The tiny island of Lipa is part of the Tarutau Marine National Park, which is a group of islands scattered in the warm turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea over an area of 1490 km². In the immediate vicinity of Lipa, there are two large and practically uninhabited islands - Adang and Ravi. Lipa and Adang, the second largest among the islands of the park after Tarutau, are separated by only a small strip of water a couple of kilometers wide. The surface of Adang is completely covered with rainforest, and only a couple of camping sites on the shore represent the civilization on the island. Sailing to Lipa from the south to Pattaya Beach, you can see the tops of green hills, which apparently belong to the island of Lipa. But later it becomes clear that Lipa is just a tiny inhabited piece of land, at the foot of two wild green, hilly giants.
The accessible parts of the island can be bypassed in a circle in 20 minutes. There are no highways on Lipa in our understanding. There are only well-trodden paths and small patches of asphalt, which are occasionally used by locals on mopeds. The abundance of roaring two-wheelers, usual for the Asian islands, is not here either. In addition to bungalows, campgrounds and hotel accommodations for tourists, about 500 local residents live on the island - the sea gypsy ethnic group. Their village and school are located near Sunrise Beach, on the east coast.
The main shopping and entertainment artery of the island is Walking Street. It is a narrow pedestrian street with small branches along which cafes and shops are located. You can walk along it from Pattaya to Sunrise Beach, lazily winding along the crooked alleys between the tents. Beach life here so smoothly flows into non-beach life and back that it is customary to take off your shoes near cafes and shops so as not to sprinkle sand from slaps on the floor.
The three main beaches of the island are Pattaya Beach, Sunrise Beach and Sunset Beach. In addition to these, there are small pieces of sand sandwiched by boulders, usually used by nearby semi-wild groups of bungalows.
Pattaya Beach - a long strip of sand in the shape of a crescent, the busiest beach. Here is the border checkpoint, Walking Street starts from here and most of the boats with tourists arrive here. Despite this, it is also difficult to call it noisy. All day long on the beach there is a calm atmosphere, and in the evening numerous beach bars light their candles, which use rugs and pillows instead of tables overlooking the sea and the stars! The water on this side of the island is the quietest and the marine life is the most interesting. After diving from the shore with a mask on all the beaches of the island, we came to the conclusion that the conditions in Pattaya are the best. There are no strong currents or waves that impair visibility. Of course, if we talk about shallow water. We did not take a boat to special snorks and dive spots.
Sunrise Beach, as you might guess, is located on the eastern side of the island. This is the longest beach, which starts from the coastal line of small hotels (of course, without fences), passes through the "parking" of traditional wooden long boats and a local school, and ends with a picturesque bay overlooking Adang, which seems to be within reach.
Sunset Beach is a small, boulder-covered beach located on the western side of the island and can be reached via a wild path between trees. There is a small group of Spartan thatched bungalows and a small cafe nearby. There is nothing else on the beach. Tourists with tents like to stay here. Sunset is no more than a dozen meters long, a very quiet and wild corner overlooking Ravi Island and the sunset.
The waters around Lipa are fabulously blue and are inhabited by hundreds of colorful fish and other sea creatures. It is possible to observe yellow, blue, red, striped and spotted creatures without any preparation and costs, simply by putting on a mask and sailing several meters from the shore. Corals are located in shallow water in small groups, so they do not create problems for swimming or entering the water.
Our hotel room Sita Beach Resort & Spa:
A relaxed atmosphere, green forests, soft white sand, clear turquoise water, colorful marine life, romantic bars under the stars - all this creates the best conditions for falling out of civilization and a frantic pace of life.
