Camping in Thailand: All You Need to Know

For those who love adventure, camping in Thailand is a great way to explore this beautiful country. Facilities are fabulous, spots are plentiful and it’s safe, easy and comfortable.

We’ve spent a lot of time camping in Thailand and even more time figuring out where to get supplies, where to go and how to get there. To save you all of that time and effort, we’ve put together this guide with absolutely everything you need to know about camping in Thailand.

Why Go Camping in Thailand

Camping in Thailand is wonderful. First of all, the country is gorgeous, so spending time outdoors is a great choice.

There are also incredible camping sites in Thailand, usually with pretty decent facilities.

Even better, few people realise that Thailand is such a fantastic camping destination, so you’re guaranteed to get off the beaten track in Thailand. Camping in Thailand allows you to find places that no other tourists go to and just enjoy the natural beauty of this wonderful country.

Camping is the perfect way to experience Thailand and we’d encourage everyone to give it a go. 

Read next: Best of Thailand Off the Beaten Track

Where to Find Cooking Supplies for Camping in Thailand

Camping Stoves

If you’re coming from North America, Europe or Oceania, you probably have a hiking stove like this.

Unfortunately, these stoves are not popular or common in Thailand. 

It is possible to get by in Thailand using a hiking stove, but you will be limited. Hiking stove fuel is harder to find and can only be found in select areas (notably Chiang Mai and Bangkok).

If you are only going to be camping around these bigger cities, then you’re set. Simply read below on where to find fuel and you’re all good to go. 

But if you plan on going to more obscure destinations (like some epic remote Thai islands or Isan), you’ll run into problems.

If you fly, you won’t be able to take the fuel with you and it’s unlikely you’ll find it there. Even if you don’t fly, you’ll have to lug around multiple fuel canisters, which is not fun.

This leaves you with two options: buy a new stove or buy an adaptor for your stove.

Buy a new stove 

The stove pictured above is the most common type of camping stove in Thailand.

It uses a different type of butane gas canister, which has different threading and cannot be connected to a hiking stove. They only connect to the Thailand-style camping stove. This type of fuel is readily available everywhere in Thailand.

These stoves can be purchased widely without a problem. Decathlon sells them for approximately 1000 THB. 

Buy an adapter for your stove

The second option, which we recommend, is to buy an adapter for your stove. The adapter will attach to your stove and has the correct threading to allow it to connect to the more widely available butane canisters. 

The adapter can look one of two ways.

How to get an adapter? 

If you’re reading this well in advance, the biggest piece of advice we can give you is to order one at home before you leave. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t have the luxury of this information. We spent hours scouring shops and malls across Thailand in an effort to find a working adapter. 

Theoretically, you should be able to find one at most Super Sports. But this is a big ‘theoretically’ and it is Thailand after all. 

The conclusion? Bangkok is your best place to get an adapter. 

Your best bet is to look at the Super Sports in any of the big mega-malls in Bangkok. We purchased one at Super Sports in Central World for 300 THB. 

(We recommend Central World in general for camping supplies. See more below). 

Read next: Bangkok’s Top 5 Coolest Neighbourhoods

Camping Stove Fuel 

Isobutane Blend

If you’re from Europe, Australia or North America, this is the type of hiking/camping fuel you are used to.

Unfortunately, this type of fuel is not widely available in Thailand. You can only easily find it in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Bangkok

At Central World Mall, you will find many, many camping stores. In any of these stores, you can easily find the isobutane blend canisters (pictured above) for hiking stoves. 

A 230g bottle costs 150 – 250 THB.

Related: 8 Awesome Things to Do in Chiang Dao

Chiang Mai

You can buy isobutane blend canisters at Camp Studio Chaing Mai in Nimman. We went to every single camping store in Chiang Mai (seriously) and this was the only place we found fuel. Why was this the last place we looked?!?

A 230g bottle costs 150 THB. 

Butane Fuel

Butane fuel is cheap and plentiful across Thailand. Butane fuel canistres are stocked in Tesco Lotus’s (a common Thai supermarket), big supermarkets and even small corner shops.

They can be found almost everywhere across the country – even in some of the smaller islands such as Ko Lipe (a good place to stock up before heading to awesome Koh Adang).

Once you have a Thai-style camping stove (see above), or an adapter (see above), you can use these easily.

They cost from 40 – 65 THB per canister. 

Get your travel insurance sorted at Safety Wing

Food for Camping in Thailand

There are plenty of options for eating when camping in Thailand.

