Indochina: Hilltribes, Thai Islands & Full Moon Party — Self-Launched

Land at Suvarnabhumi and take the Airport Rail Link to Phaya Thai (~£1) then the BTS/MRT or a metered taxi (~£6–9) to Banglamphu. Check into a hostel dorm near Khao San Road. Spend the evening on a self-guided wander: Wat Saket at sunset, a plate of pad thai from a street stall (~£1.50), and a beer on Soi Rambuttri.

🚌Airport Rail Link + MRT/taxi (~£8)

🛏Hostel dorm, Banglamphu (~£9)

• →Airport Rail Link into town
• →Wat Saket (Golden Mount) sunset
• →Khao San / Soi Rambuttri street food

Take the 05:55 train from Hua Lamphong to Aranyaprathet (~£1) or a minivan from Mo Chit (~£5). Cross at Poipet on foot — ignore the 'visa office' touts and get your Cambodian e-visa online in advance (~£25). Shared taxi or bus from Poipet to Siem Reap (~£4). Evening on Pub Street and the night market.

🚌Train + shared taxi/bus (~£32 incl. visa)

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap (~£7)

• →Border crossing at Poipet
• →Pub Street & Angkor Night Market

Book a small-group sunrise Angkor tour on GetYourGuide or with a local tuk-tuk driver the night before (~£20–28 including a guide + Angkor pass; the 1-day pass is $37/£29). Catch sunrise at Angkor Wat, then Bayon's faces and tree-wrapped Ta Prohm. Lunch at a Planeterra-style social enterprise restaurant such as Haven (~£5). Optional Phare Circus in the evening (~£12).

🚌Tuk-tuk (~£4)

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap (~£7)

• →Angkor Wat sunrise guided tour
• →Bayon & Ta Prohm
• →Phare Circus (optional)

Morning bus with Giant Ibis or Mekong Express to Phnom Penh, roughly 6 hours (~£12). Self-guided orientation walk along the riverside, then dinner at the night market near Wat Ounalom.

🚌Air-con bus (~£12)

🛏Hostel dorm, Phnom Penh (~£7)

• →Riverside walk
• →Night market dinner

Take a half-day tuk-tuk tour to Tuol Sleng (S-21) and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek (~£10 entry + £8 tuk-tuk). Afternoon at the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (~£8). Evening street food crawl: try num pang, grilled squid and Khmer barbecue around Psar Thmei.

🚌Tuk-tuk (~£8)

🛏Hostel dorm, Phnom Penh (~£7)

• →Tuol Sleng & Killing Fields
• →Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
• →Street food crawl

Bus to Sihanoukville (~£10, 5 hrs) then the fast ferry to Koh Rong (~£10 return). Settle into a beach bungalow or dorm on Long Set or Koh Touch. Swim, eat seafood and watch the sunset.

🚌Bus + ferry (~£20)

🛏Beach bungalow/dorm, Koh Rong (~£9)

• →Fast ferry to Koh Rong
• →Beach time

Hike to Sok San or rent a kayak (~£5) for the morning. After dark, walk to a quiet beach and swim among bioluminescent plankton — bring a torch with a red filter to protect your night vision. Nightlife on Koh Touch is cheap and cheerful.

🚌On foot/kayak (~£5)

🛏Beach bungalow/dorm, Koh Rong (~£9)

• →Kayaking or hike to Sok San
• →Bioluminescent plankton swim

Ferry back to Sihanoukville, then bus to Chambok village in Kampot province (~£6). Book through the Chambok Community-Based Ecotourism office (~£12 including dinner and breakfast). Spend the afternoon walking to the waterfall and chatting with your host family.

🚌Ferry + bus (~£16)

🛏Community homestay, Chambok (~£12 incl. meals)

• →Chambok waterfall walk
• →Home-cooked Khmer meal with host family

Bus to Bavet/Moc Bai border (~£8) and continue to HCMC (~£12 total). You'll need a pre-arranged Vietnam e-visa (~£20). Stay in a District 1 hostel. Evening: Ben Thanh Market, then a rooftop drink at Chill Skybar or Saigon Saigon.

🚌Bus + border (~£32 incl. visa)

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 (~£8)

• →Border crossing Bavet/Moc Bai
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Rooftop bar

Morning self-guided walk: Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office and the War Remnants Museum (£2). Grab banh mi lunch, then board the SE train to Nha Trang (~£22 soft sleeper, ~8 hrs) — book on the Vietnam Railways site or at the station 1–2 days ahead.

