Luxury Private Tours in THAILAND
Ancient temples. Extraordinary food. The most beautiful coastline in Southeast Asia.
Our tailor-made private tours combine expert local guides, handpicked boutique stays and curated experiences, from the grand palaces and night food markets of Bangkok and the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya to the ethical elephant encounters of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, the limestone cliffs of Krabi and the private island retreats of the Andaman Sea.
WHY VISIT THAILAND?
Thailand is one of the most visited countries in the world and one of the most consistently misrepresented in the travel content that surrounds it. The Thailand of the package holiday, the crowded beach and the Bangkok pub street, is a thin overlay on a country of extraordinary depth, a civilisation that has been building temples, refining one of the world's great cuisines and developing a culture of hospitality that reflects a genuinely Buddhist relationship with the act of welcoming guests, for over seven hundred years.
What makes Thailand exceptional for the private traveller is the contrast available within a single journey. Bangkok, one of the great cities of Asia, operates on a frequency of energy and sensory intensity that is entirely its own, and a private guide who knows the difference between the tourist circuit and the city that Bangkokians actually inhabit changes the experience entirely. The north, centred on Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, has a completely different character, cooler, quieter, more focused on the temple culture and the forest landscapes of the highlands. The south offers some of the most beautiful coastal scenery in Asia, but the difference between the crowded resort beach and the private island or hidden bay accessible only by private boat is the entire point of going.
Many travellers combine Thailand with Cambodia for a broader Southeast Asia journey, or extend into Vietnam and Indonesia for those wanting to explore the full range of the region.
Explore our full Asia hub for more inspiring destinations.
Best Time to Visit THAILAND
November to February is the dry season and our most recommended window for a first Thailand journey. Temperatures are warm rather than hot across most of the country, humidity is low and the skies are clear. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Koh Samui are all at their finest during this period. December and January bring the best beach conditions to the Andaman Coast and the Gulf of Thailand simultaneously, which is unusual as the two coasts have different weather patterns for most of the year.
March to May is the hot season, with temperatures in Bangkok and Chiang Mai reaching their peak. Chiang Mai specifically should be avoided after mid-March due to the smoky season, when agricultural burning in the surrounding hills significantly affects the air quality and visibility. The south remains largely manageable during this period and the beaches are excellent.
June to October is the monsoon season across most of Thailand, with heavy rainfall and rough seas affecting the Andaman Coast from May to October. The Gulf of Thailand coast, including Koh Samui, has a different weather pattern and is generally good through this period. The north and northeast are lush and green during the rains and offer a genuinely different experience for those who plan around the season rather than trying to avoid it.
October and November mark the transition into the finest season and offer some of the best conditions of the year, particularly on the Andaman Coast where the sea calms and the water clarity peaks in November. Arriving ahead of the main December peak means better availability and a more intimate experience across all regions.
DISCOVER THAILAND’s REGIONS
From the grand temples and night food markets of Bangkok and the ancient royal ruins of Ayutthaya to the ethical elephant encounters of Chiang Mai, the Buddhist temples of Chiang Rai, the limestone cliffs of Krabi and the private island retreats of Koh Samui, each region of Thailand offers a completely distinct private journey.
BANGKOK: THE CITY THAT NEVER STOPS
Bangkok operates at an intensity no other city in Southeast Asia quite matches, a metropolis where ancient Buddhist temples sit beside glass towers, long-tailed boats carry locals through centuries-old canals and the food, at every level from the street cart to the rooftop restaurant, is among the finest in Asia. A private experience divides naturally between the old city, where the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and the riverside define the historical life of the capital, and the modern downtown of shopping avenues, cocktail bars and contemporary restaurants that reveal a city of genuine cosmopolitan ambition. Both sides deserve time and both reward those who go beyond the obvious.
CHIANG MAI: THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF THE NORTH
Chiang Mai is Thailand's second city and its most culturally rich, a walled city of over three hundred temples surrounded by the forested mountains of the northern highlands where the air is cooler, the pace is slower and the relationship between the city and the natural world is immediately felt. The cooking class tradition here is among the finest in Southeast Asia, the Sunday walking market is one of the best in Thailand and the ethical elephant sanctuaries in the surrounding highlands, where animals are observed rather than exploited, offer the most moving wildlife encounter in the country.
