13 days 12 nights
Specific Tour
14 people
English
Quick answer
A 13-day private tour of Thailand and Cambodia: Bangkok, the River Kwai, Ayutthaya, the sleeper train to Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon, Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle, then four days at Angkor with a night at Koh Ker and a boat trip on Tonle Sap.
From US$1,510 per person for the whole tour, based on 4 travellers sharing double rooms in 4★ hotels as listed (couples travelling alone pay a little more). It changes with hotel level, season and group size, and is confirmed in your tailor-made quote.
| Day | Route and highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Bangkok and three famous temples | Bangkok |
| 2 | Floating market and the Grand Palace | Bangkok |
| 3 | Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai | Kanchanaburi |
| 4 | Bang Pa-In, Ayutthaya and the sleeper train north | Overnight train |
| 5 | Chiang Mai temples, Doi Suthep and a khantoke dinner | Chiang Mai |
| 6 | Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain | Chiang Mai |
| 7 | To Chiang Rai: Blue Temple, Black House and White Temple | Chiang Rai |
| 8 | The Golden Triangle and a flight to Bangkok | Bangkok |
| 9 | Fly to Siem Reap, crafts and Apsara dinner | Siem Reap |
| 10 | Angkor Wat sunrise, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm | Siem Reap |
| 11 | Phnom Bok and the forest capital of Koh Ker | Koh Ker |
| 12 | Beng Mealea, Pouk monastery and a massage | Siem Reap |
| 13 | Tonle Sap floating village and departure | — |
Private tour with your own English-speaking guide · 13 days / 12 nights · Bangkok – Damnoen Saduak – Kanchanaburi – Ayutthaya – Chiang Mai – Doi Inthanon – Chiang Rai – Golden Triangle – Bangkok – Siem Reap – Angkor – Koh Ker – Beng Mealea – Tonle Sap
This Thailand and Cambodia tour follows a classic line through two kingdoms that share a long history. In Thailand you see Bangkok's great temples and the Grand Palace, ride the old Death Railway at Kanchanaburi, walk the ruins of Ayutthaya and take the sleeper train north to Chiang Mai. Doi Inthanon, the temples of Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle complete the Thai half.
From Bangkok a short flight takes you to Siem Reap. You watch sunrise at Angkor Wat, explore the Bayon and Ta Prohm, spend a night near the jungle capital of Koh Ker and visit Beng Mealea, then end on Tonle Sap Lake.
Everything is private, so your guide adapts the pace. The route suits first-time visitors to Southeast Asia, couples and families with children over 10 who want a full picture of the region in under two weeks.
Easy to moderate. Most days combine sightseeing on foot with drives of two to four hours, one night is spent in a sleeper cabin, and temple days at Angkor involve uneven stone and steep steps. Well suited to couples, active older travelers and families with children over 10.
4-star hotels throughout: Nouvo City Hotel in Bangkok, Felix River Kwai Resort in Kanchanaburi, The Empress in Chiang Mai and Laluna Hotel and Resort in Chiang Rai, then Saem Siem Reap and Koh Ker Temples Garden in Cambodia, or similar. Night 4 is in a sleeper cabin on the train to Chiang Mai.
November to February is the best time for both countries, with dry, sunny days and cool mornings in northern Thailand and at Angkor. March to May is hot and the north can be hazy. June to October brings green landscapes and short tropical downpours, with fewer visitors.
Your guide and driver are yours alone for the whole trip, so the pace, the stops and the start time each morning follow you. The standard version has an English-speaking guide; guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese can be arranged on request (subject to availability).
More ideas: All multi-country private tours · The North of Thailand in 9 Days · Angkor in Depth in 5 Days · Journey Through the Heart of Indochina in 16 Days
Photos: Pierre André Leclercq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; PA, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; PumpkinSky, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ – เทวประภาส มากคล้าย, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Ddalbiez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Radosław Botev, CC BY 3.0 pl, via Wikimedia Commons; Reinhard Onasch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Arian Zwegers, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; PsamatheM, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; David Sim, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Thailand and Cambodia in 13 Days: Bangkok, the North and Angkor is a starting point. Our Hanoi travel designers adjust every day to your pace, interests and hotel style, then run the trip with your own guide and driver.
Your guide and driver meet you at Bangkok airport. In the afternoon, visit Wat Traimit and its solid gold Buddha, Wat Pho with the 46-meter Reclining Buddha, and Wat Benchamabophit, the Marble Temple built of Italian Carrara marble in classic Thai style.
