Transcript
What's up, guys? My name is Ryan, and I just returned from traveling across Thailand, [music] and I wanted to share with you my favorite places and experiences. So, here's my Thailand top 10. Located in Southeast Asia, Thailand is one of the best travel destinations in the world. From the iconic Phi Phi Islands to the mountains [music] of Chiang Mai, Thailand has so much to offer. Let's start this video off in Khao Sok National Park. Located in Southern Thailand, this was one of the main reasons I wanted to come to the country. Now, to get there, we flew into Phuket and made the 2-hour drive to Cheow Lan Lake, which is a man-made lake that leads into the park. We got a boat and captain, and we were off. I was immediately astounded at the scenery of this place. It had massive karst mountains that rose straight out of the water, creating for some [music] of the most epic landscapes I've ever seen. I loved this one inlet that had this incredible mountain as the backdrop. After it, we kept boating and then made it to this place called the three sisters. It's these set of rocks that rise out of the lake, and it was really cool to boat through. After we stopped at this cave, it was pretty cool, nothing amazing, but there was a ton of bats inside. Another interesting thing about Khao Sok is that there's several floating hotels on a lake that you can stay at. Next time, I want to plan a little better and book a night or two on one of the resorts here. Now, aside from the beautiful scenery, Khao Sok is home to the largest protected forest in Southern Thailand and is full of wildlife. Now, if you're lucky, maybe you'll see a group of elephants bathing on the lake shore. Anyways, I really enjoyed our time in Khao Sok National Park. It's definitely a must-visit if you're in this part of Thailand. After it, we're going to head to another one of the country's most beautiful destinations, Phang Nga Bay. Located about an hour's drive from Phuket, Phang Nga Bay is home to some of the most iconic islands in all of Thailand. The scenery here is just mind-blowing. One of the most famous places in Phang Nga Bay is James Bond Island, where it was featured in the 1974 James Bond film. To get there, we went to a nearby pier, and we paid our boat captain 2,000 Thai baht, which is about $60 and then we started heading towards the islands. On the way, you wind through this incredible waterway with massive mountains on each side. We did a shortcut through the mangroves and after about 30 minutes of boating, we made it to James Bond Island, also known as Khao Phing Kan. It's famous for this 20 m limestone tower that has such a unique shape. The island was a little busy, but it was still fun to walk around and get different views of the rock tower. On the way back, we drove past Panyee, which is this 200-year-old fishing village built on stilts over the water. Now, another place to visit in the area is a Samet Nangshi viewpoint. It's located about 45 minutes drive from that pier and it's this lookout and it gives an incredible view of the islands in Phang Nga Bay. To get to the lookout, we paid about 300 baht and you take this shuttle up this insanely steep road. Once we reached the top, there was a nice view. I particularly love this massive island that has such a peculiar shape. It was a great place to enjoy the sunset, but I just can't believe the landscapes and islands here. It's truly otherworldly. After we're going to leave the south and head to Bangkok. Located in central Thailand, Bangkok is the country's capital with over 11 million people. It's a chaotic blend of ancient traditions and modern skyscrapers. One of my favorite features of Bangkok is the Chao Phraya River. I love it how it just runs through the city. Along the river is the Wat Arun. It's this beautiful temple that originated in the 17th century. After we're going to leave the chaos of Bangkok to head to Chiang Mai. Located in the north of the country, Chiang Mai is another one of Thailand's largest cities, but definitely much calmer compared to Bangkok. The area is famous for its ethical elephant sanctuaries and there's many temples. Now, the reason I wanted to go here was to see the mountains. It's home to the highest peak in Thailand called Doi Inthanon with an elevation of 2,565 m. To get there, we made the 2-hour drive to the peak. You can basically drive right to the top and it's a nice walk through the forest. I'll be honest, it wasn't the most exciting place, but it's just cool to drive up there and it was actually quite cold. Now, just a short drive down from the top of the mountain is the beautiful pagodas adorning Doi Inthanon. There's two of them, and they were very relaxing to walk around. There's some really nice gardens and scenic views of the surrounding landscapes. It was pretty cloudy when we were up here, but this place looks amazing for sunset. Another cool nearby spot is the rice terraces of Pa Pong Piang. It's a slightly sketchy drive to get here, but there's some really nice scenery. Now, as for temples, there's a good amount surrounding Chiang Mai. We went to this one called Wat Phra That Doi Kham. It was a short drive from the city and had a massive Buddha statue. While we're still in the north, we're going to head to the similarly named Chiang Rai, located about a 3 and 1/2 hours drive from Chiang Mai. Chiang Rai is a smaller city near the