About Thailand

Bangkok

Thailand's capital city, straddling the great Chao Phrayo River is an exuberent and exhilarating metropolis of approximately 9 million people. It is known to Thais as Krung Thep (City of Angels) and is one of the world's most exciting cities with it's lively nightlife, markets, shops and restaurants. When you compare this with it's magnificent temples, museums, palaces and parks, Bangkok is a city that truly has something for everyone !!

Bangkok is a relatively young capital, established in 1782 and since the mid-60s has seen an explosion of modernisation. The benefits of the economic boom of the 80s and early 90s were concentrated here and Bangkokians now own 80% of the nation's cars and the population is 40 times that of the second city, Chiang Mai.

Central Plains

To the north and west of the capital lies the vast Central Plains region. For centuries this region has grown the bulk of the nation's food and is the most densely populated region of Thailand with sizeable towns sprinkled among paddy, orchard and sugar cane fields.

The plains are fundamental to Thailand's agricultural economy and it's rivers are the key to it's fertility. The two main rivers are the Nan and the Ping and it is their waters that irrigate the northern part of the plains before merging to form the Chao Phrayo River which meanders slowly south through Bangkok and out into the Gulf of Thailand.

Within this area lies the city of Katchanaburi which has long attracted visitors to the notorious Bridge over the River Kwai and closer to Bangkok, the city of Ayutthaya which served as the country's capital for 400 years prior to the 1782 foundation of Bangkok. While within the northern neck of the plains lies the historically important city of Sukhothai and the region's economic capital, Phitsanulok.

The North

Northern Thailand straddles the most important historical crossroads of northern Southeast Asia. A vast region of mountains, valleys and rivers, whose peoples have long traded goods and ideas in a fusion of cultures. Northern Thailand boasts more national forest area and more national parks and wildlife sanctuaries than any other region in the country with excellent visiting options in abundance.

The climate here is more temperate, nurturing the fertile land, which gave the old kingdom of the north the name of Lanna, meaning "the land of a million rice fields".

Lanna's main capital is Chiang Mai which, apart from being the transport centre for the north of the country, is also the most important religious and cultural point in northern Southeast Asia.

Other interesting cities of note in the area are Mae Hong Son to the west and Chiang Rai to the north.

The Northeast - Issan

Bordered by Laos and Cambodia on three sides, the tableland of northeastern Thailand (known as Issan after the Hindu God of Death) comprises a third of the country's land area and is home to nearly a third of it's population.

It is the least visited region of the country and the poorest with farming being the traditional livelyhood. Most northeasterners speak a dialect that's more comprehensible to residents of Vientiane in Laos, than to Bangkokians and Issan's historical allegiances have tied it more closely to Laos and Cambodia than to Thailand.

The main cities in the region are Khon Kaen, famous for it's high quality silk production, Korat, and Udon Thani, and all major cities and towns are well connected by public transport.

Lively Nong Khai is the most important border town in the region and the access point to the Lao capital of Vientiane.

The Eastern Seaboard

The Eastern Seaboard of the Gulf of Thailand, stretching from Bangkok to the Cambodian border is a region of immense contrasts. Remarkably picturesque and unspoilt islands lie within easy reach of well developed resorts and industrial complexes.

Though still a forested region with orchards, gem-mining and fishing communities, this area has seen dramatic changes in the late 20th Century as the oil and tourist industries have grown dramatically.

The largest and most populated resort is Pattaya which grew up as an infamous destination for US soldiers on R&R during the Vietnam War, but which has now become amongst other things, an excellent center for water sports.

The relaxed island of Ko Samet is another popular location while further south Ko Chang is a largely under developed island with idyllic deserted beaches and coves.

South - The Gulf Coast

The rolling landscape of the Gulf Coast extends some 750 kms. from Bangkok south to Nakhon Si Thammarat. The area is famed above all for the Samui archepelego, three small and beautiful islands the largest of which and the most popular being Ko Samui.

However most people visiting there overlook the attractions of the mainland, where the sheltered, sandy beaches rival the top sunspots in most countries. Added to that you have dramatic scenery dominated by forested mountains that rise abruptly from the coastal strip. The stretch of coast around Cha-am and Hua Hin is convenient for people escaping the heat and pollution of the capital. Nakhon Si Thammarat is the cultural capital of this area and is a sophisticated city of grand old temples and distinctive handicraft markets.

South - The Andaman Coast

The outstanding natural beauty of the Andaman coast is known the world over. The biggest draw in the region is Phuket, now a resort island  which has superb beaches along with the most heavily developed residential infrastructure in Southern Thailand. Over the past twenty years, many traditional sea gypsy and fishing villages on Phuket and around Krabi have been transformed into spectacular residential developments which now line the coast.

There is also outstanding scenary around Ko Phi Phi but if you are wanting to avoid the crowds maybe you should be looking towards Ko Lanta.

The Andaman coastal area is nourished by rain nearly all the year round, the vegetation being lushly tropical with massive rubber and coconut plantations replacing the rice and sugar cane fields of the Central Plains.

The Deep South

The Deep South of Thailand has more in common with Malaysia than the distant Thai heartland to the north and consequently the influence of Indian, Chinese and Malaysian culture is much in evidence in the region's architecture.

TRAVEL WARNING

Because of the ongoing violence in the deep south,
all major western governments are currently advising
their people NOT to travel to or through various
provinces in the area, including the city and transport
hub of Hat Yai. 

Please check with your local tourist office for more details.

The speed of development outwards from Phuket has been inching its' way south towards Trang for some time, but the province remains largely under developed.