Day 1 | BangkokThis 3 country adventure tour begins in Bangkok, Thailand.
There's nothing planned for the first day as all travellers will be arriving at different times throughout the day.
They'll be a pre-trip meeting organized for the following morning by your leader and the opportunity to have dinner with the group in the evening.
Keep an eye out for the welcome note at reception of the joining-point hotel explaining when and where to meet.
Note that your group leader will collect the local payment in cash at the group meeting on day 1. Please bring new bills/notes in large denominations.
For those who arrive early, there is sightseeing information on the Intrepid noticeboard at reception. Please note that hotel check-in time is 12:00pm.
Tonight you'll stay in a 2 star standard hotel with restaurant.
Days 2-4 | Siem Reap/Angkor WatIn the morning of day 2, we depart early for the overland trip to Siem Reap. It is approx. 4 hours to the Thai-Cambodia border at Poipet. After customs, we change buses and continue on our journey. The road between Poipet and Siem Reap varies in condition according to the season and travel time should be between 6 and 8 hours. We anticipate few problems during the dry season (which runs from around October to the end of April) but during the wet season, this road may flood and become impassable. If this occurs (your leader will notify you in Bangkok), we will need to fly and this flight will be an extra trip cost.
Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor and we have 2 full days to enjoy this small but burgeoning Cambodian town and its surrounds. Upon arrival, your group leader will take you on an orientation walk around the centre of Siem Reap, introducing you to the various markets and points of interest. As your schedule here is completely up to you, you may choose to spend most of your time exploring the Angkor complex nearby, and skip back into town only for a meal and some nightlife.
Entry fees to the Angkor complex are US$20 for a 1-day pass. A tuk-tuk for a day around the ruins should be around US$10-15 per vehicle (you can bargain the price with the driver).
If you are tempted to explore Siem Reap and its surroundings, you may wish to visit the very scenic floating village near Tonle Sap. While here, do include a visit to the Gecko Environment Centre, which is designed to help manage and sustain this fragile area. The local market in Siem Reap is a great place to shop or to try some delicious, cheap street food and in the evening, several restaurants around town offer traditional Khmer cultural performances. These shows usually include a buffet dinner.
These nights we stay in a simple hotel or guesthouse.
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Day 5 | Kompong ChamWe travel by public bus (approx. 6 hours) to take us to the riverside town of Kompong Cham. This peaceful town was once an important trading hub and is now a great opportunity to experience life in small-town Cambodia. While here, you can explore the serene 11th century Wat Nokor or hire a bike to explore the rural island of Koh Paen, linked to Kompong Cham by an elaborate bamboo bridge (passable only in the dry season, take a ferry in the wet!). The locals here make their living fishing, growing tobacco and sesame so it's a good place to go for a closer look at Cambodia's cottage industry.
A little further afield (approx. 7 km) are the twin 'mountain temples' of Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei. Translated to mean "Man Hill" and "Woman Hill" respectively, legend has it that these temples were built by two teams, one all-male, the other all-female competing to complete their temple by daybreak. The women ingeniously started a large fire, which the men mistook to be sunrise, and accordingly, gave up construction. The women thus won, and as a result, no longer had to ask for men's hands in marriage as tradition once dictated.
Tonight we stay in a simple hotel or guesthouse.
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Day 6 | HomestayLeaving Hue, our bus journey (approx. 4 hours) takes us south through rural countryside and the picturesque fishing village of Lang Co before ascending the dramatic Hai Van Pass. We arrive at the newly declared World Heritage Site of Hoi An and take an orientation tour of the ancient town.
Once a thriving river port, the town's architecture has been mostly preserved and restored. This small town is a favourite with Intrepid travellers and leaders alike, and wandering the streets and narrow alleyways brings hours of pleasure and discovery. Hoi An's citizens today trade in ceramics, wood-ware, painting and tailoring so there is something here for everyone and it's the perfect place to pick up gifts for those at home. There are options here for a visit to the ancient Cham city of My Son, boating, or simply lazing the day away on a nearby beach.
Our accommodation in Hoi An is located near all the attractions of Hoi An Ancient Town and has lovely twin and double rooms with private facilities and air conditioning. The hotel also has a restaurant, bar and a pool.
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Days 7-9 | SihanoukvilleA 2-hour drive takes us to the beaches of Sihanoukville. Here, we have three nights to unwind and enjoy the relaxed tropical environment.
Boat trips are available to nearby islands. Nature lovers may wish to make the trip out to the Ream National Park, 21 ha of coastal mangrove forest, which hosts a great variety of animal and bird species. You may also like to venture out to the riverside French colonial town of Kampot (around 2 hrs each way). Or you may choose just to laze on the beach and enjoy fresh seafood, and even stay on for a bit of nightlife.
These nights we stay in a simple hotel or guesthouse.
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Days 10-11 | Phnom PenhOn day 10 we travel by public bus from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh (around 4 hrs).
On arrival, your group leader will take you on an introductory walk around the Cambodian capital, and there will be ample free time for you to explore further on your own.
For a graphic reminder of this country's tragic recent history, you might like to visit the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. Tuol Sleng, a former high school, was taken by the Khmer Rouge and transformed into a torture and detention centre, called Security Prison 21, or S-21. Pol Pot's regime kept detailed records of each prisoner that passed through these doors and the photographs of these unfortunate people, as well as the instruments used to torture them are now on display in this museum, testament to the horrifying genocide carried out by the Khmer Rouge.
These nights we stay in a simple hotel or guesthouse.
A mere 15km from central Phnom Penh lies the extermination camp of Choeung Ek. Between 1975 and 1978, these infamous Killing Fields were the site where some 17,000 people who had been detained at Tuol Sleng were transported for their execution. More than 8000 skulls, arranged by sex and age, are now displayed behind glass panels in the Memorial Stupa and again, you'll get profound insight into the horrors of the Pol Pot regime.
In central Phnom Penh, you can't miss the beautiful Silver Pagoda. Part of the Royal Palace complex, this stunning temple gains its name from the 5000 silver tiles covering the floor. A visit to the National Museum is also worthwhile. Housed in a beautiful traditional building, it contains many outstanding examples of Khmer craftsmanship.
There's also the ancient Wat Phnom, set atop the only hill in the city, which is a haven of peace, away from the noisy streets of the capital. If you're in the mood for shopping, stop in at the art deco-designed Psar Thmei (Central Market) which is a great place for browsing, or travel out to Psar Tuol Tom Pong (the Russian Market) for the best range of local souvenirs.
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Days 12-13 | Ho Chi Minh CityDay 12 is a long day of driving, as we travel between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The journey should take approx. 6-8 hours, depending on road conditions.
Ho Chi Minh City is a busy city that is filled with a great array of sights, scents and sounds. From peaceful temples to overflowing markets and streets humming with the sound of motorbike engines, there's much to see and do in this former capital. Tonight, why not indulge in some delicious Vietnamese cuisine in this cosmopolitan city?
Tonight we stay in a simple hotel or guesthouse.
There are no activities planned for day 13 and you are able to depart the hotel at any time. Check out time from the hotel is at 12 noon. If you are departing later, you can arrange luggage storage at the hotel.
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Itinerary DisclaimerPlease note: occasionally our itineraries are updated during the year to incorporate improvements stemming from past travellers' comments and our own research and may change with no prior notice.
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