Enquire About This Tour Code SEWC Cambodia or Wat
Duration: 8 Days Route: Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok Style: Adventure Tours Price: $810.00
Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
This tour gives you plenty of time to play homage to South East Asia. From Ho Chi Minh that offers opportunities to explore underground tunnels used during Vietnam’s infamous war, delve into Cambodia’s turbulent past in the museums of Phomn Penh, where you can also shop for souvenirs in a fascinating Russian market. From the ornately decorated, UNESCO-listed temple complex at Angkor to the hedonism of Bangkok with its dizzying neon lights and throbbing nightlife.
The tour that we operate in the reverse direction is Cambodia or Wat (SECW).
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Tour Dossier Introduction
- Dossier Last Updated: 21-05-2012
- Tour Code: SEWC
- Duration: 7 nights / 8 days
- Joining City: Ho Chi Minh City
- Departure City: Bangkok
- Nearest Joining International Airport: Ho Chi Minh Tan Son Nhat Intl Airport (SGN)
- Nearest Departing International Airport: Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Intl Airport (BKK)
This dossier is designed for this particular tour and should be read in conjunction with the country dossier(s), regional pre-departure booklet and optional excursions guides relevant to your itinerary. You will also receive a joining letter in advance of your journey with further information, while last minute updates may be posted in the Latest News section of our website.
Tour Documents
Inclusions
- Accommodation: 7 night(s) in hotel(s), hostel(s) & guesthouse(s)
- Meals: 3 breakfast(s)
- Excursions: Angkor Wat
- Transport: Local public bus, taxi, on foot
- Age: 18-60, max. 70 (recommended)
- Group: Average 8-12
- Staff: Tucan Travel tour leader, local guides
Exclusions
Tipping kitty of US$15 per week
International flights and departure taxes
Domestic flight taxes if applicable (approximately US$5 each)
Tips on included excursions, visas, travel insurance, personal items
Pre & post tour accommodation
Airport transfers
Spending money – allow approximately US$25-$30 per day to cover meals, snacks, drinks, limited souvenirs, laundry, tips and any extras
Optional excursions - Please see our optional excursions guide on the dossier page for a comprehensive list of optional activities and excursions available on this tour.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 to 1 - Arrive Ho Chi Minh City
The first day of your tour is simply an arrival day with no pre-organised activities. In order to allow time to relax and see some of the sights you may wish to add pre tour accommodation. On arrival please ask at the reception for information on when the pre departure meeting will be held.
Ho Chi Minh City was known as Saigon until the end of the Vietnam War (around 1975), originally a small fishing village, Ho Chi Minh City is now the most important economic centre in Vietnam and is the largest city in the country.
Traffic in the city is fairly hectic at the best of times but getting around is suprisingly easy by taxi or motorbike taxi, although drivers may not always speak English. Bus is the only form of public transport and motorbikes rule the road; there are around 3 million motorbikes cruising around the streets of Ho Chi Minh City.
If you're interested in the history of the Vietnam War make sure you visit the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Hall. If you're less of a history buff and more in the mood to haggle for a bargain, don't miss Ho Chi Minh's largest market, the Ben Thanh Market. You can buy everything from cosmetics to live ducks here. There are also numerous food stalls at this market, and at the popular night market nearby. The food in Ho Chi Minh is some of the best and most diverse in all of Vietnam so make sure you eat well during your stay. There are also many bars and clubs to spend your evening in.
Day 2 to 3 - Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is Cambodia's bustling capital city with a turbulent past. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonised Cambodia during the 19th century. The city has grown from a small fishing village to what is now the industrial, commercial, cultural and historical centre of Cambodia.
Take a visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (a former torture centre) and the Choueng Ek Memorial at the site of the Killing Fields, to learn about one aspect of this country's turbulent past.
Phnom Penh has many other attractions including the Russian Market and National Museum. You could also take a stroll along the river's famous Sisowath Quay and enjoy a coffee or cocktail at one of the many cafes while observing the bustling river traffic. You may wish to take a tuk-tuk ride around Phnom Penh (a tuk-tuk is a motorbike-taxi with an enclosed passenger cabin that can fit around 4 people).
