Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Cambodia – Thailand – Siem Reap – Battambang – Koh Kood – Bangkok
100% customisable for you
After weeks of daydreaming and counting down the sleeps, your adventure to Cambodia and Thailand starts today.
Head to the airport, whizz through security, then settle in the lounge for some fizz and nibbles before boarding. Your first flight will take you to a hub in Asia, where you’ll have a short stopover before your second overnight flight to Siem Reap. All in all, the journey should take around 17 hours, so fluff up your neck pillow and try to catch some shut-eye before landing.
When you touch down, you’ll be met at the airport and whisked away to your hotel in the heart of the city, your base for the next three nights.
Battling a bout of jet lag? Well, nothing will wake you up quite like Siem Reap’s fiery food scene. Follow the irresistible aromas into the nearest street food market and dive in, chopsticks-first. Then, retreat to your hotel for an early night – tomorrow promises plenty more excitement...
Early alarm clocks are much easier when there’s a morning of magic ahead. Today, you’re ticking Angkor Wat off the bucket list.
Wolf down breakfast and bundle into the back of your guide’s tuk-tuk. Then, zip through the Cambodian forest to Angkor Wat, a labyrinth of deity-embellished walls and lotus-bud spires.
As you roam ancient passageways, your guide will give you the lowdown on the temple complex’s history, from its construction during the Khmer Empire as a Hindu temple to its eventual adoption as a Buddhist place of worship.
Hats firmly on heads, clamber back into the tuk-tuk for another spin around Angkor Thom, stopping at the many-faced monoliths of the Bayon Temple and the jungle-entangled Ta Prohm. It all feels like something straight out of a film – literally, given it featured in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
Ancient wonders well and truly admired, bypass any dinner deliberations with a restaurant recommendation from our local Concierge – just tell them what you’re craving.
This morning, meet your friendly guide, amble down to the banks of Tonle Sap Lake and climb aboard a traditional boat, drifting along winding canals towards the floating village of Kompong Kleang.
In true Cambodian fashion, you’ll be welcomed by a hubbub of activity: fishing boats chug along, bundles of goods are ferried along the waterways and friendly locals wave as you pass. And the homes themselves? They’re quite the feat. When water levels are low, they stand atop stilts reaching a lofty 22ft. Come rainy season, the river rises around them and, voila – it creates the illusion of a floating village.
You’ll also meet fishermen and learn about their time-honed tricks of the trade, watching as they cast their lines into waters teeming with almost 150 species of fish.
Appetite officially awakened? Back in the capital this evening, dine somewhere local and feast on amok, a fish curry infused with coconut and fragrant spices.
Start the day the Cambodian way with a strong coffee (elevated by a generous drizzle of condensed milk), then meet your local driver for the journey east to Battambang. Three hours on the road calls for a good soundtrack, so perhaps ask your driver to tune into our destination-specific playlist as shimmering rice paddies and sleepy villages roll by.
When you arrive, check in to your peaceful guesthouse, set slap-bang in Battambang – your home away from home for the next two nights.
The rest of the afternoon is all yours, so perhaps take a stroll around this charmer of a city. Or, if you’d rather relax, while away the hours by the pool, making a good dent in your holiday read between dips.
Tonight, seek out a family-run eatery and tuck into some khor ho (aromatic beef stew) as the setting sun casts Battambang’s gilded temples aglow.
The best way to explore Battambang? By bicycle, of course. After breakfast, hop on two wheels to peddle through the city, gliding past colonial-era buildings adorned with traditional shutters and ornate balconies.
Soon, the streets give way to the countryside, where rice paddies unfurl around sleepy villages, home to farmers who have cultivated this bountiful land for generations. Along the way, stop at roadside stalls piled high with sun-ripened mangoes and dragonfruit – all the makings of a rather good smoothie, if you ask us...
There’s a spiritual thread running through village life too, with golden-clad temples and saffron-robed monks a familiar sight along the route. Water buffalo are regulars around these parts too, so don’t be surprised if you spot these majestic creatures wallowing in the shallows.
Keen to learn more about Cambodia’s Buddhist traditions? We can also arrange for you to attend an almsgiving ceremony in Battambang.
You’ve had quite the week in Cambodia, and now it’s onto Thailand – another new country (and fun passport stamp).
Polish off breakfast, then settle in for the two-hour private transfer to Phsar Prum. For your final unofficial challenge in Cambodia, spend the journey playing ‘spot the most improbably overloaded motorbike’ and prepare to question the laws of physics...
