Thailand
Templates · 15 days · 5 stops
Bangkok, a Chiang Mai base, then a sleeper south to the Andaman islands.
- Bangkok
- Chiang Mai
- Krabi
- Ko Phi Phi
- Ko Lanta
Day 1 · Home → Bangkok
Home→Bangkok
Day 2 · Bangkok
Day 3 · Bangkok
Day 4 · Bangkok → ON THE TRAIN
Base near the river for the express boats. The Grand Palace and Wat Pho's reclining Buddha at opening — dress covered, go before the heat — then Wat Arun across the water in the late light.
Boat the Thonburi khlongs, then dinner at a Chinatown street stall on Yaowarat: pad thai from a wok cart, mango sticky rice after.
Day trip to the Maeklong railway market where the awnings fold as the train slides through, and the Damnoen Saduak floating market by longtail.
Bangkok→Chiang Mai
Day 5 · ON THE TRAIN → Chiang Mai
Day 6 · Chiang Mai
Day 7 · Chiang Mai
Day 8 · Chiang Mai
Day 9 · Chiang Mai → Railay
The night sleeper north from Hua Lamphong — *book a lower berth in second-class a/c weeks ahead* — and wake to green hills and cooler air.
Temple morning inside the moat: Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh, then the switchbacks up to Doi Suthep for the golden chedi and the valley view.
A day at an ethical elephant sanctuary in the Mae Taeng valley — feeding and mud baths, no riding.
Thai cooking class: market tour for galangal and kaffir lime, then your own khao soi and green curry; the Sunday Walking Street for the night market after.
Chiang Mai→Krabi
Day 10 · Railay
Day 11 · Railay → Ko Phi Phi
Fly south, then a longtail to the cliff-ringed peninsula reachable only by boat. Watch climbers on the limestone, swim off Phra Nang beach, and find the lagoon viewpoint if you don't mind the muddy scramble.
Sunset from the sand with a fire show, chicken skewers from a beach vendor.
Krabi→Ko Phi Phi
Day 12 · Ko Phi Phi
Day 13 · Ko Phi Phi → Ko Lanta
Ferry into the islands. Early longtail to Maya Bay before the day boats — go at opening or not at all — snorkel the coral at Bamboo Island, then the viewpoint climb for the twin-bay panorama at dusk.
Ko Phi Phi→Ko Lanta
Day 14 · Ko Lanta
Day 15 · Ko Lanta → Home
The quiet finish — a slower island of long west-facing beaches. Rent a scooter to the old town's stilt houses and the lighthouse in the national park at the southern tip, then a seafood dinner with your feet in the sand.
Ko Lanta→Krabi
Krabi→Home