Southeast Asia Express

11 days
From $191/day
$2,100
From: 
$2,835
4.7/5 Excellent
100+ reviews  
98%
Trip last updated: 10/11/2024
Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate
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Overview

Highlights

    • Admire the Mekong Delta from Sam Mountain at sunset
    • Visit the moving Killing Fields of Cambodia
    • Enjoy an evening cylo tour of Phnom Penh
    • Discover the charming city of Battambang and explore the area on a leisurely bike ride
    • Spend a night with a local family in the traditional Cambodian village of Banteay Chhmar
    • Explore Unesco-listed Angkor, one of the most important archaeological sites in the world

What's this trip about?

    Find out why Southeast Asia is a favourite for culture-hungry adventurers on this activity-packed trip spanning Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Our 11-day itinerary starts in electric Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, before we move to the peaceful Mekong Delta and summit the holy Sam Mountain at sunset. It’s then on to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where we learn about the country’s sobering recent history at the Killing Fields and embark on an evening cyclo tour, a quintessential Cambodian experience. We then journey to the rural village of Banteay Chhmar to stay with a local family before exploring Angkor, one of the world’s great archaeological zones. Our journey finishes in Bangkok, Thailand, a perfect base to extend or conclude your Southeast Asia adventure.Join our essential introduction to one of the world’s great destinations for culturally curious adventurers
Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeSmall Group - 24 max
Age range65+, 50 - 64, 36 - 49, 18 - 35, 12 - 17
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityHo Chi Minh City
End CityBangkok

Travel Themes

Activities

Trip includes

    • All breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner
    • All accommodation
    • All transport and listed activities
    • Tour leaders (one local leader in each destination)
    • Free arrival and departure transfers for everyone

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Itinerary

Day 1 Start Ho Chi Minh City

Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, a thundering, frenetic introduction to Vietnam and Southeast Asia. There’s a welcome briefing with your leader this evening, followed by an optional group dinner at a local restaurant. However, the rest of the day is free. If you’re itchin...

Day 2 Drive to Chau Doc; visit Sam Mountain for sunset

After breakfast, we leave Ho Chi Minh City and drive (approximately six hours including a lunch stop) to Chau Doc on the Mekong Delta. After checking into our hotel, we transfer out of town for a 30-minute walk to the top of Sam Mountain for sunset, enjoying views ove...

Day 3 To Cambodia: visit Phnom Chisor temple then transfer to Phnom Penh; evening cyclo tour

After driving approximately one hour to the Tinh Bien-Phnom Den land border, we bid Vietnam farewell, cross into Cambodia and meet our Cambodian tour leader. Our drive then takes us via Phnom Chisor, a mountain-top temple built in the Angkorian era, where we enjoy wo...

Day 4 Sightseeing including Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda; Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields

Despite the devastating Khmer Rouge regime and subsequent civil war, Phnom Penh is a fascinating city to explore with fine French colonial architecture and a gastronomic scene to rival any. This morning, we tour the Royal Palace – official residence of King Sihamoni –...

Day 5 Travel to Battambang; sunset at Phnom Sampov

This morning, we depart Phnom Penh and transfer to Battambang – pronounced Battambong – the second-largest city in Cambodia. The drive, which passes paddy fields and farms, will take approximately six hours but we stop for lunch and to visit a pottery village. Battam...

Day 6 Half-day cycle around Battambang countryside and rural villages; transfer to Banteay Chhmar for overnight homestay

Following breakfast, we have a leisurely half-day bike ride through the Battambang countryside. Stop along the way to learn about rural life and discover cottage industries producing ripe paper, dried bananas and bamboo sticky rice. The 15mi (24km) cycle is easy ridin...

Day 7 Morning market visit and lunch; afternoon transfer to Siem Reap

After a home-cooked breakfast, we visit the market with our hosts to pick fresh vegetables, meat and herbs before returning to help them prepare and cook a delicious lunch. We enjoy our creation before departing the village in the early afternoon and transferring to S...

Day 8 Sunrise and full day at Angkor

This morning, we tour the standout attraction in Cambodia: Angkor, the one-time capital of the Khmer empire. Rediscovered in the 1870s and described by French explorer Henri Mouchot as ‘grander than anything of Greece or Rome’, this Unesco World Heritage site is one o...

Day 9 Further time at Angkor; free afternoon

This morning, we continue our exploration of Angkor with a visit to the small 10th-century temple of Banteay Srei, located 22mi (35km) from Siem Reap town and containing fine examples of Khmer sculpture. The afternoon is free for you to independently explore Angkor, ...

Day 10 To Thailand; transfer to Bangkok

We have an early start to travel from Siem Reap to Bangkok (approximately 10 hours). After the border crossing (which usually takes up to an hour), we meet our Thai tour leader and have our first taste of Thai food at a local restaurant before continuing onto Bangkok....

Day 11 End Bangkok

The tour ends this morning after breakfast. Catch your free transfer to the airport to begin your journey home. Alternatively, speak to your sales representative to extend your stay in this thrilling city.

Dates & Availability

Price from
$2,100
Price per day
$191

Southeast Asia Express Reviews & Ratings

4.7/5  Excellent
Excellent
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3,258
Average
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Disappointing
146
Terrible
187
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Tour Operator

Exodus Travels

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Details

Accommodation:

We spend 10 nights in comfortable hotels and one night in a homestay guesthouse. The accommodation is in good-quality hotels (three- or four-star) with all rooms offering air conditioning or fans. All hotels have private bathrooms and the guesthouse homestay has shared bathroom facilities. Please note, the accommodations listed in the day-to-day itinerary are the standard hotels used. However, there may be some departures where groups stay at similar hotels of the same standard and quality. If you are a solo traveller and would prefer not to share a room with another solo traveller of the same sex, you can request a private room for a supplement. Private rooms are available for nine nights of the tour, except the one night at the homestay guesthouse in Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia. Please advise your sales representative at the time of booking if you would to include the single supplement.

Group size:

Small Group - 24 max

Maximum number of people in group:

16

Trip Excludes:

  • Travel insurance
  • Single accommodation (available on request)
  • Visas or vaccinations

Meals included:

All breakfasts, two lunches and one dinner are included. The food on this trip is a real highlight for many. Southeast Asian cuisine is typically freshly prepared dishes with strong aromatic flavours. There is a focus on herbs and citrus, ensuring each dish packs a punch; chilli features highly too, but is easily avoided if desired. Most dishes come with rice and many are served in a banana leaf with a variety of dips and herbs served separately. Visiting three countries means a different culinary experience every time you cross the border; try banh xeo (huge sizzling pancakes) in Vietnam, fish amok curry in Cambodia for a creamy, fragrant coconut-based dish; and freshly made pad Thai noodles from the Bangkok street stalls. Western food is readily available almost everywhere in the bigger cities, but not in Banteay Chhmar. Vegetarian food is widely available; however, the offering will be fairly similar in smaller locations visited. Please advise at time of booking if you have any dietary requirements.

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