Here are some things we commonly eat when camping:

• Instant noodle packages. They’re probably not the healthiest thing for you out there, but they’re plentiful (you can find them at 7-11’s), easy to carry and super cheap. There are also so many fun flavours to try out – our favourite is the Tom Yum Kimchi variety. 
• Curry soups. Curry paste packages and small bottles of coconut milk are easy to find. Add some fresh market veggies, and you’ve got yourself a good meal.
• Market vegetables. Morning glory, enoki mushrooms, snap peas – you can find all types of easy-to-cook veggies in the market. Often, you can find little bags of pre-cut veggies meant for soups. They cost around 20 – 30 THB and are great to just throw in.
• Mushroom broth-flavoured soup. Combine the above-mentioned veggies with some cubes of mushroom broth (you can find these at most 7-11s). Add some fresh chilli, coriander and a few squeezes of lime and you’re set.
• Oatmeal (for breakfast). You can find quick-cooking oats at most places (but not all). To be safe, we usually stock up when we do find them. For a delicious breakfast, add some fresh banana and coconut milk. Yummm.

And as always, experiment! If you have any particular favourites or things that work well for you, please us know in the comments below. 

Other Camping Supplies

If you need any other supplies, we recommend picking them up in Bangkok. 

You can find whatever you need at most of the major malls in Bangkok. Although we’re not a big fan of mega-malls, we recommend Central World – it has everything. 

In Central World, you will find an abundance of camping gear. Tank Camping Store is one in particular that has a good selection. It has all the popular brands, such as Sea to Summit, Buff and Eagle Creek. 

There are also lots of little kiosks scattered throughout the mall with various camping items. 

Read: 10 Travel Essentials We Never Leave Home Without

Where to Camp in Thailand

In Thailand, camping is going through a bit of a boom and becoming a popular Insta-hobby. 

This means that there are heaps of places to camp, ranging from beach camping, camping in the mountains of Northern Thailand, camping in national parks, and wild camping. Below you’ll find more examples of the best camping sites in Thailand.

Read Thailand’s Top 5 Campsites to discover the best camping in Thailand

Camping in Thailand’s National Parks

The national parks in Thailand are great. They’re abundant (there are 147 in total), comfortable and they usually have great facilities. Almost all have bathrooms of some sort and many have showers and cooking areas. 

You pay a national park entrance fee, which is non-transferable. This means you pay separately for each national park that you visit. Fees are usually either 100 THB or 200 THB, depending on the park. There is usually a separate fee for a motorbike (20 THB) or car (100 THB). 

Camping fees are standardised across all parks: 80 THB per person for tenting. You can also commonly rent tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats and even pillows! They usually cost 50 THB each. If you don’t have any of your own gear, you can get a whole set-up!

Many national parks have cabins as well where prices range from 600 THB – 2000 THB per night. 

Almost all of the national parks have restaurants. They’re not always open though, so it’s best to come prepared.

Check out this website for more information on Thailand’s vast network of national parks. Just a heads up, this is not an official website but it has lots of useful information.

Read: 13 Epic Things to Do in Khao Sok National Park + Essential Travel Guide

Camping in Thailand’s Private Campgrounds

There are many private campgrounds popping up all over Thailand – from basic plots of land to fancy glamping pads. We’ve even set up our tent for 200 THB a night at a luxury glamping area in Chiang Dao!

While many of these won’t be available on a Google search, you can find them easily on Google Maps when looking at an area. 

Fees range widely. 

Beach Camping in Thailand

Beach camping in Thailand is world-class. There are many islands where you can pitch a tent, for next to nothing, in relative isolation. And to boot, you usually get to be beachfront. Our favourites are Koh Adang and Koh Taruato, but there are many, many more.

Check out our articles on beach camping on Thailand’s beautiful Koh Adang and Koh Tarutao for more information

Is it Safe to Camp in Thailand?

Camping in Thailand is very safe. As with any place, just be smart. If you have a scooter or car, lock your valuables up.

If you don’t have a set of wheels, you can use travel combination locks to lock up the zippers on the tent. It’s not a foolproof option, but it does make it harder for someone to get in. 

Another consideration is wildlife. The South has notably more aggressive monkeys than the north. We, unfortunately, had our tent ransacked by monkeys while beach camping on Koh Tarutao so do make sure not to leave any food in your tent and seek local advice.

Wild Camping in Thailand

Wild camping in Thailand is not usually permitted.

That said, I’ve wild camped in Thailand many times, particularly while camping in Northern Thailand. It’s always best to use your common sense, avoid disrespecting anyone and as always, remember to leave no trace.

What Gear Do You Need for Camping in Thailand?

The gear you need for camping in Thailand will largely depend on how self-sufficient you want to be. Here’s our list of what we always bring with us.

We hope this has inspired you to consider camping in Thailand! It is truly a wonderful experience and one of the best ways to travel through the country. 

Have some more tips or recommendations? Do let us know in the comment box below.

Want more ideas on camping in Thailand? Check out our 7-Day Northern Thailand Road Trip

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