Total Southeast Asia: Tasty Street Eats & Chill Island Vibes — Self-Launched

Land at Siem Reap (REP) and take a tuk-tuk into town (~£3). Check into a guesthouse near Wat Bo or the Old Market — you don't need to pre-book much, but book Days 2–3 ahead in high season. Wander the riverside, grab a $2 plate of amok or lok lak, and get an early night before sunrise. Pick up a Cambodian SIM (Metfone/Smart, ~£3 for 15GB).

🚌Airport tuk-tuk ~£3

🛏Budget guesthouse near Old Market (private twin ~£14/night, or dorm ~£6)

• →Tuk-tuk transfer from airport
• →Riverside sunset walk
• →Street food dinner at Old Market

Book a licensed Angkor guide and tuk-tuk driver the night before — a full sunrise small-circuit tour with guide is ~£30–40 per person shared between 2–4, or hire just a tuk-tuk driver for ~£15/day and buy the 1-day pass ($37 / ~£29) yourself at the ticket office. Catch sunrise at Angkor Wat, then Bayon's faces and tree-swallowed Ta Prohm. Back in town, eat at a Planeterra-supported training restaurant (New Hope, Marum or Haven) for a £6–8 lunch, then hit Pub Street in the evening.

• →Angkor Wat sunrise with local guide
• →Bayon and Ta Prohm temples
• →Khmer lunch at a social-enterprise restaurant
• →Pub Street night out

Morning bus to Phnom Penh — Virak Buntham or Giant Ibis, ~6 hours, £9–12. Book direct at a travel agent on Pub Street or on Bookaway/12Go. Arrive afternoon, walk the riverside and the Royal Palace gardens, then eat at the night market. Optional in the evening: Phare Circus (~£12 for a poncho seat) — genuinely excellent.

🚌Giant Ibis/Virak Buntham bus ~£11

🛏Hostel dorm near Sisowath Quay (~£6–8)

• →Bus to Phnom Penh
• →Riverside orientation walk
• →Phnom Penh night market
• →Optional Phare Circus

Do the heavy history in the morning: Tuol Sleng (S-21) prison and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek, ~£7 entry plus ~£10 for a shared tuk-tuk for the half day; audio guides are the best way to do it independently. Afternoon: Royal Palace (£7) or a quieter wander round Wat Phnom. Evening street food crawl — eat your way down Street 130 and around Psar Thmei for £5–7.

🚌Shared tuk-tuk ~£10 for the day

🛏Hostel dorm near Sisowath Quay

• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
• →Evening street food crawl

Bus to Sihanoukville (~5 hours, ~£10 on Virak Buntham or Camboticket), then the ferry from Sihanoukville pier to Koh Rong (~£9, 45 mins — buy on Buva Sea or Speed Ferry Cambodia). Pick a beach away from the main Koh Toch strip if you want quiet: Long Set or Sok San. Hammock-and-beer afternoon.

🚌Bus ~£10 + ferry ~£9

🛏Beach bungalow or dorm on Koh Rong (~£10)

• →Bus to Sihanoukville
• →Ferry to Koh Rong
• →Beach afternoon

Free day. Snorkel or take a boat trip out to the glowing plankton (evening trips ~£10), hike the jungle trail to Long Set Beach, or rent a kayak (~£5/hour). Seafood BBQ on the sand for dinner, £5–7.

🚌On foot

🛏Beach bungalow or dorm on Koh Rong

• →Jungle hike to Long Set Beach
• →Snorkelling or plankton night boat trip
• →Kayak rental
• →Beach BBQ

Ferry back and bus to Chambok (via Sihanoukville and Route 4, ~4–5 hours). Chambok is a community-based eco-tourism village on the edge of Kirirom National Park — book the homestay directly through the Chambok CBT office (~£8–10 including a home-cooked dinner), or arrive and ask at the community centre. Walk to the waterfall in the afternoon, then eat with your host family.

