What after Krabi? 8 days in late Dec/early Jan to spend in Thailand.
Oct 2nd, 2011, 01:59 PM
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What after Krabi? 8 days in late Dec/early Jan to spend in Thailand.
After a lot of poring through travel guides and various travel forums, I am officially confused! Seeking guidance from the well-travelled folks on this forum to help solve my dilemma.
We (me and DW) arrive in Krabi to join 4 friends (all 6, ie. 3 couples, in their early 30s) on 26th morning where we plan to do the island hopping, snorkeling, Tiger Temple visit, kayaking, thrown in with some partying in AoNang..
On 30th morning our friends return to HK and India, while we (me and DW) have 8 more days to spend in Thailand. Both of us are action-oriented, on-the-move kind of travellers who hate to sit idle for too long. We are also somewhat budget-conscious (think value for money), though we prefer decent B&Bs over dormitories, and can definitely afford the former in Thailand.
Have tentatively booked 30th Dec to 2nd January in Chiang Mai. Was considering going to Chiang Rai and the golden triangle subsequently and fly to BKK from Chiang Rai on 5th. Fly out on 8th from BKK. Then looked at the temptation of Mae Hong Son loop from Chiang Mai and that is where plans began to go awry.
We would like to engage in some elephant rides and elephant interaction, but definitely can't handle a full day with elephants. Meeting with hill tribes, rafting through caves, some trekking - not too much, scenic road trips and interacting with locals excite us (we are trying to learn the Thai language, as well as reading about the history and culture). We will most probably hire a taxi with a driver throughout our North Thailand trip. We definitely want to spend at least a couple of days in BKK at the very end of our trip.
DW wants to see White Temple and Black House in Chiang Rai and possibly stay a night in Mae Salong, visit the Golden Triangle etc while I believe the Chiang Mai - Doi Inthanon - Mae Sariang - Mae Hong Son - Pai- Chiang Mai loop might be more rewarding.
Which ones and how (timelines) would you suggest squeezing in the time-frame that we have- Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai and BKK? We want to see and do more and more, don't mind roadtrips.
Thanks in advance for all your inputs.
We (me and DW) arrive in Krabi to join 4 friends (all 6, ie. 3 couples, in their early 30s) on 26th morning where we plan to do the island hopping, snorkeling, Tiger Temple visit, kayaking, thrown in with some partying in AoNang..
On 30th morning our friends return to HK and India, while we (me and DW) have 8 more days to spend in Thailand. Both of us are action-oriented, on-the-move kind of travellers who hate to sit idle for too long. We are also somewhat budget-conscious (think value for money), though we prefer decent B&Bs over dormitories, and can definitely afford the former in Thailand.
Have tentatively booked 30th Dec to 2nd January in Chiang Mai. Was considering going to Chiang Rai and the golden triangle subsequently and fly to BKK from Chiang Rai on 5th. Fly out on 8th from BKK. Then looked at the temptation of Mae Hong Son loop from Chiang Mai and that is where plans began to go awry.
We would like to engage in some elephant rides and elephant interaction, but definitely can't handle a full day with elephants. Meeting with hill tribes, rafting through caves, some trekking - not too much, scenic road trips and interacting with locals excite us (we are trying to learn the Thai language, as well as reading about the history and culture). We will most probably hire a taxi with a driver throughout our North Thailand trip. We definitely want to spend at least a couple of days in BKK at the very end of our trip.
DW wants to see White Temple and Black House in Chiang Rai and possibly stay a night in Mae Salong, visit the Golden Triangle etc while I believe the Chiang Mai - Doi Inthanon - Mae Sariang - Mae Hong Son - Pai- Chiang Mai loop might be more rewarding.
Which ones and how (timelines) would you suggest squeezing in the time-frame that we have- Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai and BKK? We want to see and do more and more, don't mind roadtrips.
Thanks in advance for all your inputs.
Oct 2nd, 2011, 06:34 PM
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I am no expert on northern Thailand, having only visited CM a number of times. I think you are trying to include too many locations in northern Thailand, but maybe distances are not as great. I hope someone who has been to all of the places you would like to see will chime in.
I like your ideas for Krabi. I really enjoyed my time there. I stayed in Ao Nang. The scenery is wonderful there! I loved the island hopping. We did it by speedboat rather than longtail. (more $$ but I'm one who prefers to get out of the sun when possible, and the canvas 'topper' on the speedboat was perfect for that.
Carol
I like your ideas for Krabi. I really enjoyed my time there. I stayed in Ao Nang. The scenery is wonderful there! I loved the island hopping. We did it by speedboat rather than longtail. (more $$ but I'm one who prefers to get out of the sun when possible, and the canvas 'topper' on the speedboat was perfect for that.
Carol
Oct 2nd, 2011, 10:54 PM
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Carol, thanks for your validation. Can't wait to get to Krabi! How many days did you stay there? Any 'well-kept' secret experiences that you can recommend or any 'must-avoid' tips based on your experiences?
Oct 3rd, 2011, 03:59 PM
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i would give CM two days...
it is about a 3 hour drive to CR from there and another hour to the actual golden triangle...there are a couple of small hotels outside chiang saen... no B&B's...
there is a hotel in the MHS area with the word fern in its name... it gets great marks..
it is about a 3 hour drive to CR from there and another hour to the actual golden triangle...there are a couple of small hotels outside chiang saen... no B&B's...
there is a hotel in the MHS area with the word fern in its name... it gets great marks..
