Having loved every single moment of our trips to Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore, I was really keen on going back to SE Asia. It was about time, after all, to visit the area’s heavy hitter, Thailand! And once there, wouldn’t it be a shame to miss out on neighbouring Cambodia? Angkor Wat has been on my bucket list for years now! So, having been bitten by the travel bug, again, my fiancé and I went on a trip filled with once in a lifetime experiences of jaw dropping landscapes, colourful culture, a bit of adventure and, of course, beach time and relaxation! This is our epic 3-week Southern Thailand and Cambodia itinerary.
Total No of days: 19 (excluding transfer time from / to Europe)
Thailand: 15 overnight stays
Cambodia: 4 overnight stays
Who is this itinerary best suited to?
Travellers who love culture, exploration and nature with a splash of beach time for good measure.
Backpackers, flashpackers & luxury travellers. You can easily adjust the quality of your accommodation & meals accordingly!
When is the best time for this itinerary?
We took our trip in December which is well within the best time to visit Thailand and Cambodia
OUR 3-WEEK THAILAND & CAMBODIA ITINERARY
✈️ 11h direct flight from London
We flew directly from London to Bangkok with Thai Airways. This was our first experience of flying with Thai and it was a pretty good one!
We flew economy but the food was great and the service helped us realise that we are indeed heading towards the ‘Land of a Thousand Smiles’…
5 wonderful days & nights in the Thai capital
We loved Bangkok! It does seem though that quite a few people find it tiring and overwhelming. I believe one of the reasons for that is that they try to see too much in too little time.
We arrived in Bangkok late in the afternoon so, in effect, we had 4 full days which we found to be enough time to see the highlights of this great city. Naturally, one can easily spend more time in Bangkok, especially if you start adding day trips to the outskirts and beyond.
Bangkok hotels are quite reasonably priced, so I’d recommend opting for a hotel with a relaxing swimming pool to cool off after a day of exploring! We stayed at the Avani+ Riverside and we loved the rooftop pool and incredible bar as well as the tranquil location by the river.
🚂 + 🚤 5h train ride on the ‘Death Railway’ to Nam Tok + 10min longtail boat ride to The Floathouse Resort
The ‘Death Railway’ & a unique jungle stay!
Riding the ‘Death Railway’ is a must for any train travel enthusiast and history buff. Passing over the bridge on the River Kwai and crossing the steep gorges of Kanchanabury province on cliff hanging railway tracks from WWII makes five hours on this non air-conditioned, old school train pass quickly!
At the end of the line lies the sleepy village of Nam Tok. After a thrilling songthaew and longtail boat rides later… we made it to The Floathouse Resort on the River Kwai. If there is a jungle version of heaven, it’s going to look a lot like this!
🚤 + 🚕 10min longtail boat ride from the Floathouse Resort + 1h taxi drive to Kanchanabury
A short stay in Kanchanabury, an unassuming town that became a theatre of historic events in WWII
Visiting the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre just across the street from the Allied War Cemetery is a must in order to learn all about the harrowing history of how and why the ‘Death Railway’ was built during WWII.
Furthermore, crossing the Bridge over the River Kwai again (this time on foot) made us wanting to watch the classic film once more.
🚂 + ✈️ 3h train ride from Kanchanabury to Bangkok + 1h direct flight to Siem Reap
A wonderful interlude to tick off a major bucket list item!
Siem Reap is so close to Bangkok that we couldn’t resist the temptation of popping to Cambodia!
While many people stay in Siem Reap for 2 days or less, we found that 4 days was a perfect amount of time! We had two full days to do the small and large circuit in Angkor Wat. Also, we were able to explore the lovely town of Siem Reap and get acquainted with the lovely Cambodian people, culture and every day life.
Top tip: The quality of accommodation in Siem Reap is unreal! There are few wrong choices when it comes to Siem Reap hotels, even on a modest budget. We loved our stay at the FCC Angkor by Avani because historic buildings and tropical modernism, that’s my jam!
✈️ + 🚕 + 🚤 3-4h flight from Siem Reap to Krabi via Bangkok + 1h drive to the coast + 10min boat journey to Ko Lanta
It’s time to hit the beach! Also, a visit to an ethical elephant sanctuary!
Ko Lanta is a favourite for so many people, for so many reasons. It has the beaches, the nature, the vibes, a lovely local community and a ton of stuff to do.
