It is built for backpackers who want a new crew at every stop and a bed waiting at the end of every leg. Every night is at a Mad Monkey hostel, so you always know where you are sleeping, and the people at the bar are usually heading the same way as you.
You would not be the only one crossing borders. More than half of the 268,000 Thailand trips planned with Stippl also take in another country, and this loop is the classic way to do it.
Plan Thailand in Stippl
Day-by-day planning, stays and budget in one app, with every place from this guide already on the map.
Download the appIs one month enough for the Banana Pancake Trail?
Yes, if you keep it to ten stops and fly the two long legs. The overland stretch from Vientiane to Hanoi, and from Vietnam's centre down to Angkor, would cost you days on buses, so this route takes a flight on both. What one month is not enough for is the whole of Vietnam, which is why the route jumps from Hoi An straight to Siem Reap. If you have longer, add nights in Pai and on Koh Rong rather than another stop.
The route at a glance
10 stops, 29 nights, one Mad Monkey at every stop.
| Stop | Nights | Sleep | How you get there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | 2 | Mad Monkey Bangkok | Your arrival flight |
| Chiang Mai | 3 | Mad Monkey Chiang Mai | Night train or a short flight |
| Pai | 3 | Mad Monkey Pai | Minivan up the mountain road, about 3 hours |
| Luang Prabang | 3 | Mad Monkey Luang Prabang | Minivan to Huay Xai, then the two day slow boat down the Mekong, with a night in Pakbeng |
| Vang Vieng | 3 | Mad Monkey Vang Vieng | High speed train, about an hour |
| Hanoi | 3 | Mad Monkey Hanoi | Train to Vientiane, then a flight to Hanoi |
| Hoi An | 3 | Mad Monkey Hoi An | Fly to Da Nang, then about 45 minutes by road |
| Siem Reap | 3 | Mad Monkey Siem Reap | Fly from Da Nang to Siem Reap, usually via Ho Chi Minh City |
| Phnom Penh | 2 | Mad Monkey Phnom Penh | Bus, about 6 hours |
| Koh Rong | 4 | Mad Monkey Koh Rong | Bus to Sihanoukville, then a speedboat |
Best time: November to March, the dry season across most of the route. That is also high season, so book the slow boat and the Laos train ahead.
Bangkok
Bangkok is where most Southeast Asia trips begin, and where most travellers realise on day one that the traffic, not the distance, is what sets the pace. Base yourself near Khao San Road and the old royal island is on your doorstep.
Day 1Arrive and settle in at Khao San
Land, drop your bags and do nothing ambitious. Walk the lanes around Khao San Road and Rambuttri, find your first pad thai and be at the hostel bar for the evening Meet Up, which is the fastest way to find people heading the same way as you.
Day 2Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun
Be at the Grand Palace when it opens, before the coach groups and the heat, and keep walking south to Wat Pho for the 46 metre reclining Buddha. Then take the little cross river ferry to Wat Arun, one of the few temples in Bangkok you can actually climb.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Bangkok sits in Rambuttri Village, a street back from Khao San Road: close enough to walk to the noise, far enough to sleep. Pool, nightly events and the old town a short walk away. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Bangkok.
Read more: things to do in Bangkok
Chiang Mai
The north shows you a completely different Thailand: temples inside a moated old city, cooler mountain air and a slower rhythm than Bangkok.
Getting there: Night train or a short flight.
Day 3Arrive and walk the Old City
Walk the Old City from the hostel: Wat Chedi Luang, a ruined fourteenth century stupa ringed by stone elephants, and Wat Phra Singh with its Lion Buddha and the city's finest Lanna architecture.
Day 4Doi Suthep above the city
Head up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep early, the city's most sacred temple, with a golden chedi and the whole of Chiang Mai spread out below. In the evening the Night Bazaar has souvenirs, street food and a Muay Thai ring.
Day 5Doi Inthanon or the Sunday market
Spend the day on Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest peak, with its twin royal pagodas, waterfalls and cloud forest. If your stay covers a Sunday, finish on the Walking Street, when Rachadamnoen Road closes to traffic for stalls and street performers.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Chiang Mai is a pool hostel just outside the Old City moat, so the temples are a walk away and the nights out start at the bar. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Chiang Mai.
See our Chiang Mai guide for more on what to do there.
Pai
Pai is a small town in a mountain valley that travellers plan one night for and stay a week. Rent a scooter if you ride, because almost everything worth seeing is a short ride out of town.
Getting there: Minivan up the mountain road, about 3 hours.
Day 6Up the mountain road to Pai
The minivan from Chiang Mai climbs the famous road with hundreds of bends, so sit near the front if you get carsick. Once you arrive, slow down, and spend the evening on the Walking Street, where the main road turns into a lantern lit market every night.
