Thailand is one of the most popular travel destinations in Southeast Asia.  It’s famous for its rich culture, temples, and some of the most famous islands in the world.  Thailand is also known for its rice fields located in the central and norther parts, such as Chiang Mai.  But because I’ve been to several rice fields in the past in places like Indonesia and Sri Lanka, I decided to skip out on this section of the country.  I’m sure it’s beautiful and if you haven’t seen rice fields before, then I highly recommending adding this area to your visit to Thailand.  I wanted a more unique experience and what better than the dramatic rocky landscape between Phuket and Krabi in the south.  This is where I started my journey in Thailand.

Phang Nga Bay

My first stop in Thailand was Phang Nga Bay, where beautiful karst rock formations tower out over the water.  Having spent a beautiful sunset over these rocks, I set off on a wooden longtail boat the next morning to the famous island where a classic James Bond movie was shot: Khao Phing Kan.  The views along the way were beautiful and the island itself was stunning to see!

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Railay beach

The beaches at Railay, only accessible by boat, are said to be some of the most beautiful in all of Thailand.  Huge cascading limestone karst rocks rise steeply out of the emerald waters and white sandy shores.  Here you can spot the dusky langurs, also known as spectacled leaf monkeys for their white, circular patches around their eyes, as well as hornbills and water monitor lizards!  Wooden longtail boats line up the shore every morning bringing in heaps of day trippers which unfortunately turn the quiet beaches into a tourist frenzy.  But if you stay here at one of the hotels, then you can enjoy the peace and tranquility of these beaches early in the morning and late in the evening.  This allows also great photo opportunities.

Khao Sok National Park

One of the highlights of the southern part of Thailand is Khao Sok National Park.  Cheow Lan Lake transforms into a vibrant emerald green color as the sun comes over the massive karst rocks.  To explore this area, I had a local take me out early in the morning to take advantage of the lighting and the early morning mist over the peaks.

Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park – Phraya Nahkon temple and Bueng Bua lotus lake

As I headed north along the coast, I stopped at Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park.  This remote national park is off the beaten path and gets very few visitors compared to other spots in Thailand.  It’s home to some beautiful temples like the Wat Khao Daeng and the Phraya Nakhon, a golden temple hidden inside a real cave.  If you time your visit to the cave, you can witness the beam of light coming through the opening from above.  It was quite the hike to get there, but once you’re inside, it was all worth it.  After this, I made my way to the Bueng Bua lotus lake to enjoy the views of the wetlands with the beautiful mountain range in the background at sunset.

Kaeng Krachan National Park

Further north was Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand’s biggest national park.  We contacted Darryl, a British guy who has lived in Thailand for over 30 years and who is a nature conservationist and fellow vegan to show us around the park.  We spent the full day exploring the park and keeping an eye out for big predators.  Throughout the day we encountered dusky langurs with little orange babies, giant squirrels, red-stumped macaques and many bird species.  In one occasion while observing a hornbill perched on a tree, a leopard jumped out of the bushes and crossed the path about 10 meters away from us.  We all let out a gasp and hoped for it to come out again, but it never did.  Towards the end of the day as we were ready to head out, we spotted a Malaysian sun bear!  We kept our distance as these are ferocious animals that could attack.  But he seemed more interested in searching for food than us…thankfully.

Erawan Falls National Park and Huay Maekamin waterfalls

I’ve seen my fair share of waterfalls in my travels so I’m not typically impressed by them, unless of course they have a unique form or they’re located in a beautiful setting.  That’s the case with the waterfalls at Erawan National Park and Huay Maekamin.  What makes both of these places unique is the layout of the river with its different levels of turquoise pools, each with its own charm.  Both places are worth the visit but Huay Maekamin is the lesser known of the two and thus felt less busy.  Arrive at both early in the morning to avoid the crowds. 🙂

Ayutthaya 

Ayutthaya used to be the capital of Thailand between 1350 and 1767 and one of the biggest cities in the world.  Now, all that’s left is temple ruins after the Burmese attacked it.  The many pagodas, Buddha statues and green parks are well kept and nice to explore early in the morning and late in the day to escape the heat.  Another advantage of visiting the temples at these hours, is that the day trippers haven’t arrived yet of have already left, meaning the sites are almost empty.  Temples I recommend visiting are Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Mahathat and Wat Chai Watthanaram as these are very well preserved and offer a glimpse of what life used to look like in Ayutthaya.

Floating market of Damnoen Saduak & the Wat Muang giant buddha statue

As my roadtrip through Thailand was coming to an end, I decided to visit a floating market outside of Bangkok as well as the largest Buddha statue in all of Thailand.  The Damnoen Saduak market is worth visiting right after sunrise when the locals prepare their produce and start their journey along the canals.  This is a great opportunity to buy some fresh fruits and exchange a smile with the friendly locals.  It was a nice change of pace from the chaotic atmosphere in Bangkok.  Before heading back to the city, I stopped at Wat Muang at sunset to observe one of the largest Buddha statues in all of South Asia.  And it was huge!

I traveled through Thailand, exploring different regions from forests to beaches to cities, encountering many wildlife species, and meeting wonderful people along the way.  Some of the highlights were riding on a longtail boat through crystal-clear waters and going for a forest trek looking for wildlife with an amazing guide.  By the end, it was exactly what I had hoped Thailand would be, and then some.

Thailand travel photography | Best places to visit in Thailand | Roadtrip through Thailand