The best time to visit Thailand is from January to February and you need to decide in time to best organise your trip and travel. You can also travel to Thailand at other times of the year, but you need to choose carefully the destinations best suited to the climate and to avoid the monsoons (find a guide to monsoons in Southeast Asia here and all the info on what to see in Thailand and when here).
Islands of Thailand
Passport in hand and suitcase ready, not forgetting travel insurance, here is a useful guide to Thailand's most beautiful islands with useful information and tips on how to get there. Below you will also find a post on Thailand's lesser known and less touristy islands, useful for those who want to discover a still unspoilt Thailand.
KO PHI-PHI ISLAND
Lush nature and smooth rocks peeping out of emerald-green water, the most famous of the archipelago is Koh Phi Phi Leh, location of the famous Di Caprio film The Beach.
Since becoming a Hollywood star, it has lost some of its wild charm, but is still an earthly paradise. Koh Phi Phi Don is the largest and only inhabited island in the Ko Phi Phi archipelago. Here you will find the best resorts and diving and snorkelling facilities.
How to get to Koh Phi-Phi: boats connecting the island of Ko Phi-Phi to Krabi or Phuket operate all year round and the journey takes about 2 hours.
SEE ALSO: LIVING IN THAILAND
KOH SAMUI
Koh Samui is perhaps the best known and busiest of the Thai islands, thanks to the airport that takes less than an hour from Bangkok to Samui. This does not mean that all the beaches on the island will be overcrowded, especially if you choose to rent a car and drive around the island.
If you choose to take the inland, unpaved roads, you will discover a wild and paradisiacal interior.
Beware: as it faces the China Sea in January and February typhoons make the sea rough: the best time to visit is summer.
How to get to Koh Samui: by ferry from Surat Thani, about 650 km south of Bangkok, or by plane from the capital with Bangkok Airways flights. You can find detailed information on how to get to Koh Samui by train, plane and bus here.
KOH TAO
More isolated than Koh Samui. There isn't a huge choice of restaurants and markets, but it's also not quite as wild as other islands. Undoubtedly the non plus ultra for diving enthusiasts.
Here you can dive in the company of harmless whale sharks or swim above an expanse of colourful fish. There are plenty of diving centres to choose from, and after Cairns, Koh Tao is the second largest centre in the world for issuing diving licences.
How to get to Koh Tao: in all Thai travel agencies you can find tickets combining bus/ferry (prices and timetables vary and should be discovered on site). Here you can find detailed info on how to reach Koh Tao by ferry or catamaran from Koh Samui.
SEE ALSO: WEATHER IN AUGUST IN THAILAND
KOH PHANGAN
If Koh Samui is the island of luxury resorts, Koh Phangan is the favourite destination for backpackers on their way to Thailand. The bungalows are arranged on the beach, almost on the seashore, all around an infinity of palm trees and coconuts.
If you feel like having fun and plunging into an atmosphere between hallucinatory and euphoric, don't miss the Full Moon Party, the big party for which this island is famous. It is held every full moon on the large beach of Haad Rin.
How to get to Koh Phangan: from Koh Samui by ferry (30-minute journey) or from Suratthani, an hour from Bangkok, where the ferries to Koh Phangan depart (2½ hours).
Here you will find all the info on how to get to Koh Phangan and what to see on Koh Phangan.
TRANG ISLANDS
On the coast of Trang province the beach is fine and kilometre-long. Not far from the coastline are tropical islets, some of which are considered among the most beautiful in this corner of Asia.
Koh Muk, Koh Kradan and Koh Chuek, part of the Hat Chao Mai National Park, are some of them. Here, too, there is no shortage of diving centres and connections between the various islands and the mainland are becoming increasingly frequent. Here you will find useful information on the Thai tourism website.
How to get to the Trang Islands: boats leave daily for Pak Meng and Koh Ngai, the northernmost of the Trang Islands. Enquire locally for the (usually variable) connections between the various islands.
KOH CHANG
Along the Eastern Gulf Coast, not far from the Cambodian border, Koh Chang is home to the Ko Chang Marine National Park. It is the right destination to indulge in dreamy seaside pleasures on secluded, secluded beaches and at the same time stay in a resort with all the amenities.
How to get to Koh Chang: it is served by ferries all year round, less frequent during the rainy season. Bangkok Air flights depart from Bangkok to Trat. Buses and minivans to Koh Chang also depart from the east terminal of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Thailand's lesser-known islands
What are Thailand's lesser-known islands? Koh Mak, Khao Sok, Koh Lipe, Koh Kradan, Koh Jum and Koh Talu are among the most beautiful and lesser-known islands in Thailand, still untouched by mass tourism. They are not easy to reach, but worth the effort. Some, like Koh Jum are only a few kilometres away from better known and more popular islands.
Koh Jum is an unspoilt paradise 25 km from Krabi. Here you will find some information on Koh Hin Ngam, the beautiful and cursed island near Koh Lipe.
Map of the islands of Thailand
FOLLOW THE GALLERY - Thailand's most beautiful and lesser-known islands - PHOTOS
Thailand
