Adventure travel in Thailand, from someone who kept doing it

I came to Thailand for two weeks and stayed the better part of eight years, most of it underwater, on a rented bike, or halfway up something. In that time I learned the wild version of this country the slow way, by getting things wrong first. These pages are what I wish someone had told me before the first dive, the first mountain road, the first night bus to a trailhead: where to go, what it genuinely costs you in time and nerve, and the small decisions that keep an adventure from turning into the story you tell in a hospital waiting room. A licensed Thai guide checks the local detail; the rest is what I worked out myself.

Latest articles

• Jellyfish in Thailand: Box Jellyfish, Other Stings and What the First Aid Actually Is

  Box jellyfish live in Thai waters, mostly the Gulf islands in the wetter months. Which beaches carry the risk, why vinegar is on the signs, what to do if stung.

• Sea Kayaking in Thailand: Sea Caves, Hongs and Where to Paddle

  Paddling the limestone islands of Phang Nga and Krabi: the hidden lagoons, the sea caves, tides, guided trips versus going alone, and the seasons that matter.

• Heat and Sun Safety in Thailand: Hydration, Heatstroke and the Hot Season

  Thailand's heat quietly ruins more trips than any shark or snake. How to trek, ride and dive through it: hydration, timing, sunburn, and the warning signs.

• Dengue in Thailand: Mosquito Safety, Warning Signs and When to Get Care

  Dengue circulates in Thailand all year and peaks in the rains, with no specific cure: how to dodge the bites and spot the warning signs that mean hospital.

• Muay Thai Training in Thailand: A Camp Week for Visitors

  Muay thai camps take total beginners, not just fighters. How to choose a gym, a training week's shape, the injuries to expect, and fitness versus fighting.

• White Water Rafting in Thailand: Where to Go, Grades and Seasons

  Where to raft in Thailand, how the grades and river flow change between wet and dry season, and how to pick a safe operator near Chiang Mai and Pai.

• Island Hopping in Thailand: Which Islands Suit What, and How the Routes Join Up

  Which Thai islands suit partying, diving, quiet or families, and how the Gulf and Andaman ferry routes join up across the seasons.

• Snorkelling in Thailand: Best Spots, Seasons and Doing It Safely off the Beach

  How to snorkel Thailand's reefs straight off the beach: the best spots, which season suits each coast, reading currents, reef-safe conduct.

• Rabies and Animal Bites in Thailand: What to Do After a Dog or Monkey Bite

  Bitten or scratched by a dog or monkey in Thailand? Wash the wound for 15 minutes then get vaccinated fast: rabies is almost always fatal but fully preventable.

• Rock Climbing at Railay: Krabi's Limestone, Grades and Safety

  Fancy climbing on some of the world's best limestone? Railay and Tonsai in Krabi, the grades, climbing schools, deep-water soloing, and when the rock is dry.

• Motorbike Accidents in Thailand: What to Do If You Come Off a Bike

  Come off a bike in Thailand and the first minutes decide a lot: securing the scene, calling 1669, getting to care, the police report your insurer needs.

• The Best Dive Sites in Thailand: Similans, Richelieu Rock, Sail Rock and More

  Five dive sites carry Thailand's reputation, from the Similan Islands to Richelieu Rock. What each is for, when to go, where the big fish are.

• Khao Sok National Park: Rainforest, the Lake, and How to Visit

  Ancient rainforest, a flooded valley of limestone karsts and floating raft houses: what Khao Sok is, when to go, how to visit, and why the rain is the point.

• Planning a First Adventure Trip to Thailand: Trip Shapes, What to Skip and Safety Basics

  Planning your first active trip to Thailand? Here are realistic two-week and month-long shapes, what to cut, and the safety basics that keep a good trip good.

• The Mae Hong Son Loop: Thailand's Classic Northern Motorbike Ride

  About 600km and a reputed 1,864 curves from Chiang Mai through Pai and Mae Hong Son: how many days to allow, the key stops, road conditions and fuel.

• Travel Insurance for Adventure Activities in Thailand: The Exclusions That Catch People

  Most travel policies quietly exclude the exact things you came to Thailand to do: riding a motorbike, diving past a depth, and other hazardous activities.

• Learn to Dive on Koh Tao: How the Open Water Course Actually Works

  Want your Open Water card? Here is how learning to dive on Koh Tao works: the four-day course, choosing a school, staying safe.

• Injured or Ill in Thailand: What to Do, Step by Step

  If you are hurt or ill in Thailand, dial 1669 for an ambulance: here is how public and private hospitals, payment and your insurer's assistance line work.

• Trekking in Thailand: The North, the Parks, and How to Do It Well

  Northern Thailand is the country's trekking heartland. Where to base yourself, guided versus solo, park fees, hill-tribe rules, seasons and gear.

• Diving in Thailand: The Two Coasts, the Seasons, the Costs and the Safety

  Thailand splits into two dive coasts on opposite seasons. Where to dive, when to go, roughly what it costs, and how to dive it safely.

• Renting a Motorbike in Thailand: The Licence, Helmet and Insurance Rules

  To ride legally in Thailand you need a motorcycle licence plus an IDP with the bike category: the licence law, helmet rule, passport trap and insurance.

• Staying Safe on an Adventure Trip to Thailand: The Honest Risk Picture

  The real risk order for an active trip to Thailand: the road first, then water, animals and heat, and the few decisions that prevent most of the trouble.

• When to Visit Thailand for Adventure: Seasons, the Two-Coast Rule and Best Months

  Thailand's two coasts run opposite good seasons, so the best time to visit hinges on your activity: the month-by-month picture for diving, trekking and riding.