One of my top recommendations is to visit Following Giants; seeing the elephants from so close but with no unnatural interactions, was one of the highlights of this whole trip!
We stayed in Kantiang Bay, close to the southern tip of the island, at the luxurious Pimalai Resort which spoiled us rotten! No matter where you stay though, it’s worth visiting this part of the island to enjoy the magnificent bay and have a drink at the legendary Why Not bar!
🚤+ 🚕 10min boat journey from Ko Lanta to the coast + 2h drive to Phang-Nga town
The most authentic, off the beaten track way to visit one of the most popular sights in Thailand!
Most people visit the spectacular karst scenery of the islands of Ao Phang-Nga National Park from Phuket. However, we wanted to avoid the crowds, minimise travel time and get a glimpse of normal, everyday life in Thailand!
The unassuming town of Phang-Nga is set in a stunning valley that is surrounded by huge limestone cliffs and is only a short longtail boat ride away from what most westerners know as ‘the James Bond islands’. In case you are wondering, yes, they are definitely worth the hype.
While in Phang-Nga, we stayed in a brand new, local boutique hotel called Phang-Nga Origin. Beautifully designed and extremely affordable, it is owned by some of the most friendly and courteous people we have met!
🚕 + ✈️ + ✈️ 1h drive from Phang-Nga to Krabi (or Phuket) +1h direct flight to Bangkok + 13h direct flight to London
Phang-Nga is equidistant to Krabi and Phuket airports. Two flights later, we are back in London, thinking what an epic trip this was…
…and already daydreaming about the next! I am thinking northern Thailand and Laos… 😊
HOW DID WE PUT TOGETHER OUR THAILAND & CAMBODIA ITINERARY?
Below, you’ll find some information as to how we compiled our Thailand and Cambodia itinerary. I hope our thought process will make sense and provided you with usable ideas as to where to go, how many days to spend at each location and how to combine all these amazing places and experiences together!
DECIDING ON VISITING CENTRAL & SOUTHERN THAILAND
Since we were landing in Bangkok, staying in this super famous city for a few days was a given.
Furthermore, once the ‘Death Railway’ came up on my research, I got pretty excited as I love trains and both my fiancé and I love history. When I realised that the route terminated at The Floathouse Resort on the River Kwai (which I really wanted to visit ever since I saw it on Instagram a few years ago) I knew that a short stay in Kanchanabury province was in order. As a result, exploring central Thailand accounted for one week of our trip.
Apart from that, we knew that we had to visit one or two islands for some beach time, relaxation and that precious island life! I’ll talk more about how we chose which island to go to a bit later on this blog post.
So, with Bangkok, Kanchanabury and an island or two already on our wish list, the focus of our trip had already shifted towards central and southern Thailand. At that point, one of the toughest decisions we had to make was:
Should we head towards the north of the country? Or do we pop to Cambodia instead?
WHY DID WE EXCLUDE NORTHERN THAILAND FROM THIS ITINERARY?
Northern Thailand has been the ‘it’ SE Asia destination for quite a while now! Also, exploring northern Thailand would have us take an overnight train to get to Chiang Mai (the first port of call when exploring the north). That was exciting!
However, we were unsure whether we had enough days to explore northern Thailand properly. Furthermore, one can cross the border from northern Thailand to Laos and all the way to Luang Prabang by cruising on the Mekong River on a slow boat! How cool is that?
So, the decision was made. Northern Thailand and a cheeky trip across the border to Laos would be added to the bucket list for a future trip, because that sounded amazing and we just didn’t have the time. If we had 5-6 weeks, you’d be reading a Thailand (north and south), Laos and Cambodia itinerary right now!
… & WHY WE INCLUDED CAMBODIA TO THE ITINERARY
On the other hand, the allure of Angkor Wat being only a short hop from Bangkok was too much to ignore! However, would jetting in and out of Siem Reap do a disservice to all that Cambodia has to offer?
Based on research I had done so far, it appears that Cambodia’s sights, with the exception of Siem Reap / Angkor Wat, are currently suited to three types of travellers:
- super adventurous travellers who love the outdoors,
- backpackers, or, at the other end of the scale,
- luxury travellers (spending $1000+ per night on accommodation).
My fiancé and I do are not really any of the above. So, we decided that four days in Siem Reap will give us a glimpse of Cambodia and the chance of ticking Angkor Wat off our bucket list.
