Top Lists
Curated lists of the best hotels, restaurants, temples, beaches, and nightlife across Thailand.
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Best Diving & Similan Liveaboards in Khao Lak
Khao Lak's best dive centers and Similan Islands liveaboard operators — the gateway town for Richelieu Rock and Thailand's finest diving.
Best Diving & Snorkeling in Koh Samui
Koh Samui's top dive centers and snorkeling trips — Ang Thong, Koh Tao day trips, and local sites.
Best Diving & Snorkeling in Phuket
Phuket's top-rated dive shops and snorkeling tours — Similan Islands, Phi Phi, and local reefs.
Best Diving in Koh Tao
Koh Tao's top dive schools and centers — the world's most affordable place to get certified, across Sairee, Mae Haad and Chalok.
Best Muay Thai Camps in Pattaya
Pattaya's top Muay Thai camps — from the storied Fairtex and Sityodtong stables to modern all-inclusive training resorts.
Best Muay Thai Camps in Phuket
Phuket's top Muay Thai training camps — the Soi Ta-iad gym street, Rawai's technical gyms and the big multi-discipline campuses.
Off-the-Beaten-Path Activities in Thailand
Unique experiences and activities in Thailand that go beyond the standard tourist itinerary.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Ayutthaya, Ranked
What surprised me here is how much of this list is water and greenery rather than temples, with four waterfall parks spread across Saraburi and Nakhon Nayok pulling serious crowds. Sriayuthaya Lion Park takes the top spot, and it's the one place families keep coming back to.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Hua Hin, Ranked
What strikes me here is how little of this list is actually in Hua Hin proper. Most of it is parks, boardwalks and wildlife centers scattered south and west of town, with a couple of water parks thrown in for anyone traveling with bored kids. Wildlife Friends Foundation leads the list, and the mangrove boardwalk at Pran Buri costs nothing to walk.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Kanchanaburi, Ranked
This lot leans hard on water and open country, with Erawan's seven tiers, a dam, two national parks and a pair of paddleboard outfits on the River Kwai. Paddle More Thailand is the one I'd single out, for paddleboarding on the River Kwai.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Koh Chang, Ranked
This lot leans heavily on free nature stops, waterfalls, hilltop viewpoints and the national park that wraps around the whole island. Kai Bae Viewpoint is the one I'd prioritize, with monkeys wandering about and a sunset over the sea. The paid operators, the dive school, ATV trails and zip-lines, sit lower.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Koh Lanta, Ranked
Dive shops dominate this list, five of them, with a couple clustered in Sala Dan, plus two ethical elephant sanctuaries and a cooking school for variety. Following Giants takes the top spot for its no-riding welfare policy, and Mu Ko Lanta National Park is the big outdoor draw.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Koh Lipe, Ranked
This list is mostly boat people: island-hopping operators and dive centers, several of them working out of Walking Street, with a couple of places you actually go rather than book, like Ko Hin Ngam and the Chado Cliff viewpoint over on Ko Adang. Pura Vida Diving is the one I'd point at first, and it tops the ranking.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Koh Samui, Ranked
This lot leans inland and uphill: two jungle zipline parks, a hillside sculpture garden, a clifftop restaurant and a couple of viewpoints, with the marine park and the Lamai rocks covering the coast. Hawk Adventure Zipline takes the top spot, though Hin Ta Hin Yai is the one everyone stops at because it costs nothing.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Koh Tao, Ranked
This is a dive school list, plain and simple, with seven scuba operators and a heavy cluster along Sairee Beach, broken up only by two viewpoint hikes and one general tour outfit. Big Blue Diving School takes the top spot.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Korat, Ranked
This lot is dominated by free open-air spaces, four parks plus a reservoir and an ancient banyan grove, with Terminal 21 chipping in two of its own in the indoor play zone and the rooftop deck. Suan Rak Park tops it, though Sai Ngam out near Phimai is the one I'd travel for.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Krabi, Ranked
This lot is heavy on nature, with karst parks, jungle pools and waterfalls taking most of the slots, plus three ethical elephant sanctuaries and one cooking class in Ao Nang. Ao Phang Nga tops it, though Dragon's Crest is the one I'd point you at if you can handle the climb.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Pai, Ranked
Viewpoints do the heavy lifting here, with two hilltop lookouts up top and a run of Mae Hong Son Loop stops like the hot springs and the strawberry farm filling out the middle. Papa's Pedals is the one I'd single out, a bike rental shop.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Pattaya, Ranked
This lot is heavy on big-ticket family days out, animal parks and water parks mostly, with a couple of quick viewpoint stops thrown in. Nong Nooch takes the top spot, and its gardens are the reason to go. Several sit well south of the city or out toward Bangsaen, so plan a taxi and a full day.