🚌Sleeper train (~£22)

🛏Soft sleeper train (~£22)

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Ben Thanh/Central Post Office walk
• →Sleeper train to Nha Trang

Arrive early and drop your bag at a guesthouse near the beach. Spend the morning on the sand, then hit the Thap Ba mud baths (~£10). Evening street food crawl: nem nuong (grilled pork skewers), banh can and fresh seafood.

🚌On foot/Grab bike (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse dorm, Nha Trang (~£8)

• →Nha Trang beach
• →Thap Ba mud bath
• →Street food crawl

Free morning — snorkelling boat trip is ~£20 if you fancy it. In the late afternoon take the SE train north to Da Nang (~£20 soft sleeper, ~10 hrs). Consider paying for the daytime leg if you want the Hai Van Pass coastal views.

🚌Train (~£20)

🛏Soft sleeper train (~£20)

• →Free beach morning
• →Optional snorkelling boat trip
• →Overnight train north

Arrive in Da Nang and take a local bus to Hoi An (~£1). Check into a family guesthouse in the old town. Afternoon free to get a suit tailored (24-hour turnaround, from £60) or rent a bicycle for the rice paddies and An Bang beach.

🚌Local bus (~£1)

🛏Guesthouse, Hoi An (~£9)

• →Da Nang–Hoi An local bus
• →An Bang beach
• →Tailor fittings

Book a half-day cooking class through Klook or directly with a local school such as Red Bridge (~£22) — market tour, cao lau, white rose dumplings. Late afternoon self-guided Old Town walk with the £5 Old Town ticket (Japanese Covered Bridge, assembly halls, Tan Ky house). Lantern-lit riverside in the evening.

🚌Bicycle (~£2)

🛏Guesthouse, Hoi An (~£9)

• →Hoi An cooking class
• →Hoi An Old Town walking tour
• →Lantern-lit Thu Bon river

Take a local bus or, better, a motorbike 'Easy Rider' transfer over the Hai Van Pass (~£20, 4 hrs with stops at Marble Mountains and Lang Co lagoon). Arrive in Hue and explore the Imperial Citadel (£3) before sunset. Riverside dinner of bun bo Hue (~£3).

🚌Easy Rider motorbike transfer (~£20)

🛏Guesthouse dorm, Hue (~£8)

• →Hai Van Pass motorbike transfer
• →Imperial Citadel
• →Bun bo Hue dinner

Rent a bicycle (~£3) and ride to the Thien Mu Pagoda, then pick one or two of the royal tombs (Tu Duc or Khai Dinh, ~£4 each). Optional Perfume River dragon boat (~£7). Evening at the Dong Ba market food stalls.

🚌Bicycle (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse dorm, Hue (~£8)

• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Royal tombs by bicycle
• →Perfume River boat (optional)

Bus north to Phong Nha (~£8, 5 hrs). Book a guesthouse in Phong Nha village. Afternoon at the Paradise Cave boardwalks (£10) — white crystal stalactites and a 31km cave system. Rent a bicycle and cycle the Bong Lai valley for a cold beer at The Pub With Cold Beer.

🚌Bus + bicycle (~£11)

🛏Guesthouse, Phong Nha (~£8)

• →Paradise Cave
• →Bong Lai valley cycle

Sleeper bus to Hanoi (~£12, 9 hrs, arriving early morning) or overnight on Day 17. Book a 2-day/1-night Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay cruise independently on Klook (~£85–100 with meals, kayaking and a cave visit) — cheaper and less crowded via Lan Ha Bay. Board in the late morning for the limestone karst cruise, seafood lunch and cave stop.

🚌Sleeper bus + shuttle (~£22)

🛏Junk boat cabin or Cat Ba guesthouse (~£20)

• →Ha Long/Lan Ha Bay junk boat cruise
• →Sea kayaking
• →Cave visit

Return to Hanoi mid-afternoon. Check in near Ta Hien street, then a self-guided walk: Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple (£1), Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake (free), Temple of Literature (£2). Evening beer hoi on Ta Hien (~50p a glass) and bun cha for dinner (~£2). Optional Thang Long water puppet show (~£7).

