Thailand for Solo Traveler

Take a snorkeling liveaboard to stuninng Similan Islands.

Are you planning to travel to Thailand alone, just by yourself? Good for you. Going solo is often the best way to travel. You get to choose yourself, where to go and what to do.

Going solo doesn’t mean you need to be lonely, though. Traveling is a great way to meet people and make new friends. And often you will find your new travel buddies all the more interesting.

Below you will find destinations and experiences, which are particularly well suited for solo travelers, that is, where it is especially easy to meet new people, but also if you want solitude.

And yes, Thailand is also a convenient country to travel for lone women.

Start a New Hobby

diving-ko-phi-phi-corals — Ko Phi Phi is a great place to learn to dive.

A sure way to make new friends is to start a new hobby. Thailand is a perfect place to learn scuba diving or rock climbing.

The most popular places to get a diving license are Ko Tao on the Gulf of Siam and Ko Phi Phi next to Phuket on the Andaman Sea.

By far the best place for rock climbing is Krabi, one of the world’s most famous rock climbing destinations.

The main beaches of Krabi have a very commercial vibe, but if you are more for a quiet and hippy atmosphere head to Ao Tonsai Beach, one of the last genuine backpacker beaches in Thailand. You will certainly make new friends on this amicable beach.

If, however, both diving and rock climbing both feel too mainstream as hobbies, you can always do something totally different. Like going to Northern Thailand to learn circus tricks on Pai’s circus school. Here you can learn the secrets of fire shows, juggling and some acrobatics.

The Ultimate Party Island

Even if you are not into diving, Koh Phi Phi is a great place. You can join fabulous snorkeling trips and go camping on a desert island, the same where the movie The Beach was filmed, or take part in a wild party boat cruise.

Beside its underwater world and amazing scenery, Ko Phi Phi is known for its beach parties that continue night after night until sunrise.

Join a Liveaboard from Khao Lak

If you are already a certified diver, a good option is to join a liveaboard dive safari. Liveaboards will take you to Thailand’s best dive sites for a few days trips, wherein you spend diving from morning to evening. You certainly won’t feel lonely in these tightly packed small boats where you share cabins with your new comrades.

The main hub for liveaboards is Khao Lak, which is the closest place on the coast to Ko Similan islands, Thailand’s diving Mecca.

Feel the Forest

A visit to Khao Sok rainforest is a must for nature lovers.

Khao Sok rainforest, which is located in Southern Thailand close to Khao Lak, is not only Thailand’s finest national park, but also a great place to get to know other travelers.

Most visitors to Khao Sok join a two-day trip that take them to a magnificent lake Cheow Lan, where you overnight over the water on a floating bamboo hut surrounded by ethereal jungle and mountain scenery. In the daytime you will hike through jungles and caves – again a great way to make new friends.

Trips to the lake can be organized through Khao Sok’s guesthouses.

Before or after the trip to the lake it is worth to hike by yourself on the National Park’s well-marked jungle trails for a day or two. The best way to appreciate the rainforest is on your own, walking quietly in the jungle without an over-talkative companion who would scare away all the animals.

Easy Adventures in Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi is a beautiful close-to-nature town just a couple of hours by bus from Bangkok. Kanchanaburi is particularly good for solo travelers since virtually all the travelers here join some ready-made day trips.

Join them and enjoy your time in Kanchanaburi’s beautiful Erawan waterfall and on a historical train ride up the notorious Death Railway from the World War II era.

Alone on a Deserted Island

Driftwood looks like a sculpture on Ko Bulon Lee's Beach. — Driftwood looks like a sculpture on Ko Bulon Lee’s Beach.

Well, you are traveling by yourself anyway, aren’t you? Why not take the loneliness to the extreme?

Go to the deserted island of Ko Tarutao, where you can feel like Robinson Crusoe on his own island. And just like Mr. Crusoe you won’t be totally on your own. You will find your own Friday from the park rangers who will cook for you and rent you a very isolated small hut next to some of Thailand’s longest and emptiest beaches.

Other great place to look for solitude but in the less extreme way is Ko Bulon Lee island that has a handful of nice guesthouses.