Hello Thailand – 16 Days in the Land of Smiles!

Visiting Thailand was a dream that seemed far-fetched to me. I remember accompanying a friend to the NDLEA office in Lagos to apply for a drug clearance certificate – a prerequisite to applying for a Thai visa. This process was already so cumbersome, and it was only just the beginning!

Later on, when we moved to Nairobi, I thought the process would be easier, but when I checked on the embassy’s website, it stated that they would not receive applications from Nigerians despite their residency status.

I had all but given up on visiting Thailand in the near future until something willed me to recheck the site this year. When I did, I saw that the application procedure for Nigerians had been updated, and now, there was a chance to apply from Kenya.

Getting a Visa to Thailand

I wasted no time putting my application together and submitting the same, just in case this update was reverted as quickly as it came. I like to think that opportunity met preparedness here, as I applied and received my visa within a week of finding out about this change!

I have written a comprehensive article that contains all the information needed and the procedure to apply for a visa to Thailand as a Nigerian living in Nigeria or Kenya. It’s also a good base resource if you are applying outside these two countries.

Visiting Thailand: Stops and Itinerary

As for our itinerary, Mark and I spent 16 days travelling leisurely between five cities in the country. We flew from Nairobi into Phuket via Doha, spent a few days there and took a road trip to Ao Nang, a resort town in Krabi Province.

After a few days there, we travelled by air to the north, visiting Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai before ending our trip in Bangkok.

I will share detailed posts about each place we visited and the activities we did. For now, I will say that Thailand was amazing! The beaches were stunning, the temples were impressive, there were abundant food markets, and the warmth and friendliness of people did not go unnoticed.

I already shared a bit about the trip on my Instagram page if you’d like to check it out.

Booking Accommodation and Activities

For accommodation, we booked most of our stays on Booking.com and two directly with the hotels, including a unique stay at Chai Lai Orchid, an eco-lodge in Chiang Mai. I will go into more detail about where we stayed in the individual posts.

For data plans, I got an eSIM card from Ubigi, which I used and loved in Japan and during our Europe tour (use my referral code: 6UKDJQ5C for 50% off). However, they did not have extensive coverage for Thailand, so my Asia data plan ran out quickly. I then got another plan with Airalo, which worked out well.

We also pre-booked a trip on a long-tail boat with Boat and Beyond, which was one of the highlights of this trip to Thailand. All other activities were either free or paid for on the day of our visit.

Now, let’s talk about visiting Thailand in April…

Best Time to Visit Thailand | Visiting Thailand in April

We visited Thailand from late March to mid-April, and I thought it was a fair time to go. The weather, for the most part, was quite hot and humid, especially in Bangkok, but it was tolerable in Southern Thailand.

In the north, we worried about our visit coinciding with the “Burning Season”, but it would seem that we were lucky to arrive at the tail end of it.

So, while blue skies were a rare sight during our time there, the weather did not affect our trip significantly. Our visit also coincided with the Songkran Festival, which was so much fun!

Nevertheless, if we were to visit Thailand again, I would choose to go in November or January, which seems to be the sweet spot between great weather and a smaller crowd.

Visiting Thailand – The Sum Up…

So many people sing the praises of Thailand vacations, and now that we’ve experienced it for ourselves, I’m ready to join the choir! I can only hope that the visa application process for Nigerians becomes less stringent so that more people can experience the beauty of this country.

Tell me, have you visited Thailand, or is it a country you are looking forward to visiting? Also, if you have any questions about planning out your trip, leave them in the comment section below, and I’ll be sure to get back to you!