Southeast Asia Experience — Self-Launched 28-Day Bangkok to Siem Reap

Land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and take the Airport Rail Link + BTS (about £2) or a metered taxi (£8-10) to a hostel in Banglamphu/Khao San or near BTS Phaya Thai. Register your Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 3 days of arrival — required for all arrivals. Spend the evening on Rambuttri or a food stall row: pad thai, mango sticky rice, cold Chang. Hostels around £9-13 for a dorm bed.

🚌Airport Rail Link + BTS ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Banglamphu or BTS Phaya Thai (£9-13)

• →Arrival orientation walk
• →Street food dinner

Book a longtail boat klong tour at Tha Chang or Tha Tien pier — a private boat is ~£20-25 per boat (split it with hostel-mates from ~£5pp) or join a GetYourGuide Thonburi klong tour from ~£18pp. Afternoon at Wat Po (£5 entry) and optionally the Grand Palace (£11) and Wat Arun (£2.5). Grab dinner near Hualamphong then board the 19:35 or 22:00 sleeper train to Chiang Mai — second-class fan sleeper berth around £18-25 booked on the State Railway of Thailand site or at the station (book 2-3 days ahead in high season).

🚌Longtail boat ~£5pp split; SRT sleeper train Bangkok–Chiang Mai ~£20

🛏Overnight sleeper train, 2nd class berth

• →Thonburi klong longtail boat tour
• →Wat Po
• →Optional Grand Palace & Wat Arun

Arrive mid-morning, check into a guesthouse in the old city (£10-15 dorm, £20-25 private). Take a red songthaew to the foot of Doi Suthep (£1) then the songthaew up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (£1-2, temple entry ~£1). Back in town, book a half-day northern Thai cooking class for tomorrow (~£20-25, market visit included). Evening: walk the Sunday Walking Street or Night Bazaar for khao soi and sai ua sausage.

🚌Songthaews ~£3 total

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Chiang Mai (£10-15)

• →Doi Suthep temple
• →Night market food walk
• →Book cooking class

Morning cooking class with a market visit and four or five dishes (£20-25). Afternoon bus to Chiang Khong on the Mekong (4-5 hrs, ~£7-9 with Greenbus or the local bus from Arcade terminal). Alternatively stop at Chiang Rai's Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) en route — take the Chiang Rai bus then a local bus on to Chiang Khong. Sleep in a riverside guesthouse (£8-12) and buy your Laos visa-on-arrival dollars in cash beforehand (USD ~£28 for most Western passports, plus one passport photo).

🚌Greenbus Chiang Mai–Chiang Khong ~£8

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Chiang Khong (£8-12)

• →Northern Thai cooking class
• →Optional White Temple stop

Complete the Lao immigration card online within 3 days of entry if your arrival point is supported; otherwise fill in the paper form. Cross the Friendship Bridge to Houayxay, get your Laos visa on arrival, and board the slow boat (leaves ~10:30-11:00; book a ticket the day before at the pier or via your guesthouse, ~£22-28 for the two-day Houayxay–Luang Prabang ticket). Six to seven hours downriver with a lunch stop, arriving Pakbeng late afternoon. Book a Pakbeng guesthouse in advance in high season (£8-12), or arrange a village homestay through a local operator for the night — dinner with the family, sticky rice and laap, roughly £12-15 including meals.

🚌Border ferry + Mekong slow boat ~£25

🛏Pakbeng guesthouse (£8-12) or village homestay (~£13 with dinner)

• →Mekong slow boat day 1
• →Village homestay / riverside evening

Board at 09:00 for the second river day — about eight hours, arriving Luang Prabang around 17:00. The boat stops at the Pak Ou caves (Tham Ting/Tham Theung, entry ~£1.5) about 25km before town. Check into a guesthouse in the old town (£10-16 dorm, £22-30 private). Sunset beer on the Mekong at Utopia or a riverside bar, then dinner at a night-market stall (buffet plate ~£1.5) or Tamarind for a set Lao tasting menu (~£8).

🚌Mekong slow boat day 2 (included in ticket)

🛏Old-town guesthouse, Luang Prabang (£10-16)

• →Pak Ou caves
• →Luang Prabang night market

Morning at the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Museum (£2.5) and Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre (free entry, weaving demo ~£6). For the community element, book a lunch or weaving workshop with a village project such as the Ban Ou / Ban Xang Khong craft villages via a local operator (~£10-15) — the sort of Planeterra-supported visit G Adventures includes. Afternoon: shared tuk-tuk or minivan to Kuang Si falls (~£5pp return, ~£1 each way shared), entry ~£1.5. Swim in the turquoise lower pools, walk to the top, and don't jump off the falls — it's genuinely dangerous. Back in town for the sunset over Mount Phousi (£1.5).

