We (couple in our early 50s) are planning a 3 weeks trip to Thailand next January. It sounds like a lot of time, but I realize it’s not. Here is a tentative plan, but logistics seem fairly complicated, so it might change:

Day 1-5 in BKK – That’s 6 nights, so the 5 days are full days. I’ll figure out lately what to do each day, but it seems I have more things to see/do than time.

Day 6 – Make our way to Khao Yai NP. Should we rent a car and drive ourselves? I read that it’s a good place to see wildlife, so we’re hoping for some light hikes, drive around, etc. Spend day 7 + 8 there.

Day 9 – Make our way to Sukhothai, and spend day 10 there. But it’s a long drive, and I’m wondering if it would be better to add 1 more day to BKK and do a day trip to Ayutthaya instead. Any thoughts on Sukhothai vs Ayutthaya?

Day 11 – Make our way to Chinag Mai. If from Sukhothai, that’s another long drive. If from BKK (if doing Ayutthaya day trip from BKK instead of Sukhothai), we would fly. Seems easier… Spend days 12-14 in Chiang Mai.

Day 15 – Make our way to Khao Sok NK. Again, not sure how to get there the fastest way. Spend days 16 + 17 there, hopefully with an overnight on a floating raft house.

Day 18 – Make our way to Krabi area, no set idea yet where, spend days 19 +20 there.

Day 21 – fly to BKK

Day 22 – fly back home

Another alternative is tho eliminate Sukhothai / Ayutthaya completely and add 1 extra day to Chiang Mai and 1 day to Krabi.

I would appreciate some thoughts on the above plan, what do you think? It’s our first time to Asia, we are interested in history, temples, culture, nature, wildlife, photography. No interest in shopping, party scene, bars, etc. Thanks a lot.

We went to Thailand in December with several other people, who had more control of the itinerary.
We spent 5 days in Chiang Mai, another day would have been great.
We're not big beach people, so could have skipped Phuket.
Spent 8 days in Bangkok, including day trips to Ayuthaya and Kanchanaburi, were busy all the time.

It sounds like you are planning to drive everywhere. IMO, that isn't the best plan. In general, fly to the nearest airport and rent a car from there if you must have a car. Most visitors to Thailand never rent a car but rely on public transport. It makes sense to rent a car if you are doing a driving trip in the north, such as the Mae Hong Son loop.

It does make sense to drive to Khao Yai, as it's only about 2.5 hours from BKK and there is no public transport within the park. The other option is to hire a car and driver from Bangkok to the park. Once there, you could get a private or group tour to view wildlife.

You can fly to Sukhothai from BKK on Bangkok Airways if you choose to go to Sukhothai. There are plenty of local agencies who can arrange a car and driver and guide if you'd like to see the ruins.

From Sukhothai, you can fly to Chiang Mai (again, on Bangkok Airways). If you opt for Ayuthaya instead, you can fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on a number of airlines. If you opt to take Air Asia (a budget airline) note that it departs from Don Muang, the old airport in Bangkok.

To get to Khao Sok, you will want to fly, perhaps to Surat Thani. Or, Khao Sok is also accessible from Phuket. Plan your itinerary so you go from Khao Sok to Krabi. This can easily be arranged by hiring a car and driver. Then, when you are ready to leave Krabi, you can fly back to Bangkok directly from Krabi.

As you haven't been to Thailand before, you may not know that hiring a car and driver is easy and inexpensive.

Overall, I think you have a good plan, if you cut out all the driving. We all like different things, and while abram (above) would have enjoyed more time in Chiang Mai, I'd go crazy after two full days there. Read about these places and decide which places speak to you.

If you are interested in ruins, on your next trip to SE Asia, I'd highly recommend going to Cambodia to see the Temples of Angkor. It's an easy flight from Bangkok.

Have a wonderful trip!

Kathie,
Thanks a lot for the detailed response. Yes, flying sounds much better, and I was not aware of that option. Need to look into Bangkok Airways. If we can fly into each major destination, than you are right, we can either rent a car there for a couple of days, or hire car + driver.

Thanks for the Angkor recommendation, that will have to wait for another trip.