The 10 Best Activities & Tours in Udon Thani, Ranked
This lot is dominated by parks and water, four public green spaces plus two water parks, with a good chunk of the list actually sitting over in Nong Khai rather than Udon proper. Nong Prajak Park takes the top spot, though I'd argue Red Lotus Lake is the one to plan around since the lilies only open early.
The 10 Best Attractions in Phuket: Viewpoints, Sanctuaries & Shows
This lot splits four ways, with free clifftop viewpoints in the south, elephant sanctuaries from Kathu up to Pa Klok, Hanuman World's ziplines in the jungle, and the big ticketed shows, two of them in Kamala. For the elephants, Phuket Elephant Sanctuary in Pa Klok is the one I'd point at, since nine of the ten welfare lists I counted name it.
The 11 Best Cooking Classes in Bangkok, Ranked
Eleven Bangkok cooking schools, from Tingly and Silom in Bang Rak to Blue Elephant's premium half day and Cooking with Poo in Khlong Toei, with prices, class times and what you cook.
The 12 Best Cooking Classes in Chiang Mai, Ranked
Twelve Chiang Mai cooking schools, from farm days at Grandma's Home and Smile Organic Farm to Thai Akha Kitchen's hill-tribe menu, with prices, class times and what you cook.
The 13 Best Ethical Elephant Sanctuaries in Thailand
Thirteen elephant sanctuaries in Thailand, each on at least three independent welfare lists. Elephant Nature Park is on all ten, and the strictest places on the list let you watch the elephants but not touch them.
The 13 Best Muay Thai Gyms in Chiang Mai, Ranked
For a first class in the Old City, Dang or The Bear. For technique, Hongthong or Lanna. For a camp you live at, Santai or Gym Bangarang. Thirteen Chiang Mai Muay Thai gyms in all.
The 14 Best Activities & Tours in Thailand, Ranked
Bangkok and its weekend overspill into Pattaya dominate this one, mostly big-ticket parks, zoos and aquariums that swallow a whole day. The one I'd single out is Rajadamnern Stadium, the oldest Muay Thai ring in the country and now air-conditioned, with the heaviest cards on Thursday and Saturday. Phuket supplies the viewpoints.
The 17 Best Muay Thai Gyms in Bangkok, Ranked
For a drop-in class near Sukhumvit, Watchara, Elite or Krudam. For a real fight gym, Rithirit, FA Group or PK Saenchai. For a camp with rooms, Khongsittha. Seventeen Bangkok Muay Thai gyms in all.
The 6 Best Activities & Tours in Khon Kaen, Ranked
It's mostly open-air stuff: two lakeside parks in the center, a countryside viewpoint out in Ban Fang, plus a zoo and an exotic pets show for anyone dragging kids around. Hin Chang Si is the one I'd single out.
The 6 Best Activities & Tours in Koh Samet, Ranked
Koh Samet's best activities are mostly free things you walk to, a seaside mermaid statue and a hilltop viewpoint that catches both sunrise and sunset, plus the snorkeling boats that circle the island from the beaches. Book a boat for the reefs and walk for the rest.
