Compare Thailand to Cambodia 11 Days 9 Nights by Affordable World vs Angkor Wat & Thailand Essential by Odynovo

Day 1 & 2: USA – Bangkok

Accommodation: Centara Grand At Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok or Similar

Board our transpacific flight to Bangkok, the starting point of our Thailand Delight journey. *Thailand entry visa is not required for USA passport holders. For passports other than US passport, please get the entry visa on your own. Please click http://www.affordableworld.com/infocenter/passport-visa/thailand for more information.

Touch down in Beijing and catch a connecting flight to Bangkok, Thailand's capital city.  Guests flying with Cathay Pacific, will board a connecting flight in Hong Kong.  Upon arrival at Bangkok International Airport, enjoy a transfer to your hotel and the remainder of the evening to rest and relax.

Day 3: Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Centara Grand At Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok or Similar

Bangkok is a city of gleaming modernity firmly rooted in ancient Buddhist tradition and beliefs. Depart on a half-day tour after breakfast to witness some of Bangkok’s most interesting sights. Visit the Temple of the Golden Buddha (Wat Trimitr) to see its solid-gold Buddha, and peek inside the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), known for its monumental horizontal Buddha. Stroll through the Paklong Talat flower market, a whirlwind of stalls selling masses of perfumed orchids, marigolds and roses.  After a buffet lunch at a local restaurant, enjoy the afternoon independently, or explore Bangkok’s must-sees on our optional Landmark of Bangkok tour. Tour the splendid Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha, see the riverside Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun), and ride a motorboat along the Chao Phraya River.

*Men and women must have their shoulders, arms and legs covered when visiting the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Temple*

Optional Tours: The Landmark of Bangkok Tour with Boat Ride $45 pp

Day 4: Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Centara Grand At Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok or Similar

Following breakfast, depart Bangkok for Damnoen Saduak, one of Thailand’s most famous floating markets. Ride a long-tail speedboat around the lively canals, passing boats and stalls laden with fresh produce, spices, and handicrafts. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning back to the hotel.  Spend the evening as you wish or join our optional tour to Asiatique Riverfront Night Market and enjoy a classic Thai dinner and dance show.

Optional Tours: Asiatique Riverfront Night Market + Thai Dinner & Dance Show $40 pp

Day 5: Bangkok - River Kwai

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Felix River Kwai Resort or Similar

After an early start, travel into scenic Kanchanaburi province and visit the Bridge over the River Kwai, famously connected to the 'Death Railway' of World War II, and the poignant Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, home to 9,000 Allied war graves. Check in to the hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.  Alternatively, make the most of your time with our optional tour to the Elephant World Sanctuary for rescued elephants.  Admire, feed and help bathe these incredible animals in the river before enjoying lunch at the camp.

Optional Tours: Elephant World Sanctuary with Lunch $75 pp

Day 6: River Kwai – Ayutthaya

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Krungsri River Hotel or similar

After breakfast, journey to Ayutthaya, home to the UNESCO-listed ruins of the medieval capital of Siam. Founded in 1350, this royal city was a major power for over 400 years, until Burmese forces destroyed it in the 1700s. Stroll around the remains of this once-thriving city, seeing the restored chedi of the crumbled Wat Phra Si Sanphet, the blackened remnants of monasteries, the carved Buddha face entangled in tree roots, and the working Wat Yai Chaimongkol temple. Your tour also includes time at the Bang Pa In palace, a beautiful lakeside retreat of Thailand’s kings during the 19th century. Tonight, make the most of Ayutthaya’s setting by joining us for an optional dinner cruise on a traditional wooden rice barge.

Optional Tours: Ayutthaya at night by Tuk Tuk $40 pp

DAY 7: Ayutthaya – Pattaya

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Long Beach Garden Hotel & Spa or similar

Relax over breakfast before a scenic drive to Pattaya, a popular vacation spot on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand whose beaches and entertainments draw thousands of visitors annually. On arrival, experience the virtual ‘Theme Park - Dark Ride’ at a gems gallery, learning about Thailand’s most prized gemstones. Then, check in to your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day as you please, perhaps relaxing on the sands or by the pool. Later, you may wish to take our optional Pattaya by Night tour, savoring a sumptuous seafood dinner and cabaret show.

Optional Tours: Pattaya by Night/ Cabaret Show/ Seafood dinner $50 pp

DAY 8: Pattaya - Bangkok - Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Royal Angkor Resort Hotel or Similar

After breakfast, check out of your Bangkok hotel and transfer to Bangkok International Airport for your flight to Siem Reap, the capital of Cambodia’s northwestern Siem Reap province, and the gateway to the stupendous temples of Angkor Wat.  On arrival, meet your local tour guide and enjoy a convenient transfer to your hotel. Check in and enjoy the rest of the day to relax and make use of your hotel’s comforts and amenities.

DAY 9: Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Royal Angkor Resort Hotel or Similar

Today is devoted to UNESCO-LISTED Angkor Wat, the jewel in Cambodia’s historical and cultural crown, and the world’s largest religious monument. Following breakfast at your hotel, set off on a guided tour of this magnificent complex, once the heart of the ancient Khmer empire that reigned supreme here between the 9th and 12th centuries. Your tour encompasses the fortified city of Angkor Thom, together with the stunning Terrace of Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper Kings, the remains of the Baphuon temple, and the Royal Enclosure, pyramid-shaped Phimeanakas, and Bayon, famous for its incredible sculpted heads, all carved with smiles.  To finish, head to the top of an Angkor temple to witness a stunning Cambodian sunset, watching as the orange sun sinks below the spires, temples and palms.