🚌Shared tuk-tuk to Kuang Si ~£5 return

🛏Old-town guesthouse, Luang Prabang (£10-16)

• →Ethnology Museum & Ock Pop Tok
• →Community lunch
• →Kuang Si waterfalls
• →Mount Phousi sunset

Options: watch the alms-giving at dawn (respectfully — stay back, don't use flash, don't buy rice from touts); a Lao cooking class (~£20); cycling to Wat Xieng Thong (£1.5) and Wat Visoun; a herbal sauna and massage (£5-8); or the Royal Ballet Theatre in the evening (~£12). Cycle rental ~£2/day. If you're up for a full-day add-on, a kayak-and-trek combo through the jungle runs ~£25-30.

🚌Bicycle rental ~£2

🛏Old-town guesthouse, Luang Prabang (£10-16)

• →Dawn alms-giving
• →Cycling to temples
• →Lao massage & sauna
• →Optional Royal Ballet Theatre

Book the LCR high-speed train the day before (tickets sell out — agents in town or the LCR app; ~£11-14 one way, about 1 hour). Note the strict rules: no aerosols, vapes, lighters or sharp objects, and a 20kg luggage limit. Arrive Vang Vieng by midday, check into a guesthouse (£8-14). Afternoon free: walk to the Nam Song river, rent a bike, or find a viewpoint bar for sunset. Vang Vieng's tubing scene is heavily policed and injury-prone — swimming and kayaking are the better bet.

🚌Lao-China high-speed train ~£12

🛏Vang Vieng guesthouse (£8-14)

• →Riverside walk
• →Sunset viewpoint

Full free day. Best-value options: a half-day kayak down the Nam Song with a cave stop (~£15-18 booked locally or on Klook), a bicycle loop to the Blue Lagoon 3 and Tham Phu Kham cave (~£3 bike + £1.5 entry), or a hot-air balloon at dawn (~£70 — spectacular but a splurge). Eat at one of the organic farm cafés for lunch (~£4).

🚌Bicycle rental ~£3

🛏Vang Vieng guesthouse (£8-14)

• →Kayaking the Nam Song
• →Blue Lagoon & cave
• →Optional dawn balloon flight

Take the morning VIP/minivan or local bus south to Vientiane (3-4 hrs, ~£6-9), or the high-speed train if it's running. Check in near the riverfront (£10-15). Afternoon: That Luang stupa (£1), Patuxai monument (free, £0.5 to climb), Wat Sisaket (£1) and a sunset walk along the Mekong promenade. Xieng Khuan (Buddha Park) is 25km out — a tuk-tuk round trip ~£10 split, worth it if you have the time. Dinner at a night market or a French-Lao bistro.

🚌Minivan Vang Vieng–Vientiane ~£7

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Vientiane (£10-15)

• →Patuxai
• →That Luang
• →Wat Sisaket
• →Mekong sunset walk

Fly Wattay to Noi Bai on Vietjet, Lao Airlines or Vietnam Airlines — book a few weeks ahead for ~£55-85 one way. Complete Vietnam's online pre-arrival declaration within 3 days of arrival if you're flying into Noi Bai. Airport bus #86 runs to the Old Quarter for ~£1.2 (taxi ~£9). Check into a hostel in the Old Quarter (£7-12 dorm, £18-25 private). Evening orientation walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, a bia hoi corner (£0.3 a glass) and bun cha dinner.

🚌Vietjet/Lao Airlines flight ~£70; airport bus ~£1.2

🛏Old Quarter hostel, Hanoi (£7-12)

• →Old Quarter orientation walk
• →Hoan Kiem Lake
• →Bia hoi corner

Early start for the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (free, closed Mon & Fri, morning only) and the stilt house museum (£1). Then Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake (free) and the Temple of Literature (£1.5). Book Thang Long water puppet theatre tickets (~£4-6) for the evening. Late afternoon, a Hanoi street-food walking tour via GetYourGuide runs ~£18-23 and covers bun cha, pho, egg coffee and banh cuon — great value versus doing it blind. Museum of Ethnology (£2) is a good alternative if it's raining.

🚌Walking + Grab bikes ~£3

🛏Old Quarter hostel, Hanoi (£7-12)

• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Temple of Literature
• →Water puppets
• →Street food tour

Book a budget-to-mid overnight junk through your hostel or on Klook/GetYourGuide — a solid 2D1N with kayaking, cave entry, seafood dinner and transfers runs £75-110pp depending on boat quality. Shuttle picks you up in the Old Quarter around 08:00, transfers 3.5 hrs, boards at noon. Afternoon kayaking and a cave visit, sunset on the top deck, dinner and squid fishing. Check the boat includes all meals and cave fees to avoid on-board surprises.