🚌Ferry ~£9 + bus ~£8

🛏Community homestay, multi-share (~£10 with dinner)

• →Ferry and bus to Chambok
• →Chambok waterfall walk
• →Home-cooked Khmer dinner with host family

Early minivan to the Bavet–Moc Bai border, walk across, then continue by bus to HCMC (~£15–18 total through a local agent; Giant Ibis runs Chambok/Sihanoukville–HCMC). Get your Vietnam e-visa sorted in advance (~£20 online). Check into a District 1 hostel, then Ben Thanh Market and the backpacker strip on Bui Vien for dinner and rooftop drinks — a beer on a rooftop bar is £2–3.

🚌Minivan/bus with border crossing ~£17

🛏Backpacker hostel dorm, District 1 (~£7)

• →Border crossing at Bavet–Moc Bai
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Bui Vien nightlife
• →Rooftop bar sunset

Self-guided morning: War Remnants Museum (~£2), Reunification Palace (~£2), and a wander through Cholon. Then buy a soft-sleeper ticket on the Reunification Express (SE trains) — HCMC to Nha Trang is roughly £20–25 for a 4-berth soft sleeper, book on dsvn.vn or Vietnam Railways. Depart around 20:00, arrive early morning.

🚌Reunification Express sleeper ~£22

🛏Overnight soft-sleeper train

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Reunification Palace
• →Cholon wander
• →Overnight sleeper train

Arrive early, drop bags, and hit the beach. Mid-morning mud bath at Thap Ba or I-Resort (~£15–20, includes hot pools). Afternoon free on the sand. Evening street food crawl — grilled seafood on Nguyen Thien Thuat, banh xeo, and nem nuong (Nha Trang's signature pork skewers) for £5–7 total.

🚌Grab bikes ~£3

🛏Budget hotel near the beach (~£12 twin-share)

• →Mud bath and hot springs
• →Beach time
• →Seafood street food crawl

Another lazy beach morning. Optionally book a boat-and-snorkel trip (~£22) or the Ba Ho waterfalls. Evening: sleeper train north to Da Nang on the Reunification Express, ~£24 for a soft sleeper, roughly 9–10 hours. Do the Da Nang–Hue leg in daylight if you can — the Hai Van Pass section is stunning from the train.

🚌Sleeper train ~£24

🛏Overnight soft-sleeper train

• →Beach morning
• →Optional snorkel boat trip
• →Overnight sleeper train to Da Nang

Arrive Da Nang, then a local bus or Grab to Hoi An (~45 mins, £3–5; the yellow Bus #1 is about 50p). Check into a guesthouse in the old town or An Bang. Afternoon: wander the lantern-lit Old Town (entry ticket £5, includes five heritage buildings), the Japanese Covered Bridge and the assembly halls. Evening riverside beers and a big night out — Hoi An's bars are cheap and friendly.

🚌Local bus ~£4

🛏Guesthouse in Hoi An old town (~£12 twin-share)

• →Local bus to Hoi An
• →Hoi An Old Town walking route
• →Japanese Covered Bridge
• →Riverside night out

Morning cooking class with a market visit — Red Bridge, G Adventures' Oodles of Noodles partner, or any number of local outfits cost £18–25 and include cao lau, white rose dumplings and fresh spring rolls. Afternoon: get something made at a tailor (24-hour turnaround, £15–30), rent a bicycle to An Bang beach (~£2), or hop a boat on the Thu Bon river (~£4).

🚌Bicycle rental ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Hoi An old town

• →Market visit and Vietnamese cooking class
• →Cycling to An Bang Beach
• →Tailor fitting
• →Thu Bon river boat

Take the local bus or a shared limousine van Hoi An → Hue (~3.5 hours, £8–10) — or splash out ~£25 on an Easy Rider motorbike tour over the Hai Van Pass, which is the best-value thrill in central Vietnam. Afternoon in Hue: walk the Perfume River, then an evening bun bo Hue crawl (£4).

🚌Bus ~£9 (or motorbike tour ~£25)

🛏Budget hotel in Hue (~£11 twin-share)

• →Bus or Easy Rider over Hai Van Pass
• →Perfume River walk
• →Bun bo Hue street food

Self-guided Imperial Citadel (£3 entry, allow 3 hours). In the afternoon, rent a bicycle or Grab to the royal tombs of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh (£3 each). Optional: a Perfume River dragon boat to Thien Mu Pagoda (~£4). Evening: Hue night market and a £12 massage.

