Description
Also known as backpackers paradise, the triplet of 3 countries - Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam, offers one of the most beautiful and enriching travel experiences. Located in South-East-Asia (which has other countries too like Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines etc.), the trio of Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam gives you an opportunity to explore beautiful pristine beaches (Phuket, Ko Samui), ancient temples (Angkor Wat in Siem Reap), war torn Ho Chi Minh city, historical architecture across Hanoi and magnificent islands of Halong Bay etc.
Overview
While each of these destinations offer numerous experiences, such that backpackers end up staying months (sometimes years), we have curated a 16 day experience. Journey starts from Bangkok (Thailand) and takes one through some of the key destinations in Thailand, which is then followed up with Cambodia (Angkor Wat, Mekong Delta, Royal Palaces etc.) and Vietnam (French colonial landmarks, war history museums, beaches, Buddhist pagodas and islands). **Basic Itinerary:** - Day0: Start from whichever part (city) of the world you are in and reach Bangkok - Day1: Sight-seeing in Bangkok - Day2: Bangkok to Phuket (enjoy Phuket throughout the day) - Day3: Enjoy Phuket - Day4: Phuket to Ko Samui island (enjoy the sunset and relax at Ko Samui) - Day5: Enjoy Ko Samui (and maybe indulge in some scuba diving etc.) - Day6: Ko Samui to Bangkok (shopping in Bangkok on your last day) - Day7: Bangkok to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) - Enjoy night-life of Siem Reap - Day8: Explore Angkor Wat and other such ruins and temples - Day9: Siem Reap to Phnom Penh through bus journey (explore Phnom Penh and its night life) - Day10: Explore Phnom Penh (Royal Palace, Wat Phnom etc.) - Day11: Phnom Penh to Ho CHi Minh city (Vietnam) - Enjoy night life of Ho Chi Minh city - Day12: Explore Ho Chi Minh's (War Remenants museums, Cu Chi Tunnels, Ben Thanh Market) - Day13: Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi (Vietnams capital & historical city) - Explore Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Temple of Literature etc., along with night life - Day14: Full Day excursion tour of Halong Bay - Day15: Explore Hanoi more or just relax or take a day excursion to Hai Phong Bay - Day16: Return flight from Hanoi to whichever part (city) of the world you want to head-back to **How to Reach Bangkok** By Air Bangkok international airport (also known as Suvarnabhumi Airport) is well connected to every part of the world. Either direct or max 2 stops should be able to help you reach Bangkok. By Road If you are coming from neighboring citiy or from neighboring countries (like Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia), Bangkok (and Thailand) is well connected. By then it will take good amount of time + border visa formalities, in which case it makes sense to come by Air to make the optimum utilization of time. Rest of the trip is connected from Bangkok through flight and we will continue to take flights or bus rides to reach other mentioned cities in an economical / time-based manner.
Itinerary
Depending on where you are coming from, you can be arriving to Bangkok international airport anytime between 2 AM to 12 Noon. In case of on-arrival Visa, it will take another 2 hrs at the airport to obtain the same. By the time you will reach your hotel, it can be late morning to late afternoon. Depending on how much time is left, you will be free to explore "The Grand Palace" - main Bangkok attraction. You can also try make a quick visit to Wat Arun temple or Wat Prakeaw. During night time you can experience the crazy night-life of Bangkok or choose to relax.
We will catch an early flight from Bangkok to Phuket (which also means less sleep as part of the adventure tour), and should be in Phuket by early morning and check-in. Same day we can make a quick visit to: - James Bond island - Floating Market During night-time, enjoy Phuket's night life @ Bangla Road. You will experience all kind of crazy things, from shimmering clubs to lady-boy's dancing events to some amazing food. Or you can also just chose to relax at the beach (at end of the Bangla road) and enjoy the cool breeze.
Post early breakfast, we will try and make most use of the time. We can either do a trip to the famous Phi Phi island (OR) use this day to do some adventure activities like Scuba Diving or Bungee Jumping etc. Any of this will atleast take half day and you will reach hotel by late afternoon / early evening. Phi Phi island tour is an exhausting one, and if you are prone to sea-sickness, then be ready for a thumping ride. As per stats, close to 75%+ people end up having strong vomiting sensation due to Speed Boat movement. In evening, you can again make a dash to Bangla street and continue to enjoy the night-life. You can also choose to take the famous Thai massage to soothe the aching + tired body.
