Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta, or Ao Nang?

[nikyyo]

Hello all, I'm starting to plan for my third trip to thailand (upcoming winter) and would like to explore places that I have yet to visit as opposed to always going to Phuket. I've taken liveaboards to the Similans and Hind Daeng/Hin Huang on the prior trips. This time I'm considering land based on Koh lipe, Koh Lanta or Krabi. These are all places which I have never visited. I'll be going to Krabi (just to chill for a while) regardless. I like the idea of peace and quiet so that's not a deterent for me. Any info regarding the quality of diving from any of these locations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Quero]

Amongst the three, I find the diving out of Krabi to be the least exciting. I always enjoy diving out of Koh Lanta, and as you've already done some diving in the area, you've probably got a pretty good idea of what it's like. From Lanta, the main areas are of course Hin Daeng/Hin Muang and also Koh Haa. I've heard that there is now a pair of harlequin shrimp at Koh Haa. Koh Lipe has some great diving. There's a dive site called Stonehenge that I love, and the signature site there is probably 8 Mile, which is reminiscent of Hin Daeng in some ways. I've heard there have been mimic octopus sighted in the area around Lipe as well. So it might be a toss up between Lipe and Lanta, and it might depend on what sort of topside vibe you want. Lipe is tiny and has that you-can-walk-all-the-way-around-it intimacy. I don't get to Lipe as often as I would like.

 

[Wingy]

Personally I prefer Ao Nang overall because the diving around the local islands is enjoyable enough but average compared to other spots around thailand IMO, you can do the phi phi islands and the three dive king cruiser/shark point/anenome or koh doc mai as well as doing hin bida far outweighs the dive factory vibe of Lanta and the just a bit too small to do much more than dive feeling at Lipe. I love Lipe for a few days but always return to Ao Nang - its one of the few places I loved the vibe of 26 years ago that I still love now.
More than enough to do topside combined with a good jump off point to diving and on a good day the local islands and Koh Ya Wa Bon can throw up some really excellent diving suprises.

 

[nikyyo]

Thank you Quero and Wingy for you responses. Quero I've been off the board for some time but I have chatted with you here in the past. I was also on a liveaboard with you about 10 years ago: the Mermaid 2. That was such a good trip I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I hope you are doing well. Based on what you're both telling me I think I will go to both, Lipe and Krabi (Lipe for diving and krabi for chillin' mostly). The idea of there not being much to do besides lie on the beach and dive in Lipe is actually appealing to me. The dive sites from lanta I've already done so I'll pass on that for now. Correct me if I'm wrong, but to get to Lipe from Aon Nang I have to take a minibus from ao Nang to Pakbara and a boat from Pakbara to Lipe? If this is correct, any idea how long this trip will be? I plan on being in Thailand for approximately a month and was going to allot 4-5 days for Lipe diving. Too short? Too long? Other stops I'm planning on are Penang (for street food), Bkk (also for street food) the aforementioned Lipe and Krabi, and finally Hua Hin before I return to NYC. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[Wingy]

Koh Lipe to Ao Nang by ferry | Rome2rio Directions from Lipe to Ao Nang - great little website

 

[Quero]

Thank you Quero and Wingy for you responses. Quero I've been off the board for some time but I have chatted with you here in the past. I was also on a liveaboard with you about 10 years ago: the Mermaid 2. That was such a good trip I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I hope you are doing well. Based on what you're both telling me I think I will go to both, Lipe and Krabi (Lipe for diving and krabi for chillin' mostly). The idea of there not being much to do besides lie on the beach and dive in Lipe is actually appealing to me. The dive sites from lanta I've already done so I'll pass on that for now. Correct me if I'm wrong, but to get to Lipe from Aon Nang I have to take a minibus from ao Nang to Pakbara and a boat from Pakbara to Lipe? If this is correct, any idea how long this trip will be? I plan on being in Thailand for approximately a month and was going to allot 4-5 days for Lipe diving. Too short? Too long? Other stops I'm planning on are Penang (for street food), Bkk (also for street food) the aforementioned Lipe and Krabi, and finally Hua Hin before I return to NYC. Thanks again for all your help.

Well, then, nikyyo, nice to see you again! Has it already been ten years? Yikes!

To get to Lipe, yeah, you could go overland to Pak Bara and then take a ferry. I've done that. But since the Tiger Line ferry instituted a Phuket to Lipe service a couple of years ago with stops along the way that include Phi Phi, that's how I usually go. So what I would probably do in your situation, from Ao Nang, would be to get to Phi Phi and pick up the Tiger Line ferry there. It will take you to Koh Lanta and then continue onwards past a couple of other little islands (nice trip to just relax on and take in the scenery), leaving you right at Koh Lipe. However, Tiger Line also offers a package deal where they take you from Ao Nang by van to Trang/Hat Yao pier and then put you on the ferry there--it's a bit faster if you're not interested in a whole day at sea on ferries. Here's a website for Tiger Line.

 

[nikyyo]

I know Quero, I can't believe it's been 10 years either. According to the map that Wingy sent it looks like I can take the ferry right from Ao Nang. Is this not so? If I have to make my way to Phi Phi first, would I be able to make all connections in one day? I like the idea of a long ferry ride as opposed to driving to Pak Barra.

 

[Wingy]

Nikyyo the links to each ferry are live, click on the ferry icons and it will take you to schedules and times - and yes, direct to Nopparathara Pier so you will end up right where you want to be, you can also enter any destination if you want to go via phi phi - ie - Koh Lipe to Phi Phi Islands by ferry | Rome2rio

 

[Quero]

I know Quero, I can't believe it's been 10 years either. According to the map that Wingy sent it looks like I can take the ferry right from Ao Nang. Is this not so? If I have to make my way to Phi Phi first, would I be able to make all connections in one day? I like the idea of a long ferry ride as opposed to driving to Pak Barra.

Yes. I can't get that map to work the way Wingy says it works (it's just a bunch of blue lines linking places with not enough other information--clicking the ferry icon from Lipe just says "speedboat"--that's it), but you can take a ferry from Ao Nang that will stop first at Phi Phi and then continue onwards. There's also a way to pick the ferry up from Saladan (Lanta), but not directly from Ao Nang, so Phi Phi would be the fist stop, then Lanta, etc. You can do it all in one day. I think the Tiger Line ferry gets you to Lipe in the late afternoon (that info is on the link I gave you), and you'll leave Ao Nang in the morning. Or like I said, Tiger Line will also offer van service to Trang and then a ferry to Lipe, and I think you get to Lipe several hours earlier this way. So as you'd rather have the whole day on the water, I think you'll have to go to Phi Phi first, unless there's a ferry non-stop from Ao Nang I don't know about (since I'm not located there I may have missed one). But anyway, just about any travel agent can sell you a ticket, and they've got the "live" info right there. People often want me to sort out their ferries from Phuket, and I just go down to the travel agent and buy the tickets rather than messing with it myself. Much easier, and in addition, if you need a transfer to the ferry, the travel agent can sort that out as well since they generally have shared vans to pick everybody up and get them onto the ferry whereas with a taxi you have to get your own, bargain for the rate, and then they just dump you out at the terminal to figure out the rest on your own.

Too bad you won't be in Phuket. We could have a "reunion"!

 

[Wingy]

After you click the ferry icon it comes up with box at the top with a link to schedules - http://krabi.com/book/taxi/ferry_time_table.htm