an impact on your visit.

Let us compare Koh Tao and Koh Lipe.

Which One Has The Better Beaches?

One of the reasons other than scuba diving both Koh Tao and Koh Lipe are popular islands to visit for their long beautiful gold-sand beaches and the sunset. Making it popular with tourists and locals.

Beaches In Koh Tao

Koh Tao has some amazing beaches, with Sairee Beach being the most popular. This is where you can meet other visitors and backpackers from around the world.

Among other beaches to visit are.

• Freedom Beach.
• Taa Toh Beach.
• Koh Nang Yuan Island.
• Shark Bay Koh Tao.
• Tanote Bay Koh Tao.

Beaches In Koh Lipe

Koh Lipe is home to white sandy beaches with crystal clear blue water for visitors to enjoy. As well as the sea breeze and waves. There are 3 beaches on Koh Lipe which are.

• Sunset Beach.
• Pattaya Beach.
• Sunrise Beach.

Pattaya Beach is properly the most beautiful white sand beach on Koh Lipe.

With most of the ferry services arrive on Pattaya beach and it has easy access to the bars and restaurants on Walking Street.

What’s The Nightlife Like?

Thailand is well known for its nightlife. Some places stay open until late. Making it great for travelers looking to party.

Let’s compare the nightlife between Koh Tao and Koh Lipe.

Koh Tao’s Nightlife

Koh Tao’s nightlife has more of a chilled-out vibe. And is home to the famous Koh Tao pub crawl. It is also home to some trendy cafés, bars, and live music bars.

Koh Lipe’s Nightlife

Koh Lipe’s nightlife is more of a hippie-chilled vibe. Does not have as many cafés, bars, and live music bars as Koh Tao. In the low season, most bars are closed. This is from March to August.

Simply, Koh Lipe has no real nightlife. It has a few bars but not that many. And is way more expensive than places around Thailand.

Accommodation In Koh Tao Vs Koh Lipe

Choosing the right accommodation is important regardless of whether it is in either Koh Tao or Koh Lipe. Koh Tao is more like backpacker heaven although things are changing a little while Koh Lipe has limited accommodation and is a lot more expensive.

Staying In Koh Tao

Koh Tao has a good range of hotels and hostels and they have pools, beach views, and sunset bars.

There are cheaper hostel options and hotel options that are only a few minutes walk from the beach or more. Especially in the low season.

Staying In Koh Lipe

Koh Lipe has a limited supply of hotels and hostels with beach views. The accommodation in Koh Lipe is expensive and is hard to get good accommodation at a fair price. The low season hotels closed between March to August reducing the supply of accommodation so it does not get cheaper in the low season.

What To Do See In Koh Tao And Koh Lipe?

Koh Tao and Koh Lipe are both are blessed with amazing beaches and amazing diving sites. There are several things to do that will keep you busy for a few days.

Here are some of the best things to do on each island.

Things To Do On Koh Lipe

Koh Lipe is not as lively as Koh Tao but it is a good place if you want to relax at the beach and explore the island. The island is not big so it is easy to explore the whole island in a few hours.

Here is our list of things to do in Koh Lipe Thailand.

• Enjoy snorkeling.
• Relax on the beach.
• Watch the sunset at Sunset Beach.
• Visit walking street nightlife.
• Explore the nearby islands.

Read more about things to do in Koh Lipe here.

Things To Do On Koh Tao

Koh Tao is a popular island for scuba diving all year as well as a great place if you want to relax at the beach and enjoy the nightlife.

Here is our list of things to do in Koh Tao Thailand.

• Enjoy snorkeling.
• Relax on Sairee Beach.
• See the view from John Suwan’s viewpoint.
• Join the Koh Tao Pub crawl.
• Enjoy the beautiful sunset.
• Enjoy the viewpoints.

Read more about things to do in Koh Tao here.

How To Get To Koh Tao And Koh Lipe?

If you are planning to visit either Koh Tao or Koh Lipe and are now wondering how to get to Koh Tao? Koh Tao is a lot easier to get to than Koh Lipe.

Getting To Koh Lipe

You can fly into Yat Yai and then get a bus to Pak Barra. Then catch a ferry or speedboat to Koh Lipe.

Getting To Koh Tao

You can fly to Koh Samui where the plane tickets are expensive since Bangkok Airways owns the airport. Alternatively, you can fly into Surat Thani. Then get a bus to the pier and catch the ferry to Koh Tao.

Read more about how to get to Koh Tao here.

Is Koh Tao Safe?

Yes, there were some tragic accidents and murders in Koh Tao and this can put you off going to Koh Tao. I have visited numerous times and never felt for my safety in Koh Tao.

High And Low Season

The high and low seasons have a big effect on Thailand. In Koh Tao, the high is very busy where accommodation prices can it pricey. In low season it becomes very affordable.

Whereas in Koh Lipe, in the low season a lot of hotels and bars close and start to reopen in September for the high season and start closing again in March.

Best Time To Travel To Koh Tao

Koh Tao has an average temperature of between 25°C to 33°C all year round. The dry season is from January to April, while the wet season runs from May to December.

The best time to visit Koh Tao is between December to April.

Best Time To Travel To Koh Lipe

Koh Lipe has an average temperature of between 25°C to 33°C all year round. The dry season is from November to February.

The best time to visit Koh Lipe is between December to March. It is very quiet on Koh Lipe between April to September.

Wrapping Up

Finally, which one to choose depends on how much time you have and your plans. For people looking for a good nightlife all year round with plenty of good accommodation and who want to learn to scuba dive, then it is Koh Tao.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a more relaxed chilled vibe with quieter nightlife and amazing beaches then Koh Lipe is for you. Remember, Koh Lipe is more expensive and harder to get to than Koh Tao. And in the low season, a lot of the bars and hotels are closed.

And that’s it for now! I’d love it if this post on Koh Tao or Koh Lipe Thailand, which island to choose was helpful to you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.

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