Siem Reap to Bangkok: Self-Launched 29-Day Southeast Asia Loop (Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos & Thailand)

Land at Siem Reap (REP) and take a tuk-tuk to your guesthouse in Wat Bo or the Old Market area (£3-4). Exchange a little cash, sort a Cambodian eSIM, and wander down to Pub Street in the evening for a cheap first dinner — fish amok or a bowl of kuy teav noodles for around £2-3. Buy your Angkor pass online in advance (1-day £30, 3-day £52) and arrange a tuk-tuk driver for tomorrow's sunrise run (£15-18 for the whole day including the small circuit).

🚌Airport tuk-tuk ~£3-4

🛏Hostel dorm or simple twin guesthouse, Old Market/Wat Bo area

• →Settle in and explore Old Market area
• →Book Angkor pass + sunrise tuk-tuk driver

Leave at 4:45am so your driver can get you to the moat-side reflecting pool before the crowd. Do the classic small circuit at your own pace: Angkor Wat at dawn, then Bayon's giant faces, the Terrace of the Elephants, and Ta Prohm with its strangler figs. Rather than a private guide, book a small-group sunrise tour on GetYourGuide for around £18-22 if you want the history explained, or lean on a free audio guide and a printed map. Lunch at one of the Planeterra-linked training restaurants (New Hope area does a set Khmer meal for ~£4) — the same social enterprise the group tour uses. In the evening, optional Phare Circus (from £12, book directly on their site).

🚌Tuk-tuk for the full temple circuit ~£15-18 split between 2-3 people

🛏Hostel dorm or simple twin guesthouse

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Bayon, Ta Prohm & small circuit
• →Khmer set lunch at a training restaurant
• →Optional: Phare Circus

Take a morning Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham express bus to Phnom Penh — around 6 hours, £9-11 with a hotel pick-up. Check into a hostel around Street 172 / Riverside. Do your own orientation walk along the riverfront, through the Night Market and past the Royal Palace gardens. Street-food dinner of grilled skewers and bai sach chrouk for under £3.

🚌Giant Ibis/Virak Buntham express bus, ~6 hrs, £9-11

🛏Hostel dorm, Riverside or Street 172

• →Riverside orientation walk
• →Night Market

Give the morning to Tuol Sleng (S-21) prison (entry ~£4) and Choeung Ek Killing Fields (~£4, plus £4 for the audio guide and £4-6 for a tuk-tuk round trip) — you don't need a tour, the audio guide is excellent. Afternoon options: Silver Pagoda (~£8) or the National Museum (~£2.50). In the evening join a small-group evening street-food crawl on GetYourGuide (~£16-18) or just map your own circuit of Psar Thmei and the Russian Market stalls for a fraction of that.

🚌Tuk-tuk between S-21 and Choeung Ek ~£5-8

🛏Hostel dorm, Riverside or Street 172

• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields + audio guide
• →Optional: Silver Pagoda / National Museum
• →Evening street food crawl

Bus to Sihanoukville in the morning (~5 hrs, £8-10, book on CamboTicket), then the fast ferry out to Koh Rong (~45 mins, £10-12 return). Find a beach bungalow or dorm on Koh Touch or 4K Beach for £7-14 a night. Spend the afternoon on the sand, swimming and eating grilled squid off the beach for a few pounds.

🚌Bus Phnom Penh→Sihanoukville £8-10; ferry return ~£11

🛏Beach bungalow or hostel dorm, Koh Touch / 4K Beach

• →Beach time and swimming

Do a half-day boat/snorkelling trip around the island for ~£12-15 (book on the beach or via your guesthouse), or rent a kayak for £4-5 and paddle to quieter coves. Alternative: hike the jungle trail toward Long Set Beach. Bioluminescent plankton swims run most evenings for £5-6.

🚌On foot or rent a moto-taxi ~£2-3

🛏Beach bungalow or hostel dorm

• →Snorkelling or island boat trip
• →Kayaking
• →Optional: bioluminescent plankton night swim

Ferry back to Sihanoukville and take a bus toward Phnom Penh, getting off around Kampong Speu/Chambok turn-off (book the local mini-bus the night before; roughly £10-12 total). Arrange your Chambok homestay directly via the community-run CBT office or your guesthouse — around £8-10 per night including a home-cooked dinner. Bucket showers and squat toilets; it's genuinely rural. Evening meal with your host family is the highlight.

