“Worth it if you value local guides' deep knowledge and curated activities over total authenticity. Think twice if you're uncomfortable with commission-based recommendations and rapid pacing in Vietnam.”
- About £129/day across 30 days
- ~£4,129 all-in with a typical £249 flight from London (£138/day)
- At its lowest in the 90 days we've tracked it (£3,445)
- We only rate a price against this trip's own history once we've tracked it for 21 days — no guessing before that.
- Pricier per day than most similar trips (median ~£117/day)
- 3.7★ from 3 traveller reviews
Price movement, fill and the all-in cost come from our own daily tracking— not the operator’s feed. You book on TourRadar; the live price always applies there.
About this trip
A month-long loop through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, taking in the big-name sights alongside the slower, quieter corners in between. You start in the tangle of Bangkok, ease into Chiang Mai's calmer rhythm, then drift down the Mekong to Luang Prabang before crossing into Vietnam and Cambodia.
Expect a lot of ground covered, including overnight trains, and a mix of well-known highlights with places that get far fewer visitors. Accommodation is shared and basic throughout, which puts you in close contact with locals rather than behind a resort wall.
This suits travellers who want breadth over comfort — four countries, ancient temples, colonial towns and modern cities, all on a fully guided group itinerary.
What you'll do
- Wander Bangkok's markets and temples before Chiang Mai's slower pace
- Cruise the Mekong River to reach Luang Prabang
- Take a boat tour through the karst scenery of Ha Long Bay
- Explore Hue's imperial history and Hoi An's old town
- Feel the pace of Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh
- Visit the temples of Angkor
- Long travel days, including overnight trains, so this suits those happy to keep moving
- Accommodation is basic and shared, and hot water isn't always guaranteed
- Can turn cool at night from November to February, and smoke haze from crop burning is common in Northern Thailand and Laos in March and April
Day by day
Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.
What's included
- Guide: All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
- Meals: 24 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners
- Activities: Bangkok - Khlong boat canal tour Bangkok - Wat Pho Chiang Mai - Doi Suthep Temple Complex Chiang Mai - ChangChill Elephant Sanctuary Chiang Rai - Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) Mekong River - 2 day boat trip Luang Prabang - Pak Ou Caves Luang Prabang - Kuang Si Waterfalls Luang Prabang - Weaving workshop and social enterprise visit Luang Prabang - Alms giving ceremony Vientiane - COPE visit Vientiane - Wat Si Saket Hanoi - KOTO dinner Halong Bay - Overnight Boat Cruise Halong Bay - Cave entry Hue - Imperial City entrance and guided visit Hue - Village Recycling Hub Visit & Salt Coffee Tasting Hue - Royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc Hue - Highlights & back streets tour by motorbike Hue - Thien Mu Pagoda Hue - Vegetarian Lunch at Pagoda Hoi An - Old Town walking tour Ho Chi Minh City - War Remnants Museum Ho Chi Minh City - City tour Mekong Delta - Mekong Delta Day Trip & Village Tuk-Tuk Tour Mekong Delta - Lunch Phnom Penh - The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek Phnom Penh - Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21) Kampong Chhnang - Pottery village visit Battambang - Soksabike social enterprise countryside cycling & local snack tour Siem Reap - Three day Angkor Pass Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour Siem Reap - Sunrise at Angkor Wat Chong Kneas - Tonle Sap floating village visit
- Flights: This trip includes a domestic flight. Checked luggage allowance is a maximum of 20 kilograms, plus up to 7 kilograms carry on luggage. Any excess luggage charges will need to be paid directly to the airline at check *** All other flights are not included.
- Transport: OVERNIGHT TRAINS: Overnight sleeper trains in Thailand are air-conditioned and have sleeping berths down both sides of the carriage. The carriage is multishare, with are curtains that close over the beds. A sleeping sheet and a pillow are provided, and our luggage travels in the carriage with us. There is a western and Asian-style toilet located at the end of the carriage, but no showers. Carriage lights staying on during the night, so an eye mask is a good thing to bring with you, as is warm clothes as the air conditioning can be cold. For more on overnight trains in Thailand and around the world: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/overnight-train-travel-around-the-world/, VIETNAM FLIGHTS: Please provide your exact name (including middle name) as per passport 45 days prior to your trip's departure date for flight tickets to be issued. Internal flights will be on the following safety audited airlines: Pacific Airlines, Vietjet or Vietnam Airlines. , UNACCOMPANIED FLIGHTS: During peak travel times your group may be required to travel on different flights at different times of the day, and you may be unaccompanied on the internal flight. In this case you will be assisted by additional tour escorts on departure and arrival., OVERNIGHT SLEEPER TRAINS IN VIETNAM: Compartments will be 4 berth to 6 berth depending on seasonal variations and the group configuration. We aim to secure 4 berth compartments where possible. A sheet, pillow and blanket are provided, although some travellers prefer to bring their own sleeping sheet. Passengers of different genders may be required to share a compartment and there will be occasions where you'll be sharing with local travellers or travellers who are not part of your group. On occasion the group may be split between several carriages, however your leader will coordinate and give further information on the trip. Boat, Longtail boat, High Speed Train, Overnight sleeper train, Plane, Private minibus, Public Bus, Songtheaw, Motorbike, Taxi
- Accommodation: HOTELS: Most of the accommodation on this trip is in hotels (mostly 2 to 3-star). Facilities are often basic, with some properties not having a continuous supply of hot water on occasion. All rooms are either fan cooled or with air conditioning and twin share with private facilities unless stated otherwise in the daily itinerary. Double beds are not widely available in South East Asia., WINDOWLESS ROOMS: Some hotels in South East Asia have windowless rooms, or windows that don't necessarily have a view. This is often due to high population density in large cities, however local building standards also do not require rooms to have windows. We do request rooms with windows, however they aren't always available., DAY ROOMS : & EARLY CHECK IN: Please note in some destinations we will provide use of day rooms. These rooms are provided for shared group use before or after overnight train journeys. We have some days where we arrive at our destination before check in time and a day room is not included. If you have booked a Single Supplement for your trip, it will not apply to these day rooms. Your leader may be able to assist you in booking a room for your sole use (depending on availability) until our regular trip rooms become available for an additional charge. Please talk to your leader at the Welcome Meeting if this is a service you would like to request. Guesthouse (2 nights), Hotel (24 nights), Overnight boat (1 night), Overnight sleeper train (2 nights)
- Activities: Other activities and services not included.
