DIY Travel Itinerary To Indochina (Cambodia, Thailand And Malaysia)

Solo travel using this travel itinerary to Indochina. I’ve always been fascinated by the mystical beauty of Indochina. The ancient temples and grandeur architectural designs of their buildings are really outstanding!  It has a lot of character that reflects their culture and traditions.

So after being inspired by a good friend who lives in Siem Reap, who has never failed in promoting all the best things to do in Siem Reap and Bangkok, Thailand (other than shopping!)

I’ve decided to tackle solo travel to Indochina starting from Siem Reap to Singapore on a shoestring budget. So after reading loads of travel guides to Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia, I’ve finally gotten to a solid-ish plan (this travel itinerary to Indochina) on where to go and what to do in Siem Reap, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur.

DIY TRAVEL ITINERARY TO INDOCHINA (CAMBODIA, THAILAND AND MALAYSIA)

DAY 1: Manila, Philippines – Siem Reap, Cambodia

7 PM:  Departing Manila, Philippines to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

I arrived in Siem Reap around 10 PM; the tuk-tuk airport pick-up was complementarily arranged by the hotel.

DAY 2: Angkor Wat – Temple Tour

4 AM – Pick-up time to start the Angkor Wat Sunrise tour. The tuk-tuk driver took me to the Ticket centre to buy the Angkor Wat site ticket day pass for all the temples for $37USD.

5:30 AM – Angkor Wat temple waiting for the sunrise. Here are the best temples to visit around Angkor National Park.

Make sure you’ll get to the temple as early as you can to bag the perfect spot.  You need to bring a tripod for your long exposure shots, or carefully use a stone from the lake bank to get a steady shot.  Also, take a flashlight (torch) with you!  The temple ground is pitch black when you get there before dawn.

6 am – 2 pm Temple tour. Make sure you bring and drink plenty of fluids because it’s so warm and humid while walking around the temple grounds.

2 pm – 5 pm Rest (catch up on my sleep!)

Around 6 pm, I went out to Siem Reap Night Market before meeting up with friends who live in Siem Reap.

DAY 3: Siem Reap, Cambodia – Bangkok, Thailand

Before I left Siem Reap in the afternoon, I’ve decided to walk around the nearby area towards the Pub Street. Pub Street is known for its vibrant and colorful nightlife.

1 PM: I checked out at the Sarybotr Angkor Boutique Hotel heading to the airport. It’s 5 USD one-way going to the airport.

3 PM: Departure flight to Bangkok.

4 PM: I arrived in Bangkok, it took me an hour to get through the long queues at the BKK airport.

5 PM I managed to get out of the airport! Finally, and took an Uber ride to my guesthouse near Khao San Road.

When I finally reached the area, the Uber driver dropped me off at the wrong end of the street where my guesthouse was located.

It’s ok; I managed well amidst the busy and crowded street.  I found my guesthouse at the other end of the street after asking some locals where it might be!

After dinner, I asked the reception at our guest house if there was any available Bangkok temple tour for tomorrow (Sunday).  After a few phone calls to their travel agents, the answer is NO. Since I haven’t pre-booked the tour and I’m a solo traveller, they can’t accommodate me.

So I made my own Bangkok temple tour itinerary, of course, while drinking a bottle of Chang! You can also check this alternative itinerary around Thailand.

DAY 4: Bangkok City Tour – Temples – Chao Phraya Cruise

8 am – Headed out to start my DIY Temple tour of Bangkok. I took the tourist ferry to the Grand Palace for 40 Baht!

I started my tour at the Grand Palace, but since wearing leggings were also prohibited, I bought a sarong for 100Baht outside the palace gates.

The entrance fee to palace’s gate was 500 Baht.

After roaming around the Grand Palace, I went to the Wat Pho temple where you can find the reclining Buddha.

After visiting Wat Pho, I went to grab lunch before heading to Wat Arun, across the Chao Phraya river.

There was a 4-baht boat fare to cross the river.

After visiting the Wat Arun, I finished my day cruising back to the ferry station near my guest house by Khao San road.

Day 5: Bangkok, Thailand – Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

The side trip to Kuala Lumpur was just to see Batu Caves and Petronas Tower before I head towards Singapore to visit my friends. I know this will be the “amazing race” leg of the trip where I have to rush everything.

But, as a travel photographer, I can’t miss the chance of taking the shot!

I headed to Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok around 10 am to catch my midday flight to Kuala Lumpur.

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur around 4 pm, so to make the most of my stopover in KL, I took an Uber car that took me directly to the Batu caves which were on the other side of the city!

After roaming around Batu Caves around 7 pm, I headed back to KL Sentral to finally check-in and rest.

Day 6: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Singapore

It’s a pretty early start for me!

I left the hotel around 6 am and took the metro to KLCC from KL Sentral to see the Petronas Towers and city tour.

After taking a few shots of the landmark, I headed back to the metro to catch my KL Express train back to the airport to catch my flight to Singapore to meet my friends.

Visa Requirements

I travelled around these countries using my Philippine passport. Visa is not required. Find out more about how I travelled as a dual citizen using two different passports.

If you are looking at how to get an ED visa and how to get a Thai tourist visa you can check these helpful guides.

In case you would need travel insurance for your trip, I recommend Safety Wing!

Trip Budget

Since this is a backpacking trip, going cheap and quality is the goal. I recommend using Skyscanner in searching for your flight deals. For the best hotel deals and reviews, always check Tripadvisor.

Here’s the breakdown of the cost of this trip. Since I have used two currencies GBP and PHP, I have included the conversion in the table below.

Travel Essentials	Description ( Cost)	Total Amount Spent
Flights	Flights from MNL-REP-BKK-KUL-SIN-MNL	£156.00 | Php 10,000
Airport Transfers	using tuk-tuk and UBER	£37.00 | PHP 2,347
Accommodation	budget hotels, B&B and hostels	£103 | PHP 6,570
Activities	Entrance to various attractions etc.	£57.54 | PHP 3,670
TOTAL COSTS		£353.54 | PHP 22,540

Suggested Accommodation:

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I hope that you find my travel itinerary helpful as you plan your tri-city trip on the Indochine route.

Have you been to Indochina?
Share with us your travel experience below!