For now, as it seems it's not that hard to get to Sukhothai and from there to CM, all I need to decide is if to keep this into the itinerary, or allocate the 2 days somewhere else (1 to CM, 1 to Krabi maybe?). Decisions, decisions..

We have a few day trips planned from CM, and I think we will need at least the 3 days we are planning there...

We are not beach people, but love the water and hope to see some great scenery around Krabi. Maybe snorkel for a day? Did anyone do that? How is it?

A few thoughts on your proposed itinerary:

Sukhothai vs Ayuthaya -

Sukhothai is the more impressive of the two sites but is more difficult to get to. We flew from Bangkok and rented a car to tour the area and tennis drove to Chiang Mai. Ayuthaya is a nice day trip from Bangkok. You could get a tour which usually involves a boat up the Chayo Praya river to the summer palace at Bang Pa In and a bus to Ayuthaya and back to Bangkok. Alternatively, it is easy and fun to get the train there and back.

Khao Yai

You really need a car to make the best of the place as most of the accomodation is outside the park and it is quite a way to drive each day. Best to rent a car from the airport (DM) and avoid driving through the Bangkok traffic. Personally, I would think twice if wildlife is your main reason for going. You will see lots of monkeys but for sightings of other animals you would have to be very lucky. You could join a tour group but I would avoid this at the weekend when the park will be jam packed with tour groups as it is a popular destination for bangko residents.

Khao Sok and beaches

We enjoyed our time in Khao Sok, sailing on th lake amongst the karst scenery was excellent. The raft houses seemed nice enough it we stayed in a jungle lodge which enable us to check out other activities. I think I would have been a little bored staying at the raft houses as there wasn't a lot there.

To get to KS we rented a car from Phuket Airport and stayed a few nights on the beach at Khao Lak ( a 2 hour drive) before driving to KS (2 hrs).

Krabi south of Phuket whereas KHao Sok is way to the north so driving or bus would probably take the best part of a day. Khao Lak or Phuket may be a better choice transport wise (although there could be ferries from Phuket to Krabi) . It largely depends on what you want from your beach destination.

John Grey Sea Canoes does an excellent trip around Phnag Nga Bay and operates from Phuket and picks up from Khao Lak (possibly Krabi as well).

Driving v Flying

Driving is easy in Thailand once you get used to it although flying between some destinations does make. Driving your own car is a great way to see the country and does provide much more flexibility and convenience. One idea from Chiang Mai, is to drive the Mai Hong Sorn loop. Stunning scenery and some great places to stay. It take 3-5 days. A few years ago we combined the two routes and carried on to Chiang Rai and the far north - but then, I enjoy driving




We have driven all over the country and found these guides to be invaluable https://www.budget.co.th/WorldClassDrive.aspx?lang=en . The MHS loop is there as is Sukhothai

crellston,
Great insight and ideas, thank you!

Yes, Khao Yai is mainly for wildlife (mammals, birds, snakes, etc.), but if that is not to be found there, maybe we should skip it...

Maybe skipping it and skipping Sukhothai, and adding that time for the Mai Hong Sorn loop. Hmmm, that sound very interesting, it would give us a 7 full days in and around CM...thanks for the link too, it's great.
You mention "some great places to stay". Any recommendations?

The beach destination...I guess the main attraction for us is the beautiful scenery we see in pictures, kayaking through the carst, the clear water, the long boats...although we will not spend any time lying in the sun. A snorkeling day tour might be fun too...

You are welcome xyz99 .

Great places to stay include:

Chiang Mai - http://www.3sisbedandbreakfast.com/
Mai Hong Sorn - http://www.fernresort.info/index.php
Soppong - http://www.soppong.com
Mai Sariang - http://www.riverhousehotelgroup.com/hotel/

Also close to Chiang Mai but in a different direction is http://www.chiangdaonest.com some nice hikes and cave in the area.

