Self-Launched Thailand: Bangkok to Chiang Mai to Koh Samui (11 Days)

Land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and take the Airport Rail Link into town (£0.70–£1.20) or use the Grab app for a fixed-price ride (£6–£9). Check into a hostel or guesthouse in the Rangnam/Victory Monument area (central, near the airport link) or Khaosan if you want the backpacker buzz. Spend the late afternoon walking to a rooftop bar or grabbing pad thai from a street cart by Sanam Luang. Pick up a Thai SIM/eSIM (£8–£12 for 15–30 days of data) and sort your travel day out — buy a Chiang Mai flight or overnight train ticket tonight.

🚌Airport Rail Link ~£1, or Grab ~£7

🛏Hostel dorm or simple guesthouse near Victory Monument / Khaosan (£10–£16 pp)

• →Airport Rail Link into the city
• →Evening stroll around Victory Monument or Khaosan Road
• →Street-food dinner and Thai SIM card setup

Do the guided temple circuit independently and cheaply. Start early at Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha) near Hua Lamphong, then walk or Grab to the Royal Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (£13 entry — dress code: covered shoulders and knees). Cross the river on the public ferry (about £0.10) to Wat Arun, then hop back to Wat Pho for the Reclining Buddha (£6). Grab a boat taxi up the Chao Phraya for sunset or finish with a khao man gai dinner in Chinatown. A licensed local guide is optional — expect £25–£40 for a half-day private guide if you want context.

🚌Chao Phraya boat ferries and a couple of short Grabs ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm or simple guesthouse (£10–£16 pp)

• →Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha)
• →Royal Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha
• →Wat Pho Reclining Buddha
• →Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) by cross-river ferry

The tour's floating market day is easily self-booked. Take a public minivan from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) to Damnoen Saduak for around £2.50 each way — leave by 06:30 to beat the crowds. Arrive before 09:00, hire a long-tail boat through the market (negotiate at the pier, roughly £8–£12 for a shared boat) and enjoy the canals. Skip the gem factory stop. On the way back, ask your driver to drop you near a coconut farm or just buy fresh coconut juice at the market (£1). Back in Bangkok by mid-afternoon, catch a cheap domestic flight to Chiang Mai in the evening (£25–£45 on AirAsia/Nok) or the overnight sleeper train (£18–£30 for second class).

🚌Minivan Bangkok–Damnoen Saduak return ~£5; flight Chiang Mai ~£35 or sleeper train ~£25

🛏Chiang Mai hostel in the Old City (£8–£14 pp)

• →Damnoen Saduak floating market by public minivan
• →Long-tail boat ride through the canals
• →Fresh coconut juice tasting
• →Evening flight or night train to Chiang Mai

Rent a scooter (£5–£7/day with helmet) or grab a red songthaew up to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep (£1–£2 each way, £1 entry). The 306 curved steps and gold chedi are worth the early start — go by 08:00 to dodge tour vans. Come down via the royal Bhubing Palace or the Wat Umong forest temple. In the evening, book a khantoke dinner show directly — several places in the Old City run these for about £15–£20 including food, folk dancing and hill-tribe performances, versus the tour's bundled version. Stroll the Night Bazaar afterwards.

🚌Songthaew or scooter rental ~£5

🛏Old City guesthouse or hostel (£8–£14 pp)

• →Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep by songthaew or scooter
• →Wat Umong forest temple
• →Khantoke dinner with hill-tribe dancing (self-booked)

Book a small-group elephant day trip through GetYourGuide or Klook with a genuinely no-riding, sanctuary-style operator — expect £55–£80 including pickup, lunch, feeding, mud spa and river bathing. Choose an operator that also runs Mae Taeng white-water rafting (or add a separate half-day rafting trip for £20–£30). The tour's version bundles this into one big day; doing it as two half-days is easier on the schedule. Stop at Mae Malai market on the way north if your driver allows — it's on the Mae Taeng road and local buses from Chang Phueak bus station (about £1) pass through it too.

🚌Included in day-trip pickup

🛏Old City guesthouse or hostel (£8–£14 pp)

• →Ethical elephant sanctuary day (feeding, bathing, mud spa)
• →Mae Malai local market stop
• →Mae Taeng white-water rafting

The long Golden Triangle day is the most awkward to DIY. Two options: (a) book a small-group day tour from Chiang Mai on Klook or GetYourGuide for £25–£35 including transport, or (b) take a public bus from Chiang Mai's Arcade bus station to Chiang Rai (£2.50–£4, 3.5 hrs), stay overnight in Chiang Rai and visit the Golden Triangle by local bus from Chiang Rai's old bus terminal (£1 each way, 1 hr) plus the Hall of Opium museum (about £7). Overnighting in Chiang Rai is cheaper, less rushed and gives you the White Temple the next morning — highly recommended over the 10-hour round trip.

