Where Next: Thailand
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Adventure Travel: Thailand RevisitedSoutheast Asia's premier adventure playground is back in business. Here's
where to find your piece of the action.
Text by Christian DeBenedetti Photograph by Ingolf Pompe/LOOK
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BEACHBOUND: Long-tail boats rest at Rai Le beach on the Andaman Sea.
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I'm reclining on the soft white sands of horseshoe-shaped Rai Le beach, in Krabi Province, enjoying a bowlful of fresh grilled squid while climbers tackle 500-foot (152-meter) limestone crags off to my left and long-tail boats swish ashore. My guide for the day, a soft-spoken woman from Phuket, is telling me about the December 2004 cataclysm that devastated a huge swath of Thailand's west coast.
Post-tsunami rebuilding has been fast, and tourists are returning again, she says, but parts of the country could still use more visitors. To be sure, they're coming. Bestowed with a trove of natural riches, from opalescent beaches in the south to 7,000-foot (2,134-meter) peaks in the north, and a government eager to trumpet them with new tours and programs, Thailand is on the rebound. Choose your terrain and go—before everyone else does.
Bangkok
Prowl a Sacred Labyrinth
Most travelers launch their Thailand odysseys from the country's pulsating capital, a convenient middle ground between the mountainous north and island-pocked south. With direct flights from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thai Airways, it's now an endurable 17 hours to Bangkok. Drop your bags at the Atlanta, a meticulously kept art deco hotel on the east side of town, then make your way down to the Chao Phraya River for an early evening ferry glide past Thon Buri. At night the ancient city's skyline glows with brightly lit sites such as Wat Arun, the stunning Temple of the Dawn. By day, one of the best ways to explore Bangkok's temple-ridden labyrinth of high-rises and twisting side streets is to hire a tuk-tuk, or local pedicab. (Be sure to bargain the price ahead of time; maximum $65 for half a day.) Itinerary musts: Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), with the adjoining Grand Palace; and the intricate, teakwood Jim Thompson House, where an American intelligence officer turned expat once lived before he mysteriously disappeared in 1967. If you'd prefer a day outside the city limits, hop a bus to the renowned Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Bangkok. Here merchants poling gondola-like canoes peddle fruits, vegetables, and souvenirs from boats and stalls along a series of khlongs (canals).
The Vitals
Get There: Thai Airways ($1,340 round-trip from New York City to Bangkok; www.thaiairways.com); daily buses from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal
to Damnoen Saduak ($10)
Check In: The Atlanta Hotel ($12; www.theatlantahotel.bizland.com)
Check It Out: Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo ($8; www.tourismthailand.org); Jim Thompson House ($3; www.jimthompsonhouse.com)
The IslandsScout Deserted Shores
Home to 582 islands, the southern half of Thailand offers world-class scuba diving, sea kayaking, and rock climbing. If you have more than two weeks to spare, explore both the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand sides of the country. But if you've only got a few days, just pick one (neither will disappoint). The island of Ko Chang, a six-hour bus-and-ferry ride from Bangkok, makes an excellent gulf adventure, with mist-wrapped mountain peaks and offshore reefs. (For the best diving conditions, visit between November and April). Stay at the Tree House Lodge on the island's southwest coast, from which you can trek into Mu Ko Chang National Park or paddle out to sea. Rent a kayak from one of the vendors on nearby Lonely Beach ($10 for a half-day) and head for the largely deserted islands about an hour's glide from shore. An 80-minute flight from Bangkok, Phuket is the easiest island to reach off Thailand's west coast. Sybaritic swarms will forever throng its more popular sites (avoid Patong Beach), but Phuket still hides some sandy gems, including Nai Yang and Mai Khao Beaches. Sip a schooner of icy Thai lager at Nai Yang Beach's Mr. Kobi bar as the sun dips below the Andaman Sea. The next morning take a two-and-a-half-hour ferry due east to Laem Phra Nang Peninsula, commonly known as Railay, whose 500-foot (152-meter) limestone cliffs offer prime climbing routes and a fast-emerging DWS (Deep Water Solo) scene. The best part? That water landing.
The Vitals
Get There: Ask the staff at your Bangkok hotel to book a bus-and-ferry ride to Ko Chang ($12); Thai Airways ($110 one-way from Bangkok to Phuket; www.thaiairways.com)
Check In: Tree House Lodge ($5 for a bungalow; www.treehouse-kohchang.de); Nai Yang Beach Resort ($31; www.phuket.com/naiyangbeach)
Check It Out: King Climbers ($31 for a half day, including gear and guide; www.railay.com)
The MountainsTrek the Jungle Highlands
With a hefty population of nearly 170,000 residents, the 700-year-old moated city of Chiang Mai is often referred to as the "capital of northern Thailand," but it's also the gateway to some of the country's best inland adventures, from elephant trekking to white-water rafting and mountain biking. Stay downtown at the newly renovated Eurana Boutique Hotel. Or splurge on a room at the local Four Seasons: The mesmerizingly tranquil grove of spacious Lanna-style huts sits just outside the city, overlooking a functioning rice paddy patrolled by placid water buffalo. Chiang Mai is brimming with mom-and-pop travel agents who are eager to help you organize excursions into the surrounding mountainscape (about $30 for a half-day trip; $50 for a full day). Or you can make plans directly with local outfitters. Hitch a shuttle with Mountain Biking Chiang Mai to
Doi Suthep, which is considered one of Thailand's holiest sites. The gold-encrusted Buddhist stupa affords views of pine-and-deciduous forests from its perch at 5,400 feet (1,646 meters)—and makes the perfect starting line for a screaming two-wheel descent back to town. Siam River Adventures runs white-water rafting trips on the Class III and IV Mae Taeng river, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of town. For an exotic thrill, head to the Maetaman Elephant Camp, 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Chiang Mai, and climb atop a massive Asian elephant for a verdant jungle trek; then board a bamboo skiff to float a nearby bird-filled wilderness. However you spend the days, save some energy for Chiang Mai's flourishing culinary scene. The antique-laden Rachamankha is one of the best eateries in the city, with dishes such as egg noodles served with braised osso bucco. The don't-miss dessert: a mango sticky rice crepe drenched in chocolate sauce.
The Vitals
Get There: Thai Airways ($96 one-way from Bangkok to Chiang Mai; www.thaiairways.com)
Check In: Eurana Boutique Hotel ($47; www.euranaboutiquehotel.com); Four Seasons Chiang Mai ($475; www.fourseasons.com/chiangmai)
Check It Out: Mountain Biking Chiang Mai ($45 for bike rental and shuttles; www.mountainbikingchiangmai.com); Siam River Adventures ($50 for a full-day rafting trip; www.siamrivers.com); Maetaman Elephant Camp ($31; www.maetamanelephantcamp.com)
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