- Optional: Bangkok - Grand Palace - THB500 Bangkok - Thai Massage - THB250 Bangkok - Jim Thompson's House - THB200 Chiang Mai - Thai cooking course - THB1000 Chiang Mai - Bicycle tour - THB990 Luang Prabang - Mt Phu Si - USD2 Luang Prabang - Night Market - Free Luang Prabang - Royal Theatre - USD20 Luang Prabang - Wat Xieng Thong - USD3 Luang Prabang - National Museum - USD4 Vang Vieng - Bicycle hire - USD2 Vang Vieng - Wat Si Vieng Song - Free Vang Vieng - Kayaking - USD35 Vang Vieng - Tham Phu Kham Cave - LAK10000 Hanoi - Women's Museum - VND30000 Hanoi - Museum of Ethnology - VND40000 Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh Complex - VND80000 Hanoi - Hanoi Street Food Experience Urban Adventure - USD40 Halong Bay - Kayaking Tour - VND250000 Hoi An - Food Adventure Urban Adventure - USD44 Hoi An - Private Hoi An: My Son Discovery - USD77 Ho Chi Minh City - Reunification Palace - VND40000 Ho Chi Minh City - A O show - VND1050000 Ho Chi Minh City - Saigon Street Food by Night Urban Adventure - USD36 Ho Chi Minh City - War Remnants Museum - VND40000 Phnom Penh - Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda - USD10 Phnom Penh - Wat Phnom - USD2 Phnom Penh - National Museum - USD10 Phnom Penh - Cyclo tour - USD4 Phnom Penh - Khmer massage - USD8 Battambang - Cooking Class - USD12 Battambang - Phnom Sampov bat caves - USD15 Siem Reap - Angkor Zipline Silver Tour - USD54 Siem Reap - Landmine Museum - USD5 Siem Reap - Phare Circus Ticket - USD18 Siem Reap - Angkor Zipline Gold Tour - USD87 Bangkok - Chinatown Sights and Bites Urban Adventure - THB1960 Bangkok - Temple & River of Kings Urban Adventure - THB2900 Bangkok - Tuk Tuk Experience Urban Adventure - THB2500
- Insurance: Insurance is not included. Travel insurance is required for this tour. Please make sure you are adequately covered. If you require travel insurance, TourRadar has partnered up with Cover Genius to provide a hassle-free experience. More information can be found here (https://www.tourradar.com/travel-insurance).
How travellers rate it
Cheapest live departure per day, in £, recorded by our tracker since 18 Jul. Never a brochure “was” price.
Your free day in Bangkok
Landing early, staying on, or filling free time? The best-rated day experiences in Bangkok — you book on Viator (we may earn a commission).
Worth it if you value local guides' deep knowledge and curated activities over total authenticity. Think twice if you're uncomfortable with commission-based recommendations and rapid pacing in Vietnam.
- Local tour leaders provide genuine insider knowledge, local language skills, and real care when issues arise.
- Intrepid takes commission on optional activities, restaurants, and purchases; guides may steer you toward higher-margin options.
- Vietnam section feels rushed, especially for those continuing from Laos; Hanoi onwards is non-stop moving with minimal downtime.
- Laos accommodation is basic but functional; Vietnam and Cambodia lodging notably better, all perfectly adequate.
Distilled from real traveller reviews on TourRadar — we don't edit out the bad bits.
The same-vibe trips, side by side — price, value per day, and how each is moving. Only we can lay two operators' trips out honestly.
Sorted by fit — never by who paid. Price moves and availability come from our own daily tracking.
Getting there
One-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown on Trip.com.
Hotels in Bangkok
View more accommodationLive prices via Booking.com & partners, booked on their site — separate from your tour. We may earn a commission; it never changes your price.
On a budget?
Hostels in Bangkok for the night before your tour · 8 Dec – 9 Dec
Booked on Hostelworld, separate from your tour. We may earn a commission — it never changes your price.
Common questions
How long is South East Asia Loop?
It's a 30-day trip. It starts and ends in Bangkok.
How much does South East Asia Loop cost?
The land price starts from £3,880 per person for the 30-day trip. You book on TourRadar, where the live price always applies.
What will South East Asia Loop really cost me all-in?
On top of the £3,880 land price, budget roughly £249 for a return flight from the UK — about £4,129 all-in before spending money. Most day-to-day meals out and optional activities are extra.
What's included in the price?
The price covers all your accommodation, 30 meals (24 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners), transport during the trip, a group leader/guide. Anything the operator lists as optional or not included — see the full breakdown on this page.
What's not included?
travel insurance (required) is not included, so factor it into your budget. We show typical flight costs and can point you to insurance on this page.
How big is the group?
Groups are capped at around 16 travellers — a small-group trip, mostly solo 18–35s travelling to meet people, not a coach tour.
When does South East Asia Loop run?
It runs across roughly 22 months of the year, so there's usually a departure to fit your dates. Check live availability and prices in the dates section above.
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