What do you think of when you hear the word ‘ Thailand ’? If TikTok travel influencers, twenty-something year old girls in baggy elephant trousers and backpackers claiming they’d ‘found themselves’ spring to mind, you’d probably be in the majority. Prior to my trip, I knew of Thailand only from the pictures I saw on my instagram feed and stories from friends who’d taken a gap year. Truth be told, I barely knew what I was getting myself into when I booked the Intro Thailand trip, so it was the most pleasant of surprises when my eighteen days in the country turned out to be some of the best of my life.

The Thai INTRO tour can last for as long as 18 days - as it did for me - or as few as 9 days, as it did for several members of our group. The tour begins in Bangkok, then winds its way through the country, stopping at breathtaking national parks, gorgeous islands and hectic cities, before ending in Chiang Mai. With the locations we visited and the activities we undertook being so varied, the tour attracted a huge range of ages and nationalities; my group consisted of 23 people, with travellers from the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Scandinavia and beyond! I must admit to being a tad apprehensive before the tour; a group of 23 seemed very large as a solo traveller, and 18 days (or 24 as it was for me, with Vietnam tacked on the end) seemed a long time to spend with a bunch of strangers. As it happens, napping in vans and nursing hangovers together tends to allow for speedy bonding.

The tour begins in Bangkok, a bustling city full of life and energy, with Tuktuks wizzing by and street vendors on every corner. Day one takes you to two of Bangkok’s temples, giving the group an introduction into Thailand’s main religion - Buddhism. After a peaceful few hours admiring the golden hues of the temples and the shimmering Buddha statues, we were subsequently introduced to a completely different side of Bangkok, with an evening visit to Khao San road. Khao San road is unlike anything I’ve experienced before, and honestly quite impossible to describe. I can only tell you to go there and witness it yourself. Or perhaps don’t, if crude bracelets, scorpions on skewers and cocktail buckets aren’t your thing. It’s an experience, to say the least.

The next morning, most of the group made it to a Thai cooking class (bar one or two stragglers who couldn’t quite stand the smell of food after the previous night’s escapades), where we made and tried a variety of authentic Thai dishes. This may well be where my obsession with mango sticky rice began - an addiction that followed me through Thailand. I still dream of it every day. After having the best massage of my life (and I don’t speak lightly here - I got MANY massages in my time in Asia), we boarded the overnight train, where some got more sleep than others, but none got more than three hours’ rest.

Arriving in who-knows-where at god-only-knows what hour of the morning, we stopped for a quick breakfast before hopping on a bus, followed by a longboat, and finally arriving, many hours later, at the floating bungalows of Khao Sok National Park - our home for the night. (Not to be confused with Khao San road, though the names admittedly sound very similar.) Like Khao San Road, Khao Sok was a place like nowhere else I’d ever been before - but this was where the similarities ended. Khao Sok might just be one of my favourite places in the world, and certainly one of the most amazing displays of natural beauty I have ever seen. Picture the land of Pandora in the movie ‘ Avatar’ , but in real life, and you’ve pretty much got Khao Sok. The whole place feels like a dream; lush green mountains in every direction, connected by the bluest water. It is like an artist’s paint palette. Needless to say, we all quickly forgot our exhaustion from our sleepless night, and launched into action, myself and several others hopping onto kayaks and heading out to explore. Just like in Bangkok, we had a few who didn’t make it back in one piece; the mechanics of staying upright in the kayak proved too much for a certain pair in the group, who couldn’t seem to stay in the kayak without capsizing, forcing those of us who had mastered the art of floating to undertake a rescue mission for our fallen soldiers. After the group had been reunited (with zero casualties, I might add) we all enjoyed an evening ‘safari’, where we saw some adorable baby monkeys and the most beautiful sunset. Waking up the following morning amongst the mountains, with nothing but water around us, was a truly special experience, and I’m sure everyone would agree with me when I say I was pretty devastated to have to leave.

The peace of Khao Sok did not last long, however, our next destination being the island of Koh Phagnan; famous for its full moon parties! Though we missed the official date of the full moon, we were nevertheless able to party under the (almost full) moon on the beach. Having painted swirling patterns (and some inappropriate images) in neon paint on each other over dinner, we made our way to the strip, where we were joyously reunited with our beloved cocktail buckets. An undisclosed number of buckets later, and we were on the beach, dancing in the waves and having fire thrown around us (an optional activity I might add, but one I highly recommend, if you’ve had enough buckets to dispel some of your fear). Some survived that night with more lasting memories than others (the buckets have a lot to answer for here!), but I can say for sure that all 23 of us had the time of our lives.

After a free day to allow for hangover nursing and beach chilling, we were back to our jam-packed itinerary, hopping into the back of open cars for a beach hopping tour of the island and ending the day with a barbecue on the beach. Our final day in Koh Phangan began with a Muay Thai class (not to be confused with Mai Tai , though I think some of the group preferred the cocktail to the sport) taught in the gym of a two time world champion, before taking us back to the beach for a farewell dinner for those on the 9 day tour.

