3 weeks Thaiand Cambodia March/April
 

We've purchased our tickets to and from Bangkok and have a pretty good idea of what we want to do. It is as follows

2 nights Khao Sak Park
6 nights Siem Reap, Cambodia
7 nights Chiang Mai/ Norther Thailand
2 nights Khao Yai National Park

My questions are:

1. Is it customary to pre-book a hotel AND pre-book the taxi/transfer to the hotel?
2. Is the transfer usually around $20-$30 for two people?
3. Good hotel to stay at for the first night in Thailand, prior to Khao Sak trip? We're looking for an inexpensive but reasonably clean hotel with western bath, etc.
4. We plan to book the 5 night Super Value stay at The Villas of Siem Reap for $170. Does that sound like a reasonable price to pay? Or is there a better deal there? (we're extending the stay 1 night for the drive back to Bangkok. We might consider staying in Sisophon to get an early start back to Bangkok, if there are earlier buses from the border back to Bangkok. Thoughts?

For Chiang Mai, I found a very reasonable tour company that does day tours and overnight tours to Hill Tribes, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, Doi Inthanon, etc. I plan to use them to arrange all the visit to Chiang Mai. Does anyone have experience with that organization? The company is:

http://www.chiangmai-carnival.com

Lastly,

If anyone has any experience wth Khao Yai tours (2 nights, 3 days) What is a good organization to book through...reasonable rates, western bath, etc??

Thanks-

Mark

The package at Villas of Siem Reap at $175 per person seems to be okay but you could do it on your own with better temple transportion (a/c car rather than tuk-tuk) and a guesthouse with a pool. You will appreciate both in the heat.

How do you plan to get to places that you want to visit - bus, train or fly. It will take a better part of a day for travelling between them.

If you are considering the land route to Siem Reap do not book a min bus from Bangkok. Do it on your own and you will save a lot of time and headaches - bus to Aranyaprathet,tuk-tuk to boarder (Poipet)and taxi to SR. Be warned that the roads are still bad in some stretches. Sisophon is only a transportation connecting point and noboby says here.

Instead of 7 days in Chiang Mai spend some of this in Chiang Rai. Much easier for touring the Golden Triangle from here.

Perhaps the3 night package at The Villas would be betterto sart with and do the rest when we get there?

We plan to take the 1st class bus from Mochrit station, Tuk tuk to border, and do a taxi from border to Siem Reap. That seems to bethe fastest nd easiest for the money.

I have e-mailed the tour operator in Chianf Mai to see if we can get a slight customization ...Chiang Rai for 1 night, then drive to Sukhotai for a day tour and possible vernight, then drop off at Khao Yai lodging (once we've selected and boked it.) I'm hoping that,rather than spend the money on flight or o/n train to bangkok, then 2 hour drive to Khao Yai, that thi might be a possibility...

Just to let you know that the taxi fare has gone up from Poipet to SR. A little over a year ago it was around $25, then $45 and now $60. So the total cost for 2 from Bangkok would be about $76. In the other direction it is around $35-40 fot a taxi to the boarder..

An alternative way of getting there would be to fly to Phnom Penh on Air Asia (discount airline) spen a day and then take an a/c bus over a good road to SR. Then return to Bangkok via Poipet. This would cost more, the plane fare about $56 and bus $9 each.

I would skip Sukhothai as it will be a let down after Siem Reap.

Thanks for the inf on the taxi fares. I estimated high for the trip to Siem Reap to account for it.. I think I am set for the budget..$60 p/p for trip to SR, including visas, $30 - 35 for return, pp.

Now I just have to figure out hotel transfers / taxis in Thailand :)

Mark-

We've made a slight possible change in itinerary. Since nothing but flights from PWM - BKK is booked yet, we're ok there.

The change is a side trip to Brunei fora coupke days.. possibly jungle trip in Brunei for a day or 2.

The question is:

Do we ut out Khao Yai, Khao Sok, or do we cut Ciang Mai area shorter, or Siem Reap shorter?

Opinions anyone?

Mark-

Khao Yai is a long way from Chiang Mai and difficult to reach without your own transport. We rented a car in CM and drove there a couple of years back. There are lots of hotels along the road to the park entrance all of which are largely frequented by Thais weekending from Bangkok. You could organise a trek at the park HQ on arrival but this may be difficult in only 2 days. The hotels would be able to fix you up either in advance or on arrival. There are dorms at the park HQ. Personally, I would not make the trip just for 2 days.

Are you really thinking of going to Brunei? It's a long way from Thailand, and the flights to Brunei are expensive. Brunei is also not the best place to acccess the jungles of Borneo. Really Sabah or Sarawak, both parts of Malaysian Borneo are the best places to access the jungle. That would require a flight from Bangkok to KL and onward to Kota Kinabalu then a flight to one of the locations via which you can access the jungle, say Lahad Datu and then into the Danum Valley. This is not something you could do in two days, but might be the focus of your whole trip. You might want to read Kathie's Borneo Trip Report for info on my trip a year ago which would give you ideas for a future trip.

In any case, a side trip to Brunei for two days is not really an option.

re: Brunei...I just priced the trip out via Air Asia, with a local company providing the tours and a 3 night trip to Brunei cmes to around $350.

Mom's already travele extensively in SE Asia, including a 4 week trek of Iryan Jaya , so Brunei would get her to one of thelast countries in SE Asia she hasn't been to. I figured Brunei is small enough that a 3-4 day visit would be sufficient for the basics.

Thanks for the info on Brunei and hao Yai.

I am thinking about extending Kha Yai by a day..and am looking at packages from Palm Garden Lodge (palmgalo.com) as wellas greenleaf tour (greenleaftour.com) I am leaning toward palm Garden, but haven't read any reviews of them, so am not 100% decided.

Khao Sok is prettymuch out as of now.