Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [6]
Return to Bangkok with a tan, a Thai recipe book and lots of travel tales for the water cooler.
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A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING One Month/Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima
Train from Bangkok to Ayuthaya, Lopburi and to Phitsanulok. Bus to Sukhothai. Bus to Chiang Mai. Bus to Pai or Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai. Fly, train or bus to Bangkok, then train or bus to Surat Thani and ferry to the Ko Samui archipelago, or fly direct to Ko Samui or Phuket from Bangkok. Bus to Krabi. Ferry to Ko Phi-Phi. Bus or fly (from Phuket) back to Bangkok. Bus to Nakhon Ratchasima, Phimai and Dan Kwian.
If you’ve got a month to wander through all of Thailand, spend a few days in Bangkok (Click here), then take a slow ride north stopping in the ancient capital of Ayuthaya (Click here) and the monkey town of Lopburi (Click here). Visit more historic ruins in Sukhothai (Click here) and then continue to Chiang Mai (Click here), the cultural capital of the north. Be a high-altitude hippie in Pai (Click here) and join a do-good trekking tour in Chiang Rai (Click here). For more intensive northern immersion, see the Altitude Adjustment trip (Click here).
By now the beach is calling so transit back through Bangkok to the classic island stops: Ko Samui (Click here) for the party scene, Ko Pha-Ngan (Click here) for beach bumming and Ko Tao (Click here) for deep-sea diving.
Hop over to the Andaman Coast to see those famous postcard views of limestone mountains jutting out of the sea. Phuket (Click here) is convenient but Ko Phi-Phi (Click here) is the prettiest of them all; both require stacks of baht to stay somewhere with an ocean view. Backpackers and rock climbers opt for Krabi (Click here). On the way back north detour to the rainforests of Khao Sok National Park (Click here).
Transit again through Bangkok to dip your toes into the agricultural northeast. Crawl through the jungle of Khao Yai National Park (Click here). Then head to Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat; Click here), a transit point for trips to the Angkor ruins at Phimai (Click here) and the pottery village of Dan Kwian (Click here).
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BEACH BINGING Three Weeks/Surat Thani to Khao Lak
Boat to the Gulf islands from Surat Thani. Bus from Surat Thani to Phuket. From Phuket boat to Ko Phi-Phi or bus to Krabi. Boat to Ko Phi-Phi or Ko Lanta from Krabi. Bus from Krabi to Khao Lak. Boat to Similan Islands.
If your bragging buddies back home have sent you to Thailand with a long list of must-see beaches, then pack light and prepare for a marathon-run through the islands and coves of the Malay Peninsula. Head to the string of Gulf islands just off the coast of Surat Thani (Click here) and take your pick from Ko Samui (Click here), Ko Pha-Ngan (Click here) or Ko Tao (Click here).
Then cross the peninsula to conquer the Andaman celebrities of Phuket (Click here), Krabi (Click here) and Ko Phi-Phi (Click here). Don’t forget about the backpacker darling Ko Lanta (Click here).
Pay your respects to Khao Lak/Lamru National Park (Click here), which was badly bruised by the 2004 tsunami but today boasts long uninterrupted stretches of dunes facing a turquoise bay. From Khao Lak, you are nearby a global diving superstar: Similan Islands Marine National Park (Click here).
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ROADS LESS TRAVELLED
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ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT Three Weeks/Mae Sot to Chiang Rai
Bus from Mae Sot to Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son, Soppong and Pai to the transport hub of Chiang Mai. Bus to Chiang Dao, Fang and Mae Salong. Bus to Chiang Rai.
Climb into the bosom of lush mountains and the ethnic minority villages that cling to the border between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
Mae Sot (Click here) is a cross-pollinated town of Thai residents and displaced Karen and Burmese nationals. There isn’t so much to see but the town is a border crossing