Thailand: the ultimate backpacker destination

Whether you're a first-time or experienced backpacker, Thailand is a destination that is fun for practically everyone. It is rather easy to travel, has the most amazing and cheap food and accommodations, and is full of cultural experiences. It also offers a lovely diversity of vibrant cities, laid-back villages, lush jungles and paradise islands. It's definitely a country that we would happily return to.

In this travel guide, we share our itinerary for several of the best places to visit in Thailand, including fun things to do while you're there!

Recommended itinerary

We would argue that you need at least 4 weeks to visit Thailand thoroughly and experience its diversity to the fullest. We were there for three weeks during our longer trip through Southeast Asia and ended up skipping the tropical islands, which we would not do again...

The places we cover in this itinerary are (from south to north):

• Krabi

• Khao Sok

• Bangkok

• Kanchanaburi

• Ayutthaya

• Chiang Mai

• Pai

• Chiang Rai

We would definitely add some tropical islands to this itinerary, like Koh Lipe, Koh Kood, Koh Thao and/or Koh Phangan. We would also add a visit to the Ao Phang Nga National Park. You can add a visit to the Si Satchanalai Historical Park (in Sukothai) or switch this with Ayutthaya as they are quite similar.

At the end of the guide, you'll find some practical information on modes of transportation and the best time to visit.

Krabi

Krabi is the name of a province as well as a town. Krabi town is well-known for its cosy night market where you can buy all sorts of goodies and street food. Near Krabi town is the Tiger Cave temple. What gave it its name is a bit of a mystery (including a legend of a tiger that was seen here), but it's a truly impressive sight. You have to climb a leg-tiring and sweat-inducing 1237 steps until you reach the top, where you will be rewarded with stunning views of the valley and mountains. It's totally worth the climb!

From Krabi town, you can easily go to Ao Nang. Ao Nang isn't particularly a nice place, but it's strategically located if you want to visit the famous and stunning Phra Nang beach and nearby islands. You can reach Phra Nang beach by taking a longtail boat from Ao Nang to Railay. It's a nice place to walk around and we can recommend a great authentic Indian meal at Kohinoor. In Ao Nang, we can recommend a stay at Whalecome.

Khao Sok

Khao Sok is a large national park of which large parts have been flooded by the damming of a river. Near the headquarters of the park, you'll find several accommodations and restaurants. This is a great place to stay the night, before embarking on an overnight adventure in the park. We stayed at the lovely Khao Sok River & Jungle Resort and they helped us book our tour.

The overnight tour of Khao Sok is a truly thrilling experience as you will be brought to these little huts on the water, which makes you feel like you're really in the middle of nowhere. Next time we would probably go for the more comfortable huts, as we didn't close an eye because of a large spider in our open hut.

We were happy that our tour didn't visit one of the half-flooded caves where you'll have to crawl and swim through a spider-invested cave. In case you're visiting during the rainy season, make sure you don't go on this trip, as there are enough stories of the caves becoming flooded while people were in there...

Instead, our tour guide took us on a stunning hike through the jungle. Back on the water, we saw the spectacled langur, wild boars and hornbills. We also heard gibbons and something very big rustling in the jungle... next time we hope to spot more wildlife, like elephants, although they tend to stay in the more remote parts of the park. In short, this 'into the wild' and back-to-basic experience is a really nice way to relax and fully experience the Thai jungle.

Bangkok

There is so much to see and do in Bangkok, but there is also so much that has already been written about it, therefore we will be short and sweet about it. Our favourite places to visit were: the Jim Thompson house for the most beautiful architecture (the story behind the house is especially intriguing if you've been to the Cameron highlands in Malaysia), the rooftop bars around Lumphini Park for a stunning view or a speakeasy (a retro style bar, a replication of bars from when alcohol was prohibited) if you're looking for more cosiness, the rightfully famous Wat Pho temple complex and the cosy neighbourhood next to it towards the riverside.

We also recommend going to a night market, we liked Ratchada but heard it's been relocated and is now called Jodd Fairs. When you have more time on your hands, you can visit the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market or go on a Co van Kessel bike tour. We enjoyed our affordable stay at Tidjai Bangkok Hostel.

Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi is very different from any other destination in Thailand since is known for its war-tainted history. During the Second World War, Japan wanted to build a railway from Thailand to Myanmar to supply its army. To achieve the unachievable task of building a railway through dense rain forests and mountains within less than 2 years, prisoners of war and many Asian 'labourers' (the conditions were close to slavery...) were forced to work day and night. They call this railway the death railway because the number of ties in the tracks represents the number of deaths that it cost to build it.

After the war, Thailand largely decommissioned this railway, but the part from Kanchanaburi to the Hellfire Pass Memorial is still in operation. It's an extremely beautiful ride, to an incredibly sad place. We would highly recommend going to Kanchanaburi to experience this side of Thailand as well. Strangely enough, Kanchanaburi is actually quite an atmospheric town... From Kanchanaburi, you can also visit the Erawan National Park, with its beautiful four-tier waterfall.

Ayutthaya

The Ayutthaya Kingdom was the centre of the country of Siam (former name of Thailand) for 400 years. In 1761, the Burmese brought this kingdom to an end, demolishing a large part of the city in the process of it. Luckily, quite a lot of the ancient Buddhist architecture in the historic city has been preserved. This makes it a very attractive tourist destination, and a must-visit, being so close to Bangkok. From here you can take the night train to Chiang Mai as well.

A great way to explore Ayutthaya is by bike. The distances between the places aren't big, there is quite some shade, and you can take it nice and slow to cope with the heat. Another plus of going by bike is that you can explore at your own pace. If this is not your thing, it's also possible to hire a tuk-tuk and chauffeur for the day. We especially liked Wat Mahathat (and its surroundings), Wat Chai Watthanaram and Wat Lokaya Sutharam. End your day with some street food at Bang Lang Night Market.

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is a very popular city in Thailand, both for tourists and expats. The old part of the city has a unique shape, namely that of a square, due to the city walls. The atmosphere in the city is super relaxed and fun. You'll find many cute artisan shops and cafés.

Next to the 'hip' side of Chiang Mai, it is also rich in beautiful temples. After having seen many temples already, we especially loved Wat Chedi Luang, which partially collapsed due to an earthquake in 1545. This gives it a very mystique look, especially at sunset.

At night, several night markets (like the Gate Market and Phuek Market) pop up in the streets, where you can find the most amazing street food. Some of our favourites are Pad Thai (the most famous Thai noodle dish), Mango sticky rice, and Kanom Krok (little stuffed pancakes). A must-eat Northern Thai food is the rich curry-flavored soup Khao Soi. The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is also a fun place to hang out, especially the Boy Blues Bar which is a very cool place on top of the food stalls.

Chiang Mai is also well-known for the nature surrounding it. From here, you can go on many jungle hikes. We didn't do that, but we did go to another tourist favourite: an elephant sanctuary. Choosing the right sanctuary to go to can be tricky, as you don't want to support a sanctuary that does not have the elephant's welfare in its best interest. After thorough research, we decided to visit the Elephant Nature Park.

Here they don't let you interact with the elephants too much, so the elephants can live as naturally as possible. You are still able to touch a few of them who enjoy that, but you mostly get to see them in a stunning natural environment. There are also many other rescued animals, like cats, dogs, and buffaloes. You can easily book a shuttle bus to the park from Chiang Mai through their website. We got picked up at our hotel called the iSilver Hotel, which we can highly recommend!

Pai

From Chiang Mai, you can take a shuttle bus, a motorbike, or a car to Pai. The route to it is infamous for its 762 (!) curves. Therefore, taking the car is the most comfortable option as it takes less energy, feels a lot safer, and you can go at your own pace. We also found the car the most convenient option to explore the region surrounding Pai.

Pai itself is a lovely place in the far north of Thailand. The town itself has a bit of a hip(pie) vibe, because of the chill atmosphere and the many bars. In the centre of Pai, there is a fun night market with a lot of nice street food. At night, you can enjoy some cocktails and live music at Supermoon. we can also definitely recommend a meal at Charlie & Lek and breakfast at Om Garden Café.

