SOUTHEAST ASIA TRAVEL GUIDE
Backpackers have been traveling through Southeast Asia since the late 1960s and early 1970s, leaving a well-worn trail around the region.
Starting in beautiful Thailand, the trail makes its way to up-and-coming Laos, through Vietnam, and to the temples of Angkor Wat. It then winds back into Thailand, where people head south to party in the Thai islands before moving down to Malaysia and Singapore.
There are a few variations to the trail, but this is what it mostly covers.
It’s an especially great region for new travelers because it’s easy to travel around, it’s safe, and there are lots of other travelers you can meet. But it’s also perfect for veteran travelers too as there are tons of off-the-beaten-path destinations that the standard backpacker trail doesn’t cover.
In short, Southeast Asia has something for every traveler — and every budget.
Top Things to See and Do in Southeast Asia
1. Go jungle trekking
No matter where you go, jungle trekking is a must for any traveler in Southeast Asia. This region of the world is covered in amazing jungles with diverse wildlife, plentiful camping opportunities, and cool waterfalls. The best jungle treks are found in northern Thailand, Western Laos, and Malaysian Borneo (the latter are also the hardest and most intense). As an example, jungle trekking generally costs 2,000-2,685 THB per day in Thailand.
2. Attend the Full Moon Party
The biggest one-night party in the world welcomes up to 30,000 people, with a party that stretches until dawn. Cover yourself in glow paint, grab a bucket of booze, and dance the night away with new friends on the island of Ko Phangan in Thailand. As the name would suggest, the party is on the night of the full moon. If you miss it, there’s always the half-moon party, quarter-moon party, and black-moon party. Really, every night is a party on Koh Phangan. There’s no airport on the island, so everyone arrives by ferry (come early to secure accommodation). You can come via Surat Thani on the mainland or from the nearby island of Koh Samui. Just avoid the flaming jump rope that occurs — I’ve seen people get burned badly!
3. Learn to dive
There are many great dive sites around the region for those interested in underwater exploration. You can learn to dive here at a fraction of what it would cost back home too. Some of the best places are Ko Tao (Thailand), Sipidan (Malaysia), as well as Indonesia and the Philippines. A typical diving course is completed in three days. A PADI course typically runs 10,000 THB in Thailand, including three nights’ accommodation, though at smaller schools you can often negotiate down to 9,000 THB. Day trips for certified divers start at 5,900 THB.
4. Eat street food in Singapore
Thought Thailand had great food? Try the hawker stalls of Singapore for incredibly tasty eats. Don’t forget to also visit Little India and Chinatown for some of the best and cheapest food in Asia. If you’re looking for a nice place to sit down and eat, eat at Singapore’s famed restaurants during lunch when restaurants offer discounts, making them a great deal. You’ll also find the most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants here (Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice and Hawker Chan), offering world-class meals for just a couple of bucks!
5. Overload on temples
You can’t turn a corner without seeing a Buddhist temple in this part of the world. You’ll get temple overload at some point but visit as many as you can, as each is unique to the country and region of the temple. Check out Chiang Mai, Bagan, Angkor Wat, Hue, Hoi An, and Luang Prabang for places with high concentrations of ornate and beautiful temples. Most are free to enter, however, dress codes are enforced (you need to have your shoulders and legs covered).
6. Dive Sipadan
Located off Malaysian Borneo, Sipadan is one of the best dives sites in the world. If you have your dive certificate, make sure you venture out here. The area is teeming with life turtles, diverse cave systems, sharks, dolphins, colorful coral, bright fish, and everything in between. Not a lot of people make it to this part of Malaysia, but it’s worth it to go the extra mile and make your way off the tourist trail a bit. Keep in mind that only 176 permits to dive at the island are issued each day, costing 140 MYR per person. The resorts on the neighboring islands each get a specific number of permits per day and require divers to stay with them for a few days. So you’ll need to stay at those resorts and dive the surrounding areas before they can get you a Sipadan permit.
7. Fall in love with Bali
Bali is the most popular destination in Indonesia, and its famous Kuta beach is known for its parties and surfing. However, there is much more to Bali than just wild nights and sun-soaked days. Many beaches are great for families, the rice terraces in the center of the country show you what a lush and green landscape truly is, and Ubud is an artistic town with great food and (traditional dancing. Cheap guesthouses and hostels in Bali usually cost around 120,000-200,000 IDR per night, while private rooms cost upwards of 250,000 IDR per night. Free Wi-Fi and free breakfast are generally included, and most hostels also have a pool.
