Laos or Cambodia ? which one ??? ..oh and Thailand

[deee_wreck]

Ticket Booked (nov 6-29)
Travel Clinic tomorrow
Buying my backpack in the next week.

Flying into Bangkok, Thailand Nov 7th in the pm.

My buddy and I, are debating a 5-7 day side trip to either LAOS or CAMBODIA.

I've been told by others :

"...depends on what you're looking for... cambodia is slightly more developed, more historical sites and temples, laos, more nature-y and cave tubbing (if the water level isn't too high. i liked both, in different ways... if you're looking for nicer cambodia, if you're going for back packing, laos"

I need VISA for either one, so need some more info to see which one to go for. Where is the consulate to get either VISA in Calgary?

Will Thailand be party enough that i'll want quiet Laos to relax, or are the parties in Cambodia a totally different affair ??

are there Land mines still in Cambodia?

Which is easier to travel through or tie in with my Thailand trip. If i do northern Thailand, then Laos is easier, and vicer versa?

Surfing thru travelfish.org lots of sample itinerary, just cant makeup my mind.

Any comments, suggestions, trip advice much appreciated.

:confused::confused:

[amz155]

Yikes! I'd hate to pick between them. Luckily for me in 2007 I was able to go to Thailand, fly to Laos and travel down over land to Cambodia.

Its true it depends what you are looking for.

The gem of Laos, for me, was Luang Prabang. The city itself is incredible and there is lots to do in the area. Vang Vieng is great for tubing, caving, renting a scooter and exploring the area.

The highlight of Camboida for me was Angkor Wat. Incredible! I also loved Phnom Penh.

If you have a party mentality, I'm not sure either is the right place for you. If your priority is partying, then just stay in Thailand. Going to either Laos or Cambodia looking to party would be a shame as the countries have so much offer in the way of culture, history, etc.

With 7 days you could really do either and if you flew you'd save loads of time.

If I HAD to pick, I'd probably pick Laos. With Laos, more so than Cambodia, I was left with a feeling that there was so much more that I'd like to go back and see.

[pablonutribar]

Yikes! I'd hate to pick between them. Luckily for me in 2007 I was able to go to Thailand, fly to Laos and travel down over land to Cambodia.

Its true it depends what you are looking for.

The gem of Laos, for me, was Luang Prabang. The city itself is incredible and there is lots to do in the area. Vang Vieng is great for tubing, caving, renting a scooter and exploring the area.

The highlight of Camboida for me was Angkor Wat. Incredible! I also loved Phnom Penh.

If you have a party mentality, I'm not sure either is the right place for you. If your priority is partying, then just stay in Thailand. Going to either Laos or Cambodia looking to party would be a shame as the countries have so much offer in the way of culture, history, etc.

With 7 days you could really do either and if you flew you'd save loads of time.

If I HAD to pick, I'd probably pick Laos. With Laos, more so than Cambodia, I was left with a feeling that there was so much more that I'd like to go back and see.

Meh, 7 days isn't enough time to do much of anything. I would probably hit up angkor wat, but the big issue there is the border crossing near angkor. It's a notorious gong show. At least visa formalities are easy in Laos. The problem with both Laos and Cambodia is that travel can be quite slow. Make sure to budget extra time to allow for possible breakdowns and the like.

I've spent a fair bit of time in Laos - it's not a terribly exciting place. If you're looking for excitement, go elsewhere.

[Toule]

Dont know for Laos but for Combodia I bought my visa at the border... but I get ripped off and paid 25US...

In 7 days I'm sure that you can do the both. (simply go to Angkor in Cambodia, it's really awesome!)

[heymikey]

I also paid $25 at the border (betwen Cambodia and Vietnam) which is probably $5 more expensive than it really is. Bangkok to Siem Reap will definitely take an entire day of travel, although I've read that the roads are now much better that it might take half a day. I've read that there is some sort of scam where the buses will sometimes pretend to have breakdowns or maybe drive slowly, so when you arrive at Siem Reap, it would be like 11pm at night so you'll be tired to find your own accommodation and you'll going along with those various touts waiting for you (read more here (http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-overland-bkksr-package.htm)).