Day 4 to 7 - Siem Reap – Bangkok
Siem Reap is our base for exploring the famous temples of the Angkor area. The name Siem Reap means 'Defeat of Siam' - today's Thailand - and refers to a century-old bloodbath which you can see commemorated in stone in the celebrated bas relief carvings of the monuments around the area.
Our first day we head out on our included excursion to the most famous temple, Angkor Wat, with a guide to give us an overview of the history and layout of the temple. Our remaining time in Siem Reap can be spent at our own leisure exploring this expansive site armed with our cameras and the knowledge from our guide.
There are over one thousand temples here which attract over one million visitors annually. The temples range from small ruins to the famous Angkor Wat, and the site is said to be the world's largest single religious monument.
Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site, pays homage to the Hindu god Vishnu and has a dazzling array of beautiful ornate carvings. The many ceremonial structures and temples here were built between the 9th and 13th centuries by the Khmer Empire that spanned a period of approximately 600 years. These temples are some of the most famous in the world and take up an area of approximately 160 square kilometres.
There are superb photographic opportunities here at most times of the day so make sure your camera batteries are fully charged and your memory card is ready to go! Tuk-tuks provide a convenient form of transport around the area here, and you can hire a tuk-tuk and driver for the day if you wish. The Angkor area (in and around the Ta Prohm temple) was the site where the film Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie was filmed.
Thailand's capital, Bangkok, a crazy and chaotic city! Known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon pronounced or Krung Thep "city of angels" for short, Bangkok was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Bangkok is now the gateway to South East Asia for most travellers and international backpackers come and go and the streets are always buzzing and full of life.
No visit to Bangkok is complete without a visit to Khao San Road, the famous strip filled with markets, stalls and neon lights. From people watching to shopping, and nightlife to food and drink, this is the place to be on a night out in Bangkok. If you're feeling adventurous you might wish to try a fried insect or two! As an alternative, the Patpong area is Bangkok's most notorious nightlife area. Exotic bars, clubs, neon lights, and night markets abound and you may be able to see some interesting stage shows if you so desire.
On a more cultural note, Bangkok also boasts hundreds of Wats (temples), with Wat Arun being the main one visited by most travellers. The Grand Palace is also a popular attraction, and for something different you can cruise along the Chao Phraya River and through the canals. Bangkok once had an elaborate network of canals and was given the nickname, 'Venice of the East', and although some of them have been filled in and converted to streets, many still exist today. Travelling through these canals you will see how the locals live along the riverside - you almost forget you are in a large, bustling city.
Day 8 to 8 - Depart Bangkok
Your adventure of a lifetime comes to an end today, please confirm with the reception the check out time. If you have a late flight or have lengthened your stay by adding post tour accommodation you will have more time to explore the sights.
The itinerary listed above is to be used as a guide only. Occasionally we may need to update this document and it may be different to the information printed in our current brochure. Tour leaders may need to make adjustments due to unforeseen circumstances during the tour. It is very important that you visit our website and review a copy of this dossier as close as possible to your departure date in case of changes that may affect your plans. Any last minute changes may also be posted in the latest news section of our website.
About Adventure Tours
Adventure Tours are designed to suit travellers who love being able to travel on many different forms of transport and who prefer to stay in comfortable but basic accommodation. Visit the Adventure Tours dossier page for further information on the type of transport and accommodation provided on this style of travel, as well as group size, staff, meals, degree of difficulty and recommended age.
Don’t forget that Tucan Travel also offers Tailored Travel tours as well as other Group Travel tour styles.
Pre-departure Information
Once you have booked your tour, your travel consultant will provide you with our pre departure information booklet to help you prepare for your adventure (if you do not receive this, please ask your agent for a copy or you can download it from our website). It is very important that you read this document before you travel for valuable information on travel documents, insurance, health, money, budgeting, packing list, joining your tour, life on the road, accommodation, transportation, staff and meals.
Country Dossiers
This tour dossier is designed to be read in conjunction with the country dossiers which you can download from the website or obtain from your travel agent. The country dossiers contain essential information about visas, arrival transfers, spending money, taxes, tips, climate and local food.