🚌Grab bike/walking (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm, Old Quarter (~£8)

• →Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple
• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Ta Hien beer street

Day free for the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Train Street photo spot, or a Hanoi foodie walking tour on Klook (~£15). In the evening, take the direct overnight sleeper bus from Hanoi to Luang Prabang (~£27, ~24 hrs) or fly to Luang Prabang with Laos Airlines if time or money allow.

🚌Sleeper bus (~£27)

🛏Sleeper bus (~£27)

• →HCMC Mausoleum
• →Hanoi foodie walk (optional)
• →Overnight sleeper bus to Laos

Arrive in Luang Prabang and get a Laos visa on arrival at the border (~£28 with two passport photos). Check into a riverside guesthouse (~£8). Afternoon swim at Kuang Si's lower falls if you're up for a short tuk-tuk ride (~£10 shared), or simply walk the Mekong riverbank for sunset.

🚌Tuk-tuk (~£6)

🛏Guesthouse, Luang Prabang (~£8)

• →Laos visa on arrival
• →Mekong riverbank sunset

Shared tuk-tuk to Kuang Si Falls (~£6 return + £2 entry) — arrive before 9am to beat the crowds. Afternoon: Wat Xieng Thong (£2), Wat Visoun (£2), and a coffee and pastry at one of the French-colonial bakeries. Optional Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre (free).

🚌Shared tuk-tuk (~£6)

🛏Guesthouse, Luang Prabang (~£8)

• →Kuang Si Falls
• →Wat Xieng Thong
• →Ock Pop Tok crafts centre

Slow day. Morning alms-giving ceremony on Sisavangvong Road (arrive 5.30am, be respectful, no flash). Book a cooking class (~£22) or simply read by the river. Climb Mount Phousi (£2) for sunset, then eat your way through the night market buffet (~£2 a plate).

🚌Walking

🛏Guesthouse, Luang Prabang (~£8)

• →Morning alms-giving
• →Mount Phousi sunset
• →Night market buffet

Board the public slow boat from Luang Prabang to Pakbeng (~£22, 8 hrs, depart 8.30am). Or, better, extend to the two-day Pakbeng–Huay Xai leg. Book your seat the day before at the slow boat pier. Overnight in Pakbeng at a simple guesthouse where a local family cooks a home-style Lao meal (~£12 with dinner).

🚌Slow boat (~£22)

🛏Guesthouse, Pakbeng (~£12)

• →Mekong slow boat
• →Village homestay dinner

Continue on the slow boat to Huay Xai (~£18) with a stop at a riverside village and the Pak Ou caves. Arrive late afternoon and check into a guesthouse by the Mekong. Cheap Beerlao on the terrace while the sun drops over Thailand on the far bank.

🚌Slow boat (~£18)

🛏Guesthouse, Huay Xai (~£8)

• →Slow boat day 2
• →Pak Ou caves stop
• →Mekong sunset

Walk across the Friendship Bridge from Huay Xai to Chiang Khong (visa-free Thai entry for most nationalities, 30 days). Take a local bus from Chiang Khong to Chiang Rai (~£4, 2 hrs). Evening at the Chiang Rai night bazaar and a massage (~£5).

🚌Border crossing + local bus (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse, Chiang Rai (~£8)

• →Huay Xai–Chiang Khong border crossing
• →Chiang Rai night bazaar
• →Thai massage

Morning bus to Chiang Mai (~£5, 3 hrs). Book a Northern Thai cooking class for the afternoon via Klook or a local school such as Pantawan (~£22) — market tour, khao soi, sai ua sausage and mango sticky rice. Evening: wander the Sunday Walking Street market if the timing works, or the night bazaar.

🚌Bus (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse, Old City (~£8)

• →Northern Thai cooking class
• →Chiang Mai night market

Book a songthaew to Doi Suthep (~£4 shared + £2 entry) for the mountain temple and city views. Afternoon free for the Old City temples — Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh — or a self-guided cycling tour (~£4 bike hire).

🚌Songthaew + bicycle (~£8)

🛏Guesthouse, Old City (~£8)

• →Doi Suthep temple
• →Old City temples by bicycle

Join a small-group 2-day homestay trek booked direct through a responsible operator (e.g. a Chiang Mai community tourism group, ~£65–80 including guide, meals and homestay). Trek through teak forest and bamboo to a Karen or Lahu village. Dinner cooked over a fire and village stories in the evening.

