Thailand Tours

Why Thailand

Located at the heart of Southeast Asia, Thailand is set between India and China, delightful in its distinctive culture.

Home to a lush, tropical landscape, rich heritage, dynamic economic growth and some of world’s best beaches, this Buddhist country always attracts people on family trips, honeymoon or vacations. Its year-round hospitality, warm weather and diversity make it even more inviting. Continue to discover Why Thailand is popular among travelers.

Elegant elephants

Northern Thailand is the best region in the world for interacting with Asian elephants. In the past, these elephants were tamed to serve as beasts of burden, transporting goods. Now many wounded elephants have retired and stay in elephant camps in Northern Thailand.

Asia Highlights recommends travelers participate in elephant-volunteer programs which involve preparing food, and feeding, cleaning and bathing elephants. All such efforts contribute to better elephant-care. Such activities are especially good for animal lovers and for families with kids.

Beautiful beaches

Phuket and Ko Samui are the most popular beaches, each with its own special features. The Asia Highlights team has visited and experienced most beaches for first-hand information, also about local accommodation.

Phuket has a variety of activities on water and land: island hopping, bars, food and shopping. We recommend beaches such as Kata or Karon, which are not so crowded; or private beaches such as Bengtao or Surin.

Ko Samui is well-known for its quiet beaches, top restaurants and spas, attracting travelers looking for relaxation. Hotels/resorts are either on the beach or hidden in the hills. Bophut is quiet with amazing sunrises; Chaweng has busy markets and good shopping; couples can choose hill hotels for more privacy, if staying near a beach is not high priority.

Paradise parks

Thailand has been doing an excellent job on ecological preservation, with over 100 national parks, attractive and worth a visit for travelers. Asia Highlights has selected three national parks that are especially good for nature lovers, animal lovers, and families with teenagers

In Khao Yai National Park near Bangkok, travelers can enjoy bird-watching and wild elephants. In Chiang Mai, go and check out Doi Inthanon National Park for its stunning scenery and rich variety of plants and animals. The Khao Lak National Park in Phuket provides accommodation in floating villages and even in the oldest tree house on earth in a tropical rainforest!

Terrific temples

Temples always stand out wherever you travel in Thailand. They are part of the daily lives of local people: praying for family blessing, or donating food to monks.

Asia Highlights recommends only a select few temples for visiting, those which are authentic and represent well the local culture.

In Bangkok, we recommend the Jade Buddha Temple, which attracts Buddhists from countries all over the world. In Wat Phra Singh (Chiang Mai), you have a good chance of observing a ceremony for Becoming a Monk; and the Black House in Chiang Rai features modern Thai temple art.

Fantastic festival

Known as the Beautiful Festival (or Beautiful Thai Light Festival) in Thailand, this is a must-see while visiting Thailand during November! Chiang Mai is perhaps the best place to experience the festival, called locally the Yi Peng Festival. At night, thousands of people fly sky lanterns together, creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The New Year's Eve lantern festival is also recommended! We had been informed that Chiang Mai will not hold any New Year's Eve lantern festival in 2019, but there will be the New Year's Eve Lantern Festival 2020 at Chiang Mai CAD (Air Sport Farm).Updated on 3th Nov,2019

Best time to go

Thailand is a year-round destination, with climate varying slightly with season. The cool season, November to February is the high season for most travelers, but the best time to visit extends from November to early April, when the hot season begins. The rainy season from May to October often brings refreshment after afternoon downpours.

In the south, where spectacular beaches are to be found, the climate differs between east (e.g. Koh Samui) and west (e.g. Phuket Island). The weather on the east coast is good for most of the year, while the west coast is more comfortable between November and February, especially for diving and snorkeling.

Appropriate accommodation

Thailand has a wide range of accommodation, from local home-stays to luxury resorts, serving travelers from all over the world. It is super convenient but at the same time takes lots of effort to pick something suitable. Asia Highlights carefully handpicks hotels in each city, paying attention to service, hotel facilities, style, and location.

Usually we only select hotels catering for western travelers with western-standard service and breakfasts. Downtown hotels in quiet places are our favorites, when high quality is ensured. In Bangkok we avoid Khao Shan district because of the noise and traffic jams. We only choose one out of every 50 or 100 hotels.

Transport

Direct international flights connect Bangkok to major cities in Asia, Europe (11 to 14 hours) and Australia (9 to 11 hours). For American travelers, stopovers in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, or Tokyo are good options.

Food & dining etiquette

Thai food relies on fresh, local ingredients – from the sweet smell of lemongrass, to searing-hot chilies.

A variety of mouth-watering dishes have 4 distinct flavors: spicy, sweet, salty and sour (some may also be bitter). Must-try foods are tom yum soup, pad thai and stir fried rice noodles. Smelly-fruit durian might be some brave travelers’ favorite snack.

People mainly use spoons and forks for everyday meals, including for cutting things. Chopsticks are only used in Chinese restaurants.

Culture and customs

Buddhism has a great impact on Thai people’s daily lives and great respect is accorded to monks.

Throughout the country, respect for the King is even more prevalent, not only because of tradition but also because of the King’s efforts to preserve the traditional way of life and to improve living standards of marginalized people. Pictures of the king are to be seen everywhere in Thailand.

The other significant part of Thai culture is “saving face”. This means always maintaining harmony with others and avoiding any conflict, at least on the surface. This is especially important among older people.

Health and safety

Thailand is safe for traveling in every respect, though we always encourage travelers to take out insurance, covering theft, loss or medical emergency. Yellow fever is the only one vaccine required, in case you happen to visit a yellow-fever zone within 6 days of visiting Thailand. Pharmacies can easily be found in Thai cities.

Bear in mind that scooters and motorcycles can be poorly maintained, making them unsafe to riders and others on the road.

Discover Thailand your way

Twenty years ago we initiated a new way to travel in China: via private tour, helping travelers to discover in their way. Then we extended this to other Asian destinations, including Thailand.

On such a tour, you will travel independently, but with all the logistics taken care of, enjoying an itinerary designed by our specialists just for you. You will not only see the usual highlights but also discover areas you never knew existed, while experiencing some unique local activities!

All you need to do is make a trip inquiry and our specialist will respond within 24 hours. The good news is that private tours in Asia are quite affordable and we don’t charge any fee for inquiries!