Pre-departure Meeting
The address of your joining hotel can be found on the joining letter and tour voucher. On arrival you should look for a Tucan Travel information sheet and welcome note on the hotel notice board where you will find details of the pre-departure meeting. The tour leader or the Tucan Travel representative will normally hold the pre-departure meeting early in the evening of day one (assuming that all clients have arrived by then). You will be briefed about the tour, given an outline itinerary for the next few days and any questions will be answered. The tour leader will collect the local fund (Budget Expeditions only). After the meeting there is usually an option for everyone to go out for dinner and drinks to start to get to know one another.
Please note that you will need to bring the following items to the pre departure meeting:
1. The original copy and a photocopy of your passport
2. Vaccination certificates (if required)
3. Travel voucher
4. Details of your travel insurance policy number and their 24hr emergency contact number
5. Local fund in US dollars cash (Budget Expeditions only)
What You Need to Bring
You must be prepared to carry your own bags at all times. We therefore strongly urge you to use a backpack (or similar soft luggage) and limit your luggage to a maximum of 15-17 kilograms. Please see the relevant country dossiers for further information about luggage requirements and a full list of suggested equipment can be found in the pre-departure information booklet.
Optional Excursions
During your tour there will be free time to enjoy a range of optional excursions which are listed in the optional excursions guide. Your tour leader will be able to make recommendations and bookings in advance for most of these activities so you have more flexibility and control over your itinerary. Please note that you may not have time to do all of the optional excursions listed.
Extra Services – pre & post tour accommodation and airport transfers
Very little time is spent in each of the starting and finishing cities and you will need to allow a few days at the beginning or end of your tour if you want to explore them further. Airport transfers in joining and departing cities are not included in the tour price but can be booked through Tucan Travel at an additional cost. For details about how to book pre & post accommodation please refer to the Extra Services information page in our website. Price information can be found on the price page of each tour. If you would prefer to make your own way to and from your hotel, you can find further details on the joining letter for this tour.
Single Supplements
This package may offer single supplements that enable clients to stay in a single room. This single supplement must be paid prior to departure and applies to the whole tour for nights where single rooms can be made available. If there is no offer for a single room this is usually because you will be on an overnight train or bus, or camping.
In the day-by-day grid below an 'S' will indicate in which destinations single rooms are available to those who have purchased a single supplement.
Day by Day Itinerary
| Day | Activity | Country | Meals | Single Room |
| Day 1 | Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | S | |
| Day 2 | Phnom Penh | Cambodia | B | S |
| Day 3 | Phnom Penh | B | S | |
| Day 4 | Siem Reap | B | S | |
| Day 5 | Siem Reap | S | ||
| Day 6 | Siem Reap | S | ||
| Day 7 | Bangkok | Thailand | S | |
| Day 8 | Bangkok |
(B - Breakfast, L - Lunch, D - Dinner included)
Please note the day to day itinerary above is given as a GUIDELINE ONLY.
Responsible Travel Tips
At Tucan Travel we are serious about our responsibility to care for the environment and people that we visit. Here are a few tips to help you to enjoy your tour while minimising your impact and enhancing your travelling experience. Visit the Responsible Travel Policy page to learn more.
- Offset a portion of the carbon of your Tucan Travel tour. Visit our Carbon Offset Scheme page to learn more about how your contributions make a difference.
- You could bring your own metal water bottle and fill it up at restaurants or treat your own water on tour instead of buying lots of plastic bottles. Bear in mind that there may not be recycling facilities available at some destinations.
- Cut out plastic – remove and recycle the packaging of new travel gear before you pack, and bring a light cotton or string bag for your shopping, so you can politely refuse plastic bags at shops and markets.
- Please don’t offer gifts to children as it encourages begging and promotes a culture of dependency. If possible, contribute money or supplies to a local school or charity organisation – talk to your tour leader about the options available.
- Learn a bit of the local language before you travel. Being able to say even a few words like hello, please and thank you will help you to connect with people in a positive way. Bring a phrase book on tour and keep practicing to improve your confidence.
Feedback
At the end of your tour we would greatly appreciate it if you could take the time to complete a questionnaire about your experiences. The tour leader will give you a paper copy and you can find a PDF version of the questionnaires on our website. We take feedback very seriously as it allows us to maintain and improve the very high standards we expect from our staff, local operators, hotels, transportation and excursion providers. We also use this information to improve our itineraries and optional excursions on offer.
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