🚌Bicycle ~£2 / Grab ~£4

🛏Budget hotel in Hue

• →Imperial Citadel self-guided
• →Royal tombs of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh
• →Thien Mu Pagoda by boat
• →Hue night market

Bus Hue → Phong Nha (~4 hours, £8–10; Hung Thanh and Tan Dinh run daily). Afternoon at Paradise Cave (£10 entry) — staggeringly huge white stalactites on an easy boardwalk. Overnight in Phong Nha village among the karst. Book the Dark Cave zipline + kayak combo for tomorrow (~£22 on Klook).

🚌Bus ~£9

🛏Phong Nha guesthouse or dorm (~£7)

• →Bus to Phong Nha
• →Paradise Cave boardwalk

Morning: Dark Cave zipline and kayak (£22), or a Phong Nha Cave boat trip (£10). Afternoon bus to Dong Hoi (1 hour, £3), then evening sleeper train Dong Hoi → Hanoi on the Reunification Express (~£28 soft sleeper, ~11 hours). Stock up on fruit and water first — train food is grim.

🚌Bus ~£3 + sleeper train ~£28

🛏Overnight soft-sleeper train

• →Dark Cave zipline and kayak
• →Phong Nha Cave boat trip
• →Overnight sleeper train to Hanoi

Arrive Hanoi early. Book a Ha Long Bay day-cruise or overnight junk through Klook or GetYourGuide the day before — a 1-day trip with pickup, boat, seafood lunch and cave visit is £35–50; an overnight on a budget junk is £70–90 all-in. If you're day-tripping, you'll be back in Hanoi for dinner around 20:00. Free evening around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter, plus Tran Quoc Pagoda on the lake's edge (free).

🚌Return shuttle included in cruise price

🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm (~£7)

• →Ha Long Bay junk cruise with seafood lunch
• →Sung Sot cave visit
• →Hoan Kiem Lake walk
• →Tran Quoc Pagoda (free)

Full free day — do a self-guided walking loop: Temple of Literature (£2), Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (free, mornings only), the Train Street cafes, and a bun cha lunch at Huong Lien (£3). Evening: Thang Long water puppet theatre (~£8) or a Hanoi street-food walking tour on Klook (~£18).

🚌On foot / Grab ~£3

🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm

• →Temple of Literature
• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• →Train Street
• →Bun cha lunch
• →Water puppet theatre

Fly Hanoi → Luang Prabang with Vietnam Airlines or Lao Airlines (~£85–110 one-way). Sort your Laos e-visa in advance (~£35) and carry a passport copy — Laos requires it for transport bookings. Afternoon in Luang Prabang: climb Mount Phousi for sunset (£2 entry) and eat Lao barbecue along the Mekong (£5).

🚌Flight ~£95

🛏Guesthouse in Luang Prabang old town (~£10 twin-share)

• →Flight to Luang Prabang
• →Mount Phousi sunset
• →Mekong riverside dinner

Slow morning — Luang Prabang is a place to do very little. Visit Wat Xieng Thong (£2), the Royal Palace Museum (£5), and Ock Pop Tok living crafts centre (free). Late afternoon: the night market and an alleys buffet for £2–3. A Lao massage is £5.

🚌On foot

🛏Guesthouse in Luang Prabang old town

• →Wat Xieng Thong
• →Royal Palace Museum
• →Ock Pop Tok crafts centre
• →Night market buffet
• →Lao massage

Share a songthaew to Kuang Si Falls (£8–10 per person return, or a seat in a shared minivan for £5) — plus £2 entry. Spend the day swimming in the turquoise pools and walking to the top. Stop at the Tat Kuang Si bear sanctuary on the way. Back in town, dinner on the Mekong for £4.

🚌Shared songthaew ~£8 return

🛏Guesthouse in Luang Prabang old town

• →Kuang Si Falls tiered pools
• →Bear sanctuary visit
• →Swim in turquoise pools

Optional half-day Mekong longtail boat to the Pak Ou caves (£10) or a village homestay experience (book direct through a local operator, ~£20 with meals). Alternatively do a Lao cooking class (£18) or hire a bike (£3) and cycle to the weaving villages. Early night — trains to Vang Vieng leave early.