CHIANG RAI AND THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE: THE HIGHLAND FRONTIER
Chiang Rai is home to a collection of temples of genuinely remarkable character, including the extraordinary White Temple and the Blue Temple, each an individual artistic vision unlike anything else in Thailand. To the north, the Golden Triangle where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet above the Mekong River adds a dimension of extraordinary landscape and river culture. Two nights covers both the temples and the frontier, with time at the property and the spa before moving on.
KRABI: LIMESTONE CLIFFS AND THE ANDAMAN SEA
Krabi is the most beautiful base on the Andaman Coast, set among dramatic limestone karst formations that rise from the sea and the jungle in shapes that seem improbable until you are among them. The access it provides to Phi Phi, the hidden lagoons of the four islands and the beaches of Koh Lanta to the south makes it the finest starting point for a private coastal Thailand experience. All boat excursions here should be private, the difference between a shared speedboat and a vessel entirely your own is the entire quality of the day.
PHUKET: THE ANDAMAN GATEWAY
Phuket is Thailand's largest island and its most internationally developed resort destination. The best of what it offers is on the water: private boat charters into Phang Nga Bay where limestone karsts rise around hidden lagoons accessible only by kayak, and diving and snorkelling in waters among the finest in the region. Time on the island itself is best kept simple, with the focus on what the surrounding sea and islands offer rather than the island's own beaches.
KOH SAMUI: THE GULF ISLAND
Koh Samui on the Gulf of Thailand coast offers a lush tropical island of coconut palms, waterfalls and some of the finest luxury resort properties in Southeast Asia. The combination of the island's natural beauty and the access it provides to the surrounding Ang Thong Marine National Park, a private boat archipelago of extraordinary beauty that the tour boats cannot reach at dawn, makes it the finest base for a private Gulf of Thailand experience.
Signature Experiences in THAILAND
Thailand rewards those who go beyond the obvious and allow a private guide to design something genuinely their own. From a tuk-tuk food tour through the streets of Bangkok after dark and an early morning at the Grand Palace before the crowds arrive to an ethical elephant encounter in the highlands of Chiang Mai and a private speedboat through the limestone cliffs of Phi Phi, these are the moments we build every Thailand journey around.
TUK-TUK FOOD TOUR IN BANGKOK
Bangkok is one of the great street food cities in the world and a private tuk-tuk tour after dark is the finest way to understand why. Moving through the old town neighbourhoods away from the Chinatown tourist circuit, stopping at the stalls that Bangkokians actually eat at and ending at a rooftop bar in the old town as the city lights up below, this is the experience that reveals the Bangkok that exists beyond the obvious.
AYUTTHAYA: THE ANCIENT CAPITAL
Ayutthaya, the former Siamese capital destroyed by Burmese forces in 1767 and never rebuilt, is one of the most atmospheric historical sites in Southeast Asia. A private tuk-tuk and river cruise exploration of the ruins, moving between the great temple complexes as the light changes across the ancient stonework, requires a specialist guide who can explain the full arc of a civilisation at its height and at its end.
ETHICAL ELEPHANT ENCOUNTER IN CHIANG MAI
The ethical elephant sanctuaries in the highlands around Chiang Rai, where elephants are not trained to perform and not ridden by visitors, offer the most important and most moving wildlife encounter in Thailand. Choosing the right sanctuary, one that genuinely prioritises animal welfare over visitor entertainment, is the most consequential decision in planning a northern Thailand journey.
BUDDHISM IN CHIANG MAI
The temple culture of Chiang Mai, with over three hundred wats within the old city walls, is best experienced selectively rather than exhaustively. A private morning combining Doi Suthep on the mountain above the city, where monks collect alms at dawn in near-complete silence, with the extraordinary forest temple on the way up that most visitors drive past, reveals a living Buddhist tradition that the more visited temples of the city centre cannot quite replicate.
COOKING CLASS IN CHIANG MAI
The private cooking class thirty minutes from Chiang Mai, built around the specific ingredients and techniques of northern Thai cuisine, is one of the most genuinely transformative experiences in Thailand. Understanding the balance of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy that underpins all Thai cooking, working with ingredients sourced that morning from the local market, changes permanently the way you understand the cuisine.