For those of us lucky enough to be continuing our tour, the next stop was another Thai island – this one being a complete change in pace from Koh Phagnan – the island of Phi Phi. If Khao Sok was my favourite place, Phi Phi was a close second. This tiny place has island life down to a T, with adorable cafes, streets full of shells, and golden shores lined with boats. And, again, the most stunning water you’ll ever see. Seriously, I wanted to jump in it the second I laid eyes on it, and that was like nine am.

After a free morning to explore the island, the group hopped on a boat bound for Maya Bay, made famous by Leo Dicaprio’s ‘ The Beach’ . You will never in your life see a busier beach, but you’d also be hard pressed to find one prettier. The next few hours were filled with snorkelling for some and cocktails for others, before the grand finale of the boat trip, where we were able to take a dip under the stars to experience the glowing plankton in the island’s waters – a truly incredible phenomenon.

Our final day in Phi Phi brought an early start, with a hike to the viewpoint for sunrise. Though some members of the group grumbled on the way up, it’s safe to say everyone came down very happy after witnessing such stunning views. After a speedy turnaround, we once again donned our bikinis and trunks and jumped aboard another boat (are you getting an idea of what there is to do on Phi Phi yet…?). Our first stop was monkey island, where the brave amongst us got up close and personal with the animals living on the shore. We made a swift exit after being hissed at by a mummy-monkey, taking us to stop number two, where we got up close and personal with the fishies — who were far more friendly than the monkeys. After this gorgeous snorkelling spot, we rounded out the trip with lunch on the beach, leaving us a free afternoon to nap, coffee-shop-hop or shell hunt.

Following a blissful few weeks on the coast, we finally moved inland, to our last destination: Chiang Mai. Another of my favourite places, though, at this point, where wasn’t my favourite!? Chiang Mai is a charming city, surrounded by ancient walls and peppered with winding rivers. The city is wonderful to just stroll around, with temples, cafes and massage shops on every corner. And you can’t forget a trip to the market; plenty of shopping, amazing food and even a ladyboy show!

Chiang Mai is home to some of Thailand’s most gorgeous temples; we were lucky enough to visit the Mueang temple, where we got to watch artists sketching scenes onto the temple walls, as well as receiving a blessing from a Buddhist monk. This was such a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Thai culture and Buddhism, and we all found it to be an extremely enlightening experience. After a morning of peace, the afternoon thrust us back into adventure, with a trip to the Sticky Waterfalls.Yes, you read that right. Sticky. Waterfalls. Trust me, we were all confused too. That is, until we set foot on the rocks and found them to be just that - sticky! Through some scientific process that I don’t pretend to understand, these rocks are extraordinarily grippy, allowing you to climb up the rocks and waterfalls. Another completely surreal experience, accompanied by stunning views over the jungle on the way up.

But this was not to be our only glimpse of the jungle! The very next day, we set off on a jungle adventure. After stopping in a small mountain village to learn about the lifestyle of the locals, we journeyed to what would be the final temple visit of the trip - a stunning place in the forest made entirely of wood, where we enjoyed pad thai out of a banana leaf - before our trek began in earnest. Our wonderful jungle leader lead us down dirt paths and past waterfalls, with a brief stop along the way to allow us to try ‘lemon ants’. I doubt you’d believe me if I told you they really do taste like lemon (but really, they do!). This expedition allowed us to fully strip back and feel connected with nature, sleeping on simple mats in a large dormitory room, under mosquito nets, with no phone signal or wifi. A truly heinous amount of dobble was played around the fire, as well as some acapella singing, smores and stargazing. We were lucky enough to stay in a camp with a beautiful waterfall, where I took my morning shower the next day after a night under the stars. This was such a unique experience and a definite highlight of the trip for much of the group. Our journey back to civilisation took place on a bamboo raft along shallow, choppy waters, to the soundtrack of our own screams, as our driver tried to convince us there were snakes in the water. In reality, the closest we got to a snake was the piece of black tubing he threw at us.

Our final day in Thailand was spent in an amazing elephant sanctuary, where we were lucky enough to feed the elephants, stroll with them through the trees, then watch as they bathed in a mud hole. Watching these gentle giants roam freely and getting to see them up close was such a privilege; an experience we will all remember for a lifetime. Having glimpsed several other elephant sanctuaries on our journey through Thailand - many of which mistreated the elephants through riding practices or physical mistreatment - it was truly wonderful to see the creatures so happy and well treated, and really highlighted to us the importance of ensuring the places we visit on our travels use ethical practices. The goodbye dinner that evening was certainly bittersweet, with some of the group heading onwards to Vietnam, others continuing their travels in South-East Asia, and still others heading home.

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These 18 days I spent travelling around Thailand were truly some of the best of my life: from seeing the wonders of nature, to experiencing the wildest adventures, to learning about new cultures and religions, the trip was eye-opening in so many ways. While Thailand has become a wildly trendy travel destination in recent media, it is so much more than an instagram location, and I would encourage anyone who is able to to visit this beautiful country in their lifetime.

Written by Caitlin Wilkins for INTROTravel