Cool Lanna culture up north, then a flight south to the most famous beach party on earth. The classic backpacker arc, run properly.
You land via Bangkok and head straight north to the old capital of the Lanna kingdom, skipping the capital entirely. The first evening is for settling in, a bowl of khao soi and a slow lap of the night bazaar. The temples and the bars can wait for morning.
Six hundred years of history sit inside the old city moat, and Chiang Mai brews some of the best coffee in Asia between the temples. You spend the morning among the temples and the afternoon hands deep in a Thai cooking class, with time to crawl the third wave cafes of Nimman, Ristr8to for the latte art and Akha Ama for hill tribe beans. By night Nimman's bars and live music fill up with travellers your age.
The golden temple of Doi Suthep crowns the mountain above Chiang Mai, and the view from its terrace is the city laid bare. Spend the day your way, an ethical elephant sanctuary, a massage, a market crawl. Then one last northern night before the country changes completely.
North again to a town of temples that look like nothing else in Thailand. The White Temple glitters like spun sugar and the Blue Temple glows electric cobalt, both the work of a single artist's fever dream. On the horizon, the Golden Triangle where three countries meet over the Mekong.
Today the map flips from mountains to sea. A flight carries you the length of the country to the Gulf, where a ferry slides you across to Koh Phangan and a different Thailand entirely. By sunset you are barefoot, with salt in your hair and a long beach in front of you.
There is far more to Phangan than the party, and today you find it. Jungle waterfalls, viewpoints over secret bays, and quiet northern coves a world away from the crowd. Rest up and pace yourself, because the moon has plans for you.
Tonight Haad Rin beach becomes the most famous party on earth, and you are in it. Buckets, fire ropes, UV paint and thousands of travellers dancing until the sun comes up over the Gulf. If your dates miss the full moon, the island throws Half Moon and Jungle parties so the night never really ends.
After the moon, a gentler day. A boat to the marine park, a long swim, a slow lunch with your feet in the sand, or simply nothing at all. One last island night, a little quieter, watching the fire shows from a beach bar.
The ferry carries you back across to Samui and the airport, sunburnt and grinning. You came for temples and leave having danced under a full moon at the edge of the sea. Not a bad way to learn a country.
Three ways to do the same route: Comfort, Premium or Luxe. Breakfasts in. Mix tiers city by city if you like, it is your trip.
Priced to your dates, your hotel tier and how the two of you like to travel. Ask, the first answer usually lands within minutes.
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