🚌Public bus Chiang Mai–Chiang Rai ~£3; local bus to Golden Triangle ~£2

🛏Chiang Rai guesthouse if overnighting (£8–£14 pp), or Chiang Mai hostel

• →Golden Triangle viewpoint (Thailand–Laos–Myanmar)
• →Hall of Opium museum
• →Mae Sai border market
• →White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) if overnighting in Chiang Rai

The tour charges its internal Chiang Mai–Samui flights as part of a $699 add-on; booked yourself, AirAsia or Thai Lion Air from Chiang Mai to Surat Thani plus the ferry to Samui is the budget route (flight £30–£50 + coach-and-ferry combo £12–£18). Faster but pricier: Bangkok Airways direct to Samui (£60–£110). Alternatively take the overnight train Chiang Mai–Surat Thani (£20–£28) then the ferry. Once on Samui, check into a guesthouse on Chaweng Noi or Bophut — quieter and cheaper than Chaweng Beach proper but a short songthaew away. Afternoon swim, sunset at a beach bar.

🚌Flight ~£40 + ferry/coach ~£15

🛏Samui guesthouse or bungalow near Chaweng Noi / Bophut (£14–£22 pp)

• →Budget flight or overnight train south
• →Coach + ferry to Koh Samui
• →Beach sunset and seafood dinner

Book the Ang Thong Marine Park speedboat day directly on GetYourGuide or Klook or at any Samui tour office — about £28–£38 including hotel pickup, snorkelling at Koh Wao, lunch at the Marine Park HQ on Wua Ta Lap, and the steep climb to the emerald-lake viewpoint (the famous 500-step viewpoint). Bring reef-safe sunscreen and a dry bag. Bigger, slower boats are cheaper (£22–£28) but get there later; speedboats give you more swim time. Kayaking is usually an optional add-on (£5–£8).

🚌Included in day-trip pickup

🛏Samui guesthouse or bungalow (£14–£22 pp)

• →Ang Thong Marine Park speedboat day
• →Snorkelling at Koh Wao
• →Viewpoint hike over the emerald lake
• →Optional kayaking

Samui's interior is best seen on an off-road jeep tour — self-book a half-day 4x4 trip on Klook or locally for £25–£35, which covers the mountain viewpoint, waterfalls and a stop at an ethical elephant camp (note: Samui's camps are more entertainment-oriented than Chiang Mai's sanctuaries — check reviews carefully and skip any riding). In the afternoon, join a Thai cooking class in Bophut or Chaweng (£22–£30) where you cook pad thai, green curry and tom yum, and eat the results. Or swap one for a muay thai evening or a beach day.

🚌Included in jeep tour pickup; songthaew ~£2

🛏Samui guesthouse or bungalow (£14–£22 pp)

• →Off-road 4x4 jungle jeep tour
• →Elephant camp visit (no-riding operator)
• →Thai cooking class — pad thai, curry, tom yum

The tour's 'Heaven Boat' party cruise is an easy swap: choose what actually appeals. Options include a Koh Madsum (Pig Island) long-tail boat trip from Thong Krut pier (£12–£18 shared), a kayak hire off Bophut (£6–£8), a spa afternoon (£15–£25), or simply a lazy beach day on Silver Beach. Book directly at the pier or through your guesthouse — no need for a packaged cruise. Pack and prepare for departure tomorrow.

🚌Songthaew and long-tail boat ~£8

🛏Samui guesthouse or bungalow (£14–£22 pp)

• →Koh Madsum (Pig Island) long-tail boat trip
• →Kayaking off Bophut
• →Beach day and Thai massage

Take a songthaew or Grab to Samui International Airport (USM) — about £5–£8 from Chaweng. If flying out of Surat Thani instead, the coach-and-ferry combo back to the mainland is £12–£18 with a few hours' buffer. If your flight is later, squeeze in one last swim or brunch. Note that onward international flights are not included in either the tour or this DIY plan.

🚌Songthaew/Grab to USM ~£6, or ferry + coach to Surat Thani ~£15

🛏—

• →Airport transfer
• →Last beach morning if time allows