People think they know Thailand: Bangkok, up to Chiang Mai and down to the southern islands. It’s a short, predictable path. We’ll show you what lies around the bend.
Experience it with people who turn left when everyone else turns right. Go an inch off the map into the countryside outside Chiang Mai to sit down with Chef Gee. Years in professional kitchens in New Zealand and a career in television behind her, she’s back where she started, cooking the Lanna food of her ancestors in her own farmhouse kitchen. Head out to stay with Dtor, who built Harmony @ Huai Lan and gets you hands-on with whatever the community happens to be doing that week.
Sneak down Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian canal and stop at a lychee garden. Cycle Sukhothai instead of Ayutthaya: the older capital, and the quieter one. Settle into Koh Yao instead of Phuket, an hour away by long-tail but another world. Or tap into rarely-visited regions like Isaan.
We’ve had an office in Bangkok for twenty years, and Tom, who co-founded ETG, still works in Thailand for much of the year. Around forty (gorgeous) hotels we’d happily put a curious traveller in, and we keep that list short on purpose.
That’s how we design trips you wouldn’t have known to ask us for.
Speak
to a Thailand specialist
In Our Travellers’ Words
An Epic Adventure Across Southeast Asia
Epic Trip in Thailand
Amazing cultural and relaxing experience in Thailand
Our Unique Holidays in Thailand
Relaxing, immersive, life-affirming adventures. This is Thailand done with intention. Lively cities balanced with space to breathe. Culture experienced properly. Secret islands that feel calmer, slower, and more considered.
Here are some ideas to spark your curiosity…
How We Plan Thailand
Thailand is more varied than most itineraries give it credit for, and far too good to skim.
Bangkok is exciting when explored properly: canal networks by solar-powered boat, hidden garden restaurants, Chinatown at dusk. Head north to Ayutthaya or west to Sukhothai for stupas and Buddhas.
The North: in Chiang Mai we go beyond the temples: electric tuk-tuk rides through family-run kitchens, conversations with chefs, Karen homestays in the hills, ethical elephant sanctuaries like ChangChill (or the Mahouts Elephant Foundation in Mae Sot by the Myanmar border.)
East of Bangkok, Khao Yai is Thailand’s oldest national park.
Southern Thailand is more than its beaches. We rate Khao Sok‘s misty jungle and lake. For idyllic islands, we steer you to Koh Lanta, Koh Yao Noi and Koh Phra Thong over the crowded ones.
We also push further into off-the-beaten-track regions like Isaan, which most overlook entirely.
For Thailand done well, explore our Classic Holidays.
Explore Experiences in Thailand
Immersive experiences sit at the heart of ETG. Each one is specially designed to confound preconceptions and share magical, memorable, and truly exceptional moments.
Meet Our Experts
“Lots of people assume Thailand’s all full moon parties and touristy (bordering on trashy) hotspots, but really, there’s so much more to it. Ask me about the ways to veer off the tourist trail and about lovely little islands, which hardly anyone knows about.”
Ella
Thailand Specialist
Thailand's Hotels, Chosen In-House
Plenty of polished, highly rated hotels in Thailand don’t make the cut for our collection. The ones that do have something special: a proper sense of place, a distinct atmosphere, and hosts who are genuinely glad you came. Some are grand, some are simple, but they all have enough character to stick in your memory. Here are the hotels we keep coming back to, alongside a few off-the-beaten-path finds you’d be hard-pressed to find by yourself.
The Curious Traveller’s Expert Guide to Thailand
Tempted to discover the secret sides of Thailand, far from the tourist traps and flee the crowds?
Our specialists have compiled many of their tips and insider secrets in this, The Curious Traveller’s Guide to Thailand.
Download your complimentary copy for an insight into authentic Thailand that will help inspire your adventure.
Important FAQs about Thailand
The best time to visit most of Thailand is November to March, when it’s dry and comfortably warm. April to June is hotter but quieter, which suits travellers happy to trade a few degrees for fewer people. From July to October it’s monsoon season in many regions: the showers are short and heavy, and the landscapes are at their greenest. For the beach, it depends which coast you choose. The Andaman side (Phuket and Krabi) is driest from November to April, while the Gulf side (Koh Samui) is best from January to August.
Two weeks is a good foundation for a trip with real shape. Thailand is compact enough to cover a lot of ground quickly, but quick is exactly what most trips get wrong. The trips that stay with people spend longer in fewer places: a few days in Chiang Mai’s surroundings, not a single night, enough time on an island to stop counting the days. We’ll be honest with you if the itinerary you have in mind is trying to do too much.
Yes. Thailand is one of our most family-friendly destinations: the welcome is warm, the food works for most children, and the variety of what’s possible in two weeks means different ages tend to find their own highlights. We’ve designed trips for families with toddlers and families with teenagers, and the two look very different. Tell us who’s travelling and we’ll design around all of them.
We only work with ethical wildlife efforts: no elephant riding, no performances, no captive animal encounters staged for tourists. The ethical sanctuaries we use are places where elephants live in conditions close to the wild, with space to roam and no chains. If you’d like to see elephants in Thailand, we’ll tell you which experiences we’d recommend and why, and which ones we won’t touch.
Not in the usual sense. Every Experience Travel Group trip to Thailand is private and designed for the person taking it, but we don’t do “tailor-made”, and that’s deliberate. Because “tailor-made” assembles a trip around what you asked for, from hotels and tours anyone can book. We design around why you’re travelling, using experiences we’ve built ourselves, boutique hotels we’ve scouted out and matched to you, and trusted guides and drivers we’ve worked with for years. That lets us reach parts of the country you wouldn’t have known to ask for.
- All your accommodation in hand-picked, characterful hotels
- Private drivers throughout
- Carefully chosen local guides
- All activities and experiences (some secret!)
- Entrance fees to national parks and cultural sites
- Many meals and snacks throughout
- All regional transport
- International flights on request
- 24/7 in-country support
Thailand is famous for its beaches and temples, but with ETG, you’ll experience a deeper, more authentic side. Our guides help you explore beyond the usual tourist trail, from quiet island life to countryside cycling and cooking with local families. We focus on uncovering the textures of Thai life (the fragrant food, the festivals, the unexpected moments), all while staying in places rooted in their setting, chosen by our specialists who’ve stayed there, not by an algorithm.