Day 7Bamboo bridge, White Buddha and the canyon
Ride out to the Kho Ku So bamboo bridge, an 800 metre walkway across the rice paddies built for the monks. Climb the 353 steps to the White Buddha for the best free view of the valley, then finish at Pai Canyon for the sunset everyone comes for.
Day 8Sunrise, waterfall and the cave
Get up for sunrise at Yun Lai viewpoint, above a sea of morning mist. Cool off on the natural rock slides at Mo Paeng Waterfall, or ride further out to Tham Lod Cave and raft its underground river.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Pai sits across the river from town, with a pool and the mountains all around, so you get the quiet of the valley and the Walking Street within reach. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Pai.
Read more: things to do in Pai
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is the slowest, most beautiful town on the whole trail: monks, gilded temples and French era villas on a peninsula between two rivers.
Getting there: Minivan to Huay Xai, then the two day slow boat down the Mekong, with a night in Pakbeng.
Day 9Arrive by slow boat
The two day slow boat down the Mekong is part of the trip, not a transfer, and it lands you here in the late afternoon. Walk up Phousi Hill for sunset over the whole peninsula, then wander the night market, when the main street closes and fills with stalls.
Day 10Kuang Si and its turquoise pools
Spend the day at Kuang Si, turquoise limestone terraces you can swim in. Go early, before the day trips arrive, and bring something to change into.
Day 11Wat Xiengthong and the morning market
Get up for the morning market, which is there for locals rather than for you, and that is the point. Then visit Wat Xiengthong, whose roof sweeps almost to the ground, and the Royal Palace museum, where the rooms were left as they were when the monarchy ended in 1975.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Luang Prabang is just outside the old town, with an infinity pool that faces the sunset. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Luang Prabang.
See our Luang Prabang guide for more on what to do there.
Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng has grown up since its party only days. The karst landscape is the reason to come now: caves, lagoons and viewpoints, all a scooter ride from town.
Getting there: High speed train, about an hour.
Day 12High speed train south
The new high speed train takes you from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng in about an hour. Spend the afternoon in Tham Chang, the easy cave with the valley framed in its mouth.
Day 13Blue Lagoon and Tham Poukham
Ride out to the Blue Lagoon, with its jumping tree and the cave above it, and scramble up to Tham Poukham for the reclining Buddha inside. The scramble is slippery, so wear proper shoes.
Day 14Viewpoints over the karst
Climb Nam Xay viewpoint, the hardest short climb in town and the one everyone names, or the gentler Pha Ngern Silver Cliff viewpoint with platforms built for the picture.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Vang Vieng has a sunset pool and pub crawls, in the town that was built for them. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Vang Vieng.
Read more: things to do in Vang Vieng
Hanoi
Hanoi is loud, crowded and endlessly good to walk, and the Old Quarter is where you want to be. Everything on this list is a walk or a short ride from Ma May Street.
Getting there: Train to Vientiane, then a flight to Hanoi.
Day 15Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake
Fly in from Vientiane and walk to Hoan Kiem Lake, which the whole city is arranged around. Cross the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple, then catch the water puppets in the evening, a thousand year old art performed waist deep in a pool.
Day 16Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison
Spend the morning at the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university and the quietest place in the city. In the afternoon, visit Hoa Lo Prison, built by the French for Vietnamese revolutionaries and later nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton.
Day 17Ho Chi Minh and West Lake
See Ho Chi Minh lying in state at his mausoleum, against the instructions in his own will, then walk to Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest in Hanoi, on its own islet in West Lake.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Hanoi is on Ma May Street in the Old Quarter, where backpackers meet in Hanoi. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Hanoi.
See our Hanoi guide for more on what to do there.
Hoi An
Hoi An is the lantern town: a fifteenth century trading port that survived almost whole, with rice paddies and a beach just outside it.
Getting there: Fly to Da Nang, then about 45 minutes by road.
Day 18Fly to Da Nang, lanterns at night
Fly from Hanoi to Da Nang and ride down to Hoi An. In the evening, walk the Ancient Town and cross to the night market on An Hoi islet, the source of most lantern photographs you have ever seen.
Day 19Ancient Town and the covered bridge
See the Ancient Town properly by day: the Japanese Covered Bridge with a temple built into its side, and Tan Ky Old House, home to seven generations of one merchant family.
Day 20Basket boats and An Bang Beach
Head out to Cam Thanh coconut village for a spin in a round basket boat between the water palms, then cycle through the rice paddies to An Bang Beach for the afternoon.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Hoi An throws its pool parties on Cua Dai Road, between the lantern town and the beach. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Hoi An.
