Thailand Travel, Safety Suggestions

You can visit various sightseeing spots by travelling on your own or join the many conducted tours. In either case, it is advisable to follow a few simple precautions this would make your tour enjoyable and ensure that tragic accidents do not occur. Keep in mind that, popular tourist destinations in Thailand can get very crowded on weekends and during long holiday vacations. It is not only foreigners who are bitten by the Thai travel bug, local Thais love to travel through their country too. While these tourists attractions are generally safe from robbers and muggers, other chances of accidents need to be reduced or eliminated. We present a few suggestions that could guide you to prepare yourself when visiting natural parks and waterfall sites in Thailand. These tips would apply to similar destinations all over the world and not only to Thailand, so make sure that you read and understand them. The discussion will refer to a one day trip and not to overnight camping packages where much more preparation would be required.

Mode Of Transport: The roads leading to natural parks and waterfalls could be steep and winding, it is preferable to have someone who knows the terrain drive you there. If you must drive your own vehicle or have a driver who is not familiar with the route, drive at moderate speed and pay good attention to signs on the way. Motorcycles or old dilapidated four wheelers can make a journey all the more risky. Make sure that your vehicle is parked in a safe place where parking space has been alloted. Blocking a lane or country house entrance with your parked car could result in accidents that damage your car or hurt someone. Pay special attention when driving during long holiday seasons. While it is obvious that you should not be under the influence of alcohol when driving, staying alert allows you to avert accidents that might be caused by other drunken drivers who share the same roads.

Travelling With Children: Natural parks and waterfalls are sightseeing spots that have hills, rocks and water covered areas including ponds. There are numerous things to interest children and some of these things can be unsafe. Keep a close watch on children especially when they are close to the waterfall or near steep rocks. Tiny children should never be made to sit on rocks unattended, a fall even from a height of a few feet can be dangerous. Rocks can be slippery especially in portions where the water falls on the rocks below. It is not advisable to take children below 4 to 5 years any where near the waterfall.

Mind The Alcohol: The slippery and rugged terrain of waterfalls and natural parks can be difficult to navigate even for a fully alert adult. Do not venture to sightseeing spots like nature parks when under the influence of alcohol. There have been cases of Thai foreign tourists falling several feet to the hard rocks below when intoxicated. Drunken driving also creates grave risks for the driver and other innocent people that share the same roads. Though not very common, you can sometimes see crowds getting drunk in such places. This can once again be very dangerous. Staying fully sane when driving will also help you avoid accidents that could be caused, by other drunken drivers who share the same roads.

Waterfalls Safety: There is nothing extra dangerous about Thai waterfalls and national parks, the suggestions apply to waterfalls everywhere. Slippery rocks are something that we have already talked about. Besides this, take care of your personal belongings when visiting such public parks. Leaving your belongings unattended can cause them to get robbed, you could also face a sad situation where your bag or purse falls into the water. Losing your cell phone or telephone book in such places can be quite scary. While many waterfall sightseeing spots in Thailand do not allow you to take in food and drinks, no objection is raised to carrying a bottle of drinking water. So it might be a good idea to carry a water bottle rather than to drink water from the waterfall. Always keen an eye on children who might travel with you, hard and slippery rocks and ponds or pools of water can be dangerous for children.

Footwear: We have seen pretty Thai girls venturing near waterfalls in high heels but, this is a feat that few foreign tourists to Thailand can accomplish. If you plan to visit places like waterfalls and natural parks in Thailand, make sure that you wear a pair of sturdy sports shoes. In any case avoid fashion shoes or shoes with leather soles. There is some truth in the claim that walking barefoot on wet rocks allows a stronger grip but, the dangers are far too many so think once again. Broken bottles and sharp edged rocks can injure feet so it might be a good idea to wear your footwear at all times. Losing your shoes or slippers in the water might result in a painful and inconvenient, barefoot trek on your way back from the sightseeing trip!.

Contact Details: These refer to your own contact details and details like cell phone numbers of others travelling to the sightseeing spots with you. This information could be very helpful if you break away from the group or need to contact anyone for help. It might be a good idea to carry details of the hotel that you stay in, phone number and address in Thai and English would be great. Most hotels have official name cards printed in Thai and English, information for taxis is also printed on some of these cards. Do not expect to find fluent English speaking staff in such places. The number of accidents at tourists spots in Thailand is very small compared to the large number of tourists that visit them. But a few precautions can go a long way in making your vacation in Thailand better, safer and more enjoyable.


We do hope that you have a great time visiting Thailand. The rich culture of this country exists side by side with some of the more material comforts that you can find only in the most advanced cities. The country is quickly developing a large section of English speaking people, most hotels, ticketing offices and offices visited by foreign tourists have English speaking staff today. There are many interesting places to visit in Thailand, some are overcrowded due to the strong publicity given to them. But with a little bit of effort and research, you can find some pretty and interesting places that have yet not been overwhelmed with foreign tourists. The country is endowed with natural beauty and a friendly and hospitable people. While we do hope that the need never arises, you can rest assured that the world class medical facilities available in Thailand can handle any medical emergency that arises. Many hospitals have doctors and nurses who speak fluent English, doctors are often trained and educated overseas.