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.

What makes a great experience? For us, it always starts with the people. A fantastic guide is your magic key to understanding Thailand, whether it’s getting to grips with war history or learning how to make a killer green curry. They’re not just there to make sure you don’t get lost; they’re there to take you inside their culture and show you what makes this country tick.

You might be exploring the Chiang Mai countryside on the back of a vintage Vespa, stopping off to admire the views and visit old-fashioned farmhouses. You might be island-hopping in the southern islands, visiting hidden coves to splash about in coral reefs. Or you might be in the heart of Bangkok, sampling street-food treats as you explore the city’s world-famous nightlife. Whatever the experience, expect full immersion, hands-on fun, and the company of some of our favorite people in all of Thailand.

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.

Tour of the ruins of Ayutthaya with an art history expert

Discover Thailand’s cosmopolitan roots on a tour of the Ayutthaya ruins, accompanied by art history expert Professor Chedha Tingsanchali.

For four centuries, Ayutthaya was the center of a great kingdom that sprawled over much of Southeast Asia, with a culture and architecture influenced by nations as far-flung as Britain, Persia and Japan. Then, in 1767, it was sacked by the Burmese, and its monuments were left to rack and ruin. With Professor Tingsanchali on hand to demystify the city’s multicultural origins, you’ll hunt down crumbling chedi spires hidden along wood-paneled lanes, and Buddha images in temples sandwiched between modern businesses and cafés. For history lovers, this is one of our favorite tours in all of Thailand.

Trekking in northern Thailand

Rolling countryside threaded through with rivers, mountains speckled with crumbling ruins and minority villages surrounded by rice paddies: northern Thailand is a walker’s paradise.

Whether you’re after a gentle half-day hike or a challenging, multi-day trek to remote villages deep in the countryside, northern Thailand really does have something for everyone. This region is mountainous, rural, and home to a patchwork of ethnic minorities, each with their own rich culture and customs. Opportunities abound to get to know the local way of life, as you visit traditional villages, eat home-cooked food, and spend the night in tiny guesthouses and homestays. In between, there’s miles and miles of countryside to be explored — criss-crossing trails through farmland and forest, crumbling jungle temples, secluded valleys, rural markets and even a “lost civilization”.

A morning at Araksa Tea Garden

Discover the secrets of growing, harvesting and roasting top-quality tea against the backdrop of the evergreen hills of Mae Tang.

An hour’s drive outside of Chiang Mai, tucked away in the hills, is one of Thailand’s oldest tea plantations. At over 70 years old (and counting), Araksa’s tea plants haven’t seen a single chemical in over two decades, and consequently produce some of the finest organic white, green, black and herbal teas around. On a morning visit, you’ll get to participate in the tea production process from start to finish — harvesting the leaves, kneading and roasting the tea, and brewing and tasting it yourself — concluding with a beautiful set lunch in the garden.

Bangkok after dark

Bangkok is the city that never stops eating, as you’ll discover on this late-night tuk-tuk tour of the city’s finest street-food spots and drinking holes.

From Michelin-starred crab omelets to fishball soup, and from drunken noodles to chive dumplings, Bangkok cuisine is much, much more than just pad thai (though there’s that, too). Zipping through the streets in the back of a tuk-tuk, your guide will take you beyond the usual tourist hotspots and deep into the after-hours food culture of the city, stopping in for cold drinks at hidden bars and street-food treats at thronging night markets. In between bites, you’ll also hop out to explore some Bangkok landmarks — including chedi temple spires glowing golden against the night sky.