Thailand, Laos & Cambodia Uncovered — Self-Launched

Land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and take the Airport Rail Link (45฿, ~£1) plus BTS Skytrain to the Old Town, or a Grab taxi for ~350฿ (~£8). Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Khao San / Banglamphu. Spend the afternoon walking Rattanakosin, then take a 1-hour public Chao Phraya Express boat (~16฿) for sunset, or hop a longtail through the klongs (hire a shared boat for ~500฿ per boat). Eat at a street-food stall on Soi Rambuttri — pad thai and grilled chicken for under £3. Get a Thai massage for ~300฿.

🚌Airport Rail Link + BTS ~£1; Grab taxi ~£8

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Banglamphu/Old Town (dorm ~£9-12, private ~£20)

• →Chao Phraya Express boat ride
• →Klong longtail boat (shared)
• →Rattanakosin old-town walk
• →Khao San street food + massage

Beat the crowds with an 8:30am entry to the Grand Palace (500฿, ~£11 — book on the official site; cover shoulders and knees). Afterwards walk to Wat Pho (200฿) for the Reclining Buddha. In the early afternoon take the public train from Thonburi (Bangkok Noi) station to Kanchanaburi — around 2.5-3 hours for ~100฿ (~£2.30), crossing the Bridge over the River Kwai at the end. Check into a guesthouse or riverside raft room in Kanchanaburi town, hire a bicycle, ride to the WWII Cemetery and the bridge, and eat dinner by the water.

🚌3rd-class train Thonburi–Kanchanaburi ~£2.30

🛏Guesthouse or riverside raft room, Kanchanaburi (~£12-20)

• →Grand Palace (self-guided)
• →Wat Pho Reclining Buddha
• →Bridge over the River Kwai
• →WWII Cemetery

Take an early local bus (or shared songthaew) to Erawan National Park (~£3 each way, 250฿ park entry) and climb the seven-tiered waterfall trail — allow 3-4 hours including a swim in the emerald pools. Return to Kanchanaburi, then bus or minivan to Ayutthaya (~2.5 hrs, ~£5). Rent a bicycle (60฿, ~£1.30) and ride between Wat Mahathat, Wat Chaiwatthanaram and the old palace ruins with the 80฿ multi-temple pass. Evening: 3rd-class sleeper train Ayutthaya → Chiang Mai, departing around 20:00 and arriving mid-morning — book a lower berth on the State Railway of Thailand site or 12Go Asia (~£15-20).

🚌Local bus + minivan + 3rd-class sleeper train ~£23

🛏Overnight sleeper train, Ayutthaya → Chiang Mai

• →Erawan Falls hike and swim
• →Erawan National Park
• →Bicycle tour of Ayutthaya temples

Arrive mid-morning and check in inside the Old City moat. That afternoon, wander the temples — Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh — and settle into the city over khao soi. Book ahead (ENP sells out; reserve directly on elephantnaturepark.org, ~2,100฿/£45 for a full day including hotel pickup and a vegetarian lunch). Note ENP day visits are observation-only — no riding.

🚌Red songthaew around the Old City ~£1 per trip

🛏Guesthouse inside the Old City or Nimman, Chiang Mai (dorm ~£8-10, private ~£16-22)

• →Wat Chedi Luang
• →Wat Phra Singh
• →Book Elephant Nature Park day visit

Full day at Elephant Nature Park in the Mae Taeng valley: hotel pickup around 8am, feeding and observing rescued elephants with a guide and lunch included, back in Chiang Mai by late afternoon. In the evening, either book a half-day Thai cooking class (~1,000-1,200฿, includes market tour and rice-field setting) or take an intro Muay Thai session (~500฿). Night market on Ratchadamnoen for dinner.

🚌Included ENP pickup and drop-off

🛏Guesthouse, Chiang Mai

• →Elephant Nature Park full-day visit
• →Thai cooking class or Muay Thai lesson
• →Sunday/night market

Take the public Green Bus from Chiang Mai Arcade terminal to Chiang Rai (~3.5 hrs, ~300฿/£6.50 — book on 12Go). Drop bags at a guesthouse near the clock tower, then hire a bicycle or Grab to Wat Rong Khun (White Temple, 100฿) and Wat Rong Suea Ten (Blue Temple, free). The Black House / Baan Dam Museum (80฿) is 10km north — a Grab round trip costs ~£8, or join a shared minivan. Dinner at the night bazaar.

🚌Green Bus Chiang Mai–Chiang Rai ~£6.50 + local Grab

🛏Guesthouse near Chiang Rai clock tower (~£10-16)

• →Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)
• →Wat Rong Suea Ten (Blue Temple)
• →Baan Dam / Black House Museum

Early local bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong (~2 hrs, ~£2), then the shuttle across the friendship bridge for Thai and Lao immigration at Huay Xai. Get your Laos visa on arrival (see visas line — bring USD cash and a passport photo). Board the slow boat for the 1pm departure down the Mekong; the first leg reaches Pakbeng after dark (~6pm). Buy your slow boat ticket the night before or at the pier. Pakbeng accommodation is simple guesthouses — book a couple of nights ahead in high season.

🚌Bus to Chiang Khong ~£2 + slow boat ~£28 (1,200฿, two-day ticket)

🛏Basic guesthouse, Pakbeng (~£10-15)

• →Thailand–Laos border crossing
• →Mekong slow boat, day 1

Boats leave Pakbeng around 9am — second day of the slow boat, arriving in Luang Prabang mid-afternoon with a stop at the Pak Ou caves if you pay the small entry fee. Tuk-tuk into town (~£2) and check into a guesthouse in the peninsula or by the Nam Khan. Climb Mount Phousi (20,000 kip) for sunset over the Mekong, then browse the night market on Sisavangvong Road for Lao textiles and a cheap barbecue dinner.

