Compare Thailand's highlights and Siem Reap by Audley Travel vs Angkor Wat & Thailand Essential by Odynovo

Day 1 : International outbound flight

Today you begin your journey by boarding your international outbound flight to Siem Reap.

Day 2 : Siem Reap

Your guide will be waiting for you at the airport in Siem Reap and will accompany you on your private transfer to your hotel.The Shinta Mani Resort has a great location in the city's French Quarter, just 15 minutes from Angkor Wat.

Day 3 : Siem Reap

Your guide will collect you this morning for your private tour of Cambodia's most famous site - Angkor - once the capital city of the Khmer Empire and now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Your guide will show you around the magnificent temples of Angkor including the walled city of Angkor Thom, the many faces of the Bayon and the iconic Angkor Wat.

Day 4 : Siem Reap

Today you will journey out of Siem Reap to Lake Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and home to Cambodia's floating villages. Your guide will take you on a fascinating private tour of one of the villages where you will also get to explore the canals and mangroves by boat.In the evening you will attend the renowned Cambodian circus, a unique awe inspiring performance showcasing the talents of the local people. This acrobatic theatre is not to be missed!

Day 5 : Chiang Mai

This morning you will join a local chef for a fascinating street food exploration of Siem Reap. You will be guided through market warrens, roadside cafes and local homes on a wonderful discovery of Cambodia's cuisine. You will have the chance to try Cambodia's best breakfast dishes, tasty treats and tropical fruits. In the afternoon you will have a private transfer to the airport in time for your flight to Chiang Mai, located in Northern Thailand. Upon arrival in Chiang Mai you will be met by your guide and taken to your boutique hotel.

Day 6 : Chiang Mai

This morning your guide will collect you for your private tour of the beautiful Mae Sa Valley. The tour includes a visit to the Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens, a butterfly farm and a visit to one of the local Hmong hill tribes.

Day 7 : Chiang Mai

Today you will join a group for an unusual and exciting way of exploring the city - on a guided Segway tour! The rest of your day will be at leisure. In the evening you may like to visit the city's famous night bazaar.

Day 8 : Bangkok

After breakfast you will be collected from your hotel and taken to the airport in time for your morning flight to Bangkok. Your guide will be waiting for you at Bangkok airport and you will have a private transfer to your riverside hotel.In the late afternoon your guide will collect you for a private evening tour of Bangkok where you will get the chance to explore Bangkok's famous food stalls and markets and visit some of its most interesting night spots.

Day 9 : Bangkok

Today you will have a private guided tour of Bangkok visiting the capital's key attractions: the Grand Palace, Wat Po (home to the reclining Buddha) and Jim Thompson's house. You will get to use Bangkok's different forms of public transport - the Skytrain which winds its way through the skyscrapers and shopping malls, the public taxi boat, a long-tail boat and of course the infamous Thai tuk tuk! This is a fun excursion that will give you a fantastic insight into the capital as well as the people that call Bangkok home.

Day 10 : Khao Sok National Park

You will have an early start today for your private transfer to the airport to catch your internal flight to Phuket, a journey of around one and a half hours. Upon arrival at Phuket airport you will be met by staff from Elephant Hills who will take you and other guests to the Khao Sok National Park. The Elephant Hills Camp is a fantastic rainforest and elephants experience. All meals are included during your stay as are a programme of group tours. The welfare of the elephants is at the heart of this camp and it has received numerous awards for this. This is one of the few places where you will see elephants without chains.Upon arrival at the camp you will meet the elephants and learn more about these magnificent creatures. You will have the opportunity to help feed and bathe them.After a traditional Thai lunch you will have the opportunity to take a jungle canoe down river paddling past stunning limestone karsts.

Day 11 : Khao Sok National Park

Today you will leave the tented camp with other guests and head inland by road and then by boat for your scenic journey to the relatively untouched and stunning Cheow Larn Lake. This is a great place to be amongst nature and experience a unique accommodation experience - a floating tent!Your afternoon includes a guided canoe safari.

Day 12 : International return flight

After breakfast you will have the option to join your guide on a walk through the jungle listening to the chorus of the many primates, reptiles and birds that inhabit the national park.After lunch the lodge will transfer you to the airport for your onward flight home. Your return flight will arrive the same 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.