DAY 10: Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Royal Angkor Resort Hotel or Similar

Leave after breakfast to visit the romantic temple of Ta Prohm, another of Angkor’s gems. This beautiful temple was the only one left in its original, dilapidated state by 19th-century archaeologists, and makes a magical sight, with its crumbled buildings and terraces enveloped in jungle foliage and giant tree roots. Continue from here to the 10th-century temple of Ta Keo, the 12th-century Chau Say Tevoda temple, and the Roluos group of temples, the earliest of Angkor Wat’s treasures.  Cap your day with a visit to Les Chantiers Ecole, a vocational center dedicated to preserving Cambodian culture by teaching young locals traditional arts and crafts skills.  Explore the workshops, seeing the students making stone- and wood carvings, painting delicate silks and crafting lacquerware and other items.

DAY 11: Siem Reap - Bangkok – USA

Meals: Breakfast

Enjoy today free to explore Siem Reap, perhaps sampling some Cambodian cuisine at the restaurants or shopping for last-minute souvenirs. This evening, take the bus to Siem Reap International Airport for your return flight to the USA. If you are flying with Air China, your homebound flight departs in the early morning of the next day.

Day 1: Arrival - Siem Reap

Overnight: Siem Reap

Welcome to Siem Reap, also known as "Temple Town"! On arrival, you will be greeted by a local tour guide and escorted to your hotel. Have the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 2: Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Overnight: Siem Reap

Begin your exploration with a visit to Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire. Enter through the South Gate, where there is a bridge with dozens of stone figures depicting the mythic story of the Churning of the Ocean. The Bayon Temple in the city center is notable for its numerous smiling stone faces on the towers. Nearby is Elephants Terrace, where the ancient King of Angkor stood for inspection and held various public ceremonies.

Lunch at a local restaurant, followed by a tour of UNESCO-listed Angkor Wat, the main attraction in Siem Reap. It is indescribably beautiful until you stand in front of the temple complex, built in the 12th century with five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters into the sky. Finish the day with a stunning sunset from Bakheng Hill or the less-crowded Pre Rup Temple.

Day 3: Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Overnight: Siem Reap

Early risers have the bonus of watching the stunning sunrise over Angkor Wat if the weather is nice.

After breakfast, depart for Banteay Srei, about 30 kilometers from Siem Reap's center. This tiny temple, built in vermilion sandstone and filled with exquisite reliefs, is widely regarded by tourists as the "jewel of Khmer art." After lunch, proceed to Ta Prohm Temple - the shooting location of the movie Tomb Raider- and then end with Ta Keo Temple.

Day 4: Siem Reap – Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Overnight: Bangkok

Passing through the countryside, you will arrive at Tonle Sap Lake. It is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, where people without a homeland built their houses on the water, forming some small floating villages. You will witness this unique lifestyle through a local boat ride around the lake. After lunch, proceed to the airport for your flight to Bangkok. Upon touchdown, meet your guide and transfer to your hotel for some rest.

Day 5: Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Overnight: Bangkok

Begin with a colorful flower and vegetable market, where tons of colorful fresh flowers for sale fill the air with an intoxicating scent. Following that, visit the glittering Grand Palace, which has many fascinating buildings to explore, including the sacred Wat Phra Kaew.

After lunch, take a long-tail boat ride through the canals, known locally as khlongs, to observe the rural life along the waterways. On the boat, you can see the photogenic Wat Arun on the bank of the Chao Phraya River. Disembark and spend the rest of the day at Wat Po, the home of the massive Reclining Buddha.

Day 6: Bangkok - Chiang Mai

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Chiang Mai

Get to the airport in the morning for a flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand's "Rose of the North." On arrival, you will be greeted by a local guide and transferred to your hotel for check-in.

After a short break, pay a visit to Doi Pui Hmong Tribal Village. Where villagers still wear traditional Hmong clothes, sell traditional Hmong handcrafts, and live in typical Hmong-style homes, you will gain an insight into Hmong culture and customs. End the tour with a panoramic view of Chiang Mai and the surrounding area at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, about 4 kilometers from the village.

Day 7: Chiang Mai

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Overnight: Chiang Mai

Join Elephant's Day Care at Baan Chang Elephant Park and get close to these gentle giants. The park, located about 50 min from Chiang Mai, seems like a typical small, rural Thai village, where people live and work with elephants. Once there, you can cook herbal food to feed them, roam with them in the natural fields, and enjoy bathing with them. In the Nursery Zone, you can even play with their baby elephants.

Day 8: Chiang Mai – Phuket

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Phuket

Enjoy a leisurely morning until flying to Phuket, the gateway to the southern beaches. On arrival, take a private transfer to your hotel for check-in and relaxation.

Day 9: Phuket

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Phuket

Day at leisure. Blessed with many activities and attractions, Phuket is more than beaches. You can take a walking tour around Old Phuket Town to see Sino-Portuguese-style shophouses and try Thai food while exploring its open markets and bustling streets. Or enjoy island hopping to take in the stunning natural beauty around Phuket.

Day 10: Phuket

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Phuket

Another day of relaxation. After a big day exploring this fascinating island, you might want to lounge on a beach chair with cold coconut juice, enjoying the open seascape.

Day 11: Phuket - Bangkok – Departure

Meals: Breakfast

Your vacation to Cambodia and Thailand comes to an end. Fly to Bangkok to connect to your international flight home.