The 6 Best Ethical Elephant Sanctuaries in Chiang Mai
Six ethical elephant sanctuaries around Chiang Mai, from Elephant Nature Park's day visits to the hands-off overnight stays in Mae Chaem.
The 8 Best Activities & Tours in Buriram, Ranked
This lot is mostly open-air stuff, volcanic hills, flower parks, fruit orchards and gardens, with a football stadium sitting on top of it all. Chang Arena takes the lead because nothing else in Buriram pulls that kind of crowd, though Khao Kradong Forest Park and its hilltop Buddha runs it close.
The 8 Best Activities & Tours in Khao Lak, Ranked
Elephants and rainforest run this list, with four ethical sanctuaries and two national parks taking up most of the slots, plus a dive shop, a tour operator and a couple of quiet beaches. Khao Sok tops it and deserves to, since the old-growth jungle and karst scenery pull more visitors than anything else here.
The 8 Best Activities & Tours in Koh Phangan, Ranked
This lot leans hard into the island's interior: ziplines, two ATV outfits and a hilltop viewpoint, plus a pair of cooking schools that are near enough interchangeable. The zipline takes top spot. Only the last two entries are actual beaches, both quiet northern and southern coves rather than party sand.
The 8 Best Elephant Sanctuaries in Phuket, Ranked
To watch elephants without touching them, Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. For feeding and bathing, Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. Eight Phuket elephant sanctuaries with no riding, with what you do at each and the operator's own price.
The 8 Best Island Tour Operators in Krabi, Ranked
Krabi's island tours compared, from the Four Islands and Hong to Phi Phi, the Seven Islands sunset trip and James Bond Island, with prices, park fees and eight Ao Nang operators worth booking.
The 9 Best Activities & Tours in Bangkok, Ranked
This lot leans big and busy, with a theme park, an aquarium under a mall, a safari park and a couple of proper crowd-pullers like the observation deck and Lumphini. If you want something smaller, Co van Kessel's canal bike tours sit near the bottom on volume but top the ratings, and Rajadamnern is the one I'd name for a real Muay Thai night.
The 9 Best Activities & Tours in Chiang Mai, Ranked
This lot leans heavily on water and forest, with three waterfalls, two hot spring parks and a pair of national parks all sitting outside the city, so you'll want wheels for most of it. Elephant Nature Park is the one I'd name first, a real rescue sanctuary rather than a ride outfit, and it tops the ratings here. The two cooking schools are the only things you can walk to, and Samsen Villa is the sole sit-down meal, at mid-range money.
The 9 Best Activities & Tours in Chiang Rai, Ranked
This lot is heavily outdoors: mountain parks, waterfalls, viewpoints and a hot spring, with only a couple of things you could call city stops. The Golden Triangle takes the top spot, though Doi Tung Royal Villa is the one I'd carve out a morning for if gardens and Lanna architecture are your thing. Most of it sits well outside town, so you'll want wheels.
The 9 Best Activities & Tours in Phi Phi Islands, Ranked
This list is dominated by dive centers, six of them, plus two viewpoint climbs on Phi Phi Don and a couple of tour agencies. Pi Leh Bay takes the top spot, and plenty of boats swing into that lagoon each day.
The 9 Best Activities & Tours in Sukhothai, Ranked
This list leans outdoors more than I expected, with two national parks, a wetland and a hillside homestay village sitting alongside the bike tours. Ramkhamhaeng National Park takes the top spot, though the two guided cycling outfits are the obvious pick if you want the ruins explained as you ride.
The 9 Best Activities & Tours in Ubon Ratchathani, Ranked
This lot is heavy on the outdoors: national parks, riverbanks and public green space, with only one actual tour operator making the cut at the bottom. Pha Taem is the one I'd build a day around, with its cliff paintings and Mekong views pulling nearly as much attention as the city center square at the top.