Koh Lipe weather by month: dry, wet and boat seasons
Seasons at a glance
When to go
Go in the high season, November to May2, and aim for January and February1 for the driest weather. Koh Lipe stays open throughout the monsoon4, with fewer boats.
Dry season: January and February1
- High season, all boats
- Shoulder, fewer boats
- Monsoon, park islands shut
Koh Lipe lies off the Andaman Coast2 of southern Thailand, in Satun Province, which has a tropical monsoon climate. Satun’s average high over the year is 32.6 °C and its average low 23.7 °C1.
Thailand’s Land Development Department splits the year into these seasons:
| Season | When | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rainy season (southwest monsoon) | mid-May to mid-October5 |
webeng.ldd.go.th (official) |
| Winter (northeast monsoon) | mid-October to mid-February5 |
webeng.ldd.go.th (official) |
| Summer (pre-monsoon) | mid-February to mid-May5 |
webeng.ldd.go.th (official) |
April5 is the hottest month in Thailand. On southern Thailand’s west coast, where Koh Lipe lies, monsoon rain peaks in September5.
Sources draw the high season differently: November to May2 on Wikivoyage, November to April6 by Adang Sea Divers’ count of visitors, and October to June3 for high-season boats on Wikipedia.
Weather, boats and events
Month by month
Each row sets the weather, the boats that run and what is on that month. Weather figures are for Satun Province, which includes Koh Lipe.
Monsoon rain peaks in September5
Koh Lipe weather, boats and events by month
| Month | Weather | Boats | Season and events |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Dry season | Langkawi ferry and Pak Bara speedboats | High season |
| February | Dry season; summer season from mid-February | Langkawi ferry and Pak Bara speedboats | High season; Bob Marley festival, 6 February |
| March | Summer (pre-monsoon) season | Langkawi ferry and Pak Bara speedboats | High season |
| April | Hottest month in Thailand | Langkawi ferry and Pak Bara speedboats | High season |
| May | Southwest monsoon from mid-May | Langkawi ferry until mid-May | Park islands shut from 16 May (2024); boat-floating ceremony |
| June | Rainy season | Only Pak Bara speedboat from mid-June | Low season; Green Season diving begins |
| July | Rainy season; 2-3 m waves forecast in 2026 | Only Pak Bara speedboat | Low season |
| August | Rainy season; wettest spell across Thailand | Only Pak Bara speedboat | Low season |
| September | Rain peaks: over 320 mm, 3.6 hours of sun a day | Only Pak Bara speedboat | Low season; Tarutao reopened 30 September in 2024 |
| October | Over 320 mm of rain; northeast monsoon from mid-October | Langkawi ferry back from mid-October | Adang-Rawi shut until 14 October (2019); full-moon festival late October or early November |
| November | Northeast monsoon season | Langkawi ferry and Pak Bara speedboats | High season starts; boat-floating ceremony |
| December | Northeast monsoon season | Langkawi ferry and Pak Bara speedboats | High season |
Wikipedia; webeng.ldd.go.th (official); Wikivoyage; Adang Sea Divers (dive centre); Bundhaya Speed Boat (operator); Nation Thailand (news); Pattaya Mail (news); The Star (news); thailandfoundation.or.th
Room rates drop outside the high season. The strip below places one resort’s Wikivoyage listing on Wikivoyage’s own high and low season months.
Wapi Resort, Sunrise Beach: rooms from, per night (Wikivoyage)
Beach, reef or festival
Best months by goal
The dry season suits beach days, but divers and festival-goers have reasons to come at other times.
- Beach and sun: January and February1, the dry season. Sunshine falls to 3.6 hours a day in September and October1, the lowest of the year.
- Diving: the answer depends on which Adang Sea Divers page you read. Its blog names November to April as the best time to dive, its Green Season page says diving is at its best from June to October6, and the centre dives every day of the year7.
- Snorkelling: the calm, clear water is ideal for snorkelling in Wikipedia’s words, with 25%3 of the world’s tropical fish species found in the area.
