Cambodia & Thailand Self-Launched: Angkor Wat, Cardamom Mountains & Koh Rong
9 days · Cambodia & Thailand
G Adventures charges £1,840
No-markup version: ~£934 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 9-day version of G Adventures' premium Cambodia & Thailand trip — Angkor Wat sunrise, a Khmer village cooking class, jungle trekking and kayaking in the Cardamom Mountains, beach time on Koh Rong, and a street-food crawl through Bangkok. Instead of hotels and a private vehicle you'll use guesthouses, hostels and a riverside tented camp booked direct, local tuk-tuks, buses and shared minivans, and self-booked activities. Same sights, same experiences, roughly a third of the price.
Day-by-day
Siem Reap: Arrive & Ride with the Lady Tuk-Tuk Drivers
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Land at Siem Reap (REP) and grab an airport tuk-tuk into town (~£4-5 / $6). Check into a guesthouse or hostel in the Wat Bo / Old Market area. In the afternoon, book a driver from the Lady Tuk-Tuk Drivers cooperative directly — ask at your guesthouse or contact them via Facebook — and ride out to Spoons Restaurant for dinner, a training restaurant that helps young Cambodians from vulnerable backgrounds into hospitality careers. Budget ~£6-8 for a set dinner. Walk back along the river and pick up your Angkor pass options for tomorrow (1-day pass $37).
🚌Airport tuk-tuk ~£4-5; tuk-tuks around town £1-2 per ride
🛏Guesthouse or hostel in central Siem Reap (private twin or dorm) — ~£10-14/night
- →Lady Tuk-Tuk drivers cooperative ride
- →Dinner at Spoons Restaurant (social enterprise)
Siem Reap: Market, Village Cooking Class & Floating Village
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Book a half-day Khmer cooking class online (GetYourGuide or direct with a school such as Countryside Cooking Class near Chreav village) — roughly £22-28, including market tour, ingredients and lunch. Start at a local market with the chef smelling and tasting ingredients, then head to a village kitchen outside town to cook amok, lok lak and fresh spring rolls. In the afternoon choose: rent a bike (~£2-3/day) and ride village lanes for sunset (~£3-5 with a guide), or take a shared longtail boat to Kampong Khleang floating village (~£15-20 incl. boat, or the group boat from the pier for less). Street food dinner near Pub Street area — £4-6.
🚌Tuk-tuk to cooking class village ~£4-6 return; bike hire for the afternoon
🛏Same Siem Reap guesthouse
- →Market tour + village cooking class
- →Sunset bike ride or Kampong Khleang floating village boat trip
Siem Reap: Sunrise at Angkor Wat
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Do the classic sunrise run. Hire a tuk-tuk driver for the morning (~£12-15 for 4-5 hours; agree the route in advance) or join a small-group sunrise tour on GetYourGuide (~£15-20). Leave at 4:30am to reach the west causeway before dawn, then continue to Bayon and Ta Prohm as the crowds build. Buy your 1-day Angkor pass ($37 / ~£29) — the ticket office opens at 5am. Carry breakfast snacks; have a proper brunch back in town around 10am. Afternoon nap, then sunset at Phnom Bakheng or a relaxed evening at the Old Market.
🚌Private tuk-tuk for the morning ~£12-15 (splittable between 2-3 people)
🛏Same Siem Reap guesthouse
- →Sunrise at Angkor Wat
- →Bayon and Ta Prohm temples
- →1-day Angkor Archaeological Park pass
Cardamom Mountains: Into the Jungle at Cardamom Tented Camp
Botum Sakor National Park / Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia
Travel day south. Take a shared minivan from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (~£9-12, 5.5 hrs) and then a bus or shared taxi toward Koh Kong / the Trapeang Rung junction (~£8-10, 4-5 hrs), or book a direct Siem Reap–Koh Kong sleeper/express night or day bus (~£18-22) — check Virak Buntham or Mekong Express schedules. From the junction it's a boat or 4x4 transfer to Cardamom Tented Camp, bookable direct by email/WhatsApp. The camp is a conservation project supporting Wildlife Alliance; campsite-style canvas tents with en-suite start around £45-60/night including meals and guided activities — book a 2-night package. Arrive for dinner, spot hornbills and gibbons from the riverfront deck.
🚌Shared minivan Siem Reap–Phnom Penh ~£9-12; bus/shared taxi to Koh Kong junction ~£8-10; camp boat/4x4 transfer included with package
🛏Cardamom Tented Camp (riverfront safari tent, conservation-run) — ~£50-60/night incl. meals
- →Travel through rural Cambodia
- →Arrival at the conservation tented camp
- →Riverfront wildlife spotting at dusk
Cardamom Mountains: Trekking, Kayaking & Old Ranger Station
Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia
Free kayaks at the camp make this easy. Paddle downriver first to the old ranger station, then walk old logging trails through dense evergreen forest, crossing streams, with a local Khmer guide from the camp's community guide team. Your guide shares the history of illegal logging and the Wildlife Alliance patrols protecting this elephant corridor. Look for gibbons, pangolins, hornbills and kingfishers. Return for lunch, then a relaxed afternoon paddle or swim in the Tatai River. All meals included in the camp package.