Read more: things to do in Hoi An
Siem Reap
Siem Reap exists because of Angkor, and three days is the least you want for it. Buy a multi day temple pass so you can split the temples over several early mornings.
Getting there: Fly from Da Nang to Siem Reap, usually via Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 21Arrive and visit the museum
Arrive, check in and spend the afternoon at the Angkor National Museum: air conditioned Khmer history that makes the temples make sense, best done before them rather than after.
Day 22Angkor Wat at sunrise
Be at Angkor Wat for sunrise, the largest religious monument on earth. Then carry on to the Bayon at the centre of Angkor Thom, with its 216 stone faces, and Ta Prohm, the temple half swallowed by strangler figs.
Day 23Banteay Srei or the lake
Go further out to Banteay Srei, the finest carving in the whole park, or head to Kampong Phluk, a village of stilt houses on the edge of a lake that quadruples in size every monsoon.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Siem Reap has two pools, something on every night and Pub Street within walking distance. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Siem Reap.
See our Siem Reap guide for more on what to do there.
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital, and the place where you learn the history that shapes the whole country. Give it at least two nights, and give yourself time after the hardest day.
Getting there: Bus, about 6 hours.
Day 24Royal Palace and the riverside
Visit the Royal Palace, still the King's residence, and the Silver Pagoda, whose floor is five thousand silver tiles. End the day on Sisowath Riverside at the meeting of four rivers, the city's best hour.
Day 25Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields
This is the hard day. Tuol Sleng is the school the Khmer Rouge turned into a prison, left largely as it was found, and Choeung Ek, the Killing Fields, is fifteen kilometres south. Take the audio guide at both, and keep the evening quiet.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Phnom Penh has a pool and a rooftop bar, and it is the hostel everyone ends up in. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Phnom Penh.
Read more: things to do in Phnom Penh
Koh Rong
Koh Rong is where the trail slows to a stop: white sand, warm water and nothing to do but pick a beach.
Getting there: Bus to Sihanoukville, then a speedboat.
Day 26Speedboat to the island
Take the speedboat from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong. The ferry lands at Kaoh Touch, where the bars are and where the island happens, and Long Set Beach is a twenty minute walk away from the noise.
Day 27Long Set Beach
Spend a full day on Long Set, four kilometres of white sand right outside the hostel. This is the day to do nothing at all.
Day 28Sok San and the west coast
Head down the west coast to Sok San, the longest beach on the island, for a day that feels a long way from anywhere.
Day 29Coconut Beach or Pagoda Beach
Use your last day for the quiet corners: Coconut Beach, a small palm backed bay on the far east coast, or the golden sand and working pagoda at Pagoda Beach.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Koh Rong is right on Long Set Beach, with its own beach bar. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Koh Rong.
See our Koh Rong guide for more on what to do there.
Getting between stops
| From | To | How |
|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | Chiang Mai | Night train or a short flight |
| Chiang Mai | Pai | Minivan up the mountain road, about 3 hours |
| Pai | Luang Prabang | Minivan to Huay Xai, then the two day slow boat down the Mekong, with a night in Pakbeng |
| Luang Prabang | Vang Vieng | High speed train, about an hour |
| Vang Vieng | Hanoi | Train to Vientiane, then a flight to Hanoi |
| Hanoi | Hoi An | Fly to Da Nang, then about 45 minutes by road |
| Hoi An | Siem Reap | Fly from Da Nang to Siem Reap, usually via Ho Chi Minh City |
| Siem Reap | Phnom Penh | Bus, about 6 hours |
| Phnom Penh | Koh Rong | Bus to Sihanoukville, then a speedboat |
Times are a guide. Check the day before you travel, because boat and minivan times change with the season and the weather.
Turn these stops into a route
Pick your favourites and Stippl orders them, adds travel times and builds the day-by-day.
Frequently asked questions about Thailand
One month is enough for ten stops in four countries if you fly the two long legs: Laos to Hanoi and Vietnam to Siem Reap. More time is best spent on longer stays, not more stops.
Most travellers need a visa or an e-visa for Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, and the rules differ by nationality. Check each country's official site before you go, and apply for the Vietnam e-visa before you fly to Hanoi.
Yes. The loop works in reverse, starting on the Cambodian islands and ending in Bangkok. The slow boat then runs upstream, which takes longer.
In high season, book the first stops and the busy islands ahead. Further along, many travellers book a few days out as their plans settle.
It is the nickname for the well travelled backpacker route through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, named after the banana pancakes served in guesthouses along the way.
Want this route with the nights already filled in? Open it in Stippl, change the nights, add a stop or swap the order, and keep the whole trip in one place. Or build your own Mad Monkey route on our Mad Monkey page.
