If you’re yearning to escape the crowds, Ko Jam (also called Ko Pu) and its neighbour Ko Si Boya might just be your tonic. Both offer kicked-back, small-island ambience and plenty of solitude. There’s not much to do other than swim and sunbathe, and the f
Category: Thailand Destinations
Rising like a rugged, verdant leviathan from the waters near Cambodia, Ko Chang is fast becoming an essential stop on the Thai tourist trail. Earmarked as the ‘next Phuket’ a few short years ago, development has transformed swathes of the island’s west co
Ko Chang feels a world apart from most of Thailand’s islands. There are no megaphone announcements for Thai boxing (even though some of the country’s best fighters hail from Ranong Province), no streets designed entirely for faràng. No, Ko Chang isn’t sel
Now is the time to visit Ko Bulon Leh. This gorgeous island, 23km west of Pak Bara, is surrounded by the Andaman’s signature clear waters and has its share of faultless white-sand beaches with swaying casuarinas. Gracious Ko Bulon Leh is in that perfect p
Khon Kaen and Roi Et, where farming and textiles still dominate life, lie at the heart of Isan and are excellent places to dip a toe into the region’s culture without having to rough it. On the flipside, things are booming in Khon Kaen itself and the city
Khon Kaen is the darling of Isan’s economic boomtime. The skyline rises high, neon illuminates the night, and a bumper crop of bars and restaurants entertain an expanding middle class. As the site of the northeast’s largest university and an important hub
Up there on the podium with some of world’s greatest parks, Khao Yai National Park (08 1877 3127; admission 400B; 6am-9pm) is Thailand’s oldest and most visited reserve. Covering 2168 sq km, Khao Yai incorporates one of the largest intact monsoon forests
You’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into a George of the Jungle movie when you take the time to visit extraordinary Khao Sok National Park (0 7739 5025; www.khaosok.com; admission 200B). It offers a good break from dozing in the sand and encompasses 646 sq k
Towering limestone cliffs, caves and beaches produce a dramatic landscape at this 98-sq-km park (0 3261 9078; adult/child 400/200B), which means Three Hundred Mountain Peaks in English. The park’s lagoons and coastal marshlands are excellent for bird-watc
This 50-sq-km park (admission 200B) protects a dramatic area of virgin rainforest along the spine of 1350m-high Khao Phanom Bencha, just 20km north of Krabi. The name means Five-Point Prostration Mountain, a reference to the mountain’s profile, which rese