The surroundings of Pai have a lot to offer. Nearby you'll find several great spots to visit. Chedi Phra That Mae Yen is a Buddhist Temple on a hill, from which you'll have a beautiful view of Pai. The Bamboo Bridge is also a very famous sight and for a great reason. The bridge is 800 meters long and leads to a local temple. It stretches through a beautiful valley with the greenest rice fields we have ever seen. Pai Canyon is also a very beautiful landmark, but quite dangerous. You can either take the risk and walk on the steep and unprotected ridges or walk around it as we did.

A bit further away from Pai are several more special landmarks. The Nam Lod Cave is a beautiful cave, which you have to visit with a guide, who you'll find at the entrance of the park. Our guide seemed to be just a random local woman who hardly spoke any English but did manoeuvre us through the cave and kept feeding us fruit. Quite a funny experience.

Another amazing place to visit is the Noodle Soup House Ban Jabo, not necessarily because of the noodle soup, but because of perhaps one of the most stunning views in the entire country. We would definitely argue that Pai and its surroundings make it a must-visit region in Thailand.

Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai doesn't draw as many tourists as the other places in our itinerary. It is, however, a very nice destination. The town itself is quite cosy, there is a very large market with many souvenirs, street food, and traditional performances at night. It's recommended to rent a motorbike and explore the area.

Chiang Rai is well-known for its temples. You might think: what can be so special about that in a country with thousands of temples?! Well, these you definitely shouldn't skip, as they might be the most special ones in the entire country. You'll find three extraordinary temples here: Wat Rhong Khun, Wat Rong Suea Ten, and Baan Dam Museum. Also known as the white, blue and black temples.

The white temple is the most visited and was designed to represent the 'pureness' of Buddha. Therefore, it might seem like some kind of heavenly structure, especially because it is often contrasted with the 'black temple'. However, it has quite some sinister aspects as well, like the hands around the bridge that seem to reach for you. All in all, it's a truly stunning piece of architecture.

The apprentice of this architect also wanted to design a special temple, hence he made one entirely in blue. The structure is similar to many other temples you'll come across, but the bright colour is what makes it special. Nearby, at the riverside, you can visit the amazing Chivit Thamma Da Coffee House, which is located in a colonial-style land house.

Afterwards, you can make your way to the Black Temple. This isn't really a temple but an art project. People have mixed feelings about this place, but we enjoyed its quirkiness. It's a big garden full of little houses with strange art pieces, animal skins and skeletons.

If you have more time on your hands, you can go on a tour to visit the Golden Triangle, which is the border region with Myanmar and Laos. Here you can also visit 'long-neck Karen' tribes, but we wouldn't suggest that because of the precarious situation of these communities. If you do, make sure to check out if your guided visit is ethical.

In case you're interested in visiting the beautiful neighbouring country of Laos, we would highly suggest going to the border and taking a two-day Mekong river cruise to our favourite town: Luang Prabang.

Practical information

How to move around
You can enter the country by plane via the international airport in Bangkok or from neighbouring countries via smaller airports like Chiang Mai. You can also enter the country via boat from the Malaysian island of Langkawi or over the Mekong River from the city of Luang Prabang in Laos. Another option is to take a (night) bus from one of the neighbouring countries.

All the touristic places in Thailand are easily visitable by booking a shuttle bus (12go is a good website for that), but you can also rent a car. For longer distances, we can recommend the night train, such as the night train between Surat Thani, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. For short distances, renting a motorbike is very popular. Make sure you have an international driver's license with you and be aware of your travel insurance policy, as accidents with a motorbike are often not insured if you don't have a motor driving license.

Best time to travel
From November to March, it's relatively 'cool' (not really, of course) and dry in Thailand. From April to June, it's also dry, but it's more hot. The rainy season is from June to October. We happened to be there from mid-October and had only one rain shower. Our travel hack is to catch the tail of the rainy season so that nature is at its lushest, the waterfalls are strong, there are fewer tourists, and accommodations are rather cheap. Just make sure you're prepared to avoid the rain, for example by adding a few more days. Nevertheless, it hardly ever rains for an entire day, it's more often short but intense.