BOAT TOUR TO PHI PHI ISLAND
The Phi Phi Islands contain some of the most extraordinary coastal scenery in Asia, from the hidden Pileh Lagoon between towering limestone cliffs to the Viking Cave and its ancient wall paintings. A full private day on the water between these islands, moving at your own pace with your own captain rather than a shared boat schedule, is the definitive Andaman Sea experience and the only way to reach the best spots before the crowds arrive.
PRIVATE ISLAND RETREATS
The Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand both contain bays and islands of extraordinary beauty that are accessible only by private boat and that shared excursion boats never reach. A private island day anchoring in a bay with no other vessels in sight, snorkelling the reef and swimming in water of extraordinary clarity, requires a captain who knows the waters intimately and can read the conditions to find the finest spot on any given day.
BEACHSIDE KOH LANTA
Koh Lanta, south of Krabi, offers the finest unhurried beach experience on the Andaman Coast, a long western shore that faces the sunset directly with the water warm and shallow and the beach largely empty outside the peak season. It is the experience that defines what a private southern Thailand journey should feel like when the temples and the boats and the food tours have all been done and the only agenda is the quality of the afternoon light.
Frequently Asked Questions About Traveling to THAILAND
-
November to February is the dry season and our most recommended window across most of the country. Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the Andaman Coast are all at their finest during this period. Note that Chiang Mai should be avoided after mid-March due to agricultural burning that significantly affects air quality. The Gulf of Thailand coast including Koh Samui has a different weather pattern and is generally at its best from February to October.
-
We recommend a minimum of ten days for a first Thailand journey combining Bangkok with either the north or the south. Those wanting to include Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the islands should plan for twelve to fourteen days. Thailand's domestic flight network is excellent and the connections between Bangkok and the main regional airports are frequent and fast.
-
The ethical elephant sanctuaries in the highlands around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai offer encounters where elephants are not trained to perform, not ridden by visitors and not exploited for entertainment. The experience is of observation and walking alongside animals that have been rescued from logging and tourism industries, with mahouts who have genuine long-term relationships with each elephant. Choosing the right sanctuary, one that genuinely prioritises animal welfare over visitor entertainment, is the most important decision in planning a northern Thailand itinerary.
-
Bangkok is a very safe city for international visitors and one of the most navigable in Asia. The areas covered on a private luxury itinerary, the riverside historic district, the Sukhumvit and Silom areas of the modern city and the major temple complexes, are all well-established for international visitors. A private guide and privately arranged transfers remove the situations where independent travellers are most exposed and ensure the most comfortable experience throughout.
-
Thai cuisine is one of the great culinary traditions of Asia and it varies significantly by region. Bangkok's street food scene is among the finest in the world and a private tuk-tuk food tour is the essential introduction. Northern Thai cuisine around Chiang Mai has a completely different character, influenced by the highland cultures of the Burmese and Lao borders. The seafood of the south, eaten at coastal restaurants within sight of the boats that caught it that morning, is extraordinary. We weave private food tours, cooking classes and carefully chosen restaurant experiences into every Thailand itinerary.
-
US and UK passport holders currently receive a visa exemption for stays of up to 30 days in Thailand, recently extended to 60 days for many nationalities. We always confirm the latest entry requirements for your specific passport before travel as Thai visa regulations have changed in recent years.
-
Thailand pairs naturally with Cambodia for a broader Southeast Asia journey combining two of the region's great temple cultures. It also combines well with Vietnam, Indonesia or Singapore for those designing a more comprehensive Asian circuit. We design all multi-country itineraries as fully private and tailor-made.
-
Thailand is one of the most visited countries in the world and the difference between a standard tourist experience and a private one is felt more here than almost anywhere. The Grand Palace at opening time with a guide who knows when to arrive and where to go first rather than at mid-morning with the tour groups. The food tour through the neighbourhoods that Bangkok actually eats in rather than the Chinatown circuit designed for visitors. The private boat to Phi Phi that can anchor in Maya Bay before the shared boats arrive. Thailand's greatest experiences are available to everyone but accessible in their best form only to those who plan them properly.
Plan Your THAILAND Journey
Thailand is a country of extraordinary contrasts and the journey we design for you will reflect exactly which version of it calls to you most. Tell us whether you are drawn by the temples and food culture of the north, the energy of Bangkok or the islands and coastline of the south, and we will build your Thailand journey from the first conversation.