Monday, April 16, 2012

Suggested itinerary for Laos and Cambodia

Hi there. Is it possible to see both the above in a fortnight or should we just concentrate on one of them (and hope to go back)? We are planning on flying into Bangkok and then straight off again. We don%26#39;t want to see too many temples but just soak up the atmosphere and marvel at the scenery (and have some delicious meals in between!).





An itinerary suggestion would be fantastic.





Thank you.





Suggested itinerary for Laos and Cambodia


A fortnight, meaning like 2 weeks? Yes, it is doable, but you would do best by flying between some places as bus travel is slow. This is what I did for my first trip to Cambo. %26amp; Laos-





Flew into Siem Reap, spent 4 days there (3-day Angkor Wat pass), then took the boat down to Phnom Penh (5 hours), spent 3 nights there. Flew Phnom Penh ot Vientiane, spent 2 nights there, then flew up to Luang Prabang for 3 nights, then flew back to Vientiane for 1 more night before flying home the next day.





You can get a pretty good taste of the towns by spending at least 2 nights there, and IMO, Angkor Wat is worth at least 3 days. The temples are really spread out, so it%26#39;s not like you can just sit at a cafe and see the view of it all. I hired a moto guy to take me around for 4 days and I covered a lot of ground and saw some amazing historical sights (and ate some GREAT Khmer food!!!).



Suggested itinerary for Laos and Cambodia


A fortnight is a pretty tight schedule, but you should be able to get the highlights in. From Bangkok would recommend a flight to Phnom Penh, 2 days here, can fly, boat and bus it to Siem Reap for 2-3 days depending on your temple stamina. From Siem Reap you can catch a direct flight to Vientiane for a day or two. From here can travel overland to Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang from where you can get a direct flight back to Bangkok.





Hope you have a great trip!





Lee



www.laos-hotel-link.com




Thank you so much for your help both of you. From the bits of research I have done already, think I might miss out VV (think we might be a bit old!) and fly to LP from V instead. Don%26#39;t really fancy the bus journey much and then we have a few more days to relax in each place. How does that sound?





Is it best to hire a guide at each town we visit?





Any other suggestions most welcome.







Thanks.




VV is lovely, and there is some amazing scenery and it is very good for caving. Too bad the hippie shtta hang out there wahcing TV all day give it a bad name...Anyhow, with your limited time, best just to see Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Vientiane is a great place to stroll around, but is pretty spread out. There is bicycle rental if you%26#39;re up for that, (totally flat, no need to worry about hills) or if not you can take a tuk-tuk to the markets and That Luang(main temple). In Luang Prabang everything is doable on foot, it is a compact little town.





In Siem Reap, depending on the level of comfort you want, you could hire a tuk-tuk guy (about $12 per day) or an air-conditioned car ($25 or so per day) and get around. Your hotels can arrange this, which is best as people tend to scam on you for guides, etc. IMO, a guide is not necessary. Get a guidebook and do the research on the places you would like to visit before you go, and then tell your itinerary to the tuk-tuk (or car) driver. They are not guides, but will simply take you from place to place and wait for you until you are finished. A very good book that has heaps of information on Siem reap historical sites (and gorgeous photos as well) is ';Ancient Angkor'; by Michael Freeman. It also lists some sample itineraries and the times required to see each site. In Phnom Penh, the central area is totally navigatable on foot, (the palace, museum and Wat Phnom, etc) but if you want to venture out to see the Killing Fields, Tuol Sleng (genocide museum), or the Russian Market, you will definitley need a tuk-tuk guy. They can be hired per hour, half day, etc and be sure to negotiate as some of these guys are real sharks!




Thanks again for your advice. Just starting my planning.... Have been in touch with the Lotus Villa to check on room availability. They only have a few rooms free and only until 9th November - after that nothing apparently. We wont be able to leave the Uk until the beginning of November and, looking at your suggestions, was intending on leaving LP until last. But this will take us until after the 9th Nov. Could start looking again for accommodation but is it possible to change things round a bit and visit LP nearer the beginning? These are the places we want to go to - PP (2 days) SR (4 days), V (2 days) and LP (4 - 5 days)





Thanks.


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