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Thailand

Temples, beaches, street food, full moon

Best time · Nov – Apr Trips from · $1,489 Trips on offer · 12

Thailand: The Original Backpacker Kingdom

Thailand wrote the backpacker playbook and still runs the best version of it: Bangkok's beautiful chaos, jungle treks and ethical elephant encounters up north in Chiang Mai, and a south full of limestone islands where the snorkelling is cheap and the sunsets are free.

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The lowdown

Get to know Thailand

Bangkok: eat first, ask questions later

Your Thailand education starts on a plastic stool. Bangkok's street food crawl is the single best first night in Southeast Asia: charcoal smoke drifting over Yaowarat's neon in Chinatown, pad thai flipped in a wok that's older than you, mango sticky rice for dessert because you've earned it. Between feeds you'll dodge tuk-tuks, temple-hop through Wat Pho's giant reclining Buddha, and haggle badly at Chatuchak weekend market. Give the city two or three nights. It's loud, it's sweaty, and it rewires what you think food should cost. Most of our Thailand tours kick off here, Bangkok to Phuket, Koh Phangan or Chiang Mai.

The Phi Phi viewpoint climb

Koh Phi Phi's party rep is deserved, but the viewpoint is the money shot. It's a sweaty 20-odd-minute climb up steps and jungle path from Tonsai village, and at the top you get the postcard: two turquoise bays pinched by a skinny sandbar, limestone cliffs standing up out of the Andaman like they're showing off. Go for sunrise before the heat kicks in. Then spend the day on a Phi Phi island tour, longtail boats, snorkelling with reef fish over coral gardens, and a slow cruise past Maya Bay's cliffs, made famous by The Beach and now carefully protected.

Chiang Mai and the elephant question

Up north, the pace drops and the jungle takes over. Chiang Mai's old city is moat-ringed and temple-stacked, but the day trip everyone remembers is an ethical elephant sanctuary, walking with rescued elephants through the forest, feeding them bananas, watching them wallow in mud. No riding, no shows, no chains. That distinction matters, so choose carefully. Back in town, climb the 306-step naga staircase to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep for golden-hour views over the whole valley, then reward yourself with a bowl of khao soi, the north's coconut curry noodles, for a couple of dollars.

Full moon rising on Koh Phangan

Every month, Haad Rin beach on Koh Phangan turns into the biggest party in Southeast Asia. Fire skipping ropes, buckets of questionable cocktails, body paint, thousands of backpackers dancing on sand until the sun comes up over the Gulf. The Full Moon Party is chaos, and it's a rite of passage, but pace yourself and mind your thongs, the sand gets messy. Off-party nights, Phangan mellows right out: yoga on the west coast, hammocks in Haad Yuan. Nearby Koh Tao does cheap dive certifications, and Koh Samui does your recovery day. Our 9-day Bangkok to Koh Phangan trip is timed so you land in the thick of it.

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Thailand travel guides

Good questions, straight answers

When is the best time to visit Thailand?

November to April is the sweet spot, dry season, with November to February the coolest and most comfortable. May to October brings monsoon rain, though it usually falls in short afternoon bursts. One quirk: the Gulf islands like Koh Phangan cop their wettest weather around October to December, so check your side of the coast.

How many days do you need in Thailand?

Two weeks is the honest minimum to do Bangkok plus the islands without sprinting. Our tours run from 9 days (Bangkok to Koh Phangan) up to 18 days (Bangkok to Chiang Mai), and there's a 27-day option pairing Thailand with Vietnam. If you can stretch to three weeks, you'll fit in the north properly.

Is Thailand expensive for backpackers?

It's one of the cheapest places on earth to travel well. Street food meals run a dollar or two, hostel beds are a fraction of Aussie prices, and overnight buses and trains keep transport costs tiny. Islands and cocktails will chew your budget fastest. Our tour prices are all-in, so the number you see is the number you pay.

What's the top thing to do in Thailand for first-timers?

Start with a Bangkok street food crawl to get your bearings and your appetite, then island-hop south, a Phi Phi island tour by longtail boat is the classic. If you'd rather have the logistics sorted, a group trip like our 15-day Bangkok to Phuket run strings the best of it together for you.

How do you get to Thailand from Australia?

Fly into Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi (BKK) for full-service airlines, Don Mueang (DMK) for budget carriers. Direct flights from Sydney or Melbourne take around nine hours, and sale fares pop up constantly. Phuket also takes international flights if you're heading straight for the islands. Australians currently get visa-free entry for short tourist stays, but check the latest rules before you fly.

Is Thailand good for solo travellers?

It's arguably the best solo destination going. The backpacker trail is well-worn, hostels are social by design, and you'll make friends in the first hour of any island boat. If you want the freedom of solo with the crew of a group, that's exactly what our small-group Thailand tours are built for, rock up alone, leave with a crew.

What wildlife and seasonal highlights should I look out for?

Rescued elephants at ethical sanctuaries around Chiang Mai are the headline, feeding and mud-bathing, never riding. Divers around Koh Tao sometimes cross paths with whale sharks. Time a November visit for Loy Krathong, when thousands of candlelit floats and lanterns fill the rivers and skies, with Chiang Mai's celebrations the most famous of the lot.

What are the best day trips in Thailand?

From Bangkok: the ancient ruined capital of Ayutthaya, about 80km north by train. From Phuket or Krabi: a Phi Phi island tour or a longtail boat to Railay's climbing cliffs, reachable only by sea. From Chiang Mai: an elephant sanctuary morning, Doi Suthep temple, or the grippy limestone 'Sticky Waterfalls' you can walk straight up.

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