Travel
Untold Thailand: 8 Underrated Destinations Worth Visiting
From secluded islands to fairy-tale palaces and wild national parks, Thailand is rich in alluring under-the-radar destinations that deserve a place on your bucket list
Thailand is one of the world’s top tourist destinations, pulling in more than 35 million visitors in 2024, a figure that looks set to surge following the country’s appearance as the backdrop to season three of The White Lotus. Bangkok’s temple-strewn waterways, Phang Nga Bay’s mysterious seascape and Koh Samui’s platinum beaches, all of which feature in the show, are well-known to travellers, but there are plenty more eclectic options worth exploring scattered across this vast country. From secluded islands to fairy-tale palaces and wild national parks, here’s our pick of the most underrated destinations worth visiting in Thailand.
Bang Pa-In Palace, Phra Nakon Si Ayutthaya
The ruins of former Thai capital Ayutthaya are a popular day trip from Bangkok, but carry on a little further down the Chao Phraya River, and you’ll come to beautiful Bang Pa-In Royal Palace. It’s here that the royal court first established a summer palace in 1632, which was restored by King Rama IV and expanded by King Rama V in the late 19th century. The tastes of the globetrotting royal are reflected in the enchanting site, which includes giant topiary elephants, a shimmering lake, a butter-yellow neoclassical mansion, a lilac-and-purple Swiss chalet, a vermillion Chinese pavilion and a working monastery where monks arrive by cable car.
Koh Phra Thong, Phang Nga
Located just off the glittering green Andaman Sea coast, a four-hour drive north of Phuket, the island of Phra Thong isn’t the easiest to reach – but make the effort, and you’ll be richly rewarded with a barely developed slice of tropical paradise. Wide ribbons of peachy sands halo the island, dipping into pretty coves and bays fronted by crystalline waters. Things to do include kayaking through mangrove forests, cycling around the island’s savannah-like interior, observing some of Asia’s rarest bird species, and joining diving and snorkelling trips to the nearby Surin Islands Marine National Park.
[Photo: kenzaza/Getty Images]
Sukhothai, Sukhothai Province
Loy Krathong is Thailand’s most beautiful festival, a celebration of light and water which takes place on the night of the full moon in the twelfth month of the Thai lunar calendar (usually in November). Chiang Mai is one of the most popular places to enjoy the festivities, but it’s also one of the most crowded. Instead, hop on the train to Sukhothai, Thailand’s medieval capital, a city filled with nearly 200 mesmerising ruins dating back to the mid-13th century and the birthplace of the Loy Krathong festival. There’s lots to enjoy outside of festival time, too, including touring the Historical Park, giving alms to monks and relaxing on the banks of the Yom River.
The Black House Museum, Chiang Rai
Part museum, part art gallery, part haunted house, Baan Dam Museum – known in English as The Black House – is one of Thailand’s most fascinating cultural attractions. Hidden in the bucolic Chiang Rai countryside, the site was established as a studio by renowned Thai artist Thawan Duchanee and has grown over the years to include more than 40 extraordinary carved wooden pavilions, exhibition spaces, houses and salas. Peek inside to find a dark, almost Gothic collection of artworks: ghoulish paintings, stone demon sculptures and furniture made from the bones and skins of animals (which died from natural causes), including chairs fashioned from ram’s horns and a crocodile table runner.
[Photo: Robert CHG/Getty Images]
Khao Sok National Park, Surat Thani
Trees as tall as skyscrapers, leaves as big as blankets, shimmering lakes and limestone karsts are the pretty puzzle that make up Khao Sok National Park, located on the mainland, a three-hour drive north of Phuket. It’s one of the world’s most ancient rainforests – older than the Amazon – and is home to an astonishing array of flora and fauna, including 48 kinds of mammal, more than 300 bird species, dozens of bats and reptiles, and the world’s largest flower, the rafflesia. Spend your mornings in search of endangered wild elephants, sun bears, pangolins and hornbills. Cool down in frothy rivers, or the mirror-calm lake later in the day, before settling in for a night of stargazing.
Lopburi, Lopburi Province
This small town in central Thailand went viral last year when the authorities were sent in to break up a war between rival gangs – of monkeys. A long-time symbol of the city, the marauding long-tail macaques have since been brought under control thanks to a capture and sterilisation programme. And while tourists can still drop by designated feeding areas to see the monkeys, Lopburi has so much more to offer. Admire Khmer ruins dating back to the 11th century, swing by the exceptional King Narai National Museum, skip through vast fields of sunflowers, and hit the lively night market to try local dishes such as stir-fried salted egg with spicy ginger-curry paste, sticky tamarind-stewed pork ribs, and delicate rice noodles topped with pineapple and fish balls.
[Photo: urbazon/Getty Images]
Ubon Ratchathani, Isaan
Only the most adventurous travellers make it to Ubon Ratchathani in the northeast Isaan region of Thailand, bordering Laos. And yet there is more than enough to tempt visitors to this intriguing part of the country, from the sleepy pace of life to the striking temples, an array of natural wonders and some of the fieriest food on the planet. Don’t miss a trip to glow-in-the-dark temple Wat Sirindhorn Wararam Phu Prao and Sam Phan Bok rock reef on the Mekong River. Ambitiously known as the Grand Canyon of Thailand, its ice-cream swirl rock formations feature hundreds of natural pools eroded by the ebbing and flowing of tides over thousands of years.
Khanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat
Despite Khanom’s close proximity to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, this idyllic jewel sees only a fraction of the tourist numbers – despite being home to more than a dozen bright-white beaches stretching for more than 50 kilometres along the mainland’s Gulf of Thailand coast. Aside from lolling on empty sands, visitors can tour temple islands, dip in jungle-cloaked waterfalls, cycle through banana plantations, follow hiking trails to spectacular mountain viewpoints, and take boat trips in search of rare pink Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins.
[Photo: Denis Privalikhin/Getty Images]
[Photo at top: primeimages/Getty Images]
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