things to see and do in northern Thailand?
Discussion
Right guys I need some help! My sister is getting wed in Koh Samui next Feb and I plan to tour round Thailand beforehand with a mate (both in our 20's). Was planning on bangkok - Chiang Rai - Chiang Mai - Koh Samui - Bangkok. I am booking at the things myself rather than through a tour agent and have Hotels lined up for those places once I have finalised dates.
But I am really not sure as to how much time to spend at each place, what might be worth doing inbetween if theres places people think are worth going to etc and activity's to do whilst there. I have got lost reading things and just cant picture where half the places are in relation to everywhere else so just getting fustrated with it now.
from bangkok to Koh Samui I have about 17 days to play with!
any advice would be greatly appreciated!
But I am really not sure as to how much time to spend at each place, what might be worth doing inbetween if theres places people think are worth going to etc and activity's to do whilst there. I have got lost reading things and just cant picture where half the places are in relation to everywhere else so just getting fustrated with it now.
from bangkok to Koh Samui I have about 17 days to play with!
any advice would be greatly appreciated!
In Ko Samui there is a nice fella from Essex who runs an ATV (Quad) outing, most of the quads are 350cc manuals. If you speak to him in person he will arrange for you to ascend up to the highest point in Samui(700m?) and back it took us around 4 hours and we got to see the pet crocodile at the top, highly recommend. Some of the roads are awful with little or no health and safety, best fun i have ever had cost about £35/40.
You can hire lovely motorbikes for about £10 for a day all they need is your passport, the safari tour with the off road jeeps are well worth the money too(you can even sit on the top of the cabin with no seat belt
Full moon party, flight to Phi Phi islands, shooting live ammo from an ak47/magnum/etc pretty much anything you want to do can be found with pretty much no limits!
You can hire lovely motorbikes for about £10 for a day all they need is your passport, the safari tour with the off road jeeps are well worth the money too(you can even sit on the top of the cabin with no seat belt
Full moon party, flight to Phi Phi islands, shooting live ammo from an ak47/magnum/etc pretty much anything you want to do can be found with pretty much no limits!
Just to add my 2p worth.
Definitely arrange things as you go along. You will meet people along the way who suggest new ideas. It also allows you to change your plans to suit local conditions - the weather has been all over the place for the last couple of years.
Specific points -
- do not hire bikes on Samui. The roads poor in places and the fatality rates are the highest in Thailand. I have lost friends in scooter accidents there.
- you cannot fly to Phi Phi, there is no airport there. Fly to Phuket or Krabi and then get a boat. Stay a couple of nights and enjoy the place, once the day trippers have left.
- consider Koh Chang, Khao Lak, Phangnang,
- if you dive, get to Koh Toa.
- take the overnight train from Bangkok down Surat Thani to catch the ferry to Samui.
Have a great time.
Definitely arrange things as you go along. You will meet people along the way who suggest new ideas. It also allows you to change your plans to suit local conditions - the weather has been all over the place for the last couple of years.
Specific points -
- do not hire bikes on Samui. The roads poor in places and the fatality rates are the highest in Thailand. I have lost friends in scooter accidents there.
- you cannot fly to Phi Phi, there is no airport there. Fly to Phuket or Krabi and then get a boat. Stay a couple of nights and enjoy the place, once the day trippers have left.
- consider Koh Chang, Khao Lak, Phangnang,
- if you dive, get to Koh Toa.
- take the overnight train from Bangkok down Surat Thani to catch the ferry to Samui.
Have a great time.
Good advice above.
Chiang Mai is a cool place, but 'stuff to do' depends on what you like - our favourite place was called the "Elephant Nature Park" - a sanctuary for ex-logging animals and orphans, i.e. a decent place to get close to the animals not a tourist-trap.
You can pay to 'volunteer' for the day (or you can stay overnight and volunteer for longer). Volunteering for the day involves getting picked up, going to the market to help collect food for them. Then feeding the elephants from a platform, having lunch yourselves, then chilling for a couple of hours before washing the elephants in the local stream/river.
You'd need to book in advance, I think, but it was a pretty cool day.
Chiang Mai is a cool place, but 'stuff to do' depends on what you like - our favourite place was called the "Elephant Nature Park" - a sanctuary for ex-logging animals and orphans, i.e. a decent place to get close to the animals not a tourist-trap.
You can pay to 'volunteer' for the day (or you can stay overnight and volunteer for longer). Volunteering for the day involves getting picked up, going to the market to help collect food for them. Then feeding the elephants from a platform, having lunch yourselves, then chilling for a couple of hours before washing the elephants in the local stream/river.
You'd need to book in advance, I think, but it was a pretty cool day.
cjs said:
You're in your 20's? Ping Pong!
black1 said:
ting tong more like
B1G GK said:
Make sure you dont get collared by Ling Long.