borders of Laos and Myanmar. One of the most famous places in the area is the White Temple. It was opened in 1997 and has such unique architecture. If you want to see some of the area's nature, you could visit the Phu Chi Fa Nature Park. It's located about a 1 and 1/2 hours drive from Chiang Rai, and it's this beautiful area in the mountains with views that look over into Laos. It's a great place to watch the sunrise. After it, we're going to head back to the islands of Thailand to visit Koh Tao. Located in the Gulf of Thailand, you can reach Koh Tao by taking ferries from the neighboring islands like Koh Samui or also from the mainland. One thing that Koh Tao is known for is its scuba diving. There's incredible dive sites, coral reefs, [music] and shipwrecks to explore. Even if you're not into scuba diving, Koh Tao is a great place to visit and just relax. I really like the islands of Nang Yuan. It's three small islands joined by a beach, and you can [music] reach them by taking a short boat ride from Koh Tao. After it, we're going to head to the Similan Islands. Located in the Andaman Sea off the western coast of Thailand, Similan is an archipelago made up of 11 islands, and I think it's home to some [music] of the most beautiful beaches in all of Thailand. Now, to get here, you can reach it by boat from Phuket. It's about a 1 and 1/2 hours boat ride. One of my favorite features of the area is the Donald Duck Bay. It's this pristine beach and has a stone feature called Sailboat Rock, which you can hike up to. The snorkeling here is also phenomenal. It's definitely worth taking a boat tour to explore this paradise. After it, we're to head back to mainland Thailand to visit Krabi. We stayed here several days and it was some of the most enjoyable times of our trip. Krabi itself is okay, but what makes Krabi special is all of the nearby attractions. One of the main reasons I wanted to come here was to visit Railay Beach. Located outside of Krabi, this was the beach I wanted to visit most in Thailand. Now, to get there, we went to the town of Ao Nang and got on a longtail boat and made the ride over the beach. It took about 10 minutes and the views along the way were just stunning. When we got [music] to the beach, it was pretty packed, but thankfully it's a huge beach, so it was fairly easy to find a place to relax. I couldn't believe the scenery here. I really like the massive rock monolith that overlooks the whole area. It's such a scenic view with the longtail boats and the mountains [music] in the backdrop. There's several beaches around Railay like Phra Nang Beach. I wish I could have walked around more, but it was just so freaking hot, I just wanted to chill on the beach. After enjoying the afternoon here, we took a boat back and then we spent the evening in Ao Nang and it's a lively area with a lot going on. For our final destination, we're going to head to the Phi Phi Islands. Of all the places in Thailand, I think the Phi Phi Islands are the most famous. To reach the Phi Phi Islands, you can get to them from places like Phuket or Krabi. Since we were already in Krabi, we got a boat leaving from the area. We left early in the morning on a speedboat. It was a beautiful ride with the sun rising over the islands. After about an hour, we made it to Koh Phi Phi Leh. I think this is the most famous place in the Phi Phi Islands and with reason. Now, the main attraction of the island is Maya Bay. It was featured in the film The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio. In 2018, Maya Bay was closed for tourists to rehabilitate the area and it wasn't opened until 4 years later. Since the opening of Maya Bay, the park has focused on conservation and they don't allow people to swim in the waters to protect the ecosystem which is home to many corals and baby sharks. Now, to reach the bay, we strolled on this boardwalk to get to the iconic beach. We got here early in the morning and while it was busy, it was still such a cool sight to see. I do appreciate the park's efforts to keep the area in Bay protected. After we got back on the boat and headed over to Pileh Bay. [music] The boat ride in was just so beautiful. I really enjoyed this Bay. The scenery was insane and you could swim the water if you want to. It's the Phi Phi Islands I was hoping to see. Afterwards, we headed over to this place called Viking Cave and there was this nearby dive site. I was impressed with how clear the water was and the diversity of fish and coral. It was my first time seeing anemones in the water. It was so mesmerizing to watch. After we headed over to the main Phi Phi Island. This is the biggest and most established island with a little city on it. We first went to this area called Monkey Bay where there's a lot of monkeys that chill on the beach. Our guide said that they can bite you so we decided not to get too close. After we went to the town it was fun to walk around. It would be cool to stay here a few nights to explore all the Phi Phi Islands. Anyways, we left shortly after and made our way back to Krabi. It was a great way to end our time here. Well, that is it for my Thailand top 10. I love this country so much and hope to return to make part two. Let me know where your favorite places in the comments below. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok at shirley.films. It's Ryan and we will see you later. >> [music]