Don't drive Ko Lipa, Thailand - why I regretted coming back after 19 years
After 19 years, I finally returned to Ko Lipe. (Thailand) This is the same Thai island I spent almost a month on in 2006. Back then, it was one of those "truly wild" places: electricity only worked a few hours a day, simple bungalows right on the beach cost some US$2, and in season there really was the "last" boat voyage.
Life mode was simple: beach - book - snorkeling - the same beach - beer in a single bar - rotation between five restaurants - early sleep. Paradise, in which many simply stuck for weeks and months.
If I am asked about the brightest moment of all travel, I always remember the time on Ko Lipa. I made incredible friends, talked to locals, learned some Thai, and lived the idyllic backpacking life many people dream of. That's why I didn't come back for a long time - I didn't want to destroy the memory by trying to "recreate magic." I was afraid I would catch the ghosts of travel.
In addition, tourism in Thailand often follows the same scenario: building and building, rarely thinking about long-term sustainability. But in the end I did go: I was moving along the Indo-Ocean coast of Thailand towards Malaysia, I needed a live option for New Year’s celebrations, and Ko Lipe had a convenient message – there are boats to Langkawi, which simplified my route. I packed up and drove - and unfortunately came back disappointed.
You'll be met in Thailand.private guidesAnd they'll offer you a copy.individual excursions,andtravel agenciesThailand will offer its services and organizetourInteresting excursions for travelers.
Ko Lipe repeated the development model I saw at Koh Phi Phi: overdevelopment and poor management. Almost the entire island path, once made of sand and red clay, has become asphalted - not for pedestrians but for builders' cars and trucks. Palm groves gave way to expensive resorts with swimming pools (on an island where there is no natural source of fresh water). They are building and construction is going fast.
The consequences for nature are obvious: corals around the island are dying - victims of numerous boats, anchors, pollution and overfishing. The beaches are now dotted with boats, and their exhaust leaves an oily film on the water, which you can see right when you're swimming. Restaurants are increasingly focused on tourists looking for banal "Western" cuisine, rather than the real Thai taste.
The tourism boom has displaced many locals: owners have had to sell land to continental developers, and a significant portion of the island's workforce now comes from the mainland. Locals see very little benefit from this boom - the impression that the island's resources are being splashed not for the good of the community but for profit.
However, much remains beautiful. For those who arrive here for the first time, Ko Lipe can still look like a picture from a postcard: azure water, white sand, and the national park around promises excursions to secluded islands. Compared to Koh Phi Phi, Krabi or Phuket, it is still “smaller”, and the first visit will easily arouse delight.
But looking back, I came to the same conclusion as Ko Phi Phi: in its current form, the island is not worth visiting. I am not against development as such, I am against such a model, irresponsible and unsustainable. The arrival of new tourists only adds to the strain on the island’s limited resources; it is impossible to return the former unflappable simplicity, and the locals are unlikely to be satisfied with the choice between poverty and tolerable work in building other people’s dreams.
If you do decide to go (and many people are attracted to the nature of the place), do it consciously: look for local guides and eco-friendly operators - they will tell not only beautiful stories, but also show where nature is still preserved and how you can help the community. Maintain local benches and family restaurants, avoid mass tours anchored on coral reefs, bring reusable bottles and bags. A local guide will not only make the trip more interesting - he will tell you why the island has changed, show you the hidden corners and tell you how to leave a smaller footprint.
Ko Lipe is both a reminder of what we are missing and a lesson on the importance of choosing responsible tourism.
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