Tours in Thailand

Start with the smell. In Thailand it arrives before anything else: charcoal smoke from a street grill, lemongrass, chilli, and the sweet rot of ripe fruit stacked on a cart. Then the heat reaches you, and you learn to walk slowly, stop in the shade, and eat whenever someone offers.

Bangkok is where most people land, and it rewards patience. The Chao Phraya river runs through it, and the boats are the easiest way to feel the city's rhythm. From the water you see Wat Arun, the Grand Palace and the long stretches of old wooden houses and new towers sharing the same bank. On land, Chinatown at night, the canals, the markets and the temples around Rattanakosin all reward a guide who knows which lane to turn down.

Upriver is Ayutthaya, and it is the day trip we lean towards. Brick towers and headless Buddhas stand in open grass, and at Wat Mahathat a stone Buddha head sits wrapped in tree roots. You cycle or walk between ruins, and the quiet there is a surprise after Bangkok. Bang Pa-In, with its mix of Thai, Chinese and European buildings, makes a gentler start. Coming back down the river by boat, with lunch on the table, is a good way to end it.

Beyond that, the country fans out. Chiang Mai and the northern hills bring cooler air, temples and kitchens where you can learn to cook. Sukhothai has its own ruined city. The south has the islands, limestone cliffs and beaches of the Andaman coast and the Gulf. We do not list tours for all of these yet, but if you want a guide for any of them, ask, and a local can take the request.