If you really do want to see ping pong from a ting tong called Ling Long, then Patpong is the place to do it! However, that's in Bangkok. As for Northern Thailand, as others have said, it really depends on what you're looking for. A few of my experiences - Elephant treking was fun, probably even more so on a quad. I spent a day with a guide visiting markets buying food, the chef at the hotel then ran a demo showing how to cook a thai curry. Depending where 'North' is for you, Kanchanaburi was a memorable place to visit. I think it is safe to say that whatever you're looking for, adventure, culture, shopping, partying etc, will be more than catered for by any of the local tourist/travel agents who will be only to keen to sell you trips/maps/guides etc.
The only other thing I would mention is that Northern Thailand can be quite cold at the start and end of the day, unlike Bangkok and Samui.
black1 said:
ting tong more like
+1, elephant trekking is a must. Me and my girlfriend went to "Elephant Nature Park" and I would thoroughly recommend it. No elephant show etc, just complete passion for elephants. Each to their own about shows but I personally think it's so cruel to programme such an amazing mammal to do tricks. 
Me and the wife were planning a similar trip next year at around the same time. We had thought about booking a guided tour for a week or two with the likes of STA Travel/ Round The World Experts and seeing a decent chunk of the country. The advice on here seems to suggest book as you go.
The reason we wanted to do a guided tour was to take the hassle out of everything. Would we be missing out going on the guided tour route? Also, would it more more expensive that way? STA Travel and the like seem to book you very basic accomodation.
p.s. Sorry to hijack your thread!
The reason we wanted to do a guided tour was to take the hassle out of everything. Would we be missing out going on the guided tour route? Also, would it more more expensive that way? STA Travel and the like seem to book you very basic accomodation.
p.s. Sorry to hijack your thread!
Absolutely no question - DIY is a the way to go.
By all means, read the tour itineraries, look at the tours etc etc, but do it yourself.
You will see and experience so much more and will not be herded via the gem store, selected restaurant etc etc.
Thailand is a very easy country to travel in independantly. Consider the trains for the longer legs. Make up your mind after talking to other travelers etc. By all means plan the first few days and then go with gut feeling.
Take in some of the smaller islands if you can - away from the main destinations; Koh Kood, Koh Chang etc are a good start. see how "off the beated track" you fancy after that.
I can suggest some wonderful, unique hotels if you want.
By all means, read the tour itineraries, look at the tours etc etc, but do it yourself.
You will see and experience so much more and will not be herded via the gem store, selected restaurant etc etc.
Thailand is a very easy country to travel in independantly. Consider the trains for the longer legs. Make up your mind after talking to other travelers etc. By all means plan the first few days and then go with gut feeling.
Take in some of the smaller islands if you can - away from the main destinations; Koh Kood, Koh Chang etc are a good start. see how "off the beated track" you fancy after that.
I can suggest some wonderful, unique hotels if you want.
Depends on the guided tour.
Some, particularly those peddled by the bigger travel agents, will be just as described above. But I'd say there might be some which are more 'personal', and which open more doors - a local guide can act as interpreter (esp. if you go off the beaten track, you may find their English is as good as your Thai), and can potentially "open more doors" than DIY.
BUT...it's definitely 'buyer beware'.
I'd be tempted to hop onto TripAdvisor and/or Fodors forums, do a search, and ask the same question.
Some, particularly those peddled by the bigger travel agents, will be just as described above. But I'd say there might be some which are more 'personal', and which open more doors - a local guide can act as interpreter (esp. if you go off the beaten track, you may find their English is as good as your Thai), and can potentially "open more doors" than DIY.
BUT...it's definitely 'buyer beware'.
I'd be tempted to hop onto TripAdvisor and/or Fodors forums, do a search, and ask the same question.
Thanks for the tips guys,
I had considered the DIY approach but slightly wery as my health is pretty poor at the moment, my crohns disease is ready to pounce at any moment and the added stress of trying to find somewhere when I'm feeling like s
t might not help, I had though of keeping a week unbooked but plan the rest (accommodation wise) and figure out what we wanna do once we get there, but not sure of how long we would want to spend in each place, would 3 days be enough for Chiang Rai, and Chiang Mai? and I hadnt thought of exploring the islands down south to be honest, I was going to head straight down to Rockys (hotel) from Chiang Mai and have the week there for the wedding then return home.
I had considered the DIY approach but slightly wery as my health is pretty poor at the moment, my crohns disease is ready to pounce at any moment and the added stress of trying to find somewhere when I'm feeling like s
t might not help, I had though of keeping a week unbooked but plan the rest (accommodation wise) and figure out what we wanna do once we get there, but not sure of how long we would want to spend in each place, would 3 days be enough for Chiang Rai, and Chiang Mai? and I hadnt thought of exploring the islands down south to be honest, I was going to head straight down to Rockys (hotel) from Chiang Mai and have the week there for the wedding then return home.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff