4 WEEKS IN SEA! Laos, Cambodia or both?

Thorn Tree forumCountry forumsSouth-East Asia Mainland
Enter custom title (optional)
This topic is locked
Last reply was
50
…
Send as an e-mail
Send as an e-mail
cloecoro.672201
cloecoro.672201

Hi Travellers!

I know you heard it all before so thank you in advance for helping me in taking this decision.

I'm planning my first trip to SEA next December and i have 4 weeks available. I'm a solo female traveller and I'd like to avoid lots of Tourists, parties and resort and instead immerse my self in the more rural places, go off the beaten track, enjoy the beautiful nature, jungles and landscapes, visit temples, explore the culture, see the markets and fisher boats, see how the local lives, eat great food and relax a little on beaches altho is not essential.

my plan is to fly into Bangkok and go straight into Laos.

I would really love to visit both Laos and Cambodia but I'm not sure if 4 weeks is enough time?? I heard travelling around Laos can take some time if you want to see it properly and I don't want to rush my trip but I don't want to miss out on Angkor and other places in Cambodia neither..

what do you think is best i do, 4 weeks in Laos concentrating on the north and then heading south to the the 4000 island and leaving Cambodia for an other time? 3 weeks in Laos and 1 in Cambodia or 2 weeks and 2 weeks? I'm happy to take land transport to travel between countries or flight if is cheap! do you have any good routes and suggestions for that? I'm going to flight from Bangkok again for my return to London. happy to hear all your comments, experience and suggestions about those two countries! good routes and Itineraries are also welcome!

Thank you!

Ami

View last reply
Report
1
mrmoto
mrmoto

Laos...

Do Ankor Wat and head north.

Adventure Travel to Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, South Africa, Morocco, Turkey, EU, USA National Parks, enjoying culture, cuisine, motorcycling, scuba diving, surfing, sailing, rafting, hiking, fishing, camping, nature, wildlife. Get a Guidebook, and get lost!
Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
2
cloecoro.672201
cloecoro.672201
In response to #1

I didn't consider that way! Thank you for your advice!

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
3
lucapal
lucapal

Depends a lot on you and your interests..most of what you have listed,you can do in either.

Cambodia has Angkor,some nice beaches and the war history that is really interesting...I wouldn't dismiss it.

Personally I enjoyed it more than Laos,but no reason why you couldn't see something of both in a month.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
4
nathalie2
nathalie2

With 4 weeks, I would probably go both to Laos and Cambodia. Personally, I love Laos, even though it is not as "exciting" as most other countries in Asia that I have been to (or maybe I love it just because of that ?). Yes, there are no big big major highlights there, but overall its such a lovely relaxed beautiful country to visit, with friendly people, wonderful landscapes, great food etc.

If you fly into Bangkok, I would either book a connecting flight to Luang Prabang or Siem Reap. Or spend a few days in Bangkok (which is for me one of the most amazing cities in the world) and then take an overnight train to Nong Khai and cross over the Friendship bridge to Laos. If pressed for time, go for the flight option.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
5
nathalie2
nathalie2

I am a huge temple / history buff, so for me the temples around Angkor are a major sight. So for that reason alone I would go to Cambodia, and spend at least 3 full days in Siem Reap (more is better).

I would probably fly into Siem Reap, spend some time there, and then fly on to Luang Prabang and spend the rest of your time in Laos. But that is me, and what I like, and of course there is more to Cambodia than "only" the temples around Angkor.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
6
cloecoro.672201
cloecoro.672201

Thank you all for your advices, You've been very helpfull! I was going to do the opposite but spending a week first in Cambodia and then make my self up Laos sounds like a better plan now! Thank you and Happy travels!

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
7
bigal1
bigal1

Should you decide to spend longer in Cambodia check out Chi Phat beautiful village lots of nature and very friendly locals. December is a great time to visit

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
8
cloecoro.672201
cloecoro.672201
In response to #7

thank you! had a look at the village and looks beautiful I'll definitely take it in consideration

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
9
bigal1
bigal1

I hope to be back there in december myself but it might mean readjusting your plans.

For me the north of Laos was the best area but also like Pakse and the Apaputu plateau (sorry about spelling) but neutral on the 4000 islands

If it were me I would stick to one country the other will still be there sure it is feasible to nip over to Angkor Wat from Laos but I would save it for another trip and not take a week out of Laos

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report

This topic has been locked by a moderator.

Pro tip
Lonely Planet
trusted partner