There are no landmines in the tourist areas of Siem Reap or even Phnom Penh. Siem Reap particularly is very touristy so if there are still landmines around that area, a tourist would have been blown off already and we would have heard about it. Fortunately, that's not the case. I've read that there are still some lingering around at the north, but if you'll only be going to Siem Reap to see the Angkor complex (which should take at least 3 days), then you wouldn't have any problems.

I haven't been to Laos but I've heard really good things about it -- particularly Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. It's just a pain to get there overland if you don't have time to head to northern Thailand. With Cambodia, it's easily accessible (relatively speaking) from Bangkok.

[Toule]

Bangkok to Siem Reap will definitely take an entire day of travel, although I've read that the roads are now much better that it might take half a day. I've read that there is some sort of scam where the buses will sometimes pretend to have breakdowns or maybe drive slowly, so when you arrive at Siem Reap, it would be like 11pm at night so you'll be tired to find your own accommodation and you'll going along with those various touts waiting for you (read more here (http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-overland-bkksr-package.htm)).

I haven't been to Laos but I've heard really good things about it -- particularly Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. It's just a pain to get there overland if you don't have time to head to northern Thailand. With Cambodia, it's easily accessible (relatively speaking) from Bangkok.


In, summer 2007, it took me 14hrs from Koh Chang to Siem Reap, including boat time and a flat tire in the incredible road in Cambodia. Took me less than 9 hr from Siem Reap to BKK.

[bilibulu]

I did Cambodia and Laos in 3 days. One day in Siem Reap, one day in Luang Prabang, one day in Phnom Penh. Well, I did Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam in a week. I didn't like roughing it so I flew. IMO Luang Prabang was the most interesting of the three cities. The flights there are cheap. Bangkok Airways has a pass that you can buy and it's dirt cheap.

Laos visa can be had at the airport. Cambodia visa can be applied online.

[deee_wreck]

Yikes! I'd hate to pick between them. Luckily for me in 2007 I was able to go to Thailand, fly to Laos and travel down over land to Cambodia.

Its true it depends what you are looking for.

The gem of Laos, for me, was Luang Prabang. The city itself is incredible and there is lots to do in the area. Vang Vieng is great for tubing, caving, renting a scooter and exploring the area.

The highlight of Camboida for me was Angkor Wat. Incredible! I also loved Phnom Penh.

If you have a party mentality, I'm not sure either is the right place for you. If your priority is partying, then just stay in Thailand. Going to either Laos or Cambodia looking to party would be a shame as the countries have so much offer in the way of culture, history, etc.

With 7 days you could really do either and if you flew you'd save loads of time.

If I HAD to pick, I'd probably pick Laos. With Laos, more so than Cambodia, I was left with a feeling that there was so much more that I'd like to go back and see.
^^^
Well I'm not necessarily looking for a "party" just threw that query out there! I like to mix it up, just need to know what to expect. Heard you can rent a tube and go down the river hopping from bar to bar which are located on the river banks in Vang Vieng Laos?
I do plan to fly so how much time in each spot would you say is enough to get a "feel" for what the area is about. I'll probably make plans to return in the future.

http://www.chrissy-lew.com/photogallery/TapIntoLaos/Tubing.JPG




Meh, 7 days isn't enough time to do much of anything. I would probably hit up angkor wat, but the big issue there is the border crossing near angkor. It's a notorious gong show. At least visa formalities are easy in Laos. The problem with both Laos and Cambodia is that travel can be quite slow. Make sure to budget extra time to allow for possible breakdowns and the like.

I've spent a fair bit of time in Laos - it's not a terribly exciting place. If you're looking for excitement, go elsewhere.
^^^
I've read the same. Better to Fly is what I'm planning. ANY recommends for a Laos itinerary ? How is this Travelfish one in your opinion?
http://www.travelfish.org/trip_planner/laos-one-week-holiday


I did Cambodia and Laos in 3 days. One day in Siem Reap, one day in Luang Prabang, one day in Phnom Penh. Well, I did Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam in a week. I didn't like roughing it so I flew. IMO Luang Prabang was the most interesting of the three cities. The flights there are cheap. Bangkok Airways has a pass that you can buy and it's dirt cheap.

Laos visa can be had at the airport. Cambodia visa can be applied online.
^^^
The Laos visa, you can get upon landing by air just goggled it, but can you get it prior to entering, ie from BKK?

