Southern Thailand Contents
My Experience
The most popular thing to do when travelling in southern Thailand is to go to the different Thai islands on the west and east coasts.
Some of the islands are geared towards partying and some towards relaxing on the beach all day. As such there’s not a lot of sightseeing to do on the islands. It’s about enjoying the beauty of the islands themselves and going on boat trips to go snorkelling and the like.
The islands in the south of Thailand are extremely touristy though so if you’re looking for an authentic Thai experience this probably isn’t the right place for you. Better to head to Northern Thailand if that’s what you’re looking for. If you just want to chill out for a bit and feel like you’re on holiday on the other hand, the islands in the south of Thailand will be perfect for you and they are beautiful.
Costs
Accommodation – Hostels are get a lot more expensive in the south of Thailand. Instead of a couple of dollars for a hostel dorm room you’re going to be paying about $10 in a lot of places for the ok hostels.
Food – There is still street food on the islands but it’s a lot harder to find and there’s much less of variety of it so you’ll be forced for the most part into eating in restaurants so you’ll be looking at about $5-10 a meal. On the plus side though if you like drinking this is where they serve their drinks in buckets so you can get drunk pretty cheap!
Southern Thailand Itinerary – 3 Week Route
See the map below for the route for I’d recommend for traveling around Southern Thailand and the key reasons you’d want to visit each place in the list below. Click on any of the links for full details of that location, where to stay and how to get to the next destination on the list.
In order:
Islands on the West
- Phuket – Phuket Old Town
- Ko Phi Phi– Party Island, Maya Beach (aka. the beach where “The Beach” was filmed)
- Ko Lanta– Island Boat Tours, Snorkelling, Scuba Diving, Island Boat Tours, relaxing
- Krabi – Ao Nang– Railay Beach, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Rock Climbing, Parties, Beaches
Islands on the East
- Koh Samui – Fancy Relaxing Resorts
- Koh Phangan– Full Moon Party, Ban Tai, Wipeout Ko Pha Ngan
- Koh Tao– Open Water Scuba Diving Certification, Nang Yuan Island, Sairee Beach
Duration: Three weeks
Click on each location for more information
West Coast Thailand
East Coast Thai Islands
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