8. Take in Ho Chi Minh City
Frantic, chaotic, and crazy, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is the embodiment of the controlled chaos that rules Southeast Asia. You can’t quite figure out how this teeming mass of people and cars work together, but it does. Highlights here include touring the tunnels used by the Viet Cong in the 1960s, taking in the view from the Saigon Skydeck, eating your way through the street food scene, and seeing the city’s numerous temples.
9. Admire the sunrise over an Indonesian Volcano
One of the most popular tourist attractions on Java is Mount Bromo and its National Park. Don’t miss out on getting a photo of the smoldering Bromo volcano as it lies surrounded by the almost lunar landscape of the Sea of Sand. Get up early to catch one of the most memorable sunrises of your life. If you’re there in mid-August, you’ll be just in time to see Upacara Kasada, the traditional Hindu ritual of the Tenggerese, a Javanese tribe of the region.
10. Hike in Khao Sok National Park
Located in the south of Thailand, Khao Sok National Park is constantly rated as one of the best parks in Thailand, with incredible trekking, camping, limestone karsts, cooling rivers, and a glistening lake. Visit for semi-challenging hikes, tons of wildlife, walking paths, and breathtaking sunsets. Park entrance costs 200 THB.
11. Visit Kampot
Most people come to Kampot to enjoy the scenic riverside views, as well as the rolling hills that surround the city. Since you can explore easily enough on foot or by bicycle, Kampot is a great place to slow down and relax. Don’t miss the pepper farms, as this region of Cambodia is filled with pepper farms where you can learn about the history of the spice, see how it is grown, and pick up what is considered some of the finest pepper in the world. Tours are usually free, though you need to arrange transportation. Don’t miss the nearby mangroves and national park too.
12. Take a cooking class
Food from this region is as varied as the countries themselves and learning how to cook a few dishes is a great souvenir of your time here. Even if you don’t plan to cook back home, you can still spend a day making and eating scrumptious food. Most big cities have cooking schools offering classes of 2-6 hours, often including a trip to the local market beforehand to select ingredients. In Thailand, class prices range from 1,000-1,300 THB. In Cambodia, classes are around $20 USD.
13. Take a food tour
If you don’t want to learn how to cook any dishes yourself, taking a food tour is another great way to gain insight into the region’s amazing noodle dishes, fresh seafood, sweets, and street food while learning about the history and culture behind the cuisine. Most major cities in Southeast Asia offer food tours, including market tours, street food tours, and other specialized food tours. As an example, Siem Reap Food Tours start from $75 USD and include all food, drinks, and transportation.
14. Visit an elephant sanctuary
While riding an elephant is on many a Southeast Asia bucket list, once you know how much the animals suffer from abuse in order to provide these rides, you might think twice about taking one. An even better way to get interact with elephants is to volunteer at or visit the Elephant Nature Park near Chiang Mai in Thailand. It’s a phenomenal place, allowing you to give back to the community and these magnificent animals all at once. After coming here, you will understand why you should NEVER ride an elephant. A one-day visit costs 2,500 THB.
15. Shop at the markets
Exploring the street, indoor, and night markets is a quintessential part of traveling through Southeast Asia. Every major city has sprawling markets filled with all manner of stalls offering everything from prepared street food and produce to clothing and household items that make great souvenirs. Haggling is part of the experience, so don’t be afraid to try it!
16. See The Killing Fields
If you’re traveling through Cambodia on your Southeast Asia itinerary, learning about the country’s genocide at the hands of the Khmer Rouge is a sobering must. A visit to Choeung Ek, also known as the Killing Fields, may not be the most cheerful way to spend an afternoon, but it makes for an educational and memorable experience. Over 3 million people were killed by Pol Pot’s regime, including countless women and children. Admission is $6 USD. The site is located 10 miles from Phnom Penh, so expect to pay at least $15 USD for a return trip via tuk-tuk.
Southeast Asia Travel Costs
Accommodation in Southeast Asia is really cheap, making it the perfect place to travel if you are on a budget. Free Wi-Fi is the norm for hostels these days, and many hostels in the region also have outdoor swimming pools and air-conditioning. The availability of free breakfast and kitchen facilities greatly depends on the city and country.
