Thailand

När Filippa Löfström kom till Chiang Mai på sin Thailandsresa passade hon på att prova på landets nationalsport muay thai. Det visade sig att kampsporten öppnade dörren till den thailändska kulturen och möten med lokalbefolkningen. Så Filippa reste inte vidare, utan stannade kvar, länge …

The principal draw of remote Nan Province (จังหวัดน่าน), tucked into Thailand’s northeastern corner, is its natural beauty. Nan’s ethnic groups are another highlight and differ significantly from those in other northern provinces. Outside the Mae Nam Nan Valley, the predominant hill peoples are Mien, with smaller numbers of Hmong, while dispersed throughout Nan are four lesser-known groups seldom seen outside this province: the Thai Lü, Mabri, Htin and Khamu.

In a lush jungle setting in the shadow of a mighty limestone mountain, Chiang Dao (เชียงดาว) is where domestic travelers come to escape the heat of the plains. It gets cooler still as you leave the village and climb towards the summit of Doi Chiang Dao (2175m). The forest is a popular stop for birders and trekkers, and at the base of the mountain is a highly venerated wát marking the entrance to one of Thailand's deepest limestone caverns.

Nan (น่าน) is not the kind of destination most travelers are going to stumble upon, as it's remote by Thai standards. But if you take the time to get here, you’ll be rewarded with a relaxed city rich in both culture and history.

Encircled by coral and clear waters, densely forested Ko Ngai (Ko Hai) is both the most family-friendly of the Trang Islands and prime honeymoon territory. The long blonde wind-swept beach on the eastern coast spills into turquoise water with a sandy bottom (perfect for children) that ends at a reef drop-off with good snorkelling. It’s a stunning place and with no indigenous population on the island, the entire main beach is set up for your amusement.

Once a serene tropical paradise, Ko Lipe is now a poster child for untamed development on Thailand's islands. Blessed with two beautiful wide white-sand beaches separated by jungle-covered hills and close to protected coral reefs, the centre of Ko Lipe has been transformed into an ever-expanding maze of hotels, restaurants, cafes, travel agencies and shops. The biggest losers have been the 700-strong community of chow lair (sea gypsies, also spelt chao leh), whose ancestors were gifted Lipe as a home by King Rama V in 1909, but who sold it in the 1970s.

Little-visited Ubon Ratchathani is one of Thailand's most interesting provinces. The capital city has plenty of history and charm, as does the laid-back riverside village of Khong Jiam and the fascinating national parks that surround it. The scenery along the Mekong River is often as bizarre as it is gorgeous and Pha Taem National Park has so much to see that it warrants a couple of days. Even more remote is the jungle-clad intersection of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, now known as the 'Emerald Triangle' (inspired by northern Thailand's 'Golden Triangle') due to the magnificent jungle landscape of Phu Chong Nayoi National Park.

Nakhon Phanom (นครพนม) means 'City of Mountains', but the undulating sugarloaf peaks all lie across the river in Laos, so you'll be admiring rather than climbing them. The views are fantastic, though, especially during a hazy sunrise.

Chiang Rai Province (จังหวัดเชียงราย), Thailand’s northernmost province, is a geographical mishmash. The mountains in the far east are among the most dramatic in the country, the lowland Mekong River floodplains to the northeast are not unlike those one would find much further south in Isan, while the province shares borders with Myanmar and Laos. Those nearby frontiers help ensure that Chiang Rai is one of the most ethnically diverse provinces in Thailand, home to a significant minority of hill peoples, Shan and other Tai groups, as well as immigrants from China.

Lampang Province (จังหวัดลำปาง) is a vast, mountainous area known for its natural beauty, a pleasant provincial capital and for some of Northern Thailand’s most emblematic Buddhist temples. Formerly associated with the logging trade, today the province is more closely linked to industries such as mining and ceramics.