🚌Shuttle bus Hanoi–Halong return included in boat package

🛏Overnight junk boat, twin cabin (included in tour price)

• →Halong Bay cruise
• →Kayaking
• →Cave visit
• →Squid fishing

Morning tai chi and brunch on the boat, back to Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Pick up supplies (bread, cheese, fruit, water) before the station. Board the Reunification Express SE19/SE3 sleeper to Hue departing ~19:30-20:00, arriving ~08:00-09:00 — soft sleeper ~£25-32 booked on dsvn.vn or 12go, 4-berth compartment. Bring earplugs, a sleep sheet and a lock.

🚌Shuttle back + Reunification Express Hanoi–Hue ~£28

🛏Overnight sleeper train, soft-sleeper berth

• →Morning on the bay
• →Overnight train

Arrive Hue, drop bags at a guesthouse by the Perfume River (£8-14). Walk or cycle to the Imperial Citadel (entry ~£5.5) and the Thien Mu Pagoda (free) — combine with a short Perfume River boat ride (~£3). In the afternoon, book a motorbike tour with a local rider (Hue motorbike city/countryside tours run ~£15-20 for 4 hours; GetYourGuide has equivalents) to reach the royal tombs of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh and the incense village. Dinner: bun bo Hue, the local noodle soup.

🚌Bicycle or Grab; motorbike tour ~£18

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Hue (£8-14)

• →Imperial Citadel
• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Hue motorbike countryside tour
• →Royal tombs

Best option: hire an Easy Rider or a motorbike rider for the Hue–Hoi An run over the Hai Van Pass (~£28-35, 5-6 hrs with stops at Lang Co lagoon, the pass summit and Marble Mountains) — a Vietnam highlight. Cheaper option: local bus or minivan (~£5-7, 3.5 hrs). Check into a homestay or hostel in Hoi An old town (£8-14 dorm, £18-25 private) and wander the lantern-lit streets after dark. Tailors can turn around a shirt in 24 hrs from ~£15-20.

🚌Easy Rider over Hai Van Pass ~£30 (or bus ~£6)

🛏Hoi An homestay (£8-14)

• →Hai Van Pass
• →Lang Co lagoon
• →Hoi An lantern-lit old town

Buy the old-town entry ticket (~£5) covering the Japanese Covered Bridge, assembly halls and merchant houses — self-guided with the ticket map is fine, or add a GetYourGuide walking tour (~£8). Afternoon noodle-making class with a local family or at a cooking school (~£15-20), including cao lau, white rose dumplings and fried wontons. Rent a bike to reach An Bang beach for sunset (£1.5/day, ~15 min ride) and eat seafood on the sand. Full-day option: My Son Sanctuary tour ~£25-38.

🚌Bicycle rental ~£1.5

🛏Hoi An homestay (£8-14)

• →Hoi An old-town ticket sites
• →Noodle cooking class
• →An Bang beach
• →Optional My Son Sanctuary

Fly Da Nang to Saigon (Vietjet/Vietnam Airlines, ~£35-55 one way booked ahead; bus ~£1.2 airport bus or Grab ~£4). Alternatively the Reunification Express from Da Nang takes 16-19 hrs. In Saigon, base yourself in District 1 or the backpacker area of Pham Ngu Lao (£7-12 dorm, £20-28 private). Evening: Ben Thanh market food stalls, a rooftop beer for the skyline, and a wander down Bui Vien.

🚌Flight Da Nang–Saigon ~£45; airport bus ~£1.2

🛏District 1 / Pham Ngu Lao hostel (£7-12)

• →Ben Thanh market
• →Bui Vien walking street

Morning Cu Chi tunnels tour (half-day group tour via GetYourGuide or Klook, ~£15-20 including transport and entry; the Ben Duoc section is less crowded than Ben Dinh). Afternoon back in the city: the War Remnants Museum (£2), the Reunification Palace (£2) and Notre Dame Cathedral exterior. Add a Mekong Delta day trip tomorrow if you want the full delta experience (~£25-35 via GetYourGuide, or a DIY bus to My Tho and a sampan boat for less).

🚌Tour bus included; Grab ~£3

🛏District 1 / Pham Ngu Lao hostel (£7-12)

• →Cu Chi tunnels
• →War Remnants Museum
• →Reunification Palace

Free day. Do the Mekong Delta day tour (~£30 with lunch and boat rides) or DIY it: bus to My Tho (~£2), then hire a sampan through the canals (~£8-10 split) and eat at a coconut-candy farm. Otherwise: Cholon (Chinatown) and Binh Tay market, the Giac Vien pagoda, a Vietnamese coffee at a third-wave café, or a motorbike food tour in the evening (~£20).