🚌Kayak and on foot — all from camp
🛏Cardamom Tented Camp (second night)
- →Guided jungle trek on old logging trails
- →Kayak to the old ranger station
- →Wildlife spotting with a local Khmer guide
Koh Rong: Island Paradise
Koh Rong, Cambodia
Head to the coast. Transfer back to Koh Kong or Sihanoukville by shared minivan/bus (~£8-15 depending on route), then take the public ferry or speedboat to Koh Rong (~£9-12 each way, 45 mins–2.5 hrs depending on pier; book with Speed Ferry Cambodia or Buva Sea). Alternatively there are direct Sihanoukville–Koh Rong boats from Serendipity Pier. Check into a beach bungalow — Koh Toch village is liveliest, Long Set Beach quieter and cheaper, Sok San for white sand. Afternoon free: swim, walk the shoreline, hire a kayak (~£4-6), and pick a sunset bar. Simple bungalow dinner £5-7.
🚌Shared minivan/bus to the coast ~£8-15; public ferry/speedboat to Koh Rong ~£9-12
🛏Beach bungalow or hostel on Koh Rong — ~£12-18/night
- →Public ferry to Koh Rong
- →Beach time and sunset
- →Kayak hire from the beach
Koh Rong: Waterfall Hike & Mangrove Kayaking
Koh Rong, Cambodia
Self-launch this one: most Koh Rong guesthouses can arrange a local guide for a rainforest hike toward a seasonal waterfall (~£12-18 for a half-day with a guide, or walk the marked trails yourself for free). Set off early before the heat — the jungle interior is dense, with butterflies and tropical birds. After lunch, hire a kayak (~£5-8 for a couple of hours) and paddle the quiet mangrove creeks and sheltered bays around the island, or join a boat trip to Koh Rong Samloem (~£12-15). Evening beach barbecue on Koh Toch beach — grilled fish and rice for £6-8.
🚌Walking; kayak hire from the beach
🛏Same Koh Rong bungalow
- →Rainforest hike to a seasonal waterfall with a local guide
- →Mangrove and bay kayaking
- →Beach barbecue
Bangkok: Sunset Street-Food Crawl
Bangkok, Thailand
Cross the border independently. Speedboat back to Sihanoukville (~£9-12), then a minivan/bus to the Cham Yeam–Ban Hat Lek border crossing (~£12-18), clear immigration (e-visa or visa on arrival for Cambodia's side already sorted; Thai entry is visa-free for most nationalities — remember the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, TDAC, online within 3 days of arrival). Continue by minivan to Trat and a bus from Trat to Bangkok's Ekkamai (~£12-15, 5-6 hrs), or fly Trat–Bangkok (~£35-50) to save time. Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Khao San / Phra Nakhon. In the evening, do the foodie finale yourself: a Chaophraya river boat (public Chao Phraya Express ~£0.50-1) to Tha Chang, Pad Thai at Thip Samai (~£2-3), then tuk-tuk to Yaowarat Road for Chinatown street bites (~£5-8) ending with mango sticky rice.
🚌Speedboat ~£9-12; minivan to border ~£12-18; Trat–Bangkok bus ~£12-15; river boat and tuk-tuks in Bangkok
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Phra Nakhon / Khao San area — ~£15-25/night
- →Border crossing at Cham Yeam / Ban Hat Lek
- →Chao Phraya river boat ride
- →Pad Thai at Thip Samai
- →Yaowarat Road (Chinatown) street-food crawl
Bangkok: Departure
Bangkok, Thailand
Last morning: an early walk around Wat Pho or the flower market (Pak Khlong Talat), or a £4-6 breakfast of boat noodles and iced coffee. Take the airport rail link from Phaya Thai (~£1) or a metered taxi to Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang (~£7-10). Trip ends.
🚌Airport Rail Link ~£1 or metered taxi ~£7-10
🛏None — departure day
- →Optional Wat Pho or Pak Khlong Talat flower market visit
- →Departure from Bangkok
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£934 | £1,840 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £906 per person (49%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£934
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Cambodia & Thailand Self-Launched: Angkor Wat, Cardamom Mountains & Koh Rong cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £934 per person for 9 days in Cambodia & Thailand. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,840 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £934 — a saving of roughly £906 (49%) per person.
How long is the Cambodia & Thailand trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through Cambodia & Thailand.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, beaches trip through Cambodia & Thailand, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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