Southeast Asia Travel Guide

Our Southeast Asia Travel Guide explains how you can make the most of your trip, including routes, maps, highlights, countries to visits and pitfalls to avoid.

Dreaming of backpacking around Southeast Asia? The “banana pancake” trail is an exciting, budget-friendly, and not too challenging travel route. It’s an excellent place to be a first-time backpacker, and veteran adventurers will also find plenty to keep them occupied!

Highlights of a Southeast Asia Trip

  • Explore Cambodia’s temple complex of Angkor Wat.
  • Enjoy the street food of Vietnam (irresistible bahn mi and pho).
  • Ride a motorbike from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi for jaw-dropping scenery.
  • Surf the legendary rolling waves of Bali.
  • Meditate among Ubud’s tranquil rice paddies.
  • Dive in search of the giant manta rays of Flores!
  • See the orangutans of Kalimantan or the gibbons of Laos.
  • Browse the glitzy malls of Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.
  • Relax in a hammock on the beaches of El Nido in the Philippines.

Countries You’ll See in a Southeast Asia Trip

Our Southeast Asia Travel Guide will cover the following countries:

Southeast Asia is a massive adventure! We’ve divided our mega backpacking route through Southeast Asia into one or two month sections. They’d each make a great trip on their own. Those with plenty of time could do the whole lot in about eight to twelve months.

Southeast Asia Trip: Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand (two months)

Singapore — Kuala Lumpur — Cameron Highlands — Penang — Langkawi — Krabi — Koh Phangan and Koh Tao — Bangkok

This two-month trip comes complete with tropical islands, world-class diving, tea fields and interesting culture. Start by flying into the city state of Singapore: a highly developed English-speaking country with extensive international connections. Read our Singapore travel guide for what to do and where to stay. You’ll definitely want to see the Gardens by the Bay where Singapore’s super trees are.

From Singapore, we cross into Malaysia. It’s possible to stop at the coastal city of Malacca or head straight through to the glitzy capital: Kuala Lumpur. Our guide to Kuala Lumpur has all of the best things to do and places to eat. (My favourite restaurant of all time, Din Tai Fung, has a branch in this city!)

Next stop, with rolling tea fields as far as the eye can see, the Cameron Highlands. It’s cooler here, so it’s a good place to escape the heat of Malaysia’s cities.

After the Cameron Highlands, we arrive at Georgetown (Penang). A colonial city by the sea, Georgetown is known for its UNESCO-heritage “five foot way” streets and incredible street art. From Georgetown, you can either head to the Malaysian island of Langkawi or cross directly into Thailand.

Our where to go in Malaysia blog post covers all the above, including Georgetown and Langkawi.

Our first stop in Thailand is Krabi and the Phi Phi islands — often called the most beautiful in Southeast Asia. On the other side of the peninsula, the islands of Koh Samui, Ko Phangan and Koh Tao offer resorts, full moon parties and diving respectively. When you’ve had your fill of relaxing and revelling, it’s time to make the trip north to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

Wondering how much it all costs? Read our Thailand travel budget!

Southeast Asia Trip: Northern Thailand to Laos (two months)

Bangkok — Chiang Mai — Pai — Chiang Dao — Chiang Rai — Huay Xai (Laos) — Luang Prabang — Vang Vieng — Vientiane

This two-month Southeast Asia trip contains cultural, colonial and culinary highlights. We start in North Thailand. Chiang Mai is a popular destination in northern Thailand, filled with hipster coffee bars, digital nomads and vegan eateries. Visit the distinctively walled old city and a reputable elephant sanctuary. Read about the cost of living in Chiang Mai for a month.

Relax at Pai, a hippy haven. Read our Pai travel guide here. Chiang Dao is further off the beaten track, with stunning scenery.

Cross into Laos via Chiang Rai and Huay Xai. At Huay Xai, you can arrange the Gibbon Experience; a pricey but once-in-a-lifetime stay in the rainforest.

Next, take a slow boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of northern Laos. Partake (or skip) the drunken tubing at Vang Vieng, before a final stop at Vientiane.

Southeast Asia Trip: Cambodia, Angkor Wat and Ho Chi Minh (one week)

Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) — Phnom Penh — Ho Chi Minh City

The enormous temple complex of Angkor Wat is an unmissable sight and Cambodia’s top tourist draw. We flew from Vientiane to Siem Reap (gateway to Angkor Wat) as the overland trip looked exhausting.