From here, cross the border into Thailand, where a local driver will whisk you onwards to Laem Sok Pier in Trat. Then, board the ferry to the dreamy island of Koh Kood, keeping your eyes peeled (and camera poised) for surf-loving dolphins, who are regularly spotted parading through these waters.
When you arrive, check into your oceanfront villa, your peaceful hideaway for the next three nights. The rest of the day is all yours to play with, so swim in the shallows or dial up the bliss with a massage before retreating to a sun-drenched lounger with something suitably spritzy in hand...
Lather on the sunscreen and charge the camera – you have two days of island adventures ahead.
Fancy an extra-serene start? Stretch, breathe and welcome in each morning with an early yoga session as dawn breaks over the shimmering Gulf of Thailand.
Inner zen officially found, ramp the adventure right back up by donning your snorkel and flippers to explore azure waters and kaleidoscopic coral reefs teeming with marine life. Prefer to stay above the waves? Try your hand at windsurfing or wakeboarding instead. And, should you have any energy left in the tank, we can also arrange a guided hike around the island.
End each day sun-kissed, salt-speckled and satisfied with a seafood dinner in the stilted fishing village of Ao Salad. Feast on grilled sea bass cooked low and slow over glowing coals, then wash everything down with some Thai rum as the setting sun casts the sky ablaze. Cheers to that.
Excitement levels are bound to be sky-high this morning as you cruise back to Trat by ferry, then make your way to the airport for the one-hour flight to Bangkok. Window seat winners are in for a real treat, as views of the sparkling waters below give way to the capital’s skyscraper-studded skyline.
When you touch down, you’ll be privately transferred to your centrally located hotel, where you’ll be staying for the next two nights. Spend the rest of the day enjoying some well-deserved R&R, whether you’d rather make a beeline for the pool or the cocktail bar…
When hunger strikes this evening, follow the glow of neon lights and clamour of pots and pans into the nearest street food market, where chefs splash oil into searing-hot woks and chop ingredients at lightning speed. Hop from stall to stall in search of the most fiery and flavoursome pad Thai – a tangle of stir-fried noodles, egg, vegetables and punchy chilli sauce.
You have a free morning in Bangkok today, so lace up your walking shoes, grab a Thai tea and hit the streets. Perhaps browse for keepsakes at Chatuchak Market or one of the city’s flagship boutiques – hopefully, your suitcase has a little stretch in it...
Fancy a pick-me-up? Stroll along lantern-lined streets to Chinatown for steaming dumplings, then continue to Pak Khlong Talat flower market, where armfuls of fresh blooms are bought and sold in a fragrant whirlwind of colour and activity.
This afternoon, hop aboard a traditional long-tail boat with a guide for a peaceful drift along Bangkok’s khlongs (canals). Before long, the colossal golden Buddha of Wat Paknam – all 220ft of it – gleams into view. Cruise onwards to Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), whose mosaic-embellished spires make quite the waterside spectacle, then step ashore to roam one of Bangkok's oldest districts.
Tonight, leave dinner plans in the hands of our local Concierge, who’ll know just the spot for a celebratory final meal.
Rise and shine early this morning – Bangkok has a few more dazzling wonders up its sleeve.
Begin at the Grand Palace, exploring the incense-swirled halls of Wat Phra Kaeo, where a steady stream of worshippers adorn the revered Emerald Buddha with offerings of fruit and flowers.
Next, discover nearby Wat Pho, one of Bangkok’s oldest temples, where you can marvel at the 150ft-long Reclining Buddha – best switch to panorama mode to capture photos of this one...
Then, having spent the morning slipping off your shoes and padding around temple floors, step inside Wat Pho’s traditional massage school for one final dose of pampering.
After lots of oohing and aahing, it’s sadly time to bid Bangkok a warm farewell as you’re privately transferred back to the airport for your direct overnight flight home. You’ll spend around 13 hours in the air – plenty of time to flick through your photos, relive the highlights and start dreaming up your next big adventure.
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
Enquire now
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
Enquire now
Our team of destination experts will get to know you and your unique requirements for your holiday
We work with you to build an ultra-personalised holiday itinerary with your choice of accommodation, experiences and activities
All of our holidays include little extras designed to make a big difference to your trip, from checking you in for your flights to our network of local Concierges
