Don’t visit Koh Lipe

Nineteen years later, I finally returned to Ko Lipe, the Thai island where I stayed for almost a month in 2006. At that time it was one of the most remote places visited by the most intrepid travellers. Electricity only runs for a few hours a day and a basic bungalow on the beach costs around $2. last Seasonal boat.

There was a lot to do here, but that was the point. We spent time on the beach, read a book, snorkeled, went back to the beach, had a beer at one beach bar on the island, ate in turns at 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 ask me what the highlight of all my travels is, I would say my time in Ko Lipe. I made amazing friends, relaxed, got to know the locals, learned a little Thai, and overall lived the idyllic backpacker life we ​​all dream of.

Over the years I have avoided going back to Ko Lipe. Because my memories of my time there were so strong that I didn’t want to ruin them. Revisiting would be an attempt to recreate the magic that couldn’t be recreated simply because those special people weren’t there. I will chase travel ghosts. And I was so afraid that seeing it would make me sad, knowing that my sleepy paradise had evolved greatly over the years.

Tourism in Thailand tends to be unsustainable. In reality, none of the islands are developing in a good way. It’s all build, build, build.

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

But since I was recently planning a trip to Southeast Asia, it made sense to return to Ko Lipe. I was heading towards the Indian Ocean side of Thailand on my way to Malaysia and passed by there.

And since I was looking for a lively place to celebrate Lunar New Year, this seemed like the best option. I knew there would be travelers there and I knew there were no other nearby islands that would work, especially since Ko Lipe has boats going to Langkawi, my next destination.

So, I sucked it up and went.

And I regret to report that Ko Lipe has adopted the Ko Phi Phi tourism model and is now extremely overdeveloped.

To an unsustainable degree.

Most of the island is now paved, and old dirt roads have been made concrete for cars and construction trucks. The palm-tree-covered area is now a luxury resort with a swimming pool (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. Now the beach is lined with boats and their exhaust fumes pour into the sea, leaving behind a shiny film that you can see when swimming. And the restaurant caters to tourists looking for bad Western food, not great Thai cuisine.

The island’s boom has forced many locals to sell to mainland developers, and most of the island’s workforce is now from the mainland. They see little benefit from this tourism boom.

The same goes for Ko Lipe, another victim of Thailand’s all-too-common overdevelopment and exploitation of limited resources.

I met many people there who loved the island. If it’s your first time, I think you’ll know why I like it. After all, the area is postcard-perfect, the water is a perfectly cerulean blue, the sand a beautiful white, and it’s surrounded by national parks, so many tours can take you to the remote islands.

And because it is a less developed place compared to Koh Phi Phi, Krabi, or Phuket, people who set foot here for the first time can’t help but exclaim, “Wow!”

But looking back on the island and its overdevelopment, I came to the same conclusion I did about Koh Phi Phi. People shouldn’t visit.

I am not against growth, I am against this kind of growth. It is not sustainably managed and going there will only place further strain on the island’s limited resources. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle, and no local will say, “Sure, I’ll stay broke so you can have your vision of an ideal world.”

But this is not the case.

And since there are so many other well-maintained islands to visit (Ko Lanta, Ko Jum and Ko Mook to name three nearby), I think you should skip Ko Lipe.

Going there will only make things worse.

It hurts my heart to say that. It was such a beautiful place, and it had a huge impact on my life when I first visited it. But if we are to be good stewards and travelers, sometimes we must say enough is enough.

And Ko Lipe is just that.

Go somewhere else where it is better managed.

Because your choices make an impact.

Elephant riding has disappeared in Thailand as consumer awareness grows. Eco lodges have grown thanks to consumers. Overtourism is mentioned not only by locals but also by consumers.

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

I doubt it, but I can hope.

But at least not going doesn’t contribute anything to the problem.

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