Our top Thailand tours and excursions

Thailand is overflowing with guided tours and excursions, but not all are created equal. That’s why we only ever recommend the best of the best: the experiences guaranteed to get you under the skin of Thai culture.   

Boat on canals of Bangkok

Kings & khlongs: Half-day tour of the canals of old Bangkok

Before Bangkok became famous for its busy nightlife and glitzy malls, it was known as the “Venice of the East”: threaded through with hundreds of canals (or khlongs) and lined with teakwood homes and shrines.  

A half-day tour of Thonburi will introduce you to a little slice of that old Bangkok, where transport is by longtail boat instead of skytrain, and where life still moves at a lazy pace in teakwood villages along the khlongs. After puttering past old shophouses and temples, whose eclectic architecture reflects the region’s centuries of trade, you’ll disembark to explore an icon of Bangkok: the sparkling, mosaic-encrusted temple of Wat Arun. From here, it’s a short walk to the Grand Palace, whose magnificent complex of over 100 buildings has been the seat of Thai royalty for over two centuries.

Views over foothills near Mae Hong Son looking towards Myanmar

Nature & tribes of Mae Hong Son

Get a glimpse of Mae Hong Son’s natural and cultural bounty as you bamboo raft through a 1.5km cave system, watch as thousands of bats and swifts fill the air at dusk, and visit a village of the Black Lahu tribe, who’ve adapted to use eco-friendly tourism to support their traditional lifestyle. On the way home, stop to take in breathtaking views over the Himalayan foothills stretching into Myanmar and beyond. 

Blue Temple with white Buddha statue at top of stairs

Full day art scene of Chiang Rai

Get beneath the skin of this eccentric beacon of creative culture as you take in the dazzlingly kitsch vision of Buddhism at the White Temple, contemplate the meaning of life and death at the hellish Black House, then peruse scripture art at the strikingly contemporary Blue Temple. Grab lunch at an arts community with a local art expert, then round off the day in the hills at the home and gallery of a local potter. 

Bowl of curry noodles with chopsticks and lime to garnish

Morning/afternoon class at Pantawan Cooking School

Heavily influenced by Laos and Myanmar, northern Thai — or Lanna — cuisine is totally different from Thai food as you know it.

At Pantawan you won’t just whip up some dishes, you’ll learn about the local food culture, hear personal stories, and get tips on how to use your newfound skills back at home. Begin with a tour of the local fresh market, then cook your own curry noodles, spicy laab or mango sticky rice back at the school’s beautiful gardens. 

Girl looking up at gilded arch in front of golden temple in Chiang Mai

Half day Chiang Mai's spiritual side

Beginning in the old town center and working outwards to the peak of Doi Suthep, trace Chiang Mai’s spiritual heritage from city-center chedis, up the longest naga stairway in Thailand to one of the North’s most sacred sites.

Stop in along the way at Wat Pha Lat, an enchanting “hidden jungle temple” tucked away from the crowds, and arrive at Doi Suthep in time for the evening ceremony, when monks’ chanting drifts across the landscape as the sun begins to set. 

Muay Thai boxers competing in the ring in Bangkok

Muay Thai Masterclass

Born during the wars with Burma in the 18th century, Muay Thai is known as the “Art of Eight Limbs” because it makes use of eight points of contact: fists, feet, knees and elbows.

Meet your trainer at a local gym, learn the key techniques, then head on to the stadium for the main event. Go backstage to see the pros prepare, then grab a ringside seat for the fight — including the traditional, dance-like “ring-sealing” ritual. Meet the champion later for a photo op!