Thailand
Thailand
A long country of river plains, northern hills and two coasts, where nearly every visitor lands in Bangkok and fans out by road or plane. These challenges start in the capital's old quarters, add day trips by road to Ayutthaya and the canal markets, then reach Chiang Mai, the Andaman coast around Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, and Ko Samui in the Gulf. Temples expect covered shoulders and knees, and many charge foreign visitors a fee.
10 challenges · 52 stops
STARTERGiant Swing to the Chinatown Gate
≈ 4,000 steps1.8 mi · about 2.5 hoursStarter · 3 stops · 500 credStart where you live.A late-afternoon walk from the red Giant Swing down into Chinatown: the city's largest Chinese temple, then the gate where Yaowarat Road's evening food stalls begin. About two and a half hours with something to eat. The temple closes at 4 pm, so start around 2:30; if an October storm hits, wait it out and finish on Yaowarat after dark.
STARTERRiver Fort to the Democracy Monument
≈ 2,000 steps1.0 mi · about 2 hoursStarter · 3 stops · 500 credStart where you live.A walk through Banglamphu, the old quarter just north of the Grand Palace: a riverside fort, the city's best-known backpacker street, and the monument in the middle of Ratchadamnoen Avenue. About two hours on flat pavements. October storms usually arrive mid-afternoon, so start once the rain has passed, or do the riverside fort in the morning.
STANDARDCanal Markets and the Train Market
22 mi by carabout 7 hoursStandard · 4 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.A day trip southwest of Bangkok by road, into the canal country of Ratchaburi and Samut Songkhram. You stand on paths and bridges, never in a boat: a morning floating market, the market a train runs through, a chapel held up by tree roots, and Amphawa's canal market. Amphawa only runs Friday to Sunday from mid-afternoon, so plan for one of those days.
STANDARDFrom the Big Buddha to the Grandparent Rocks
≈ 1,700 steps + 16 mi by car0.8 mi on foot · about 5 hoursStandard · 5 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.Half a day by car along Ko Samui's north and east coasts: the old Chinese shophouses of Bophut's Fisherman's Village, two temples on the northeast cape, a lookout over Chaweng, and the rocks at the end of Lamai. The heaviest rain falls from October to December, when the Gulf can be rough, so pick a dry morning. On Friday evenings Bophut closes its street for a market.
STANDARDTemples of the Old Royal Island
≈ 2,500 steps1.1 mi · about 4.5 hoursStandard · 4 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.A morning on Rattanakosin island: the city pillar, the temple of the Emerald Buddha inside the Grand Palace, Wat Pho's tiled chedis, and the pier that looks across at Wat Arun. Two legs are ticketed (500 and 300 baht) and both turn away bare shoulders and knees. Start at 8:30, because October afternoons bring storms and the palace sells its last tickets at 3:30.
STANDARDThe West Bank on Foot
≈ 2,500 steps1.2 mi · about 3.5 hoursStandard · 4 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.Thonburi, across the river, was the capital before Bangkok. Start at Wat Arun (the 5-baht ferry from Tha Tien gets you there) and walk downriver through the old Kudi Chin quarter, where a Chinese-founded temple, a Portuguese church and a white chedi stand side by side. About three and a half hours; go in the morning, ahead of October's afternoon storms.
ADVANCEDA Day in the Old Capital
≈ 5,000 steps + 4.8 mi by car2.5 mi on foot · a full dayAdvanced · 6 stops · 800 credGetting there is not the hard part.Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam until 1767; it is a day trip north of Bangkok by road. Six temples, from a working temple to riverside ruins, five behind 20- or 50-baht gates (a 220-baht pass covers several). Hire a driver or a bicycle on the island. In October the Chao Phraya runs high and Wat Chaiwatthanaram sits behind a flood barrier on its bank, so check it is open.
ADVANCEDCrab, Cave Summit and the Emerald Pool
≈ 2,500 steps + 5.2 mi by car1.1 mi on foot · a full day · + 2 stretches not routedAdvanced · 6 stops · 800 credGetting there is not the hard part.A full day around Krabi with a car: the town's hilltop temple and riverfront, the long staircase to the top of the Tiger Cave Temple, a spring-fed pool in lowland rainforest, and sunset on Ao Nang's promenade. Climb early, before the heat; in monsoon months the stairs are slick and the pool runs cloudier. Railay and the islands are reached only by boat, so they are not here.
ADVANCEDOld City Walls to Doi Suthep
≈ 15,500 steps + 3.4 mi by car7.4 mi on foot · a full dayAdvanced · 7 stops · 800 credGetting there is not the hard part.Chiang Mai in one long day: the walled old city's two great temples, the forest temple of Wat Umong, then up the Monk's Trail to Wat Pha Lat and the gold chedi on Doi Suthep. The trail is a steep forest path and slippery after rain, which still falls in October. Four legs charge foreign visitors 30 to 100 baht, and the temples expect covered shoulders and knees.
ADVANCEDOld Town, Capes and the Bay by Road
≈ 3,500 steps + 86 mi by car1.6 mi on foot · 2 days or moreAdvanced II · 10 stops · 800 credGetting there is not the hard part.Two days with a car. Day one runs from Phuket Old Town over the island's hills and capes to sunset at Promthep; day two crosses the bridge to the mainland and climbs to a viewpoint over Phang Nga Bay's limestone islands, otherwise reached only by boat. The southwest monsoon lasts until about October: expect rain and clouded views, and check the Big Buddha is open after heavy rain.
Counted between stops; you'll walk more at each one.
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