Thailand
Thailand is one of my favourite places I've visited in South East Asia, along with Vietnam. It's an easy country to travel with busses and trains and there's a great backpacker vibe to meet other travellers, as well as options for luxury travel.
Myself and my Fiancé spent 45 days backpacking from North to South and it was incredible. From hanging out with elephants in the jungle, to incredible world-class diving spots and swimming around the islands, you can explore so many diverse parts of Thailand there really is something for everyone.
Below are some of my recommendations for Thailand, from my favourite cities, excursions, some great places to stay and more helpful information in between!
My top 3 things to do
1) Visit an ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai
Stay 1 or 2 nights at Chai Lai Orchid in a riverside bungalow and wake up to feed the elephants breakfast, right from your bungalow. They have great day tours available too, which I highly recommend (This was a highlight of my trip.) If you don't decide to go with this specific elephant sanctuary, (although I highly recommend) please do your research to make sure they are ethical.
2) Go diving on Koh Tao Island
This is one of the cheapest places in the world to get your diving certificate and it's absolutely incredible. There are lots of diving company's to choose from on the island. Koh Tao is surrounded by beautiful waters for swimming, delicious restaurants and great viewpoints. I highly, highly recommend getting your diving cert if it's something that interest's you.
3) Book a private boat tour on Phi Phi Islands
We booked a private boat tour for Maya Bay & surrounding islands for around 8am. I highly recommend booking a private tour as you can choose to spend how long you want at each place and where you'd like to go. We enjoyed the morning to avoid big crowds and it was gorgeous. Although this can be a very touristic thing to do in Phi Phi, there is good reason. The water and surroundings are stunning, the snorkelling is incredible and it's a great way to take in all Thailands beauty!
Other things to see & do
1) Visit the White temple in Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai isn't very big, but it is home to some gorgeous temples. The White temple is one of the most gorgeous I've ever seen and is worth the visit if you're around the area. Cost is 100 Thai Baht per person.
2) Visit the small town called Pai
This is the type of place you could stay for ages, it's a very relaxed and hippy feel. They have a great night market on with lots of different food options and is overall a really unique and fun part of Thailand - so don't miss it.
3) Visit Train Market in Bangkok
Train market is a very unique market, like no other I've seen before. It's a market on the train tracks and you can experience all vendors pulling in their stalls when the train goes by and then unpacking again ones it's gone past. If you're in Chiang Mai before hand, you can book a short bus ride to and from Pai from there for very cheap.
4) Stay in Khao Sok National Park
You can book to stay in Khao Sok National Park in a bungalow surrounded by dense jungle, large limestones and a beautiful lake. This is an amazing stay if you love all things nature so be sure to check it out.
5) Experience the famous Full Moon Party
The full moon party is based on Koh Phangan Island and is a great place for anyone who loves a beach party. There are fire dancers, alcohol stands, glow in the dark body paint and lots of DJ's. Be sure to keep ahold of your valuables and book your accomodation early so you don't miss out on a good place to sleep.
Travelling to Thailand and want more nit-gritty details?
I've put together an e-book with lots more info about everywhere I've been, check it out yourself below!
