I’m ashamed to say I had never heard of Krabi until a friend suggested we meet there around a week before I set off for Thailand, pushing it near the top of my list of recommendations. Located on the west side of the country’s stunning south coast, Krabi can be accessed by boat from Phuket or via a short flight from Bangkok, and comes with a distinctly more relaxed, subdued atmosphere than those two popular tourist spots. 

Like most places in Thailand, the food is spectacular, people are friendly and the temple culture rich. But the province’s real strength derives from the breathing room that locals and visitors are afforded while going about their days. With wider roads and a less prominent feeling of the hustle and bustle present elsewhere in the country, visitors can go at their own pace. Days in Krabi could be spent rock climbing on its iconic limestone cliffs, trying to track down the local monkey population or basking on a number of white sandy beaches. Ao Nang and Railay beaches (both accessible by a 15-minute boat ride) are beyond picturesque and feel less jam-packed with tourists than the shores of neighbouring Phi Phi Islands.

Two and a half hours north, with a total area three times the size of Edinburgh and a rainforest older and more diverse than the Amazon, Khao Sok National Park remains somewhat of a hidden gem. Located in the Surat Thani area, this sprawling park is said to be home to a staggering 5% of the world’s animal species. For as little as £70, visitors can embark on a two-day guided tour, complete with traditional meals, evening and sunrise safaris, as well as an expedition to one of Thailand’s Sticky Waterfalls, which can be scaled entirely on foot despite heavy currents, thanks to the frictional properties of its limestone (or something along those lines, anyway).

For accommodation, overnight guests are put up in charmingly modest water bungalows that are crafted sturdily using bamboo and are known to bob gently up and down. Khao Sok is not the destination for those seeking luxury, though the prospect of gliding past a herd of water buffalo or even an elephant or two makes it an experience any traveller would be worse off for missing.

During the warmer months, the saturation of tourists in Khao Sok and the surrounding areas can leave visitors and locals feeling cramped and overstimulated. Avoid this altogether by visiting Southeast Asia during low season, which generally falls anywhere between late June and early November.

Find out more on the Tourism Thailand website.