How far in advance did you book your flight pass? Are they easy to modify/change dates if you decide to stay longer or shorter?

[bilibulu]

^^^
[COLOR="Blue"]^^^
The Laos visa, you can get upon landing by air just goggled it, but can you get it prior to entering, ie from BKK?

How far in advance did you book your flight pass? Are they easy to modify/change dates if you decide to stay longer or shorter?

I don't know about getting the Laos visa prior to entering because I didn't want to part with my passport to get a visa, and I didn't want to waste my time applying for a visa beforehand. The process of getting the visa at Laos airport is easy. You just line up as if you were going through immigration. The officer collects the money from you and put stamps on your passport. That is the visa and entry stamp. Of course, if you plan to enter Laos overland, I don't know how that would work.

I booked the flight pass about 1 month before my departure from Canada. The paper ticket has to be issued at Bangkok Airways' agent in downtown Toronto (Yorkville area). See the details in this link (http://www.bangkokair.com/airpass/index.php?lang=en).

They have flights between Bangkok/Siem Reap, Siem Reap/Luang Prabang, Luang Prabang/Bangkok. I think this would be excellent if you want to see both countries in a short period of time.

[amz155]

Yeah you can rent tubes at Vang Vieng. You can book it as part of a cave tour that ends with tubing or you can just do the tubing. You can stop off where you want to drink, relax, use the huge rope swings if they are still there and if water levels permit. I wish we had an extra day in VV to rent scooters and see some of the incredible caves in the area. We made the mistake of just renting bicycles and weren't able to see as much.

We stayed maybe 4-5 days in just Luang Prabang. Not that there's THAT much to do but we really liked the feel of the town, night market, etc. You can spend a days at that waterfalls, a day just exploring the temples in town...can't remember what else we did....oh, yeah lots of masasges.

[deee_wreck]

Alrighty, so looks like i should go to both!

Tentatively 4 days in Laos and 2 days in Cambodia, 1 day to fly, and the rest in Thailand.
Skipping Phuket, friend just passed thru on his way back said its ridiculously expensive.

So now time to work down the Thailand itinerary.

- BangKok
- Chiang Mai
- Ko Samui / Lamai
- Ko Pha Ngan / Chaweng
- Krabi
- North Thailand


Any suggestions on length of stay in each ?
or which to pass?
or any i've forgotten?

Which locations do not have airports to fly out of?

[Bazooka Joe]

You're planning way too much in too little time. The entire essence of SE asia: "slowly, slowly".

Don't miss angkor wat, truly a once in a lifetime experience. If I were you I'd skip the north entirely on such a short trip (Chiang Mai, Pai, etc). Kanchaniburi is worth a few days for sure, skip Koh Samui.

If you're looking for a party without all the drunken foolery, the Perhentians in Malaysia are much better and easy to get to. If it's the drunken foolery you want to be a part of, Koh Phangan is your destination.

JMHO

[emmpeethree]

Alrighty, so looks like i should go to both!

Tentatively 4 days in Laos and 2 days in Cambodia, 1 day to fly, and the rest in Thailand.
Skipping Phuket, friend just passed thru on his way back said its ridiculously expensive.

So now time to work down the Thailand itinerary.

- BangKok
- Chiang Mai
- Ko Samui / Lamai
- Ko Pha Ngan / Chaweng
- Krabi
- North Thailand


Any suggestions on length of stay in each ?
or which to pass?
or any i've forgotten?
Which locations do not have airports to fly out of?

how long is your whole trip?

i dont understand why you'd go to krabi, ko samui and ko pha ngan. they are really alot of the same thing - beach.

ko samui is just a tourist beach island. ko pha ngan is a quieter beach island, most people only go for the full moon parties (if that's what you're into)

krabi are you going to rock climb or kayak? if not, its just another beach too. i'd pick krabi of all those since it would be the cheapest and involve less time gettin gto.

just heads up, visa for laos for canadians is $40-45 USD. is it worth it for 4 days?

i'd spend the time in cambodia and get the 3 day angkor pass instead and really get to see the different temples. if you wanted to go to vang vieng, it will take you 4-5 hours on a bus each way from vientiane.

sounds like you've only got 2 weeks. i think the worst thing you could do is stress yourself out on vacation by trying to see everything on your list