Southeast Asia forum

Koh Chang, Laos & Cambodia - 25 days

AcesElky

longtail driver
Posts: 8

Hi

Myself, my girlfriend and 2 other couples are looking to head to the above places over Xmas. We will leave the UK on December 15th and fly back on January 9th. We would like to visit all 3 places ideally. We have already been to Thailand 3 times and checked out many islands etc. We are all around 30

Main things we are looking for...

We like to party so would want somewhere popular. Things like Tubing down the Mekong river appeal

We like to chill out after partying! Would like to take in a couple of nice beaches if possible - would this be Koh Chang and Cambodia?

Not really too fussed about site seeing although would be cool to check out a coulpe of major attractions as long as it doesnt take too long out of our party and chill out schedule!

Also, whats the best order to do this? Laos, Cambodia, Koh Chang then back to Bangkok for our flight back?

Any advice would be really appreciated. When we were in Thailand, we liked Koh Phangan for partying and loved Koh Lanta for chilling out so soemthing along these lines would be great but I'm not sure if possible?

Thanks for reading!

#1 Posted: 15/2/2010 - 22:45
francesstel-
la

traveller
Posts: 95
Located in:

Private message

Hi! I mainly want to warn you about your trip order. Keep in mind that some borders are easier to cross than others: going into Laos from Cambodia, for example, requires you to get a Visa in advance from Phnom Penh, which for you would mean quite a bit of extra travel just to get bits of paper.

(See story: http://www.travelfish.org/feature/84)

Perhaps your best choice is to go BKK - Laos - Cambodia - Thailand. Below is just a few suggestions:

Take a long bus from BKK to Vientiane in Laos, then North from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, the capital of Mekong tubing (I've been and it's really something else!). From there you could travel South through Laos, stop over at the four thousand islands (particularly Don Dhet for some post-tubing chillaxing) then head into Cambodia. I've been told Sihnoukville is the best beach party spot. On your way back into Thailand you can stop over at other islands - I'd personally recommend Koh Tao: it's not just about the diving!

By the sounds of it your trip is gonna be pretty travel-intensive! Laos is hilly so you're gonna use up a whole day on almost every leg of your journey. Roads in Cambodia aren't exactly the Autobahn either. You can shortcut it with flights (eg: from BKK to Vientiane and then out of Vientiane into Cambodia) but obviously that depends on your budget.

I'm pretty sure you can get all your visas sorted at each border doing the trip in this order, which is one less hassle to worry about.

Take care & have fun!

#2 Posted: 15/2/2010 - 23:44
francesstel-
la

traveller
Posts: 95
Located in:

Private message

Hi! I mainly want to warn you about your trip order. Keep in mind that some borders are easier to cross than others: going into Laos from Cambodia, for example, requires you to get a Visa in advance from Phnom Penh, which for you would mean quite a bit of extra travel just to get bits of paper.

(See story: http://www.travelfish.org/feature/84)

Perhaps your best choice is to go BKK - Laos - Cambodia - Thailand. Below is just a few suggestions:

Take a long bus from BKK to Vientiane in Laos, then North from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, the capital of Mekong tubing (I've been and it's really something else!). From there you could travel South through Laos, stop over at the four thousand islands (particularly Don Dhet for some post-tubing chillaxing) then head into Cambodia. I've been told Sihnoukville is the best beach party spot. On your way back into Thailand you can stop over at other islands - I'd personally recommend Koh Tao: it's not just about the diving!

By the sounds of it your trip is gonna be pretty travel-intensive! Laos is hilly so you're gonna use up a whole day on almost every leg of your journey. Roads in Cambodia aren't exactly the Autobahn either. You can shortcut it with flights (eg: from BKK to Vientiane and then out of Vientiane into Cambodia) but obviously that depends on your budget.

I'm pretty sure you can get all your visas sorted at each border doing the trip in this order, which is one less hassle to worry about.

Take care & have fun!

#3 Posted: 15/2/2010 - 23:45