Why You Should See Northern Thailand
We went on our third trip to Thailand, spending five weeks there. This time, we travelled with our son, an avid bird watcher. The middle three weeks were solely a bird watching experience — it was like being on a tour with every day packed with places to visit. The other two weeks we got our culture and cuisine fix in Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
On the plus side, we did not have to pay for birding guides, and we got to visit many of Thailand’s national parks. We do not even remember if there were any national parks when we backpacked here on our three-year Round-The-World trip. There definitely were no expressways then. We had to trek through the tribal areas in the Golden Triangle. Wow, a lot has changed.
Author & Photographer: George Mitchell
Our recommendations are not influenced by affiliate links – we have none. Our advice is derived from our personal experience and knowledge, based on spending five months in Thailand as well as travelling three years around the world.
Why Should You Go To Northern Thailand?
For amazing art and architecture, fabulous food, captivating culture, and friendly people — Thailand is still one of our favourite destinations in the world. It even influenced our home cooking, which is often Thai. And it’s a good place for birding: our son saw 502 species in three weeks.
Thailand is not small, at 513,120 km² in area. Thailand is 6% larger than the Yukon, 21% larger than California, and 80% the size of France. Thailand’s expressways let you drive where you need to go, but the traffic on secondary roads can slow you done considerably. Almost all of the 69 million people now seem to own a vehicle!!
Where Should You Go in Northern Thailand?
There are really too many sights to mention here. We will present more blogs, photos and maps on the individual places to visit. The following places in north and central Thailand were visited in itinerary order:
- Chiang Mai — lots of temples, cultural activities and cuisine in a much quieter city, must-see ***
- Doi Suthep-Pui National Park — Orchid Opulence, birding
- Doi Inthanon National Park — birding, flowers, garden, Buddhist pagoda, waterfalls
- Doi Chiang Dao — mountain birding
- Doi Ang Khang National Park — birding, called the Switzerland of Thailand
- Doi Lang National Park — birding
- Kaeng Krachan National Park — birding
- Phetchaburi — birding at Pak Thale
- Khao Yai National Park — birding
- Ayutthaya — ancient capital, Wat Phra Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, must-see ***
- Bangkok — cuisine, Wat Phra Kaew & Royal Palace, Erawan Shrine, Jim Thompson House, Wat Traimit, Wat Arun…
Other Posts You May Like
For more posts on Northern Thailand, please read on:
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This was only a taste of Bangkok. What questions do you have? If you have been to Thailand, share your experiences with us. How long is/was your trip?
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