The sights to see and places to go in Thailand are nearly endless. It literally can take years to experience all the wonders this little country has to offer. Now what you’ll be able to do, is entirely dependent on your time and budget. But this article will cover some of the most popular, not to be missed destinations.

Visit The Waterfalls
If you make your way over to Ko Samui, visiting the waterfalls is a must. There are actually many falls to choose from and all are stunning and pretty easy to get to, either by jeep or on foot. Taking a dip in the swimming holes at the bottom of the falls on a hot day (which is every day!) is definitely on the ‘must do’ list.

Take An Elephant Ride
If you find yourself in Chaing Mai, riding an elephant in his natural habitat is a once in a lifetime experience. The elephants used to be used to clear fallen trees from the jungle paths but now that machines have taken over, they are used to entertain the tourist. These are gentle giants that, for the most part, are well taken care of. They have ones that even paint pictures and can sign their names!

Tour The Tiger Temple
I happen to be a huge cat lover, so this is on the top of my to-do list. Head over to Kanchanburi and spend the day feeding, bathing and playing with wild tigers. The story is – a monk found a baby tiger after its mother had been killed by poachers and brought it back to the temple to care for it. It became like a mascot and word spread. Other’s began bringing orphaned cubs to them and it soon became a sanctuary. The tigers roam freely and interact with tourists (with the monks’ supervision). All money collected from the tours goes to support the monks (and the tigers of course). A must do!

The Reclining Buddha
Bangkok houses the Wat Pho, or Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Wat Pho is one of the oldest and biggest temples and it contains a 150 foot reclining, gold-plated Buddha statue with its feet inlaid with mother of pearl. Extensive grounds, the original Thai massage school and lots of history here. definitely go see it.

The Long Neck Women
In Chiang Mai you will find an area called Mae Hong Son, where you will find the tribe of the Long Neck Women ( also called Brass Ring women or Giraffe Tribe). A custom of the Karan tribe is to add brass rings to the necks of their women to literally stretch their necks. These are poor tribal people and are completely supported by tourist now. It’s a great photo opportunity and one of those rare things to see in person.

The Beaches
This last one kind of goes without saying but with so much to see and so many places to visit, it would be easy to get caught up in every tour, shop and photo opp that there is to take advantage of. The beaches of Thailand are spectacular, especially in Ko Samui. Make sure to take at least a few days to do nothing but soak up the sun and scenery.

There are jungle treks, marine parks, water sports and parties until dawn. You’ll never run out of things to experience in this wonderful country. Just remember to travel safely, chose a tour company and hotel that you trust, respect the culture and have a great time!