Thailand will always have a special place in my heart – it’s one of the first places I travelled alone and have been there 3 times in the last 4 years. This itinerary is for a 3 week trip around Thailand including some highlights of the islands. You could easily spend months in Thailand exploring all the paradise islands, amazing culture, incredible food and things to do however if you have limited time these are my top places I would visit…
Thailand Itinerary Overview
Day 1-2: Bangkok
Day 3-5: Chiang Mai
Day 6-7: Pai
Day 8-10: Khao Sok National Park
Day 11-14: Koh Tao
Day 15-18: Koh Phangan
Day 19-21: Koh Samui
Optional: Koh Phi Phi
Stop 1: Bangkok (2 nights)
Most people fly in and out of Bangkok when they travel to Thailand so you will have a day or two at the start and end of your trip in Bangkok – when you first arrive it is a pretty overwhelming place and it is a very big, busy, crowded city. I have never wanted to stay for very long as I’m not a big city lover and prefer to be on a beach by the water, however Bangkok does have a lot to offer and is a great place to explore when you first arrive or before you fly home.
- Khao San Road – A must do when in Bangkok is to check out the famous Khao San Road! A great place to start if you are travelling solo as it is the backpacker hub of the city, and every night the street turns in to one huge party. Cheap drinks, food and lots of other travellers are a great mix. I have had some of the best (and wildest) nights of my life on Khao San Road! Grab a bucket, try a scorpion and get a bracelet with a rude slogan…
- Explore the city by river boat – If walking through the busy streets isn’t for you why don’t you check out the city on a river boat tour? There’s different kind of tours offered and you can even see the floating market by river boat.
- Get a Thai Massage
- Eat – Queue round the street for the best Pad Thai in the world at the famous Thipsamai
- Visit the Grand Palace
- Enjoy a cocktail at a rooftop bar – Look out over the city with a drink in hand at sunset at one of the many rooftop cocktail bars Bangkok has to offer.
Stop 2: Chiang Mai (3 nights)
Your next stop is to head up to Chiang Mai (easiest to fly), a beautiful city which I personally prefer to Bangkok. Chiang Mai has it all and is a more relaxing than the hustle and bustle of Bangkok.
- Visit an Elephant Sanctuary – make sure you look in to it before as not every sanctuary is actually good for the elephants. Chiang Mai is the best place in the country with a number of genuine sanctuaries. If the sanctuary you are looking at lets people ride elephants, chains them or gets them to do tricks it is not ethical and you should avoid. A good one to visit near Chiang Mai is Elephant Nature Park.
- Doi Suthep – head out 12 km outside of the city to a mountain with incredible views of the city. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is the temple at the top which is a must see in Chiang Mai, and the main temple most tourists head to check out when in Chiang Mai.
- Night Bazaar – spend a night bartering for clothes or souvenirs, eating street food and immersing yourself in the culture of Chiang Mai at the night bazaar.
- Cooking class – learn how to cook the best Thai food ever at a cooking class in Chiang Mai!
Stop 3: Pai (2 Nights)
From Chiang Mai jump on a shuttle bus across a very windy journey to the little hippie town of Pai. Enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and idyllic views. Whilst you’re in Pai spend your days checking out the waterfalls (best ones to see are Pambok and Mo Paeng), doing a yoga class at one of the many yoga schools around and watch the sunset over Pai canyon with a beer and some of your new friends from travelling. Pai canyon has some stunning views, there is very small paths to some of the lookouts and you’ll watch people dangerously hang over the cliffs to get the best photo!
Although Pai is a great place to relax there is also some buzzing nightlife – for a great party head to Don’t Cry Bar at the end of your day of exploring!
Stop 4: Khao Sok National Park (2 nights)
One of the most tranquil and unreal places I have stayed is on a floating villa on Khao Sok National Park. To get here it’s best to hop on a flight from Chiang Mai down to Surat Thani (where you would need to be to visit the islands anyway) or you can also get an overnight train if you are feeling more adventurous and your budget is tight. I stayed with Panvaree The Greenery and they will organise a pick up for you, and a boat to take you out to the villas. This stay was more expensive than other places in Thailand that I stayed by far, however it was 100% worth it. Your food is included and is delicious, they take you out on trips like a sunrise ‘safari’ boat trip (look out for monkeys on the cliffs) and you can take the kayaks or go for a swim. Without internet service or the regular distractions of life it was the most amazing getaway and a definite to add to your Thailand bucketlist.
