Sunrise Beach (Hat Chao Ley or Hat Sunrise) runs along Koh Lipe’s east coast and ends in a long white sandbar that seems to reach almost all the way to Koh Adang, whose rainforest-covered peaks fill the view across the channel. It is the island’s most photographed beach — and, at dawn, its most beautiful.
This is also the heart of Lipe’s Urak Lawoi community, the sea people (Chao Leh) who lived on these islands long before tourism arrived. Their village and the fleet of painted longtail boats that sit in the shallows are part of what gives Sunrise Beach its character.
Top things to do at Sunrise Beach, Koh Lipe
Walk out to the sandbar
At the northern end, the sand narrows into a spit surrounded by turquoise shallows on both sides. Come early morning or late afternoon for soft light and fewer people.
Take a longtail to Adang
Longtail taxis leave from Sunrise Beach for the national park beach at Laem Son on Koh Adang, the start of the hike to Chado Cliff. Most snorkelling trips also start here.
Watch the sunrise
The sun comes up behind the islands to the east. Bring a coffee from Walking Street and find a spot on the sand — it is peaceful before the boats start their engines.
How to get to Sunrise Beach, Koh Lipe
- From Pattaya Beach: walk the length of Walking Street — about 10 minutes.
- By boat: some speedboats drop passengers on Sunrise Beach, especially when the south-west monsoon makes Pattaya Beach rough.
Insider tips
- Respect the Urak Lawoi village: ask before photographing people or homes, and do not wander into private yards.
- The sandbar changes shape with tides and seasons — at high tide it can be almost submerged.
- Boats moor close to shore here; swim only where it is clearly away from the longtail lanes.
Best tours & tickets for Sunrise Beach, Koh Lipe
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Sunrise Beach, Koh Lipe from Koh Lipe:
Snorkelling trip from €16 Koh Lipe: Half-Day Snorkeling (Morning/Afternoon/Sunset)
A shorter, cheaper way onto the reefs, rated 4.7 by well over a hundred and fifty travellers. Pick the morning for the calmest water or the 14:30 departure to finish the day watching the sun go down over the Adang–Rawi islands.
- Choose a 09:00, 13:30 or 14:30 departure
- The late slot ends with sunset from the boat
- Several reef stops close to Lipe
Private boat from €89 per group Koh Lipe: Private Longtail Boat Island Hopping with Snorkel
The same islands as the group trips, but on your schedule: leave early to beat the other boats, linger at the reef you like and skip what you do not. Priced per boat, so it is excellent value for a couple or a small family.
- Your own boat and boatman — no fixed timetable
- Choose a 4, 5 or 7-hour route
- Stop longer where the snorkelling is best
Snorkelling trip from €18 Koh Lipe: Longtail Boat Snorkeling Trip Program A
The best-reviewed boat trip in the whole park, with well over six hundred reviews. A longtail takes a small group round the reefs west and north of Lipe — soft corals, clownfish, parrotfish and a beach stop or two — and brings you back in time for sunset. This is the one to book if you only do one trip.
- Four or five snorkel stops around Koh Adang and Koh Rawi
- Classic wooden longtail boat with a local crew
- Mask, snorkel and life jacket included
