Budget
Budget
Nice
Fancy
Accomodation
(per night)
$10-15
$30
$100-200
Food
(per meal)
$2
$3-7
$10-20
Activities
$6 scooter rent/day
$2-5 entrance fee temples/waterfalls
Budget
Budget
Nice
Fancy
Accomodation
(per night)
$10-20
$30-40
$80-200
Food
(per meal)
$2-3
$5-8
$10-20
Activities
$6 scooter /day
$2-5 temples
/waterfalls
Thailand, the country of jungles adventures, temples, tuk tuks and white sandy beaches. With its beautiful nature, paradise islands and delicious food, Thailand is the ultimate destination for both backpackers and tourists. On top of that, it’s also one of the cheapest countries to travel and it’s home to the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. In short: Thailand is the perfect holiday destination!
We keep coming back to this beautiful country and have created the perfect 3 week itinerary for you!
Bangkok
Flying into Thailand, Bangkok is usually the cheapest option so chances are your journey will start here. Although many people think Bangkok is a dirty, stinky city, we actually thought it was quite nice! There is a lot of fun things to see and do and every time we come back to the city we really enjoy it. Be sure to visit the temples Wat Arun and Wat Pho, eat street food on Khao San road (stick around afterwards if you like to party) or have a drink at one of the rooftop bars.
Chiang Mai
As Bangkok is located in the middle of Thailand, you can choose which way you want to go first: north or south. If you decide to head north, you have 3 travel options: the (night) train, the bus or the plane. Many people opt for the night train, which takes you to Chiang Mai for about €20 and allows you to get some sleep at the same time.
Chiang Mai feels like a completely different world compared to Bangkok, you have all the facilities you could need, but it is a lot smaller and more relaxed. Life is cheap here, so you will find many backpackers and pensionados who stay here longterm.
One of the most popular things to do in Chiang Mai is visiting an elephant sanctuary. They are absolutely everywhere and although there are certainly good and honest sanctuaries, that’s definitely not the case for all of them. So pay attention, do your research and take a look at the reviews before you visit. Any sanctuary that forces the elephants to do things (like pinching their ears to make them spray water) and where they’re forced into the water to let guests give them a bath, are not real sanctuaries.
Definitely pay a visit to the ‘sticky waterfalls’. These waterfalls, unlike most others, are not slippery but ‘sticky’ due to the deposit of minerals. So you can actually climb up the waterfalls here, which is a lot of fun!
Pai
Pai is a cute little village about 3 hours from chiang mai, and has a really laid-back backpackers vibe to it. Sadly, we got a horrible case of food poisoning here and had to skip the highlights, but the vibe in this village alone was great so it is definitely worth a visit.
Tip: rent a scooter and visit 1 of the waterfalls, hot springs and Pai canyon.
Ao Nang
The next destination is Krabi, or rather Ao Nang. This is a village about a 20 minute drive from Krabi, it’s located right on the beach and is just a little nicer to stay at. Although Ao Nang itself is also quite touristy and lacks a bit of authenticity, it is a convenient location to use as a base for various day trips. Go on island hopping for a day with the 4 island or Hong island tour, rent a motorbike and visit the beautiful Blue & Emerald pools, hike the Dragon Crest trail and climb up the 1260 steps to the Tiger cave temple!
Koh Phi Phi
Koh Phi Phi is one of destinations that you have probably seen many times in your Instagram feed. And with good reason, it is an absolute paradise! Koh Phi Phi is actually an archipelago consisting of 6 islands. Koh Phi Phi Don the largest island, and also the only island you can actually stay on. It has a real island vibe; there are no cars and (almost) no scooters and you can easily walk everywhere.
It has a reputation of being a hardcore party island, and while there’s no denying that it has a pretty wild night life scene, you can also avoid that al together if you’re not much of a party goer. Definitely don’t skip it because of its party reputation, you’d be missing out on some of Thailand’s most beautiful islands!
Phuket
We always thought that Phuket was a big, ugly, touristy island, which as a backpacker /traveler, you’d pretty much want to steer clear of. When we finally visited Phuket during our 3rd trip to Thailand, we quickly came around; what a beautiful place! Yes, some places are very touristy and a bit tacky (*ahum* Patong) but Phuket really has much more to offer. For example, rent a scooter and tour around while hopping from beach to beach. Or one (or more) day trips to one of the beautiful island groups around Phuket, such as the Khai islands or Similan islands. Don’t feel like going to the beach for a while? Then pay a visit to the Big Buddha or Phuket Old Town, especially during the Sunday night market.
Khao Sok
About 4 hours from Phuket (by minivan) you’ll find yourself in a completely different world: Khao Sok national park. It’s a massive 739 square km of jungle and mountains and a huge lake; Cheow Lan. The combination of the greenish blue water of the lake with the majestic rocks and mountains everywhere makes it a very special place, incomparable with anything else in the country.
When you visit Khao Sok National Park, you definitely want to visit the lake as well. You can either book a 1 day or multiday tour, in which you stay in one of those water bungalows on the lake.
Back to Bangkok
From Khao Sok you can either take the (night)bus or fly back to Bangkok. A bus you can easily book at the hotels/hostels in the village, or online at 12goasia.nl. If you want to take the airplane, book a mini bus to Surat Thani and fly from there!
Hi! We're Sara & Arjen!
In 2018 we quit our jobs and decided to travel around the world. 5 Years later we’re still at it and now we’re sharing our experiences and tips with you!
