Thailand Guide
The deep south
Arrival
Ferry services into the park change by the year. For up-to-date information, call the Pak Bara National Park Visitor Centre (074 783485) or check www.kohlipethailand.com. There is no pier on Adang or Lipe, so boats anchor in the channel between the islands or off Hat Pattaya where they're met by longtails (B50 to any beach on Lipe or B100 to the Adang park station). The pier at Ao Pante on Tarutao is inaccessible at low tide, when longtails (B30) shuttle people to shore.
Among ferry and speedboat companies from Pak Bara, the most reliable are currently Adang Sea Ferry (074 783338 or 081 609 2604, www.adangseatour.com) and Lipeh Speedboat Co. (089 464 7816, www.lipehferry-speedboat.com), who each run at least one daily service year-round. In high season, the former has sailings at around 11am and 1.30pm for Ao Pante on Ko Tarutao (1hr; B350 one way, B600 return), before continuing to Ko Adang and Ko Lipe (from Pak Bara: 3hr; B500 one way, B900 return); the latter operates faster boats at 11.30am and 1.30pm to Adang/Lipe (1hr 30min; B650 one way, B1200 return), which usually stop at Ao Pante (30min; B350 each way). With either company, a return ticket to Adang/Lipe will allow you to stop off at Tarutao. Satun Pakbara Speedboat Club (www.tarutaolipeisland.com; in Pak Bara 074 783643–5) also covers this route in high season. There are also island-hopping boats from Ko Lanta.
Speedboats operate between Ko Lipe and Langkawi, the large Malaysian island to the southeast, at least twice a day in high season (1hr; B1200), including those operated by Satun Pakbara Speedboat Club (www.tarutaolipeisland.com). A temporary Thai immigration post is set up at Bundhaya Resort on Lipe's Hat Pattaya to cover this route, and there are plans to extend its hours to cater for three weekly boats in low season.