The Best Thailand Adventure Tours from the World’s Top Thailand Tour Operators

Get off the beaten track and discover Thailand’s hidden delights by bike, road and river!

Adventure travel in Thailand is best done slowly, by back road, river, or well-worn route.

If your leisurely vehicle of choice is a bike, you’ll pedal through the Thai countryside on uncharted oxcart paths through endless miles of lush rice paddies, garlic fields, and fruit orchards. Pause to be enchanted by an ornate Buddhist temple, quietly sitting in the middle of a jungle-filled valley. Stop to gaze at the jagged, limestone hills that have not changed for centuries. Then take the time to light a traditional fire balloon and make a wish.

Or take your Thailand adventure to the waterways, on the Maekok or Mekong Rivers. The Mekong begins its 2,700-mile course at more than 17,000 feet on the Tibetan Plateau. As it weaves its way through a slew of gorges near Gyelthang, it drops into Southeast Asia on its way to its delta on the South China Sea. The Mekong has given life to a myriad of civilizations, which have risen and fallen on its banks.

The Maekok River winds into northern Thailand from Burma just north of Ban Thaton in upper Chiangmai Province. For nearly two centuries, this river has been the main trade artery between the Thaton-Fang area and Chiangrai. On the Maekok, you can float in long-tail boats — a type of native watercraft with a lightweight, long, canoe hull and an engine — through dense jungles and hill tribe villages.

But good travels in Thailand aren’t always about meandering through the landscape. Sometimes, it’s best to sit still and let the country pass by in front of you. Savor Thai cuisine at an atmospheric café. Relish a truly homemade curry in a rural village. Sit down for a chat with a monk. Wait for the moment when a grazing water buffalo returns your glance.

Just before your Thailand adventure tour comes to a close, ease your way back into the frenzy of modern life with the buzz of Bangkok, alive with activity and color. Thailand’s capital is one of Asia’s most cosmopolitan cities, filled with dazzling temples, eclectic markets, gleaming palaces, ritzy shopping malls, and a famous nightlife.

Because Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia to have escaped colonial rule, experiencing its undiluted landscapes, Buddhist religion, and culture is a true Asian adventure. Don’t let it pass by too quickly.

Scroll down to peruse the best Thailand adventure tours from the world’s top Thailand tour operators.