Beyond the Mekong — Self-Launched: Bangkok to Luang Prabang to Angkor

Land at Suvarnabhumi and take the Airport Rail Link + BTS or the S1 bus into Banglamphu (about £1.50). Check into a hostel or guesthouse near Khao San / Rambuttri. If you're in by early afternoon, book a longtail boat canal trip from Tha Chang pier (about £14 shared) or just walk Wat Saket and the riverside. Orientation walk down Ratchadamnoen and dinner at a street stall on Phra Athit.

🚌Airport Rail Link + metro/bus ~£1.50

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Banglamphu, £12–16 dorm or simple double

• →Longtail canal trip from Tha Chang pier
• →Wat Saket (Golden Mount) sunset
• →Khao San / Rambuttri street food

Get to the Grand Palace for the 08:30 opening (tickets ~£13, cover shoulders and knees). Walk ten minutes to Wat Pho for the 46m reclining Buddha (~£6). Lunch near Tha Tien, then ferry across the river to Wat Arun if you have time. Collect your bags and take the MRT/Chao Phraya boat to Krung Thep Aphiwat station for the 18:10 special express sleeper to Chiang Mai — book a 2nd-class A/C sleeper berth on the State Railway of Thailand site or at 12Go (~£18–22).

🚌Sleeper train Bangkok–Chiang Mai, 2nd class A/C berth ~£20

🛏Overnight 2nd-class A/C sleeper train

• →Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo
• →Wat Pho reclining Buddha
• →Wat Arun (optional)

Arrive mid-morning, drop bags at a guesthouse inside the moat (about £12–16). Self-walk the old city: Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chiang Man. In the afternoon share a red songthaew up to Doi Suthep (~£2 each way, temple entry £1) or book a half-day Doi Suthep + Wat Umong tour on GetYourGuide for about £20. Evening: Chiang Mai night market and a khao soi dinner (£3). Optional Thai cookery class next morning (~£23).

🚌Songthaew to Doi Suthep ~£4 return

🛏Guesthouse in the old city, £12–16

• →Old city temple walk
• →Doi Suthep temple
• →Sunday/night market

Take the morning bus from Chiang Mai Arcade terminal to Tha Ton (~3 hrs, £3), then the public longtail boat down the Kok River to Chiang Rai (about 4 hrs, ~£5–7 — departures typically late morning, so leave Chiang Mai early; check times at the pier). Alternatively book the whole Kok River day tour via GetYourGuide for ~£35. Arrive Chiang Rai evening: night market and a walk to the Golden Clock Tower. Optional 20-minute songthaew to the White Temple if you arrive early enough (opens evening too).

🚌Bus + public Kok River longtail boat ~£10

🛏Guesthouse/hostel central Chiang Rai, £12–15

• →Kok River longtail cruise
• →Tha Ton riverside
• →Chiang Rai night market
• →White Temple (optional)

Local bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Saen (~1.5 hrs, £1.50) to see the riverside temple ruins; then onward to the Golden Triangle viewpoint where the Mekong meets the Ruak (£1). Opium Museum entry ~£2. Continue by bus or shared songthaew to Chiang Khong (£1.50), cross the Friendship Bridge by shuttle bus (£1) to Huay Xai, and get a 30-day Laos visa on arrival (approximate £30 — bring USD/THB cash and a photo). Sleep in Huay Xai and buy your slow boat ticket for tomorrow from the pier office.

🚌Local buses + border shuttle ~£5

🛏Guesthouse Huay Xai, £10–14

• →Chiang Saen ruins
• →Golden Triangle viewpoint
• →Opium Museum
• →Border crossing to Laos

Be at the pier for the ~09:00 public slow boat to Pakbeng (about £22–26 for the two-day through ticket to Luang Prabang; buy at the pier office the day before or at 12Go). It's 7–8 hours of river villages, karst hills and buffalo — bring snacks, water and a cushion. Overnight in Pakbeng; guesthouses are cheap (£8–12) but get booked in high season, so reserve ahead. Group-boat upgrade via a local agent is about £35 if you want more comfort.

🚌Public Mekong slow boat, Huay Xai–Pakbeng (part of 2-day ticket) ~£23

🛏Guesthouse Pakbeng, £8–12

• →Mekong slow boat day 1
• →River village stops
• →Pakbeng sunset river walk

Board the 09:00 boat again; around 14:00 you stop at the Pak Ou Caves — climb the steps to the upper limestone shrine (entry ~£1.50). Arrive Luang Prabang late afternoon, walk up to Wat Xieng Thong if it's still open, and settle into a guesthouse in the old town (£12–18). Evening: sunset over the Mekong with a Beerlao and Lao barbecue at the night market (£4).

🚌Slow boat Pakbeng–Luang Prabang (balance of ticket) + tuk-tuk transfer ~£2

🛏Old-town guesthouse Luang Prabang, £12–18

• →Mekong slow boat day 2
• →Pak Ou Caves
• →Wat Xieng Thong
• →Night market food stalls

Be up by 05:30 to watch the tak bat alms procession (keep a respectful distance, don't block the monks). Later hire a bicycle or tuk-tuk for the Royal Palace Museum (~£3) and a weaving/paper-making village stop on the far bank (~£6 tuk-tuk). Climb Mount Phousi for sunset (~£1). Optional: half-day Kuang Si or a cooking class booked today for tomorrow, or a Luang Prabang walking/food tour on GetYourGuide (~£25).