Stop 5: Koh Tao (4 nights)
Time to move to the islands. It is very easy to get ferries across from Surat Thani to the islands and to go between islands. First stop is the hub of diving in Thailand, where I learnt to dive and have since gone back for more! Take a few days to enjoy the dives and the rest of the island, or to get yourself certified if you aren’t already.
Where to dive?
There is a long list of amazing dive schools on Koh Tao, which is what makes it such a great place to learn, but where I learnt and would strongly recommend was Big Blue Diving School. Where you learn is important and thanks to my amazing instructor, friends i met there and dives I did I was in love with scuba diving from the start. You can also stay on site which is really handy and the centre has a great restaurant and is on an ideal location with great access to the white beaches! Make sure to check out Sail Rock dive site whilst you are there for the chance to see a whale shark.
What else is there to do?
In the days when you’re not diving or snorkelling you could go check out the famous look out spot. Take a short longtail boat and a sweaty 15 minute hike to the Nang Yuan Viewpoint. Be careful on the top as it’s very narrow with not much room and lots of people wanting to get the famous picture.
At night check out the Koh Tao Pub Crawl for a wild party or watch a fire show on the beach!
Stop 6: Koh Phangan (4 nights)
If you are wanting to tick going to the world famous Full Moon party off your bucket list your next stop should be Koh Phangan, a short ferry from Koh Tao. If this was on your list when heading out to Thailand you will have probably planned your dates around attending, as you can guess there is only one a month! However there is also a half moon party if your dates don’t align.
Koh Phangan is definitely a party capital of Asia with lots of insanely fun things to do.
- Jungle party – The night before the famous full moon party is Jungle Party, a rave in the middle of the jungle with more of a house and techno music vibe than full moon. It is a really great night and a lot of people actually prefer Jungle to Full Moon.
- Slip and Fly – Head to Slip and Fly in the day for a huge water slide in the middle of the jungle. With pools, games and drinks it’s a great pool party in the day and if you want an adrenaline rush the slide really throws you in the air, not for the faint hearted! We went here before the full moon.
- Full moon party – Get some neon paint, kit yourself out head to toe in neon full moon party clothes, grab a bucket of alcohol and prepare for a late one. There is nothing quite like partying till sunrise with tens of thousands of other people on the beach. Beware of people stealing things (bring a bum bag to be safe), and don’t try the fire skipping ropes and you’ll have a great night.
- Total wipeout course – Ever wanted to have a go at the total wipeout challenge? In Koh Phangan you can as they have the course on a lake and it is just as much fun as you would expect.
- Bottle beach – if partying isn’t for you, or if you want to have a chilled time in between all the wild nights head over to bottle beach for the most idyllic villas and beach.
- Watch the sunset at Secret Mountain – amazing views of the island and perfect place to sit and watch the sunset.
Where to stay?
I have always stayed at Echo Beach Hostel as I love it there so much. It’s pretty chilled but still a great atmosphere before full moon, is right on the beach and near some great food spots. It’s also not near the full moon party, a taxi ride away, which I always liked as it gets pretty crazy near Haad Rin beach.
Stop 7: Koh Samui (3 nights)
After the heavy partying in Koh Phangan, the perfect next stop is the absoultely stunning island of Koh Samui. Spend your days relaxing on the beach, snorkeling or maybe going for some dives. My favourite place to stay which has great restaurants nearby, it’s own paradise beach and great rooms is La Perle.
Optional Stop 8: Koh Phi Phi
Koh Phi Phi is out of the way compared to the other islands as to go from Koh Samui you would need to travel by land and water to get there. However, as it’s in a different place to the other islands the weather can be better at different times of the year and you might want to swap out some of the other islands for a visit to Koh Phi Phi instead if you are travelling between November to May.
Whilst in Koh Phi Phi…
- Go island hopping – some highlights nearby are Bamboo Island and Mosquito Island.
- See monkeys on Monkey Beach – get a boat or include it on your island hopping to the monkey beach, but be careful as they are not shy!
- Ibiza Pool Party at Ibiza House
- Maya bay – absolutely stunning beach and blue waters, a must see but can get very touristy.