🚌Songthaew to trailhead (included)

🛏Hilltribe village homestay (included)

• →Guided hilltribe trek
• →Village homestay

Trek out on forest trails, then take a bamboo raft down the Mae Taeng river (usually part of the same trek package). Return to Chiang Mai by songthaew late afternoon. Celebrate with a cheap pad kra pao and a Beer Chang.

🚌Songthaew (included)

🛏Guesthouse, Old City (~£8)

• →Trek out
• →Bamboo rafting
• →Return to Chiang Mai

Morning free at leisure — an elephant sanctuary day if you want (book ethical only, ~£55) or simply wander. Take the afternoon express train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok (~£18 second class / ~£28 sleeper). Overnight on the train.

🚌Train (~£25)

🛏Sleeper train (~£25)

• →Free morning
• →Optional ethical elephant sanctuary
• →Overnight sleeper train

Book a longtail boat tour of the Thonburi canals (~£18 via Klook, or ~£10 haggled at Tha Chang pier). Afternoon: Grand Palace (£11) and Wat Pho (£5). Evening rooftop beer or a Khao San night out.

🚌River boat + walking (~£20)

🛏Hostel dorm, Banglamphu (~£9)

• →Thonburi longtail boat
• →Grand Palace
• →Wat Pho

Overnight train or bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani (~£12 bus, 9 hrs or ~£20 train). From Surat Thani, a minibus to Khao Sok village (~£5, 2 hrs). Check into a jungle guesthouse near the park entrance.

🚌Bus + minibus (~£17)

🛏Jungle guesthouse, Khao Sok (~£10)

• →Travel to Khao Sok
• →Jungle guesthouse arrival

Join a Cheow Lan Lake day trip (~£35 with kayaking, longtail boat, guide, lunch and park fee). Combine with a visit to Khao Thep Pitak community farm for a home-style lunch if your operator offers it. Swim in emerald water between the limestone karst towers. Optional tubing back at the village (£6).

🚌Shared boat included

🛏Jungle guesthouse, Khao Sok (~£10)

• →Cheow Lan Lake boat trip
• →Kayaking
• →Community farm lunch (optional)

Minibus to Don Sak pier (~£5), then the Seatran or Raja ferry to Koh Pha Ngan (~£7, 2.5 hrs). Take a songthaew to Haad Rin and check into a beach dorm or bungalow. Sunset on the beach, bucket in hand.

🚌Minibus + ferry (~£12)

🛏Beach bungalow/dorm, Haad Rin (~£10)

• →Ferry to Koh Pha Ngan
• →Haad Rin beach sunset

Longtail boat from Thong Sala or Haad Rin to Bottle Beach (~£8–10 return, or a hike over the ridge if you're feeling energetic). Spend the day in the relaxed cove with a hammock, swimming and a cheap lunch. Back to Haad Rin for the evening.

🚌Longtail boat (~£10)

🛏Beach bungalow/dorm, Haad Rin (~£10)

• →Bottle Beach longtail boat trip
• →Swimming & hammock time

Slow day: rent a scooter (~£6) and ride to Malibu Beach or the Secret Beach, or book a snorkelling trip to Sail Rock (~£20). Stock up on cheap buckets and a Full Moon t-shirt in Haad Rin. The Full Moon Party runs from sunset until dawn — pace yourself.

🚌Scooter hire (~£6)

🛏Beach bungalow/dorm, Haad Rin (~£10)

• →Scooter loop to Secret Beach
• →Optional snorkelling
• →Full Moon Party

Sleep in, then a banana pancake brunch on the beach (~£3) and a sleep-it-off swim. Afternoon massage (~£6) and a quiet dinner away from Haad Rin if you need a break from the noise.

🚌Walking

🛏Beach bungalow/dorm, Haad Rin (~£10)

• →Beach recovery day
• →Thai massage

Take a longtail boat around the coast to Haad Yuan or Thong Nai Pan Noi (~£10) for the quieter northern beaches — a final taste of the island's calmer side before you fly home.

🚌Longtail boat (~£10)

🛏Beach bungalow, Thong Nai Pan (~£12)

• →Longtail boat to quieter beaches
• →Final swim

Ferry back to Don Sak and transfer to Surat Thani airport (~£18 combined) for onward flights home, or take the Lomprayah bus-boat combo straight to Bangkok (~£22). If you're flying out of Koh Samui, the short ferry is ~£10.

🚌Ferry + transfer to Surat Thani airport (~£18)

🛏—

• →Ferry to mainland
• →Onward to airport