Southeast Asia Express

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Fully Guided Adventure Small Group
Our Price From 3,004 Per Person
Exclusive Savings 62 Per Person
 Trip Length
11 Days
 Trip Starts
Ho Chi Minh City
 Trip Finishes
Bangkok
11 Day Southeast Asia Express Itinerary (Exodus)
Countries Explored: Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam
Trip Style
Culture
Departures
Budget
Affordable
Max. Group Size
16
Pace
Easy / Leisurely
Guide Level
Fully Guided
Trip Code
AOK

Overview

Book online and enjoy exclusive savings on Exodus 11 Day Southeast Asia Express. 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...read more 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.

Itinerary

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 itching to explore, you can visit the nearby sites, such as Ben Thanh Market, where thousands of sellers offer a dizzying assortment of goods, or the French-built Notre Dame Cathedral, an intriguing insight into the history and architecture of this fascinating city. Stay: Aquari Hotel (or similar).

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 over temple-studded countryside and into Cambodia from the summit. Alternatively, there is a cable car to the top, which costs 75,000 Vietnamese dong (US$3. 30) one way. The evening is free to explore town, perhaps visiting the lively Chau Doc market where vendors dish out a spectacular range of foodie treats. Stay: Chau Pho Hotel (or similar) (B).

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 wonderful countryside views before stopping for lunch. We then transfer to the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, to check into our centrally located hotel, our base for the next two nights. Please note, today's transfer time is approximately seven hours.

This evening, we tour the energetic capital by cyclo – a three-wheeled bicycle taxi and the quintessential way to see the city. Stay: Katari Phnom Penh Hotel (or similar) (B).

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 – and the dazzling Silver Pagoda, a Buddhist temple and architectural wonder.

In the afternoon, we visit two sites that give us a vivid impression of the past horrors here. First is the city-centre Genocide Museum, which is located within the former Khmer Rouge prison known as S-21 or Tuol Sleng. And 9mi (15km) out of town is the Killing Fields, a mass grave and execution site for S-21 inmates. Visiting these two sites is a sobering experience but provides an essential understanding of what the people here endured just a few decades ago. Stay: Katari Phnom Penh Hotel (or similar) (B).

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. Battambang itself is an attractive riverside hub with traces of French elegance, friendly Khmer people and well-preserved colonial architecture.

There are also striking examples of art deco architecture at the central market, the Victory swimming pool and the train station. Before sunset, we take a short drive out of town and visit Phnom Sampov (a limestone mountain and pilgrimage site), known for having spectacular views of Battambang and a massive cave home to millions of bats that pour into the sky at sunset. Stay: Classy Hotel (or similar) (B).

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 riding on flat terrain with lots of stops along the way. If you would like to opt out and hop on a tuk-tuk instead, let the leader know at the beginning of the trip so they can make alternative arrangements. After, we transfer (approximately two hours) to the village of Banteay Chhmar and experience true Cambodian hospitality by staying with local families in traditional wooden-stilted Khmer houses.

This afternoon includes a village walk followed by an authentic home-cooked dinner. Stay: CBT Banteay Chhmar Homestay (B/D).

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 Siem Reap (approximately three hours).

Upon arrival, we walk past the Royal Gardens and along the Siem Reap River to the Old Market, helping us to get our bearings in this small town. You may like to finish with a visit to the Artisans d'Ángkor workshop, a not-for-profit organisation that provides vocational training for young people in traditional Cambodian arts. The rest of the evening is free for you to enjoy Siem Reap at leisure. Stay: Angkor Holiday Hotel (or similar) (B/L).

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 of the most spectacular archaeological zones in the world. To make the trip extra special, we rise early to catch sunrise at Angkor Wat, a spectacular Khmer temple complex thought to be the largest religious building on the planet.

We then visit the many structures inside the royal city of Angkor Thom, including the magnificent Bayon, which comprises 54 intricately carved towers in a single temple. We also see the less-visited outlying Ta Prohm temple, which is still covered in jungle as it was first found. Stay: Angkor Holiday Hotel (or similar) (B).

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, wander around Siem Reap town or enjoy an optional boat ride on Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and a sanctuary for wildlife including the critically endangered Siamese crocodile. Stay: Angkor Holiday Hotel (or similar) (B).

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. Famous for tuk-tuks, khlong boats and incredible street food, the capital is an assault on the senses and provides a real contrast to Cambodia. Stay: Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok (or similar) (B).

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 (B).

Trip Inclusions

  • 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

  • 10 nights in comfortable hotels and one-night in a homestay guesthouse to experience Cambodian hospitality
  • Travel by private air-conditioned minibus or bus
  • The trip concludes in Bangkok, Thailand, the perfect city to extend your Southeast Asia adventure
  • All breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner
  • All transport and listed activities
  • Tour leaders (one local leader in each destination)
  • Free arrival and departure transfers for everyone

  • Itinerary and inclusions are subject to change
  • Price is for land, cruise and internal flights as specified. Flights not specified are not included
About Exodus Travels
About Exodus Travels

From classic small group tours & family adventures, to walking holidays, cycling trips and self-guided tours. Read more

Exodus Trip Leaders
Exodus Trip Leaders

Exodus chooses their Leaders carefully. Professional, dedicated and are passionate about sharing their home countries. Read more

Accommodation with Personality
Accommodation with Personality

Wherever possible, Exodus chooses properties that are locally owned and that reflect the area you are visiting. Read more

Availability

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Sunday 06 Oct 2024
Wednesday 16 Oct 2024
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Sunday 17 Nov 2024
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Sunday 16 Feb 2025
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Wednesday 17 Dec 2025
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Note
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you enquire. Additional savings may apply. We guarantee the lowest price in Australia. T&C’s apply.
Note
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Prices and trip information are correct at the time at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Exodus. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from Exodus. These should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.

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