The town of Surin in northeastern Thailand is a melting pot of Suay, Khmer and Lao cultures, and famous for its exquisite silk, refined silver jewellery and its elephant-love. Make a trip to Prasat Hin Phanom Rung, 3hrs from Surin. Built on an isolated mountaintop, this 10th-century temple is the most impressive Angkor temple in Thailand.
The sprawling Khao Sok National Park in southern Thailand offers the gentlest adventure you could crave - watching wildlife as you paddle by on a kayak. By night, stay in floating lake bungalows built of bamboo and palm fronds; by day, paddle slowly by the banks, looking out for Malayan tapir, long and stump-tailed macaques and colourful kingfishers.
Easily making the top ten of any diver's favourite spots in the world are the Similan Islands, a group of nine islands lying 85km northwest of bustling Phuket. What makes the area so remarkable is the clear waters - visibility averages 25m and sometimes exceeds 40m. The islands are best enjoyed from live-aboard boats.
Considered one of the best reserves in the world, Khao Yai National Park is home to some 3,000 varieties of plants, over 300 species of birds and around 70 species of mammals, including tigers, elephants, black bears, gaurs and gibbons. The forests have excellent trekking trails - over 50km of them. With the trails spread over a range of terrain, from grasslands to high mountains (elevation ranges from 100 to1,400m), there is something for every shade of trekker.
Rock-climbers everywhere sing paeans to the steep limestone cliffs of Krabi, and with good reason. There are more than 450 climbs looking out to the Andaman Sea - ranging from easy, pocketed faces to entice the learner to some majestic overhangs and sheer faces to challenge the expert. It is also possible to 'deep-water solo' here - row out to a sea cliff in a kayak, climb it without rope and then let go, to splash gloriously into the azure waters.
The Mae Hong Son, a remote forested province that borders Myanmar's Shan state to the north and west and is home to a number of hill tribes. The winding mountain road from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son and back via Mae Sariang is one of the most beautiful drives in northern Thailand - referred to popularly as the 'Mae Hong Son Loop'. En route you pass the wild sunflower fields of Doi Mae Ho, which are in full bloom in November and December
Capital of the first Thai state to replace the Khmer kingdom in the 13th century, Sukhothai certainly offers a wonderful glimpse into Thailand's past. Visit by all means - but if you're looking for the even more unusual, add on a day trip to Si Satchanalai. Located north of Sukhothai, the medieval city is thought to have been built as a later extension. Less well preserved and arguably less impressive than its more famous counterpart, Si Satchanalai nonetheless affords the 'off-beat' junkie a happy day's rambling.
With 52 large and small offshore islands, long white sandy beaches, unspoiled coral and lots of wildlife, Trat - Thailand's easternmost province - is the perfect place for wildlife enthusiasts or anyone looking to just get away. The city of Trat, which is the gateway to the region, has several 17th-century Buddhist temples. The Mu Ko Chang National Park, a short ferry ride away from Trat, consists of a group of over 40 islands of which Ko Chang (pic) is the largest. The islands are mountainous, densely forested and criss-crossed by streams.
Mae Nam, on Koh Samui island, is even quieter. The 4km-long beach is nearly always empty and there are only a few small restaurants and hotels, set away from the beach.