🚌Boat or bicycle ~£8

🛏Guesthouse in Luang Prabang old town

• →Mekong boat to Pak Ou caves
• →Lao cooking class
• →Cycling weaving villages

Ride the new Laos–China high-speed railway (LCR) Luang Prabang → Vang Vieng, ~1 hour, roughly £12–15 for second class — book on the LCR app or via a local agent a day or two ahead. Luggage limit 20kg. Afternoon: riverside tubing or just float in a tube with a Beerlao (£5 tube rental).

🚌LCR high-speed train ~£13

🛏Vang Vieng guesthouse (~£8)

• →High-speed train to Vang Vieng
• →Riverside tubing
• →Sunset viewpoint hike

Rent a bike (£3) and cycle to Blue Lagoon 3 and Tham Nam cave, or hike up to Nam Xay viewpoint (£2). Optional hot-air balloon sunrise (£65–75) or kayaking (£12). Vang Vieng is still a party town if you want it — the bars on the river do bucket deals for £3.

🚌Bicycle rental ~£3

🛏Vang Vieng guesthouse

• →Cycling to Blue Lagoon
• →Nam Xay viewpoint hike
• →Kayaking
• →Optional hot-air balloon

High-speed train or VIP bus south to Vientiane (~£9 train, £7 bus, 1–4 hours). Half a day is enough: That Luang stupa (£1), Patuxai monument (free), and the COPE centre (£2, worth it). Evening: Mekong sunset beers with Thailand visible across the water.

🚌Train ~£9

🛏Vientiane guesthouse (~£10)

• →Train to Vientiane
• →Pha That Luang
• →Patuxai
• →COPE centre
• →Mekong sunset

Bus to the Thai border at Nong Khai (1 hour, £2), cross the Friendship Bridge, then the overnight sleeper train from Nong Khai to Chiang Mai (~£22 for second-class sleeper; the train crosses the bridge itself). Or fly Vientiane → Chiang Mai on AirAsia/Lao Airlines for £55–70 if you're short on time. Remember to complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online 3 days before entry.

🚌Bus ~£2 + sleeper train ~£22

🛏Overnight sleeper train

• →Border crossing at Nong Khai–Friendship Bridge
• →Overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai

Arrive morning. Check into a hostel inside the moat, then explore the old city temples on foot (Wat Chedi Luang £2, Wat Phra Singh £2). Afternoon: a £5 Thai massage. Evening: the Sunday Walking Street or Night Bazaar — khao soi for £1.50, sai ua sausages, mango sticky rice.

🚌Songthaew ~£1.50 per ride

🛏Old city hostel dorm (~£7)

• →Old city temple walk
• →Thai massage
• →Night Bazaar / Sunday Walking Street
• →Khao soi

Morning Thai cooking class with a market visit — £20–25 through Klook or any of the dozens of schools (Mama Noi, Thai Farm). Afternoon: songthaew up to Doi Suthep temple (£2 entry, £3 shared ride). Evening: North Gate jazz and street food.

🚌Songthaew ~£6 total

🛏Old city hostel dorm

• →Thai cooking class with market visit
• →Doi Suthep temple
• →North Gate jazz bar

A 2-day, 1-night hilltribe trek out of Chiang Mai runs £45–65 with a local operator (book via GetYourGuide, Klook or a Chiang Mai agency) and includes transport, guide, meals and a night in a village hut. Trek through jungle, swim in waterfalls, eat dinner cooked over a fire, and finish with bamboo rafting the next day.

🚌Pickup truck included in trek

🛏Basic hilltribe hut, multi-share (included in trek)

• →Jungle trekking
• →Hilltribe village overnight
• →Waterfall swim
• →Bamboo rafting

Finish the trek with bamboo rafting and return to Chiang Mai around mid-afternoon. Buy a second-class sleeper Chiang Mai → Bangkok (~£18–22, book on the Thai Railways site or at the station; trains 9, 13 and 51 all work). Night train leaves around 17:00–18:00 and arrives Bangkok early morning.