From Siem Reap, you can head into Vietnam via Phnom Penh. Alternatively, you can circle back from Siem Reap to Bangkok. If you choose the Thai option (crossing the border at Paoy Paet) it’s well worth stopping at Koh Chang. This island is much less touristy than those in the south and you may get the place to yourself!

Southeast Asia Trip: Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi (one month)

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) — Mui Ne — Nha Trang — Hoi An — Hue — Hanoi — (Sapa) — (Halong Bay)

Vietnam makes a fantastic shorter trip for first-timers in Asia, or it can easily be added to a longer adventure in Southeast Asia. The above route can be done north to south or south to north. The brave (or should I say foolish?) can do it by motorbike.

We’ve written an extensive backpacking route of Vietnam as well a complete Vietnam travel budget.

Admire the red sand dunes of Mui Ne, which is also a world-class windsurfing destination. Skip Nha Trang’s seedy nightlife in favour of the less visited Cham temples. Fall in love with the charming tailoring town of Hoi An (and get yourself a new wardrobe while you’re there). Learn about ancient Vietnamese history at Hue.

Hanoi oozes culture — stop here for a tour of French-inspired cafes. The far north includes Sapa, where you can experience the H’mong tribe way of life. To the northeast, you’ll find the legendary beauty of Ha Long Bay.  

Sapa in Vietnam by Jorge Cancela - Charlie on Travel

Southeast Asia Trip: The Philippines (two weeks)

Manila — Puerto Princesa — El Nido

Skip Manila. Instead, fly to Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan. From here, a six-hour drive transports you to the tranquil beaches of El Nido. These white sands are an alternative to Boracay, which can get overcrowded.

Southeast Asia Trip: Indonesia | Bali, Lombok, and Java (two months)

Indonesia is made up of thousands of different islands. We visited five: Bali, Flores, Lombok, Java and Borneo.

Komodo Island and Rinca island, just off Flores, are the only places in the world to see the famous Komodo Dragons. The reefs are also teeming with Giant Manta Rays — a top draw for divers and snorkelers.

Lombok is the access point for the idyllic Gili Islands. While you’re on Lombok, try and climb Mount Rinjani.

Bali is the closest earth gets to paradise. Exchange the madness of Kuta for the peaceful rice paddies of Ubud. Canggu has excellent surf. The northern beach town of Amed is a quieter option.

Java’s capital, Jakarta, is almost unbearable. But there is at least one very good reasons to make the trip to Java: Yogyakarta. The city has an appealing arty vibe, while the nearby temple complex of Borobudur is simply unmissable. Read our Yogyakarta travel guide.

Borneo is an island shared by three countries. The Indonesian part is named Kalimantan. We visited Tanjung Puting National Park to catch a rare glimpse of orangutans in the wild. We shared our experience of seeing orangutans in Borneo.  

Read our complete Indonesia travel guide.

How Much Does it Cost to go Backpacking in Southeast Asia?

Here’s what we spent per person per day:

  • Vietnam: £15.00 / $20.95
  • Cambodia: £17.72 / $24.75
  • Thailand: £18.66 / $26.06
  • The Philippines: £21.27 / $29.71
  • Indonesia: £21.29 / $29.74
  • Laos: £22.39 / $31.27
  • Malaysia: £23.07 / $32.22
  • Singapore: £34.23 / $47.81

The above figures cover everything except our international flights. They represent budget to mid-range traveling (usually a private room, possibly a shared bathroom) plus lots of coffee and the occasional beer. It also includes the cost of one large activity a week and a handful of cheaper ones, plus all transport. 

We managed to spend the least in Vietnam — but we took that trip before we were digital nomads so we had plenty of spare time to haggle! Out of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, Cambodia is the cheapest whilst Laos is the most expensive. We kept our Thai budget low by renting cheap accommodation for a month in Chiang Mai. The Philippines is about the same price as Thailand, but as with Indonesia it varies a lot by island. As for Indonesia, that figure is skewed by our expensive trip to Flores. In Yogyakarta we averaged just £14.26 per day. In Bali, we paid significantly more: £22.23 per day. Singapore is noticeably more expensive than every other country in the region. We budgeted hardest in Singapore and it’s still considerably more expensive than everywhere else on the list!

Throughout our travels, we keep costs down and accommodation comfortable by using Airbnb. Get £25 off your first Airbnb trip with our discount code!