Thailand

Walking holidays in Thailand

Fewer places on the planet come close to matching Thailand’s energy. One day you’re swept along Bangkok’s bustling streets, where street food stalls have earned a reputation for tantalising eats – an authentic papaya salad will make your tastebuds zing with delight (and spice). While the next day you can head north to Chiang Mai, trekking through the jungle or drifting downriver on a bamboo raft with only the sounds of exotic birds for company. 

Snippets of the past in Ayutthaya 

The first thing that might come to mind when you think of Thailand is its sugar-white beaches, but the former Kingdom of Siam has a history as rich as its landscape. Colonisation, war, democracy, and monarchy have all shaped the Thailand you see today – no more so than in Ayutthaya, the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai.  

A walk, cycle, or tuk tuk ride takes you around the city’s once-gilded temples (destroyed by the Burmese in 1767) for a snapshot of its golden past.  

Nature at its most awe-inspiring 

The massive, crane-your-neck limestone mountains that shoot straight up out of the emerald-hued waters of Khao Sok National Park is an image that’s hard to forget.  

A traditional long boat ride puts it all in perspective. Weave beneath these towering jungle-topped structures, stepping on land to get closer to the 400 or so species that inhabit the park. Then, a couple of nights in a treehouse lodge immerses you in the sights and otherworldly sounds of the oldest evergreen rainforest in the world.  

Swoon-worthy beaches in Krabi 

Krabi’s famed white beaches are made all the more glorious by the jungle-covered hills in the background.  

It also boasts some of the most wow-worthy views in Thailand. Hike up to Dragon Crest Mountain for 360-degree, stop-you-in-your-tracks vistas over the islands, limestone peaks, and coastline of Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park. 

And a day kayaking through Krabi’s mangrove forests brings you even closer to understanding and admiring Thailand’s rich and valuable biodiversity.