Thailand forum

Hi Scatterbra,

Wow, I was asking myself the exact same question about this time last year! We went along the lines of your option 1. This was our itinerary (well, not really - I've omitted places I wish I'd skipped and added in the places I wish I hadn't!):

Bangkok - Ayutthaya - Chiang Mai - Pai - Gibbon Experience just across border into Laos - slow boat to Luang Prabang - Plain of Jars - Vang Vieng - Vientiane - Pakse - 4 thousand islands - flight to Hanoi - tours to Sapa & Halong bay from Hanoi, rented bikes and rode from here on - Hue - Hoi An - Nha Trang - Mui Ne - HCMC to drop off bikes - Phu Quoc - Mekong Delta tour and boat into Cambodia - Phnom Penh - Siem Reap/Angkor Wat - bus back to Thailand, 2 week overland crossing visa gives you just enough time to enjoy a couple of islands before catching the plane home

It's a one month visa for each country except Thailand when you're entering overland (via airport it's a month - remember you need to get your Vietnam visa in advance from an embassy). We did the above route in 3 months and found the pace pretty spot on.

The reason we picked this route rather than the other way round was to make sure we spent most of April (the hottest month prettymuch everywhere in SEA) in Northern Vietnam where it would be relatively cooler. Our option 2 included spending March in the islands and inevitably moving onto Cambodia in April, which comes highly unrecommended. I think what we compromised, as you've already sussed out, was the stunning scenery in Northern Thailand & Laos. I actually visited Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai & Pai) a second time round in May and the scenery was 10 times more beautiful because the smoke was gone.

Good luck!
FSH

My travels are in February, but the i'd say Bangkok is not the best place to adjust the climate. It's a cement oven even in February - you can adjust to the climate better by just going down to an island and relaxing with an ocean breeze.

Option 2 could be done with the islands to start. Sounds like you're looking for the rustic, woodland type trip with the itinerary so the big party islands don't seem like a good recommendation. However, you could start with Ko Chang, Ko Maak for a week or two simply to relax and acclimatize. They're about an 8hr(?) bus ride towards Trat and the Cambodia border. You could go into Cambodia there as they are the Eastern Islands - though I hear that border crossing is not the easiest. Then it's a little trek to Ankor which I'm sure you want to see.

It's hard to say where you'd go from there as both Laos and Vietnam have a lot to offer in North and South. You could either go to 4,000 islands in Laos and work your way up to the north - at one point then you'd have to decide to go east to Vietnam or west back into Thailand to see the lovely North there. So - that option may not be so good. Otherwise, after Cambodia you could go into the Mekong Delta and then sally-north to Hanoi and the Highlands. From there you can go into Northern Laos and do an ice circuit around - reentering Thailand and going to Chiang Mia. The only draw back there is that you miss Southern Laos.

Option 1 is a solid choice though. Again, I don't think staying long in Bangkok is the best option - head North to Chiang Mia and the hills for a little cooler temperature - then go about Northern Laos and cool off in rivers. Then you go into Northern Vietnam and stay in the highlands - eventually you'll get to some beaches.

So - for me, the idea of starting out the trip relaxing on the beach would be very nice - though ending on beaches is also good. Both ways the glass is half full.

I asked the same thing a few months ago.

Here's the link

http://www.travelfish.org/board/post/indochina/8465_advice-about-the-weather-and-the-four-countries.

The main thing you have to worry about is the heat in April, so would you rather be by a beach in Cambodia or travelling around on slows boats in Laos?

I am going to Cambodia first in April.