🚌Sleeper train ~£20

🛏Overnight sleeper train

• →Bamboo rafting
• →Return to Chiang Mai
• →Overnight sleeper train to Bangkok

Arrive early and check into a hostel near Khao San or Silom. Do the Grand Palace & Wat Pho (£12 combined) and Wat Arun (£2, cross by the 4-baht river ferry). In the afternoon, ride the Chao Phraya Express boat north (£1) and explore Thonburi's canals by longtail boat (£12 shared) or just take the public canal boat for 50p.

🚌River boats and BTS ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm near Khao San (~£8)

• →Grand Palace
• →Wat Pho reclining Buddha
• →Wat Arun by river ferry
• →Thonburi canal boat

Free day. Options: Chatuchak Weekend Market (free), Jim Thompson House (£6), a Thai cooking class (£22), or a Klook street food tour of Chinatown (£20). Evening: Yaowarat street food crawl — £6 buys you dinner and then some.

🚌BTS/MRT ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm near Khao San

• →Chatuchak Market
• →Jim Thompson House
• →Yaowarat Chinatown food crawl

Overnight bus or sleeper train + bus south to Surat Thani, then a shared minivan to Khao Sok village (~£22 total; Sombat Tour runs comfortable overnight buses). Check into a jungle guesthouse (£10), do a short river walk, and book tomorrow's Cheow Lan Lake trip (£28–35 through your guesthouse) — it's the highlight of the region.

🚌Bus + minivan ~£22

🛏Khao Sok jungle guesthouse (~£10)

• →Overnight bus to Surat Thani
• →Minivan to Khao Sok
• →Jungle river walk

Full-day or overnight trip on Cheow Lan Lake — longtail boats between limestone karsts, a jungle hike, kayaking, and lunch on a floating raft house (£30 day trip, or £55 for an overnight on the lake, which is worth it if you can). Back to Khao Sok village in the evening.

🚌Included in lake trip

🛏Khao Sok jungle guesthouse

• →Longtail boat on Cheow Lan Lake
• →Jungle hike
• →Kayaking
• →Floating raft house lunch

Minivan to Don Sak pier (£6), then the ferry to Koh Pha Ngan (£9–12; Seatran or Raja Ferry, book on 12Go or direct). Two to three hours on the water. Settle into a beach bungalow in Haad Rin or Sri Thanu depending on your appetite for parties. Sunset swim, £4 pad thai, cheap bucket.

🚌Minivan + ferry ~£18

🛏Beach bungalow or dorm on Koh Pha Ngan (~£10)

• →Minivan to Don Sak pier
• →Ferry to Koh Pha Ngan
• →Sunset swim

Rent a scooter (£5) and ride to the waterfalls (Than Sadet) and the quieter northern coves, or do a boat trip to Bottle Beach (£10). Yogis should head to Sri Thanu for a drop-in class (£8). If it's a full-moon date, that's a separate budget.

🚌Scooter ~£5

🛏Beach bungalow or dorm on Koh Pha Ngan

• →Scooter loop of the island
• →Than Sadet waterfall
• →Bottle Beach boat trip
• →Optional yoga class

Morning ferry to Koh Tao (£6–8, 1–2 hours). Join an afternoon snorkelling trip to Koh Nang Yuan and Mango Bay (£18–22 including lunch and gear, book on Klook or from any dive shop). See why Koh Tao is the cheapest place on earth to learn to dive — a 1-day try-dive is £45–55.

🚌Ferry ~£7

🛏Koh Tao hostel or beach hut (~£11)

• →Ferry to Koh Tao
• →Koh Nang Yuan snorkelling trip
• →Optional try-dive

Last morning: sunrise swim, a hike to the John Suwan viewpoint (£1), or a lazy breakfast. Then take the ferry back to Chumphon or Surat Thani, or fly from Koh Samui (short ferry + flight) to Bangkok. Allow at least 4 hours to reach Samui airport for a same-day flight; if you're flying out of Bangkok, give yourself a full day.

🚌Ferry ~£7 (plus onward flights)

• →John Suwan viewpoint hike
• →Morning swim
• →Ferry to Chumphon or Surat Thani