off the beaten track Thailand

Our seriously off-the-beaten-track Thai tour Hidden Thailand takes you from Bangkok, via UNESCO World Heritage Sukhothai, through the picturesque mountains of Thailand’s far north before finishing in the historic northern capital of Chiang Mai. We’ve still got available places on our guaranteed 12th August departure so here are a few pictures to whet your appetite… Our Bangkok tour includes, of…

Surprisingly, some of the most spectacular and best-preserved of all Angkor period temples aren’t even in Cambodia. The magnificent 11th and 12th-century sites of Phanom Rung and Muang Tam – the former spectacularly perched atop an ancient volcano, the latter surrounded by delightful lily ponds – are actually situated in northeastern Thailand’s Buriram Province. (1) Furthermore, one of the most…

The picturesque, lakeside town of Phayao possesses a central position in northern Thailand with better-known neighbours Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai lying to the northwest and southwest, respectively, and historical Lampang situated due south. However, despite being, to our minds, one of the region’s most attractive provincial capitals, it’s also certainly one of the least visited by overseas tourists. The…

Mae Wang district of Chiang Mai Province lies a mere hour or so’s drive south of the provincial capital and whilst not currently included in any of our North Thai tour itineraries would certainly make for an excellent day out if anyone had a day or so to spare when starting or finishing a trip in Chiang Mai City. Here’s…

Hiking at Hellfire Pass. The infamous pass, or Konyu Cutting to use its original name, is one of the most notorious stretches of the Death Railway, constructed during the 2nd World War by the Japanese army using Allied prisoners of war and conscripted Asian labourers. The site is located in Kanchanaburi Province’s Sai Yok District, some 2 hours or so…

A few photos from a recent, off-the-beaten-track, Chiang Mai to Mukdahan overland trip across northern Thailand to Loei Province, then hugging the scenic banks of the Mekong to Nongkhai and Udon Thani, from where we headed east to rejoin the River at the Mukdahan border crossing with Laos. Logistically such trips to remoter parts, not usually frequented by foreign visitors,…

Phanom Rung, Thailand – a forgotten marvel! In 2008, Cambodia’s magnificent mountain-top Angkor period temple, Preah Vihear, received UNESCO World Heritage status and to our minds, justifiably so, even if it did provoke some serious bickering between the neighbours, Thailand and Cambodia, as to exactly which side of the border the surrounding area belonged to. While Thailand’s Khao Pra Viharn…

Mae Hong Son We’re hoping that an upcoming addition to All Points East’s range of Thai destinations will be the far northern mountain province of Mae Hong Son. We’ve been trying to work out how to include this picturesque, yet remote region into our Thai tours but have finally realised it’s impossible given time restraints and that we may as…

Thale Noi Bird Sanctuary One of Thailand’s most important and scenic, protected wetlands, Thale Noi Bird Sanctuary, is located in South Thailand’s Phattalung Province. Thale Noi – meaning Small Sea in Thai comprises of the northern limits of the large Thale Sap, (Freshwater Sea) which stretches off to the south eventually connecting to the Gulf of Thailand at Songkhla Town….

Ta Muan Temple One of Thailand’s remotest and least visited Angkor period temples, yet its very remoteness, jungle setting and total lack of tourist development are exactly what made it a great little temple to visit. It’s missing the grandeur of Phanom Rung, the photogenic lily ponds of Muan Tam and the well-preserved carvings of Sikhoraphum, but Ta Muan is…