🚌Bike hire £3 or tuk-tuks ~£6

🛏Old-town guesthouse, £12–18

• →Morning alms ceremony
• →Royal Palace Museum
• →Village craft workshops
• →Mount Phousi sunset

Share a songthaew or minibus to Kuang Si Falls (~£4 return, entry £1.50) — get there for 08:30 to swim before the crowds, and visit the bear sanctuary. Back in town by early afternoon, stop at Wat Mai. Take the overnight VIP sleeper bus to Vientiane (about 11 hrs, £18–22, book at 12Go) or, if you'd rather travel in daylight, the new high-speed train to Vientiane (~£10–12, 2 hrs) and sleep in the capital.

🚌Songthaew to Kuang Si + overnight sleeper bus ~£26

🛏Overnight sleeper bus, or Vientiane guesthouse £12

• →Kuang Si Waterfalls
• →Tat Kuang Si bear rescue centre
• →Wat Mai
• →Hmong night market

Arrive early morning, check in around Nam Phu fountain (£12–16). Walk or tuk-tuk to Patuxai victory arch (£1 to climb), That Luang stupa (£1), Wat Sisaket and the COPE museum. In the afternoon take local bus 14 out to Buddha Park (Xieng Khouang, ~£1.50 each way, entry £1.50). Dinner on the Mekong promenade with Laos sausage and sticky rice (£4).

🚌Tuk-tuks + local bus to Buddha Park ~£5

🛏Central Vientiane guesthouse, £12–16

• →Patuxai Victory Gate
• →That Luang stupa
• →Wat Sisaket
• →Buddha Park
• →COPE museum

Fly Vientiane–Phnom Penh with Lao Airlines, Thai Smile or Vietnam Airlines (book early; about £90–120). On arrival get a Cambodian visa on arrival/e-visa (~£28, e-visa is easiest). Check into a hostel near the riverfront (£10–14). Afternoon: Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda (£6.50) and the National Museum (£3). Sunset cocktails on the Riverside and a Khmer curry dinner (£5).

🚌Flight Vientiane–Phnom Penh ~£105; tuk-tuk from airport £4

🛏Riverfront hostel/guesthouse Phnom Penh, £10–14

• →Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
• →National Museum of Cambodia
• →Riverside evening walk

A sombre but essential day. Tuk-tuk to Tuol Sleng (S-21) Genocide Museum early (£3 entry, audio guide £2), then out to Choeung Ek Killing Fields (£3 entry) — a shared tuk-tuk for both is £12–15 for the day; a small-group guided tour on GetYourGuide runs ~£22. Afternoon at the Russian Market, then a Khmer cooking class if you want (~£25). Meet other travellers on the Riverside in the evening.

🚌Tuk-tuk day hire ~£14

🛏Riverfront hostel/guesthouse, £10–14

• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Russian Market
• →Khmer cooking class (optional)

Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham VIP bus to Siem Reap (about 6 hrs, £10–13, book online). Arrive lunchtime, check into a hostel on Wat Bo Road (£10–14), buy your Angkor pass (1-day £30 or 3-day £51 — the 1-day works if you only do one big day; ask about the late-afternoon pass trick where the 1-day is valid from 17:00). Hire a tuk-tuk driver for the afternoon (~£12) to the Roluos temples — Preah Ko, Bakong — and East Mebon/Pre Rup for a Mekong-plains sunset.

🚌VIP bus Phnom Penh–Siem Reap ~£12; tuk-tuk £12

🛏Hostel/guesthouse Siem Reap, £10–14

• →Roluos temple group
• →East Mebon
• →Pre Rup sunset

Book a tuk-tuk driver for the day (~£18–22) or a shared Angkor tour on GetYourGuide (~£25 with guide, excl. pass). Start with Banteay Srei, 35km out — the pink sandstone carvings are best before 09:30. On the way back do Ta Prohm (the jungle-strangled temple) in the early afternoon. Late afternoon free for the pool or the Angkor National Museum (£10). Dinner on Pub Street or the quieter Sok San Road (£5).

🚌Tuk-tuk day hire ~£20

🛏Hostel/guesthouse Siem Reap, £10–14

• →Banteay Srei
• →Ta Prohm
• →Angkor National Museum (optional)

Leave at 04:45 with your tuk-tuk (£12) for sunrise across the moat of Angkor Wat, then explore the temple before the heat. Continue to Angkor Thom: the South Gate, Bayon's 216 faces and the Terrace of the Elephants. Back in town by midday — sleep, then optional scenic helicopter flight over Angkor (from ~£160, book direct). Book tomorrow's bus back to Bangkok on 12Go.

🚌Tuk-tuk ~£12

🛏Hostel/guesthouse Siem Reap, £10–14

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Angkor Thom & Bayon
• →Terrace of the Elephants
• →Helicopter flight (optional)

Take the direct Siem Reap–Bangkok bus (Nattakan/Bus Saigon: ~9 hrs, £22–26, including border help at Poipet/Rong Kluea — book a day ahead). Alternatively fly Siem Reap–Bangkok (£60–90) if you're short on time. Arrive Bangkok evening; head to Banglamphu, walk Chinatown's Yaowarat for a final plate of pad thai and mango sticky rice (£5).

🚌Direct cross-border bus Siem Reap–Bangkok ~£24

🛏Hostel near Khao San, £12–16

• →Border crossing at Poipet
• →Yaowarat Chinatown food walk