Ten experiences you will only find in Thailand

Although we agree that Thailand’s beaches make it a fantastic seaside holiday destination, the country offers a host of more unique experiences which are exclusive to Thailand.

1. Authentic Thai massage

Yes, you can get a Thai-style massage in most countries, but in Thailand, you get the real thing. Here, the art of massage is a discipline that people lovingly study – and you can lovingly enjoy. Ayutthaya is widely accepted to be home to the best of the best Thai massages in the world.

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2. Festivals

   

   Thai Culture Festival in Bangkok

Thai festivals are unmatched. Lasting for days and incorporating dancers, fire-breathers, extensive parades and usually thousands of lanterns, experiencing a festival in Thailand will make other festivals seem like country fares.

3. Hiking with elephants

Elephant Trekking

There’s nowhere else in the world where you can hike in the jungle with a herd of elephants. Visit one of Thailand’s many sanctuaries for the opportunity to spend a day with these gentle giants on the mountain and watch them socialise and browse for tasty tidbits.

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4. Eat bugs

   

It sounds gross, but when in Rome… or Thailand, anyway. While many people say they taste like chicken, the simple truth is that they don’t. You might like it, you might not, but you definitely need to try to it! You’ll be able to find all sorts of tasty creepy-crawlies at roadside stalls.

5. Ride a Tuk Tuk

   

Whizzing through the city streets in a tuk-tuk is an encounter every visitor to Thailand needs to experience. Just be sure to hold on to your luggage tightly as the fearless drivers navigate traffic and fellow tuk-tukkers!

6. Floating Market

   

   Floating market in Thailand

Thailand’s floating markets are not to be missed. Get involved in the huddles of traditional wooden boats and do some haggling with the vendors selling their fresh fruits, vegetables, spices and teas.

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7. Monkey Buffet

   

   Monkey Buffet inThailand

Have you ever been to a monkey buffet? You can experience one in Thailand! Thailand’s most unusual festival is thanks to the belief that monkeys bring good fortune; and so to thank them, as well as butter them up for another year of good fortune, people make them an enormous offering of fruits and sweet deserts – up to four tons’ worth.

8. Watch the art of eight limbs

Muay Thai Boxing – Thailand Holidays

In Thailand – the birthplace of Muay Thai – the art is a full time job, with fighters training 30 hours a week from the age of six. The result, when fighters reach competition age at around 20, is unbelievable. Take in a tournament to see why they call it the art of eight limbs.

9. Visit the deadliest bridge in the world

The Bridge Over the River Kwa in Kanchanaburi killed 100 000 people before it was even completed. The ambitious WWII bridge joined two sets of railway meant to transport cargo for the war effort. Prisoners of war were used to build it, but the terrible living conditions and demands for the bridge to be completed within a year caused roughly 100 000 deaths – one for each sleeper of the track.

10. Visit the James Bond Island

If you’re travelling to Thailand, the James Bond Island has to feature on your itinerary. The famous Khao Phing Kan Island from The Man with the Golden Gun is home to the unmistakable Ko Tapu rock, which rises out of the ocean narrow at the bottom and widens to the top, like an ice-cream cone.

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