Travel Tips - Travel Style, Hotels, When to go - Northern Thailand
Transport - How to get around Most major to mid size towns in the North are well connectedby local bus routes, so its possible to get around by bus, however to explore outlying areas and small villages then you will need your own transport.In some of the more developed and touristic towns there will be motorbikes for hire, if you want to hire a car it is best to do so from Chiang Mai. Destinations in mountainous or more remote areas such as Mae Salong, the only form of transport is local pick up truck (song tiaw). So it’s advisable to have your own transport here too.Local buses come in 2 classes – air conditioned or fan.Air con buses are slightly more expensive but worth paying the extra baht for as they have more leg room and seating is more spacious.Overnight buses in Thailand are very comfortable, seats recline to about 150 degrees with enough leg room for the average height person.The only things to watch out for are the air-conditioning which they tend to put on high and karaoke songs which they like to keep you entertained with at high volume. Travel Style There are various ways you can travel around Northern Thailand, independent travel, group package tours, or something in between such as a private tour. Which one you opt for will depend on how you like to travel and your budget. Independent travel (the cheapest form) is obviously for those who don’t like to be restricted and prefer to explore by themselves, commonly done by backpackers on a low budget. The downfalls can be that whilst you may cover many areas with an open schedule, your travel experience will be purely observatory, you won’t know about the meaning and culture behind places without the knowledge of a local guide. Package tours are for those who feel less comfortable exploring a place on their own and like to have everything pre-planned, the disadvantage being that every aspect (hotels, transport, itinerary) is fixed including the amount of time you can spend at a sight, not good for those that don’t like to be rushed. A private tour combines the best of both independent and package travel in that you can tailor the itinerary to what you want to see and do, without the restrictions of a fixed schedule, basically you are the boss. Your trip to Northern Thailand could combine a mix of styles, for example for tourist areas such as Chiang Mai city which are easy to get around by with public transport where a lot of the attractions have explanations in English then a guide and private transport is not required. For sightseeing in outlying Chiang Mai (adventure activities, national parks, waterfalls and temples) you may want to consider hiring a taxi or song tiaw for a day. Then for excursions to the countryside beyond Chiang Mai, which are not so easily done on public transport you could hire a car, driver and guide for a tour.
Hotels
Northern Thailand offers an amazing array of hotels and guesthouses from budget backpacker to 5 star and boutique hotels.If arriving during low season it is not necessary to book beforehand, although you may get better rates if you book online. Many hotels in Chiang Mai can be found on online hotel booking agents.
In rural parts most hotels/guesthouses (unless they are high end well established ones) are not available on any of the online hotel booking agents, you might be lucky if they even had their own website, so phone reservation is the best way.During high season and any national holidays booking beforehand is advised as places get full pretty quickly.
When to go The climate in the North is very different from the south, it is generally considered the coolest part of the country and the cold weather in the mountains makes it a popular escape from the heat for Thais from the rest of the country.There are 3 seasons here - winter, summer and rainy season. Most travelers choose to come during the winter (Nov-Feb) when temperatures are cooler making it the tourism high season.
Winter (Nov-Feb) is also tourism high season as this is when temperatures are cooler and so most travelers choose to come then.
Summer (March-May) is low season as it gets extremely hot with daytime temperatures of 35 degrees. This is also when the farmers burn the forests resulting in smog, bad air quality and visibility across the North.
Rainy Season – (June- Oct) Downpours of heavy rain during the day are common but rarely last more than 30 minutes or so.There can be the odd day when there will be light rain all day, similar to drizzly days in Europe.
Although the mention of rainy season can immediately put off tourists from coming in these months, the rain is not severe enough to affect your travel here unless you are planning on doing outdoor activities such as trekking.Rainy season in my opinion is when the North is at its most beautiful, as the nature and rice paddies turn to a lush deep green colour.
As hotels consider this time of year low season, travelers can also benefit from low season rates at this time
