Attractions & Activities
Thailand rewards doing two or three things properly rather than twelve badly. The heat sets the pace: mornings and evenings are for being outside, the middle of the day is for shade, water or air conditioning. Build the day around that and you will see more, not less.
Temples
They are active places of worship, not monuments, which is why the dress rules at the door are enforced rather than suggested — shoulders and knees covered, shoes off inside. Go early, both for the light and because the big ones fill up. And accept that after three or four in a row they blur; two well-chosen temples beat six.
Boat trips
The best days out in the country are on the water: limestone bays, island hopping, snorkelling off the boat. Earlier departures reach the anchorages before the fleet does, which matters more than anything else on the itinerary. Trips are weather-dependent, and an operator who cancels is being careful rather than difficult.
Markets
Markets are where a place is most itself, and the food in them is usually the best value around. The thing to check is the day — many run once or twice a week, and turning up on the wrong evening means an empty street. Early for space, evening for atmosphere.
Nature
Waterfalls, national parks and jungle trails are within reach of almost every destination, and they are at their best after rain — in a dry spell a famous waterfall can be a trickle. Shoes you can walk in, water, and an early start.
Animal attractions
Elephant camps, tiger parks and similar attractions are widely advertised and vary enormously in how the animals are kept. How captive wildlife should be treated is genuinely contested, and visitors reach different conclusions in good faith. Read about how a specific place operates before you book, and decide for yourself.
How to order a day
Outside first, indoors second. Temples and viewpoints in the morning while it is cool and the light is good, water or shade through the middle of the day, markets and sunsets in the evening. Group things by area rather than by how much you want to see them, because travel time is what actually ruins an itinerary — two things done properly in one neighbourhood beat four spread across a city.
Things to do rather than see
- A cooking class — a market and a kitchen, and the most useful thing you will take home
- A Thai massage, which costs very little and is done everywhere
- A diving course, cheapest in the world around Koh Tao
- A day with no plan at all, which in this heat is not laziness
Practical notes
- Start early. Crowds and heat build together through the morning.
- Carry water; the country is hot all year, not seasonally.
- Book timed-entry attractions and popular tours ahead in high season.
- Group things by area — travel time is what ruins an itinerary.