🚌Ferry + bus + shared moto to Chambok, ~£10-12

🛏Community homestay, Chambok (basic, shared facilities)

• →Community homestay
• →Home-cooked Khmer dinner with host family

Walk to Chambok waterfall in the morning if you're feeling active (small entry fee ~£1). Then take a shared van or bus to the Bavet–Moc Bai border (~£8-10, plus 1-2 hours for the crossing), then a local bus onward to Ho Chi Minh City (~£4). Note Vietnam requires an e-visa arranged in advance — apply a couple of weeks before you fly. Check into a backpacker hostel in District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao), then hit Ben Thanh Market and a rooftop bar for a view.

🚌Shared van/bus via Bavet–Moc Bai border + local bus ~£12-14

🛏Backpacker hostel dorm, District 1

• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Rooftop bar evening

Self-guided city day: War Remnants Museum (£1.50), Reunification Palace (£1.50), the Fine Arts Museum, and a coffee in a hidden alley café. Do a cheap cyclo tour (£6-8) if you want the orientation ride. In the evening grab a banh mi and head to Saigon railway station for the Reunification Express sleeper to Nha Trang, departing around 8-9pm and arriving early morning — soft sleeper 4-berth around £18-22 booked on dsvn.vn or 12Go Asia.

🚌Reunification Express SE train HCMC→Nha Trang, soft sleeper ~£18-22, ~9 hrs

🛏Overnight sleeper train (soft sleeper, 4-berth)

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Reunification Palace
• →Optional: cyclo city tour

Arrive early and drop your bag at a hostel near the beach. Morning at Nha Trang's long sandy bay, then a mud bath at Thap Ba or 100 Egg for £7-9 (book direct or on Klook). Afternoon wander to Po Nagar Cham Towers (~£1). Evening street-food crawl around the night market: grilled seafood, nem nuong, and bun cha for under £5 total.

🚌Walkable city centre

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near the beach

• →Beach time
• →Hot springs & mud bath
• →Po Nagar Cham Towers
• →Night market street food

Another beach morning or book a boat-and-snorkelling trip for ~£22 if you want the reef. Late afternoon explore the local markets or a café crawl. Evening sleeper train north to Da Nang (soft sleeper ~£16-20, ~10-11 hrs) — the stretch from Da Nang to Hue is one of the prettiest rail rides in Asia, so try to be awake for the morning half.

🚌Reunification Express sleeper Nha Trang→Da Nang ~£16-20

🛏Overnight sleeper train

• →Optional: island boat & snorkelling trip
• →Optional: second mud bath

Arrive in Da Nang and take a local bus or shared taxi to Hoi An (~£2-4, 45 mins). Check into a homestay or hostel in the Old Town for £10-15 a night. Afternoon orientation on foot through the Japanese Covered Bridge, Chinese assembly halls and the market — the Old Town entry ticket is ~£5 and covers five heritage sites. Pick a tailor for a fitting if that's your thing (turnaround 24-48 hrs). Big night out on the riverside bars.

🚌Local bus/shared taxi Da Nang→Hoi An ~£2-4

🛏Homestay or hostel, Hoi An Old Town

• →Old Town orientation walk
• →Japanese Covered Bridge & assembly halls
• →Optional: tailor fitting

Do the noodle-making and Vietnamese cooking class that the group tour includes — book equivalent half-day classes directly or on Klook for £12-16 (the operator-sold version runs £25-28). Most include a market visit and a proper sit-down lunch. Afternoon: rent a bicycle and ride to An Bang or Cua Dai beach (£2 bike hire + £1 beach parking), or take the Thu Bon river boat (£8). Evening lantern-lit wander and cao lau for dinner.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£2

🛏Homestay or hostel, Hoi An

• →Vietnamese cooking class with market visit
• →Cycle to An Bang beach
• →Optional: Thu Bon river boat

Take the local bus over the Hai Van Pass to Hue (~3 hrs, £5-7) — or hire a motorbike-riding guide for the day trip over the pass for ~£22 if you want the views and the stops at Lang Co beach. Check into a guesthouse in Hue's backpacker strip. Afternoon at the Imperial Citadel (£1.50 entry — a fraction of the pre-booked tour price) and the Perfume River promenade. Hue's bun bo Hue is mandatory dinner.

