Few countries are better suited for wellness travel than Thailand. It’s a warm nation with friendly people and a deep tradition of cultivating the best in mind, body, and spirit. Particularly in the southern islands, including famous Phuket and Koh Samui, it’s common to stay at luxury resorts that offer curated wellness treatments, from traditional massage and spa packages to detox programs to more intensive weight-loss and exercise regiments.
But what if you want to experience something different than a spa or wellness retreat? Luckily, you don’t have to look far to find other kinds of wellness experiences on a Thai vacation. The following are some of our favourite unconventional wellness experiences you can find throughout Thailand, from cultural encounters that reframe your way of seeing the world to natural emersion that leaves you in awe of the peace and beauty of nature.
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Immerse yourself in the rhythms of Thai Buddhism in Phuket.
This Buddhist experience is spiritual wellness at its best. On the southern island of Phuket, you can join a local guide to deep dive into the traditions and rituals of Buddhism. Join a master of meditation to learn this ancient practice at the temple of Wat Luang Pu Supha. Once you’ve reset your internal rhythm, head to Wat Chalong Monastery to join local monks as they go about their daily routines. Cap off the day at Wat Phra Phuttha Mingmongkol Eaknakakeeree, home to Southeast Asia’s largest Buddha statue, and put what you’ve learned into practice. Find a quiet spot as the sun sets and meditate as the temple bells ring out across the island.
Visit remote monasteries and hill tribes near Chiang Rai.
Connecting with other people is often one of most powerful things you can do when travelling. It also helps you rethink how you see the world and gain a deeper understanding of yourself, which sounds like a wellness experience if you ask us. In the northern city of Chiang Rai, you can spend a day in the countryside meeting others who follow very distinct ways of life. First, you’ll have the chance to learn about the northern monks of Tham Pa Acha Thong, who collect their daily alms on horseback. Next, you’ll meet with the Yao and Akha hill tribe villagers, who cultivate deep spiritual traditions high in the Mae Salong hills. Finally, head to Snati Kiri to meet with Kuomintang (KMT) refugees, who fled China in decades past and started a new life in the Thai hillside.
Go biking on the backroads of Bangkok.
Based on recent research, there’s no single intervention that’s more impactful on your health and wellbeing than exercise. So why not get in some good ol’ fashioned exercise in gorgeous surroundings while visiting the capital city of Bangkok. This backroads bike trip takes you on a well-paced (but not too strenuous) bike ride south of the city. After visiting the famous floating marketing of Damnoen Saduak and riding in a long-tail boat along the canals, you’ll cycle through coconut plantations, orchids, and temples to see life just outside the bustling capital. You’ll have the chance to stop at local temples and ride trails alongside picturesque rice paddies and canals. It might not be the same kind of wellness as a massage, but it’s a healthy way to enjoy nature and get some exercise in the process.
Enjoy an organic cooking class in Koh Samui.
Core to a healthy lifestyle is a healthy diet. Luckily, Thai cuisine is not only delicious, but healthy. A cooking class can equip you with practical tools to add wellness to your cooking when you return home. This hands-on cooking class on Koh Samui pairs you with an expert chef and teaches you to make some popular Thai dishes, such as Pad Thai and Tom Yum soup, in a healthy manner. During the class, you’ll head to the local market to learn what to look for when buying organic produce, get some practical tips in the kitchen, and hear stories about Thai culture that offer a new perspective on these favourite dishes. Oh, and you’ll also get to enjoy a delicious lunch at class’s end for a practical and delicious Thai wellness experience.
Relax at a waterfall near the Myanmar border.
Outside of the spa or the clinic, natural encounters are perhaps the most popular wellness experiences. This nature tour in Kaeng Krachan National Park near the border with Myanmar is a perfect example of natural emersion. Heading into a thousand-year-old forest, you trek through gorgeous jungle surroundings, spotting wild birds and monkeys, before you reach Pala-U Waterfall, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the nation. There are several levels to the waterfall, so you can spend time wandering around the environment and soaking in the natural surroundings. Or you can simply sit down and watch the cascading water, meditating alongside the peaceful rhythm of the water in the forest.
Go forest bathing in Khao Sok National Park.
Speaking of nature, forest bathing is all the rage and there’s arguably no better place to soak up the beauty and rhythm of nature than Khao Sok National Park. Located on the mainland peninsula of the nation’s south, Khao Sok is a landscape of tropical rainforest and limestone karsts. It’s a beautiful and terrific place to spend a day searching for gibbons singing in the jungle canopy or kayaking on the waters of Cheow Lan Lake. But it’s also an ideal environment to go “forest bathing,” which is a meditative journey that attunes you to the natural world. Put your phone away, keep calm and quiet, and simply walk through the forest, observing the world around you and paying careful attention to the sights and sounds of nature. It’s a mindfulness practice that is a great way to reduce stress and enjoy the beautiful natural environment.
These six travel options might not be the most conventional wellness experiences possible, but who said wellness is one size fits all? Wellness travel comes in all shapes and sizes. You can find a size that fits you on a trip to Thailand.
You might say that Aren was destined to become a globetrotter after his family took him to Germany two times before he was four. If that wasn’t enough, a term spent in Sweden as a young teenager and a trek across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand confirmed that destiny. An independent writer, director, and film critic, Aren has travelled across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. His favourite travel experience was visiting the major cities of Japan’s largest island, Honshu, but his love for food, drink, and film will take him anywhere that boasts great art and culture.
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