- Festivals: the Urak Lawoi boat-floating ceremony is held twice a year, typically in May and November8. A full-moon festival also falls in late May or early June and late October or early November2, according to Wikivoyage.
- Reggae: Home Reggae Bar holds a 3-day festival for Bob Marley’s birthday on 6 February2, Wikivoyage says.
- Lower room rates: the low season, when Wapi Resort’s listed rate falls from ฿2,700 to ฿1,6002.
For divers, the moon matters as much as the month. Currents around Koh Lipe are mainly tidal, and the widest choice of dive sites comes twice a month2, after the half moon.
Snorkellers can join Forra Diving’s day trips for 500 baht2, with lunch and equipment, Wikivoyage says. You can also book a longtail snorkelling trip around the nearby islands, or read up on the beaches and reefs to snorkel on Koh Lipe.
The wettest stretch
Months to avoid
Over 320 mm of rain a month1
Skip September and October if you want sun: Satun averages more than 320 mm1 of rain a month then, the most of the year. Across Thailand as a whole, the wettest stretch is August to September5.
The southwest monsoon runs mid-May to mid-October5. Koh Lipe is open to tourists all year9, but getting there takes more planning.
What changes in the rainy season:
- From mid-June to mid-October, the speedboat from Pak Bara is the only way in3.
- The Langkawi ferry runs only from mid-October to mid-May3, and in shoulder season only one trip a day2.
- Bundhaya Speed Boat sails from Pak Bara Pier all year, taking 1 hr 30 min, from ฿70010.
- Its van-and-speedboat transfer from Hat Yai Airport takes about 4 hours, from ฿95010. The drive from Hat Yai airport to Pak Bara Pier alone takes 2 hours11.
Routes and fares for every season are in the speedboat and ferry times and prices page and the ferry and speedboat travel guide.
If the wet months are the only dates you have, the Koh Lanta vs Koh Lipe comparison can help you weigh other options.
Marine park islands
Closures
Park entry: 200 Baht for adults13
Dates differ by year. These are the reports on record:
| Report | Start | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarutao National Marine Park, 20244 | 16 May4 |
reopening 30 September4 |
Nation Thailand (news) |
| Adang-Rawi archipelago, 20199 | 16 May9 |
14 October9 |
Pattaya Mail (news) |
The reports disagree on Tarutao itself. Pattaya Mail said Lipe and Tarutao islands are open to tourists all year9, while Nation Thailand reported in 2024 that the whole park was due to reopen4.
Park entrance costs 200 Baht for adults and 100 Baht for children aged 3-14, at rates as of June 202613.
Some businesses keep to the high season too. Zanom Sunrise Resort’s restaurant opens only in high season, mid-November to mid-May2, Wikivoyage says.
Questions people ask
What is the weather like in Koh Lipe in November?
November falls in the northeast monsoon season and starts the high season; Adang Sea Divers' blog counts it among the best months to dive.
What is the weather like in Koh Lipe in December?
December is in the northeast monsoon season and the high season, with the Langkawi ferry running.
What is the weather like in Koh Lipe in January?
January is in Satun's short dry season, the driest time of year to visit.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons. Authors and licences: image credits
Checked against 13 sources · last checked October 2026
- Wikipedia · checked October 2026
- Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
- Wikipedia · checked October 2026
- Nation Thailand (news) · checked October 2026
- webeng.ldd.go.th (official) · checked October 2026
- Adang Sea Divers (dive centre) · checked October 2026
- Adang Sea Divers (dive centre) · checked October 2026
- thailandfoundation.or.th · checked October 2026
- Pattaya Mail (news) · checked October 2026
- Bundhaya Speed Boat (operator) · checked October 2026
- Ploysiam Speedboat (operator) · checked October 2026
- The Star (news) · checked October 2026
- Thai National Parks (travel guide) · checked October 2026
Page history · last changed 17 October 2026
- First written
