The Wanderer, Chapter 1: Yi Peng & Loy Krathong

Welcome to the first edition of The Wanderer, a new series where we’ll put the spotlight on the world’s most beautiful festivals, landmarks, and cultural events. From age-old Hindu rituals to Seychellois shores favoured by nesting turtles, we’ll bring you stories that linger long after the last line — and perhaps even inspire your next adventure. Up first are Yi Peng and Loy Krathong, Thailand’s enchanting celebrations of light, water, and spirituality. Explore three of our Chiang Mai Tailor-Made Holidays below and experience the magic for yourself this November.

What Are Yi Peng & Loy Krathong?

Yi Peng and Loy Krathong are two closely related yet distinct festivals, both rooted in Thai culture and spirituality. Yi Peng is celebrated with sky lanterns, which are released in Chiang Mai in devotion to Buddha. They symbolise the release of worries and welcoming good fortune. 

In contrast, Loy Krathong is celebrated throughout Thailand. It honours water spirits with decorated floats set adrift on rivers - a gesture of forgiveness and renewal. As both events often overlap during a Full Moon of the twelfth Thai month, they result in a spectacle of light and reflection.

Yi Peng – The Sky Lantern Festival

As darkness falls, Chiang Mai's skies transform into a celestial wonderland. Local Lanna people put lanterns up in front of the their houses in homage to Buddha, and they gather at temples to light and release sky lanterns for the deities above. Visit this November to watch thousands of golden lights drifting towards the heavens, and listen to monks chanting in prayer – it’s an experience defined by peace, hope, and shared wonder. 

Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Beach

Visits: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui

A journey through Thailand’s cultural and coastal highlights is all the more special during this festival season. Start in Bangkok and watch the Chao Phraya River come alive on Loy Krathong night, as thousands of candlelit floats drift beneath the city skyline. Then venture to Chiang Mai, where the remnants of Yi Peng are still evident across the old walled city.

Conclude your trip on the shores of Koh Samui, where the moonlit sea provides a dreamlike setting to reflect on your time in Thailand – perhaps even setting your own krathong afloat as a final flourish.

 Explore the Itinerary 

Loy Krathong – The Water Lantern Festival

With roots in ancient Thai traditions, Loy Krathong is all about gratitude and renewal. Crafted from banana leaves, flowers, and candles, krathongs are gently placed in the water as an offering to the river spirits, intended to carry away misfortunes, seek forgiveness for any pollution, and invite prosperity for the year ahead. Watching the waterways shimmer with thousands of flickering lights is a moving sight, one in line with Thailand's devotion to nature and balance.

Thai Wellness Retreat

Visits: Chiang Mai, Koh Samui

Yi Peng and Loy Krathong are festivals of renewal and reflection, the perfect complement to the balance and tranquillity this wellness-focused trip brings. Begin your journey in Chiang Mai, dipping in and out of the city’s peaceful temples and exploring before a mountainous backdrop.

Then fly to Koh Samui for a stay at Kamalaya, a multi-award-winning wellness hotel where holistic therapies, meditation, and nourishing foods offer the ultimate reset. As the festivals honour the release of past burdens, you’ll find space here to let go and embrace a new sense of wellbeing.

 Explore the Itinerary 

More Inspiration

Follow in the Footsteps of The White Lotus

With The White Lotus Season 3 set in Thailand, the world’s attention is turning to the country’s most lavish escapes. While the show’s ultra-wealthy guests don’t cause havoc in Chiang Mai this season, the city pairs perfectly with trips to Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok.

Explore the filming locations in our blog, then craft your own White Lotus-worthy journey through Thailand… minus the murder.

 Where Was The White Lotus Season 3 Filmed in Thailand?