To Lipa is the small island of Adang Ravi archipelago to the Andaman Sea, as part of the province of Satun, in the south-west of Thailand, near the border of Malaysia. The Thai name of the island is written differently in Russian, but the most common options are "to Lype" or "Koch Lipa" - the name, by the way, means "paper island" in the local language of Chao Lei (about them later).
The Lipa is located right on the border of the National Marine Park Tarutao, south of the large islands to Adang and Ko Ravi, about 50 kilometers from the island to Tarutao. The 2.5-kilometer length and 1.5-kilometer in the widest place is the island in the form of the letter "g" inhabited about 500 marine gypsies (Chao Lech "in Thai) from Malaysia, known today as Warva uk. They live in small villages, mainly on the eastern side of the island, near Sunrise Beach, and are more tourism.
Tourism on the island appeared in the early 1990s, when the rumor about the pristine island somewhere far in Thailand in the Andaman Sea began to walk among tourists of the world. With dazzling beaches with white sand, crystal waters, where corals and fish are humming, the linden embodied all the dreams of a paradise. However, idyll did not last long.
IN high season (From November to May) to the island you can get from a number of places on the ferry or boat to this island - for example, from Pak Bar, Langkavi, Phi Phi, Lanta and Tranga. IN Low season (From May to October) the only way to get to the Lipa is a boat with Pak Bar. As with many other Islands of Thailand, in the low season there is quite deserted, and some of the hotels and restaurants closes "to the best times."
Why can you go to the lipa? And to lie on beautiful Beach , of course! On the lipa, three main beach: Sunset Beach, Sunrise Beach and Pattaya Beach, with good small sand. Along the shores you can see several accommodation options - from huts with the simplest conditions to air-conditioned bungalows with excellent service. Hotels a lot, they are built almost along all shores, with the exception of a narrow Western Cape, but also his time will come, as already understandable from today's construction schedules. Since the island is small, all parts with infrastructure can be destroyed a little more than an hour. On the roads, the island ride the motorcycles, but none of them is intended for rent. Unfortunately, cars have already appear - but while they are used in construction. If you do not want to wade into more distant parts, rent a boat that takes you to a long-round beach for 50 baht (ride not far!). However, you can use small concrete tracks that bind the beaches of the island, and, if it is completely too lazy to go, use the services of a motorcycle for 50-200 baht.
And also to the lipo and his neighboring uninhabited islands offer good conditions for diving and snorkeling . On the lipa there is a lot of diving shops and whole dive resorts, where rental equipment for scuba diving is leased, where dive training is carried out or dive-trips are organized. Calm, pure coastal waters make a lipa ideal place for scuba diving, and here there are 25% of the types of tropical fish of the world! Large colored fishes are swimming near coral reefs just a few meters of depth and on all beaches of the island.
The lipa is beyond the jurisdiction of Tarutao National Park, and thus exempt from laws that protect the rest of the park. Simply put, peasoned and spoil there with a calm conscience. And, since the island is rapidly developing, trying to meet the requirements and standards of tourism (after all, more and more tourists want to relax on the "distant islands"), today Ko-Lipa faces considerable problems. The all-consuming tourist business on the island leads to a shortage of fresh water, issues of waste disposal issues and other environmental problems. Often you can see how the garbage is simply burned, since, in no way invented a more reliable option to dispose of waste. On such a small and remote island, popularity and attendance is given to the cost of destroying the environment, higher prices and inaccurate behavior of greedy and careless people - and Thai, and foreigners.
If you have ever been to the lipa (say, 10-15 years ago) and are going to the second time today, then get ready for shock - everything has changed! The pace of development was greatly accelerated by 2010, and by 2015 there are already more than 100 resorts on a tiny island! It's a lot. Sunrise Beach will resist multi-storey residential buildings and villas. Large Sita Resort is built almost in the entire width of the island. In just two years, a dozen new resorts was erected. Once almost completely covered by the jungle is the island currently is the center of permanent construction. Side with a tidal wave on the beaches brings garbage - what an annoyance!
Ridewalks a large number of motottsi fasten the roads, which were not so long ago with sandy paths. Frequently managed non-accuracy countless long-tailed boats can be dangerous for diving lovers. Well, the locals shrug seem to say: "Well, what can we do!". But, we will not be about sad, while still relatively not bad, and relax, of course, is nice. If you have never been to the Asian Islands, then you will arrange the current position - you have not seen how it was before! Despite all the troubles, naturally, the beauty of the linde is still impressive (even the experienced tourist, which is). Cool waters are surprised at the Aquamarin card with a colorful shade, and the transparency of the waves is simply amazing! And yes, the jungle and forests on the island still have, all is well.
In general, to lipa are beaches, beaches and beaches again. This is the place where it is worth going for calmness, to relax from the noise of cities, try diving, admire sunsets. Rather, this is an option for newlyweds or active tourists who are loving sports than for families with children and teachrs. This island for those who do not want to rest on large resort islands. And you need to go here now, while the island has not spoiled.