Here is a link to my trip report of the last time we drove the loop
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...n-thailand.cfm

Given your wish list for time at the beach, Krabi will probably suit. A long time since I have been but I think you need to choose your actual location carefully to get what you want. I would avoid Ao Nang. https://www.travelfish.org/country/thailand Is a good resource for beach ideas and provides a pretty reliable synopsis of the various beach locations. One of the islands. Koh Yao Noi/Yai or Koh Lanta may be worth considering - the Pimalai on Koh Lanka is excellent if you want to push the boat out!

I am so glad I started planning this early
SO much to read, so much to consider...I think I have enough to start planning a 2nd trip.

For Krabi I was considering Railey beach area...any thoughts on that?

Love Pimalai, but "just a little" over out budget

With 4-5 days available for a drive, what's a better choice: the Mai Hong Sorn loop, or a Chiang Mai - Chiang Dao - Chiang Saeng - Chiang Rai - Chiang Mai loop?
We are looking for scenery, temples, markets...any chance of seeing rice terraces in January? Thanks.

It is so long since I was at Railay that I fear my comments would have little relevance today. However, here is a "warts n all" appraisal on travelfish https://www.travelfish.org/location/...i/railay_beach

Like I suggested previously it does pay go check out the reviews of beach places to stay. Boooking. Com and even Trip Advisor are good places to start. That, it certainly has the scenery you seek. Most places can be booked "cancellation free" on booking so you could start right now. The better places do get booked way in advance.

Re touring the north. Those are both great options. Chiang Rai is a nice town and has the Saturday walking market (the best in Thailand) the White Temple and Black House are both worth a look - see our blog entry https://accidentalnomads.com/2015/10...ack-and-white/ but you could do that in an overnight trip from CM.

For me the MHS loop wins. Spectacular a pleasant, if winding drive though amazing scenery.

The Fern Resort about 8kms outside of MHS is worth 2/3 nights. It is set at the base of a mountain and so has great hikes directly from the property (the resort dogs will act as your guide!!). The property is set in and overlooks a few rice terraces. A nice place for a sundowner or to wander the gardens in the dawn mist. They also run a community based tourism initiative where you can trek the hill tribe villages and even stay overnight. You could visit the colourful night market in town to sample the food and wander the stalls.

Soppong is only a small town but has a thriving morning market visited by people from various members of the minority people from the surrounding villages. It also has a number of caves to visit, some of which you can raft through. Quiet at night but the Soppong river in is a magical place to stay and provides amazing food ( we took several recipes away with us that we still cook when at home!)

On the way back to CM you could stay at Mai Sariang, a pleasant riverside town and/or Doi Intanon NP - the highest point in Thailand and the only places I have ever been cold in the country! I would probably go with MS and just pay a passing visit to DI to see the waterfalls and buy some strawberries

From memory, the only rice terraces you will see are around MHS and in Jan the rice will already have been harvested.

A second trip is inevitable for many people

Crellston,
I will never be able to repay you (and others on this board) for all the help, ideas, patience, insight you are providing. Yes, I will post a TR, but I know that will not match this...

Yes, travelfish has so much info...it took me a while to realize how much info is there, but now I can't stop reading. Which is a problem, as I found more and more interesting places to go.

I think the MHS loop will be part of our itinerary this trip, and as you said, there will be another 2nd trip someday...

We can do this in 5 days, so right now I'm thinking:
1) CM-Pai
2) Pai - Fern resort
3) Fern resort - Mae Sariang
4) Mae Sariang - Doi Inthanton
5) Doi Inthanton - CM

We will be in Soppong on a Mon, and I read that their market is on Tue
2 nights at Fern resort sounds wonderful, need to figure out where to steal that extra day from... we have 5d BKK, 2d CM (1 for Doi Suthep + Huay Tung Tao), 5 d MHS loop, 2d Khao Sok and 3d Krabi. Plus 3-4 other days needed to get from A to B.
Also, we want to keep driving to 3-4 hrs/day, so we have time to stop each day and enjoy the area.

What if we cut off the Mae Sariang, and drive from Fern resort directly to Doi Inthanton? Is that a regular road or 4WD only?

Or stay 2n at Pai, 2n at Fern resort, then fly back to CM? Hmmm, that sounds good to me, if we can rent the car 1-way only.

What would you do? Thanks