Overnight: Bangkok
Leave early for Damnoen Saduak, where vendors sell fruit and noodles from small boats on the canals, stopping at Phra Pathom Chedi, one of the tallest stupas in the world. After lunch at a riverside country resort, return to Bangkok for the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, home of the revered Emerald Buddha. Shoulders and knees must be covered.
Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: B, L
Drive west to Kanchanaburi. Visit the Allied cemetery and the JEATH Museum, which tell the story of the prisoners who built the Thailand-Burma railway, then ride a train along the original line with views over the river. Lunch is near the station, and the day ends at the famous bridge before you check in to your riverside resort.
Overnight: Kanchanaburi · Meals: B, L
Visit Bang Pa-In, the summer palace of King Rama V, where Thai, Chinese and European buildings sit around ornamental ponds. Then walk the ruins of Ayutthaya, once a great trading capital, with its brick prangs and weathered Buddha images. After lunch, your guide takes you to the station for the overnight train to Chiang Mai.
Overnight: Overnight train · Meals: B, L
Arrive in Chiang Mai and explore the old city at Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh. Drive up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, 1,050 meters above the city, for its golden chedi and views over the valley. In the evening, enjoy a khantoke dinner of northern dishes with Lanna music and dance.
Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: B, D
Spend the day in Doi Inthanon National Park. Stand at the 2,565-meter summit, walk the short Ang Ka trail through cloud forest and visit the Twin Royal Pagodas. After lunch, see a Royal Project farm that helps hill-tribe growers, and finish at Wachirathan Waterfall.
Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: B, L
Drive north through the hills to Chiang Rai. Visit the Blue Temple, painted in deep blue and gold, Baan Dam, the Black House with its dark teak pavilions, and Wat Rong Khun, the dazzling White Temple covered in white plaster and mirrored glass.
Overnight: Chiang Rai · Meals: B
Drive to Mae Sai on the Myanmar border, then to the Golden Triangle, where the Mekong and Ruak rivers meet, and visit the Opium Museum. Stop at Chiang Saen, the ancient Lanna capital, to see its temple ruins and old walls. In the afternoon, fly from Chiang Rai to Bangkok for the night.
Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: B
Take a morning flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap, about one hour. Your Cambodian guide meets you and takes you to the Artisans d'Angkor workshops and the Old Market. In the evening, enjoy dinner with a performance of Apsara dance.
Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B, D
Watch dawn break over Angkor Wat, return for breakfast, then explore the temple's carved galleries. Continue to Angkor Thom and the faces of the Bayon, the royal terraces and Preah Khan. After lunch, wander through Ta Prohm, where giant trees grow through the towers, and end with sunset from Pre Rup.
Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B, L
Drive to Phnom Bok and climb to its hilltop temple for a view over the plain, with a picnic lunch in a village. Continue north to Koh Ker, a 10th-century capital where a seven-tiered pyramid rises from the forest. Dinner is home-style or at your hotel.
Overnight: Koh Ker · Meals: B, L, D
Explore Beng Mealea, a vast 12th-century temple still wrapped in jungle, then visit the monastery of Pouk on the way back to Siem Reap. Later, relax with a one-hour foot or body massage before dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B, L, D
Take a boat through a floating village on Tonle Sap Lake, where houses and schools rise and fall with the water. Return to Siem Reap and transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Meals: B
By a short flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap, about one hour, with several departures a day. We book it with your quote. Crossing overland at the Poipet border is possible but long and less comfortable.
It is simple but clean, with private cabins or curtained berths, and most travelers enjoy it as an experience. If you prefer, we can replace it with a short flight to Chiang Mai and a night in a hotel.
Yes. Phuket, Krabi or Koh Samui are easy to add before Cambodia, or you can fly from Siem Reap to the Cambodian coast. Tell us how many beach days you would like and we include them in your quote.
Yes. This is a private tour with your own English-speaking guide. We also arrange private guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese (subject to availability): tell us when you enquire and we confirm your guide in the quote. Book early for the December to April high season.
Nothing is payable until you approve your written quote. We then ask for a 30% deposit to confirm, and the balance 45 days before arrival, by bank transfer or card. Bank details come with your booking confirmation; always confirm them with us by phone or WhatsApp (+84 812 247 572) before any transfer.
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