We again take an early morning flight from Phuket to reach Ko Samui island and check-in into the hotel. We will take the day easy and you can visit (after some rest at hotel): - Koh Samui’s Famous Big Buddha - Hin Ta And Hin Yai - The Secret Buddha Garden End the evening with a beautiful sunset view at the beach and have some good food. One can also enjoy the night-life at Ko Samui island most famous beach - Chaweng.
We can again chose to do some adventure activity today like: - Jungle Safari Tour - Go scuba-diving at some of the most pristine water with rich aquamarine life - Boat tour to Ang Thong National Marine Park - Enjoy Lamai Beach or Maenam Beach End the day with beautiful sunset at the beach, and great sea-food. Call it a early night to catch the next day flight again to Bangkok.
We take an early flight again to reach Bangkok by late morning. Check-in into the hotel and relax. Use the remaining day to enjoy Bangkok and whatever we found (but we could not do) during our Day 1 stay in Bangkok. Bangkok is a great place for shopping, from street shopping to fancy luxurious shopping.
We take an early morning flight from Bangkok (Don Mueang Airport) to reach Siem Reap by 9 AM. In case of on-arrival Visa, it will take another 2 hrs at the airport to obtain the same. By the time you will reach your hotel, it can be late morning. Rest of the day is to relax and enjoy beautiful evening & night-life in Siem Reap.
We would have arranged for a SUV day excursion trip for Angkor Wat (the most famous tourist spot of Cambodia). The English speaking driver will ensure that he picks you up from your hotel in Siem Reap & take you to the world-famous Angkor Temple Complex. They will try cover: Preah Khan, Preah Neak Pean, Eastern Mebon, Ta Som & Pre Rup (these other temples are placed towards the outside boundaries of the main Angkor complex).
We take a bus journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. It will be roughly 6-7 hours journey, and will help you see the towns and villages as we reach the Cambodia capital Phnom Penh. By the time we reach, it will be late afternoon. Idea then is to relax and enjoy the night life of Phnom Penh.
We will arrange for an SUV day excursion of Phnom Penh city. While you can do your own tour, we do believe that a guide SUV tour will help you cover the main important place across Phnom Penh and leave you little less exhausted. We will try and cover these possible places: Royal Palace, National Musem, Independence monument, Central Market, Wat Phnom, Tuol Sleng, The Killing Fields & Russian Market. This day tour is perfect for tourists & travelers who just have one day to explore & see Phnom Penh.
We again take a bus ride from Phnom Penh to the famous Veitnam city - Ho Chi Minh. Its again a 6-7 hour ride that will ensure that you continue to the beautiful landscape and natural vegetation of Cambodia & Vietnam. By the time we will reach Ho Chi Minh city, it will be late afternoon. Idea for rest of the day is to relax and hotel and take time out to enjoy the night life of Ho Chi Minh city.
We will arrange for a day excursion of Ho Chi Minh. Like Phnom Penh, it makes sense to have a SUV tour so that one can complete the entire cities historical destinations and get a feel of what all Ho Chi Minh as a city went through the Vietnam War. This tour will include visit to War Remenants museums, Cu Chi Tunnels, Ben Thanh Market and other important tourist places. Depending on time & interest, our driver will continue to modify the journey to ensure that you get a chance to cover the maximum places, including ample time for places of your interest. Towards end of the day we will take late evening flight of 7.30 PM or 10.30 PM to Hanoi. We could have taken next day early flight but thats very expensive.
We have whole day to explore the historic city of Hanoi. We will be arranging for whole day Hanoi city excursion tour, which will include visit to: the Ba Dinh complex, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the One-Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, and much more. Through the English speaking guide and drive, learn more about the rich history and culture of Vietnam as you explore the city, along with a delicious Vietnamese lunch at a local restaurant.
On this day we arrange for a day long excursion to Halong Bay. Its going to be a tiring day as this journey included 3-4 hours drive to the coast line from where we catch our cruise journey to visit the world heritage area (Halong Bay) in the Gulf of Tonkin by UNESCO. - Pick up from hotel by early morning 8 am - 4 hr drive through the red river delta and arrive at the cruise - Spend the afternoon in the cruise to view and visit Halong Bay - Kayak to Sung Sot, also known as surprising caves or just relax at the boat or swim in emerald green waters - Back to hotel post the cruise
This is the last day of the trip. We will suggest to sit back and relax at the hotel. In afternoon have a nice lunch and explore the local market and do shopping for your friends and family. For anyone adventurous, one can take day long tour to Hai Phong island or other similar islands but thats not covered as part of our tour.
Take a return flight back to your home city and carry back the splendid memories from your majestic 14/15 day journey.
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