Southeast Asia forum

Please advise on this travel plan to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia!

parth82390

longtail driver
Posts: 9

[color=rgb(51, 51, 51)]Please advise on following trip plan covering Thailand, Laos, Cambodia
Please advise on the following plan, thank you for your help in advance. I have bolded the items that I still need advice on. Seeking to experience a mixture of adventure, scenery, relaxation and partying during the trip.

June 8- Land in Bangkok
June 9- Travel from Bangkok south to Koh Tao
June 10 : June 17- Experience beaches, diving, full moon party, etc at Koh Tao, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.Is this too much time dedicated to this part of thailand?
June 18- Return to Bangkok or make way towards Cambodia. Which method works best?
June 19- 21- Take in all Cambodia has to offer. What can I expect to hit during time timeframe in Cambodia?
June 21-27- Tour Laos - Can I reasonably visit Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang in this timeframe?
June 27- Arrive in Hong Kong. What might be the best path to return to Hong Kong?[/color]

#1 Posted: 26/5/2011 - 05:21
Tilapia

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Hi,

I'd say that this is far too much to accomplish in 20 days.

You might want to check out two of the islands instead of all three. Koh Tao is the furthest and takes the most time to get to and from. But if you want to dive and go to a FMP, then your best bets are going to be Tao and KPG.

To answer your question, I'd say that one week is NOT enough time to explore this part of the country, but it is probably good considering how much time you have.

"Return to Bangkok or make way towards Cambodia. Which method works best?"

You pretty much have to return to Bangkok before you can go to Cambodia. The best method for you would be to fly. But if you cannot fly and if you only plan to spend June 19-21 in Cambodia, then I would not go at all if you also intend to go to Laos. You won't get to take in very much of Cambodia if you are only there for 3 days. You might catch a quick glimpse of Phnom Penh or Angkor, but that will be all.

You can visit VV and LP in that amount of time, but I have a sneaky suspicion that you won't be able to fly directly to Hong Kong on the 27th from LP. You'll have to make at least one or two stops, and it won't be cheap.

Question: How do you plan on getting to Vang Vieng from Cambodia in one day?

You might want to think about spending all of your time in Thailand, especially if you are going to head south. This will mean less cost, less time on the road, and that you'll be able to fly to Hong Kong from Bangkok. There are lots of flights each day.

#2 Posted: 26/5/2011 - 23:22
parth82390

longtail driver
Posts: 9

Thanks for your post Tilapia. Here is a revised schedule as I have just booked my departing flight from the region. Please advise on the following:

June 8- Land in Bangkok
June 9- Travel from Bangkok south to Koh Tao. According to this map (http://www.travelfish.org/maps/region/southern-islands.gif), Tao would be closer to me than Samui?
June 10 : June 17- Experience beaches, diving, full moon party, etc at Koh Tao, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.What might be a good way to break up this time among the islands? I'm assuming I should book at least a 3 night hostel at Koh Phangan as the party will be there for two nights?
June 18- Return to Bangkok and make way towards Chiang Mai . What can I expect to enjoy in Chiang Mai and how long might the journey take if I'm departing from Bangkok?
June 19- 21- Time in Chiang Mai. From Chiang Mai, I will make my way to the Bokeo Nature Reserve Huay Xaiin Northern Laos.
June 21-27- Tour Laos - If I'm starting in Northern Laos, the best path of travel would be LP, then VV and then Vientiane, correct?
June 27- Flight out from Bangkok to Hong Kong.

#3 Posted: 27/5/2011 - 01:14
Tilapia

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Yes, if you are going to enter Laos at Huay Xai , then the logical place to exit, considering your timeframe and that you have to return to Bangkok, would be to exit through Vientiane and then head into Nong Khai.

If your flight to HK is on the 27th, then you should plan on getting a night train back to Bangkok for no later than the night of the 26th. That is going to give you less than a week in Laos. Not a very long time to experience Bokeo, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, and Vientiane. And if you are planning on taking the boat from Huay Xai to LP, then you might want to think about flying to Bangkok from LP. You'll be really tight for time.

Book that train from NK to Bangkok in advance. In other words, before you go into Laos. You can do this in ANY train station in the country. Otherwise, to save yourself a lot of time, you might want to fly from Vientiane to Bangkok.

#4 Posted: 27/5/2011 - 21:44