🚌Local bus over Hai Van Pass ~£5-7 (or motorbike guide ~£22)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Hue

• →Imperial Citadel & Forbidden Purple City
• →Perfume River walk
• →Bun bo Hue dinner

Morning tour of the Royal Tombs of Tu Duc or Khai Dinh (£4-5 with a hired scooter driver, ~£8 for the half day). Midday bus to Phong Nha (~4 hrs, £5-7). Farmstay or hostel in Phong Nha village for £8-12. Evening is quiet — eat at one of the local family restaurants and book tomorrow's cave trip.

🚌Local bus Hue→Phong Nha ~£5-7

🛏Farmstay or hostel, Phong Nha

• →Royal Tombs
• →Optional: Perfume River cruise

Book the Paradise Cave day trip directly with the Phong Nha park operator or via Klook (~£20-25 including transport and entry, versus the £38 the operator charges for a similar package). Walk the boardwalk through the enormous white crystal stalactites, then optionally add Dark Cave for the mud-bath-and-zipline combo (~£18). Hang En and Son Doong require booked tour operators and deep pockets — the 1-day Hang Va trek is the affordable middle ground (~£65).

🚌Included in cave tour

🛏Farmstay or hostel, Phong Nha

• →Paradise Cave boardwalk
• →Optional: Dark Cave zipline & mud bath
• →Optional: Hang Va trek

Overnight bus or train north to Ha Long (~£15-18, 11-13 hrs — several sleeper buses run direct from Phong Nha). Join a budget 1-night/2-day junk cruise booked direct or on Klook for £85-110 including meals, kayaking and cave visit — book the cheaper end and skip the private-transfer add-on by using the boat's shuttle bus. Limestone karsts, seafood dinner on deck, sunrise swim.

🚌Sleeper bus Phong Nha→Ha Long ~£15-18; shuttle to pier included

🛏Overnight junk boat cabin (shared, budget class)

• →Ha Long Bay junk cruise
• →Kayaking among karsts
• →Cave visit

Disembark after brunch and take the local bus or express minibus into Hanoi (~£4-6, 3 hrs). Hostel in the Old Quarter for £7-12. Afternoon wander Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature (£1.50) and Tran Quoc Pagoda (free). Evening: bia hoi corner and bun cha — this is the cheapest great dinner in the city at £2-3. Optional water puppet show (£7, book at the theatre box office).

🚌Express bus Ha Long→Hanoi ~£4-6

🛏Hostel dorm, Hanoi Old Quarter

• →Hoan Kiem Lake
• →Temple of Literature
• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Optional: Thang Long water puppet theatre

Do a self-run food crawl through the Old Quarter — pho at a plastic-stool stall, banh cuon, egg coffee and a plate of bun dau mam tom. A guided Hanoi street food walking tour via GetYourGuide is around £18-22 if you want the local introductions. Afternoon: Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (£2) or the Imperial Citadel. Optional: a half-day trip to the Bat Trang ceramics village by local bus (£1).

🚌Walkable; occasional Grab bike £1-2

🛏Hostel dorm, Hanoi Old Quarter

• →Old Quarter street food crawl
• →Museum of Ethnology or Imperial Citadel

Fly Hanoi to Vientiane with Vietjet or AirAsia (around £55-75 one way booked 4-6 weeks out) — the overland alternative is a 24-hour bus, which is why the group tour flies. Apply for your Laos e-visa in advance (~£30-36). Vientiane is sleepy; guesthouse near the riverfront or Nam Phou for £10-14. Evening along the Mekong promenade and the night market.

🚌Internal flight ~£55-75; airport tuk-tuk ~£3

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Vientiane riverfront

• →Mekong riverfront sunset
• →Night market

Morning at Pha That Luang (£1), Patuxai (free to climb) and Buddha Park, 25km out of town (£1 entry, 20p each way by local bus 14). Afternoon take the newly opened Vientiane–Vang Vieng high-speed train (~1 hr, £7-9, book on the LCR app) or the local bus (~£4, 3-4 hrs). Note the 20kg luggage limit and the ban on aerosols/vapes on the high-speed train. Guesthouse in Vang Vieng from £10.

🚌High-speed train LCR ~£7-9

🛏Guesthouse, Vang Vieng

• →Pha That Luang
• →Patuxai
• →Buddha Park

Hire a bicycle (£3) or scooter (£6) and ride out to the Blue Lagoon (£1) and Tham Chang cave (£1). Do the Nam Song kayaking trip for ~£12-15 booked direct on the riverfront — a tube float is the old-school alternative at £5. Sunset from Pha Ngeun viewpoint (£1). Vang Vieng's tubing-party days are mostly over; the outdoor version is much better.