🚌Slow boat day 2 + tuk-tuk ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in the old peninsula, Luang Prabang (~£14-20)

• →Mekong slow boat, day 2
• →Pak Ou caves (optional stop)
• →Mount Phousi sunset
• →Luang Prabang night market

Cycle out to the temples and riverside lanes early (bike hire ~30,000 kip/£2.50), then take a shared songthaew or minivan to Kuang Si Falls (~50,000 kip return) — the turquoise tiers, an hour's walk to the top, and the Tat Kuang Si bear sanctuary at the entrance. Come back for a Beerlao by the river and a Lao massage. Optional: book a half-day weaving or cooking workshop.

🚌Bicycle hire + shared songthaew to Kuang Si ~£6

🛏Guesthouse, Luang Prabang

• →Kuang Si Falls
• →Tat Kuang Si bear sanctuary
• →Cycling Luang Prabang
• →Lao massage

Optional 5:45am alms-giving on Sisavangvong Road — buy sticky rice from a stall, keep a respectful distance from the monks and dress modestly. Book the Lao-China high-speed train to Vang Vieng (~1 hr, ~£12-15) via 12Go Asia or the LCR app a few days ahead — it sells out. In Vang Vieng, check into a guesthouse by the river and walk or cycle to the Nam Song for sunset.

🚌Laos-China high-speed train ~£13

🛏Guesthouse/hostel with river views, Vang Vieng (~£10-15)

• →Buddhist alms-giving (optional)
• →High-speed train journey
• →Sunset on the Nam Song

Morning kayaking on the Nam Song or a trip to Blue Lagoon 3 plus Tham Chang cave (rent a bike or Grab a tuk-tuk, ~£6). Mid-afternoon take the train or VIP bus south to Vientiane (~1 hr by train, ~£10; ~3.5 hrs by bus, ~£6). In Vientiane, hire a bicycle or share a tuk-tuk between Pha That Luang (30,000 kip), Patuxai monument (free, small fee for the top), Buddha Park at Xieng Khouang (~£5 return by local bus) and the COPE visitor centre (donation entry) plus the night market on the river.

🚌Train or VIP bus to Vientiane + local transport ~£14

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in central Vientiane (~£14-20)

• →Kayaking or Blue Lagoon
• →Tham Chang cave
• →Pha That Luang
• →Patuxai
• →Buddha Park
• →COPE visitor centre

Take a Grab to Wattay airport and fly direct to Phnom Penh (~1 hr 40; Vietjet, AirAsia or Cambodia Angkor Air from ~£55-75 one-way — book ahead). On arrival, get a Cambodian e-visa in advance (£25) or pay $30 on arrival. Tuk-tuk to a guesthouse near the riverfront. Afternoon at the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda ($10 entry, closed midday). Sunset drinks on the Sisowath Quay promenade and dinner at a Khmer restaurant.

🚌One-way flight Vientiane–Phnom Penh ~£65 + airport transport

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel near the riverfront (~£14-20)

• →Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
• →Riverfront sunset walk

A heavy but essential day. Take a tuk-tuk to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields ($3 entry plus ~$10-12 return tuk-tuk) and then Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum ($5) — hire an audio guide at each (~$3) or book a licensed guide through GetYourGuide. Take a break in the afternoon. In the evening, book a Khmer street-food tuk-tuk tour (~$25, ~£20) or eat at Romdeng / a social-enterprise restaurant supporting Cambodian youth training.

🚌Tuk-tuk hire for the day ~£10

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Phnom Penh

• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• →Evening street-food tuk-tuk tour

Take a Giant Ibis or Larryta VIP coach to Siem Reap (5.5-6.5 hrs, ~£13-16 — book on 12Go Asia; morning departures arrive mid-afternoon). Check into a guesthouse in the Wat Bo or central area, then head to Phare Circus (book online from ~£12-20) for the evening show — a social enterprise training Cambodian youth in acrobatics. Optional: rent a bike or e-bike for the next morning and check sunset timing.

🚌VIP coach Phnom Penh–Siem Reap ~£15

🛏Guesthouse in central Siem Reap (~£12-18)

• →Coach transfer
• →Phare Circus show

Buy the Angkor 1-day pass ($37, ~£29) the afternoon before — tickets are sold at the Angkor Enterprise office and include a photo. Arrange a tuk-tuk driver for the dawn-to-late-morning run (~$20-25 for the day): get to Angkor Wat for ~5am sunrise, then Angkor Thom and Bayon's smiling faces, then Ta Prohm's tree roots. Back for a midday rest, then optionally cycle through the rice paddies at sunset or hire a quad bike. Dinner at a training restaurant such as Sala Bai or Haven, then Pub Street.

🚌Tuk-tuk driver for the day ~£18 (shared between 2-3)

🛏Guesthouse, Siem Reap

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Angkor Thom and Bayon
• →Ta Prohm
• →Rice paddy sunset cycle or quad bike
• →Pub Street

Slow morning over iced coffee and a final bowl of noodles, or a last walk through the Old Market for Cambodian pepper and textiles. Tuk-tuk to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (~£5-8) for your onward flight — or, if heading back overland, buses to Bangkok take around 8 hours (~£20-25).

🚌Tuk-tuk to airport ~£6

🛏None (departure day)

• →Old Market shopping
• →Departure