This Southeast Asian hotspot is an intoxicating mix of tropical beaches, shimmering temples and other sacred spaces, and fabulous wildlife. With two coastlines and 1400-plus jungle-swathed islands, this is one vast outdoor playground, offering the likes of snorkelling, diving with whale sharks, scaling sea cliffs and kiteboarding, to mention just a few of the possibilities. There are also hill tribes to encounter, the world’s oldest evergreen rainforest to roam around, and elephant sanctuaries to visit. The following are some of our favourite parts of this spellbinding country.
Thailand’s largest island is a diverse one, given it plenty to enthral you, from its casuarina-lined white-sand beaches to its cultural riches. It’s a place for luxury resorts and hedonistic beach clubs, but also for national parks dotted with wildlife sanctuaries, the temples of Chalong and Thalang, and Phuket Town with its museums, Chinese shrines, Sino-Portuguese style mansions and shophouses, and Peranakan cuisine.
Phuket is also on hand for the renowned protected diving sites of Ko Phi-Phi, for kayaking in Ao Phang-Nga with its part-submerged island lagoons. and for day-trips to the astonishingly gorgeous Similan Islands.
Much of life in the vast Thai capital revolves around the busy, boat-plied Chao Phraya River with its network of canals. It’s beside this river that you’ll find the Rattanakosin royal district with the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew Temple, although you’ll find shrines and religious relics all over the city. The most famous are Wat Pho Temple with its huge reclining Buddha and Wat Arun Temple with its Khmer-style spire. The food scene is eclectic here, with everything from street cuisine to fine-dining establishments to seek out and savour.
This gem of an island, accessible only by ferry, is synonymous with diving right from its white-sand beaches amidst a vibrant coral reef threaded by sharks and rays, but there’s also some glorious jungle hiking to be done here. Yet it’s not all Robinson Crusoe fantasies: there’s also a hip bar scene to rival that of Koh Samui and increasingly upscale places to stay.
Set in central Thailand, this park contains 20m-tall Haew Suwat, which shot to fame after appearing in the 2000 Danny Boyle film The Beach. There’s plenty more to discover across this 2,000km2 of forest and grassland, including more than 50km of hiking and biking trails, other waterfalls including 150m Haew Narok and fabulous wildlife including elephants, gibbons, bears and hornbills.
Easy to visit on a motorbike trip from Chiang Mai, this remote, hilly/mountainous region of north-western, near the border with Myanmar (Burma), is home to some fascinating hill tribes such as the Shan and Hmong, as well as to the Wat Phrathat Doi Kongmu, a Burmese-style monastery. A classic way to discover it is by following the 600km, famously curvaceous Mae Hong Son over four days or more, starting and finishing in Chiang Mai.
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There are so many great reasons to experience certain destinations in the shoulder seasons – that sweet spot between a region’s peak season and off-season. Think fewer crowds and queues for major attractions, better-value flights and other travel, and a more authentic experience of the destination. We’ve put our heads together to share a few of our favourite places that can be just as good or even better outside of high season.
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