🚌Local buses ~£2-4

🛏District 1 / Pham Ngu Lao hostel (£7-12)

• →Mekong Delta day trip
• →Cholon & Binh Tay market
• →Optional evening food tour

Take a direct Giant Ibis or Mekong Express bus (6 hrs, ~£13-16 including the Bavet/Moc Bai border crossing — the operator handles the formalities, but get your Cambodia e-visa in advance, ~£25-30, or pay ~£24 on arrival with a passport photo). Complete the Cambodia e-Arrival form online within 7 days of arrival. Arrive Phnom Penh, check into a guesthouse near the riverside (£8-14). Sunset drinks on the Sisowath Quay and a fish amok dinner.

🚌Giant Ibis bus HCMC–Phnom Penh ~£15

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Phnom Penh (£8-14)

• →Border crossing
• →Sisowath Quay sunset

Hire a traditional cyclo for a city tour (~£6-10 for two hours — flag one down at Wat Phnom or book via your guesthouse): Wat Phnom, the colonial post office and Van's restaurant, the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda exterior (£7 entry if you go in) and the National Museum (£7). Afternoon: Tuol Sleng (S-21) prison (£3) and Choeung Ek Killing Fields (£4), with an audio guide (£3) at each — the audio guide is excellent and worth it. Take a tuk-tuk between the two (~£5 return). Evening: dinner at a social enterprise restaurant or the Russian Market food stalls.

🚌Cyclo ~£8; tuk-tuk to Choeung Ek ~£5

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Phnom Penh (£8-14)

• →Cyclo city tour
• →Royal Palace
• →Tuol Sleng S-21
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields

Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham bus to Siem Reap (6 hrs, ~£12-15) or the morning flight (~£40-50 if booked ahead). In Siem Reap, stay in the Wat Bo or Old Market area (£7-12 dorm, £18-25 guesthouse). Evening at Pub Street or better, a quieter Khmer BBQ spot. Important: buy your Angkor pass online (angkorenterprise.gov.kh) — 1-day $37, 3-day $62 — and arrange a tuk-tuk driver for the next two mornings at dawn (~£15-18/day).

🚌Bus Phnom Penh–Siem Reap ~£13

🛏Wat Bo guesthouse, Siem Reap (£7-12)

• →Arrive Siem Reap
• →Buy Angkor pass
• →Book sunrise tuk-tuk

Leave at 04:45 with your tuk-tuk driver. Sunrise over Angkor Wat's lotus ponds, then explore the temple itself before the heat. Continue to Angkor Thom — the Bayon's faces, Baphuon, the Terrace of the Elephants — then Ta Prohm, the jungle-swallowed 'Tomb Raider' temple. A licensed guide for the day is ~£30-40 and genuinely adds a lot (book via GetYourGuide or your guesthouse); a good compromise is a guide for the morning only (~£20). Back by early afternoon for a swim and a nap. Evening: Phare Circus, the Cambodian social-enterprise acrobatics show (~£14-20) — one of the best nights in Siem Reap.

🚌Tuk-tuk for the day ~£16

🛏Wat Bo guesthouse, Siem Reap (£7-12)

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Bayon & Angkor Thom
• →Ta Prohm
• →Phare Circus

Second temple day with the same driver: Banteay Srei (the pink sandstone 'citadel of women', 45 min out) plus Banteay Samre, or the grand circuit — Preah Khan, Neak Pean and Pre Rup. Mid-afternoon, head to Tonle Sap lake for a floating village trip (Kompong Khleang is the most authentic, ~£20-25 with a boat and driver, or £12-15 for Kompong Phluk). Check lake water levels — in the dry season some villages are on stilts over mud rather than water.

🚌Tuk-tuk for the day ~£18; Tonle Sap boat ~£12

🛏Wat Bo guesthouse, Siem Reap (£7-12)

• →Banteay Srei
• →Preah Khan & Neak Pean
• →Tonle Sap floating village

Slow day. Options: the Angkor National Museum (£8), a Khmer cooking class (~£18), cycling the back lanes to local villages (£3 bike hire), a spa afternoon (£8-15), or a return to Angkor for a second sunrise if you bought the 3-day pass. Old Market shopping for silk and spices, and a final dinner — fish amok, lok lak and a cold Angkor beer.

🚌Bicycle rental ~£3

🛏Wat Bo guesthouse, Siem Reap (£7-12)

• →Angkor National Museum
• →Khmer cooking class
• →Old Market

Fly out of Siem Reap (REP) or take a bus back to Bangkok (9-10 hrs, ~£20-25 with Giant Ibis/Nattakan) or to Phnom Penh for onward flights. If you're flying home from Bangkok, build in a buffer day — the land border at Poipet can eat a lot of time. Tuk-tuk to the airport ~£5.

🚌Airport tuk-tuk ~£5

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• →Departure