Practical Information for visiting Northern Thailand

Coverage for mobile networks is good across the north from AIS, TrueMove and dtac, with 4G in all the towns and 5G in Chiang Mai. It thins in the mountains and on the remoter stretches of the Mae Hong Son loop, where you should not rely on it for navigation.

Tourist SIMs are cheap and sold at the airport and every convenience store; a passport is needed to register, and data allowances are generous.

Wi-Fi is fast and free almost everywhere — cafes, guesthouses, restaurants — and Chiang Mai has one of the largest concentrations of remote workers in Asia, which has produced a dense network of co-working spaces and reliable connections.

Power cuts are brief and uncommon. Download offline maps before heading into the hills.

The north is safe and relaxed, and crime against visitors is uncommon. The real dangers are the roads and the air.

• Motorbikes are by far the most likely thing to hurt you. Thailand has one of the world’s highest road fatality rates, the mountain roads are steep and curved, gravel and dogs appear on blind bends, and many visitors ride without experience or a licence. Wear a helmet, check your insurance actually covers you, and do not ride at night or after drinking.
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• Air quality from February to April is a genuine health hazard, not an inconvenience.
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• Scams: gem shops, tailors and tuk-tuk drivers offering a cheap tour that ends at a shop.
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• Waterfalls and rivers in the wet season rise fast and flash floods occur.
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• Border areas with Myanmar have periodic instability and should not be approached casually.
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• Drugs carry very severe penalties, and the north is a trafficking route.

Chiang Mai has excellent private hospitals — Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai Ram and others — used to foreign patients and inexpensive by western standards. Smaller towns have basic facilities, and serious cases are moved to Chiang Mai or Bangkok. Travel insurance is important, particularly for motorbike injuries, which many policies exclude without a valid licence.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid; Japanese encephalitis and rabies for longer or rural stays. Rabies is present in dogs and monkeys — do not approach either, and treat any bite or scratch as urgent.

Dengue is common, especially in the wet season, and the mosquito bites by day. There is a low malaria risk only in remote forested border areas.

Air pollution in the burning season is the region’s distinctive health problem. Check the air quality index daily, wear an N95 rather than a surgical mask if it is high, and reconsider the trip if you have asthma.

Water: drink bottled or filtered; ice in restaurants is commercially made and generally safe.

The monarchy. Thailand’s lese-majeste law is among the strictest in the world and carries long prison sentences, and it applies to foreigners and to things said online. Do not discuss or joke about the royal family at all.

Temples: cover shoulders and knees, remove shoes and hats before entering, never point your feet at a Buddha image or a monk, and sit with feet tucked behind you. Women must not touch a monk or hand anything to one directly.

The head and the feet. The head is the most sacred part of the body and the feet the least — do not touch anyone’s head, including children’s, and do not point with your feet or step over people or food.

The wai, palms together, is the greeting; return one offered to you, but do not initiate it with children or service staff.

Keep your temper. Losing face by shouting is deeply counterproductive; a smile achieves more.

Buddha images may not legally be taken out of the country without permission, and tattoos of them are considered offensive.

Emergency numbers: 191 for police, 1669 for ambulance and medical emergencies, 199 for fire. The Tourist Police on 1155 is the most useful number for a visitor — English-speaking, and the right first call for theft, disputes or anything involving a report.

Medical. Chiang Mai’s private hospitals have English-speaking staff and international departments, and will treat you quickly against insurance or card payment. Keep all receipts.

Motorbike accidents are the most common serious incident. Confirm before renting that your travel insurance covers you, which usually requires a licence valid for the machine; without it you will be paying for treatment yourself.

In the mountains, tell someone your route before a long ride on the Mae Hong Son loop, and be aware that stretches have no phone signal and little traffic after dark.

Your consulate, if you have one, is most likely in Chiang Mai or Bangkok; several countries maintain honorary consuls in Chiang Mai.