🚌Scooter/bicycle hire £3-6

🛏Guesthouse, Vang Vieng

• →Blue Lagoon swim
• →Tham Chang cave
• →Kayaking on the Nam Song
• →Pha Ngeun viewpoint sunset

High-speed train to Luang Prabang (~1 hr, £9-12) — the road version is 6-7 winding hours. Check into a guesthouse in the old town peninsula for £12-16. Afternoon: Wat Xieng Thong (£1.20 entry) and a wander through the French-Indochine streets. Do a self-guided street-food crawl at the night market (buffet plate for £1.20) and book tomorrow's Kuang Si trip.

🚌High-speed train ~£9-12; tuk-tuk from station ~£3

🛏Guesthouse, Luang Prabang old town

• →Wat Xieng Thong
• →Luang Prabang night market food crawl

Share a songthaew or minivan to Kuang Si (~£4-6 each way if you fill it with other travellers, entry £1.60) instead of paying for the operator's £20 excursion. Swim in the turquoise tiers, walk to the top, and visit the bear rescue centre. Back in town: sunset from Mount Phousi (£1.20), and optionally an Ock Pop Tok weaving visit (free).

🚌Shared songthaew return ~£8-12

🛏Guesthouse, Luang Prabang old town

• →Kuang Si Waterfalls swim
• →Bear rescue centre
• →Mount Phousi sunset
• →Optional: weaving workshop

Board the public slow boat from Luang Prabang's Ban Don pier at 8:30am — tickets ~£12-15 for the two-day run to Huay Xai (book at the pier or via any travel agent). Day one gets you to Pakbeng, where you overnight in a riverside guesthouse (£8-12). The boat is the same long houseboat experience the group tour uses, minus the group. Lunch is a baguette grabbed on the way.

🚌Public Mekong slow boat, Luang Prabang→Pakbeng ~£12-15 (paid for both days)

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Pakbeng

• →Mekong slow boat day 1
• →Village stopovers

Boat continues at 9am to Huay Xai (~7 hrs). Cross the Friendship Bridge to Chiang Khong by shuttle bus (cheap, £1) — remember the Thai E-Arrival form needs completing online within 3 days of arrival. Overnight riverside guesthouse in Chiang Khong (£10-14). Evening at the Mekong-facing night market. Optional Thai cooking class in town for £18-22 (most operators here will run one with a day's notice).

🚌Slow boat Pakbeng→Huay Xai (included in ticket); shuttle bus over the border ~£1

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Chiang Khong

• →Mekong slow boat day 2
• →Chiang Khong night market
• →Optional: Thai cooking class

Local bus (Greenbus, ~5-6 hrs, £7-9) down to Chiang Mai. Hostel in the old city for £8-13. This is the town the group tour stops in for the Doi Suthep temple (£1.20 plus a red songthaew up the mountain for ~£3) and the night bazaar food walk — both easy to do yourself. Doi Suthep and Wat Phra Singh in the late afternoon; khao soi for dinner (£2).

🚌Greenbus Chiang Khong→Chiang Mai ~£7-9

🛏Hostel dorm, Chiang Mai old city

• →Doi Suthep by songthaew
• →Wat Phra Singh
• →Night bazaar food walk

Morning in Chiang Mai — a bike ride around the old city moat or an early cooking class (£18-22). Afternoon: overnight sleeper train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok (2nd class fan sleeper, ~£20-25, book on the SRT website or 12Go Asia, ~12-13 hrs), or fly for ~£30-40 if you're short on time. Either way, wake up in Bangkok on day 29.

🚌SRT sleeper train Chiang Mai→Bangkok ~£20-25

🛏Overnight sleeper train (or budget hotel if flying)

• →Old city bike ride
• →Optional: Thai cooking class

Arrive into Krung Thep Aphiwat early and drop your bag. Do the longtail boat canals yourself: take the public Chao Phraya Express boat up to Nonthaburi or grab a canal longtail tour from Tha Chang for ~£10-12 per person shared, which is a fifth of the group-tour add-on price. Grand Palace (£11) and Wat Pho (£6) if you want them, or free Wat Arun from the far bank. Evening on Khao San Road to bookend the adventure.

🚌Chao Phraya Express boat £1-2; shared longtail boat ~£10-12

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Khao San / Rattanakosin

• →Chao Phraya Express boat
• →Shared longtail canal tour
• →Optional: Grand Palace & Wat Pho
• →Khao San night out