In retrospective, our time in Siem Reap was awesome and Cambodia left such a good impression on us! So, I am curious to know if there is indeed more for a traveller that doesn’t fit any of the types mentioned above. If you have travelled around Cambodia extensively, I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.
DECIDING ON VISITING THE ANDAMAN COAST
With Cambodia on the itinerary, we only had one week to spend in southern Thailand. That was a bit shocking for us, since we love spending time on the beach and southern Thailand has so much to offer! Nevertheless, we both love the history, culture and different way of life that one experiences when visiting the historic sites or just wandering the busy streets in SE Asia. Also, a good-looking pool really makes a difference at the end of a full day of sightseeing! So, we decided that 5 days of pure beach time are ok.
Anyway, once I started researching the Thai islands, I realised how people must feel when planning a holiday in my home country, Greece! For me, it was a precarious balance between overwhelming and fun! I spent quite a few hours looking into a ridiculous amount of all the beautiful, seemingly similar, but in reality, fairly different islands!
One thing that pushed us towards the Andaman coast was the weather. We travelled in December, and that put us off Ko Samui, Ko Phangan and the Lower Gulf. Apparently, due to the local microclimate, the rainy season just about finishes in December and we didn’t want to take any chances.
ITINERARY ALTERNATIVES / ADD-ONS: THE ISLANDS OF THE LOWER GULF
If you are travelling between January and August, the islands of the lower Gulf of Thailand are a strong contender for adding some beach time to your trip. In fact, they are your best option if you are travelling during the (northern hemisphere’s) summer months when the rainy season is in full swing in the Andaman coast. Make sure to check when is the best time to visit Thailand and Cambodia!
Ko Samui, Ko Phangan and Ko Tao are amongst many travellers’ favourite Thai islands but for very different reasons, so make sure to learn a bit more about them before booking!
… & WHY WE CHOSE KO LANTA & PHANG-NGA BAY
Apart from the beaches and vibes (which are more than enough reasons to visit Ko Lanta), one thing that made Ko Lanta stand out was the ethical elephant sanctuary Following Giants. We were really keen on seeing elephants up close and being able to do that without having to add yet another stop to our itinerary was awesome. Another reason why we chose Ko Lanta was that we could pop to super famous Ko Phi Phi and Maya Bay as a day trip. Lastly, Ko Lanta was fairly close to Phang-Nga bay, where all the karst scenery magic happens!
With that in mind, and for our last two days, we chose to visit Phang-Nga town which proved to be the perfect off the beaten track base for exploring popular Ao Phang-Nga National Park away from the crowds.
ITINERARY ALTERNATIVES & ADD-ONS: MORE ANDAMAN ISLANDS
Adding Ko Phi Phi to your itinerary:
If you wish to inject more beach time to your trip, consider adding legendary Ko Phi Phi to your itinerary. There are several boats from Ko Lanta (as well as Krabi and Phuket) daily and travel time is fairly short. If you do, please let me know if it’s worth the hype! Our initial plan to have a day trip to Ko Phi Phi fell through as we were having too much fun chilling in Ko Lanta!
Adding the Trang islands to your itinerary:
Alternatively, if you are looking for a more low key destination consider heading to the tiny Trang islands located just south of Ko Lanta. We were so tempted to visit Ko Muk, Ko Ngai or Ko Kradan but we were having a hard time getting a hotel that we liked. Make sure to book ahead! The Trang islands are connected to each other and Ko Lanta daily (not during the rainy season though). You can also access these islands after a short boat journey and drive from the town of Trang which features a domestic airport.
Staying in Ko Yao Noi instead of Phang-Nga town:
If we had just a bit more time, we would probably visit Phang-Nga bay from Koh Yao Noi island which is a cool destination in its own right. Ko Yao Noi is known for its karst scenery views as well as luxury accommodation options (though other hotels and hostels can also be found).
FINAL THOUGHTS: HOW DID OUR 3-WEEK THAILAND & CAMBODIA TRIP GO?
This trip was epic! For us, it was the perfect blend of everything we love about travelling! We explored a great city, saw everyday life in a small town, visited some of the most famous temples on this planet, had train journeys and boat rides that showered us with magnificent vistas, saw elephants up close, stayed on a floating house in the jungle, snorkelled, relaxed on a beautiful beach and on some very photogenic pools all while enjoying scrumptious curries and refreshing cocktails! We loved every single moment…
This is not a sponsored post & I am not affiliated with any of the hotels, restaurants or organisations mentioned.