Generally, you can find dorm rooms for as little as $6 USD in Cambodia and 36,000 LAK in Laos. In Thailand, 4-6-bed dorm rooms are around 270-440 THB per night, while in Vietnam, you can expect to pay 130,000-175,000 VND for the same. In Indonesia, prices range between 75,000-135,000 IDR for a 4-6-bed dorm room.
Throughout the region, you typically expect to pay around $15-20 per night for a private room with air conditioning.
Simple guesthouses or bungalows throughout Southeast Asia generally cost $12-15 USD per night for a basic room, fan (sometimes air conditioning), and hot water. If you want something nicer that includes a more comfortable bed and a TV, expect to pay $20-25 USD per night.
If you can handle the bare basics (small rooms and not the comfiest beds), you can find rooms for as little as $8 USD per night, especially in rural areas.
For backpackers, budgeting around $10 USD per night for accommodation is pretty safe no matter where you go in Southeast Asia. If you’re looking for a higher-end hotel room with more amenities, expect to pay $20-50 per night for a room. Anything over that is luxury territory.
Camping is available in certain areas, usually for just a few dollars per night for a basic tent plot. However, this is about the same price as hostels so it’s not really any cheaper.
Food – While each country’s cuisine certainly varies, overall Southeast Asian food is aromatic, spicy, and flavorful, using many ingredients to create layers of flavor. Typical spices and herbs include garlic, basil, galangal, cilantro, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chilies, and fish sauce. No matter what region you’re in, you can expect to find a variety of curries, salads, soups, noodle dishes, and stir-fries.
Rice and noodles are central to Southeast Asian food, while the meat is usually pork, chicken, fish, or seafood, which is everywhere on the islands and coastal areas.
While traveling Southeast Asia, street food is the most popular form of eating. On average, these meals cost $3-5 USD or less. You find these stalls throughout this region lining major streets and at the markets, many of which exist specifically for street food. In Singapore, street food (from “hawker stands” as they are called there) costs around 5-6 SGD for a meal. Even if you go into small local restaurants, the price does not increase that much.
Food that costs $2 USD at a street stall generally only costs $4-6 USD at a local restaurant. If you went into a restaurant in Thailand, you’d pay around 135 THB for a pad Thai that would have cost 35 THB on the street.
In Cambodia, street food, which isn’t as abundant as I would like it to be, is around $1-2 USD, while restaurants charge around $3-4 USD for a local dish like amok (a coconut milk dish) or luc lac (pepper gravy beef).
Western meals, including burgers, bad pizza, and sandwiches, cost more, at around $7-10 USD for cheaply made food. If you want something that actually tastes as it does back home, expect to spend at least $10 USD for your meal.
While cheap, alcohol can also take a bite out of your budget if you’re not careful. Those $1-2 USD beers can add up! Wine and cocktails are more expensive, generally around $3-5 USD. A cappuccino is typically around $2 USD.
There’s a growing cutting-edge foodie scene in the region and if you want to splurge, you can do so on some really good meals. Big cities like Bangkok, KL, and Singapore, all have world-class Michelin star restaurants.
Since food is so cheap, there’s no point in grocery shopping unless you’re looking to get some pre-made salads or fruits. Additionally, a general lack of kitchens in most hostels makes it difficult to cook even if you wanted to. If you do purchase your own groceries, expect to spend around $15-25 USD per week for basic groceries like local produce, rice, and some meat (while avoiding expensive imported items like cheese and wine).
For more detailed price breakdowns and specific food recommendations in each place, visit each country guide!
Activities – Activities in Southeast Asia are pretty cheap. Most Buddhist temples throughout the area are free to enter, though some of the more famous and larger ones, like Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh, Wat Pho in Bangkok, the Temple of Literature in Hanoi, and Vat Xieng Toung in Luang Prabang cost $3-5 USD to enter.
Most day tours cost around $20-30 USD, often less. If you are going jungle trekking, seeing elephants, climbing mountains, or doing overnight trips, prices can go as high as $50-75 USD.
Learning to scuba dive costs around $300-400 USD. On the island of Ko Tao in Thailand, the course is 11,500 THB and includes free accommodation for the duration of the course, which lasts three or four days.
The three-day pass to Angkor Wat is $62 USD (the 1-week pass is a better bargain at only $72 USD). Jungle trekking costs 2,000-2,685 THB per day, though you can usually get better prices in groups. White-water rafting costs around 200 MYR.
For everything else, check the specific country and city guides for prices on various activities.