Thailand Holidays

Thailand is a wonderful holiday destination, with its laid back tropical beaches, rich culture and history, incredible temples and stunning natural beauty.

It has a great deal to offer travellers, whether you plan an adventure holiday of scuba diving, climbing , kayaking and trekking through remote villages or one of sublime luxury in any of its plentiful boutique resorts and spas. It's a great family destination, with a host of fun and safe activities for children, and it has a cuisine to die for.

Thailand's cool season runs from November until the end of February. With its low humidity, relatively low temperatures and clear skies, the cool season is the best time to visit, though regular days of high 20s and low 30s might leave you wondering just who came up with the term ‘cool’. It is also the peak tourist season, so expect lots of new friends at the more popular spots like the islands and major towns.

One of the first places to visit is Bangkok, a modern behemoth of screaming traffic, gleaming shopping centres and international sensibilities interwoven with devout Buddhism. Chiang Mai, the country's bohemian centre, is where the unique and precise elements of Thai culture become a classroom, for cooking courses and language

lessons; while climbing into the mountain ranges around Mae Hong Son you'll find stupa-studded peaks and villages of post-Stone Age cultures. Sliding down the coastal tail are the evergreen limestone islands of Ko Tao and Kho Phi Phi Don, filled with tall palms angling over pearlescent sand. Thailand's beaches are stunning, hedonistic and mythic among residents of northern latitudes.

Visa updates: Note that in 2008, Thailand's visa regulations were altered, affecting the length of stay for those arriving in Thailand by land.