©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Southeast
Asia
on a shoestring

Myanmar
(Burma)
p480 Laos
p311

Thailand Vietnam
p643 p812
Cambodia Philippines
p64
p547

Brunei
Darussalam
p50
Malaysia
p378
Singapore
p613

Indonesia Timor-
p149 Leste
p791

THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY

China Williams,
Greg Bloom, Celeste Brash, Stuart Butler, Shawn Low, Simon Richmond,
Daniel Robinson, Iain Stewart, Ryan Ver Berkmoes, Richard Waters
 PLAN ON THE ROAD
YOUR TRIP
Welcome to BRUNEI Batu Karas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Southeast Asia. . . . . . . . . . 6 DARUSSALAM . . . . . . 50 Wonosobo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Southeast Asia Map. . . . . . 8 Bandar Seri Begawan . . . 53 Dieng Plateau. . . . . . . . . . . 170
Southeast Asia’s Top 20. . 10 Jerudong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Yogyakarta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Muara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Prambanan. . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Need to Know. . . . . . . . . . 20
Temburong District. . . . . . . 59 Borobudur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
First Time Understand Brunei Solo (Surakarta). . . . . . . . . 182
Southeast Asia. . . . . . . . . 22 Darussalam. . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Malang & Around. . . . . . . . 185
If You Like…. . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Survival Guide. . . . . . . . . 61 Gunung Bromo. . . . . . . . . . 187
Month by Month. . . . . . . . 26 CAMBODIA . . . . . . . . . 64 Bondowoso. . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Itineraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Ijen Plateau. . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Phnom Penh . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Banyuwangi. . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Off the Beaten Track. . . . 36 Siem Reap & the
Temples of Angkor. . . . . . 85 Bali. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Big Adventures, Siem Reap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Kuta, Legian, Seminyak .
Small Budget . . . . . . . . . . 38 & Kerabokan. . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Temples of Angkor . . . . . . 94
Countries at a Glance. . . 46 Canggu Area. . . . . . . . . . . 202
Northwestern
Cambodia. . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Bukit Peninsula. . . . . . . . . 202
Battambang . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Denpasar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Prasat Preah Vihear . . . . . 108 Sanur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
117 IMAGERY/GETTY IMAGES ©

Kompong Thom . . . . . . . . . 110 Nusa Lembongan. . . . . . . 207

South Coast . . . . . . . . . . 111 Ubud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Koh Kong City . . . . . . . . . . 111 East Coast Beaches. . . . . . 215
Koh Kong . Semarapura (Klungkung). . 215
Conservation Corridor . . . 114 Sidemen Road . . . . . . . . . . 215
Sihanoukville . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Padangbai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
The Southern Islands . . . . 121 Candidasa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Kampot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Tirta Gangga. . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Bokor National Park . . . . . 124 Gunung Batur Area . . . . . . 217
HOI AN, VIETNAM P862 Kep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Danau Bratan Area. . . . . . . 218
Eastern Cambodia. . . . . 127 Munduk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Kompong Cham . . . . . . . . 127 Lovina & the North . . . . . . 219
Kratie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Southwest Bali. . . . . . . . . 220
LAURIE NOBLE/GETTY IMAGES ©

Stung Treng . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 West Bali . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Ratanakiri Province. . . . . . 131 Pemuteran. . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Mondulkiri Province. . . . . . 134 Nusa Tenggara . . . . . . . . 221
Understand Cambodia. . 137 Lombok . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 143 Gili Islands. . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Sumbawa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
INDONESIA. . . . . . . . 149 Komodo & Rinca . . . . . . . 238
Java. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151 Flores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Jakarta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 West Timor . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
BORACAY, PHILIPPINES
Bogor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Sumba. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
P576 Pangandaran. . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Sumatra. . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
 Contents

Padang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Luang Prabang . . . . . . . . 330 Mersing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417

Bukittinggi. . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Nong Khiaw . . . . . . . . . 339 Pulau Tioman. . . . . . . . . . . 418
Danau Maninjau. . . . . . . . 258 Muang Ngoi Neua . . . . . . 340 Kuantan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Danau Toba. . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Phonsavan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341 Cherating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Berastagi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Plain of Jars . . . . . . . . . . . 343 Marang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Medan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 Sam Neua . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344 Pulau Kapas . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Bukit Lawang . . . . . . . . . . 268 Vieng Xai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 Kuala Terengganu. . . . . . . 423
Tangkahan. . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Udomxai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346 Kuala Besut. . . . . . . . . . . . 424
Banda Aceh. . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Luang Namtha . . . . . . . . . 347 Pulau Perhentian. . . . . . . 425
Pulau Weh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Muang Sing . . . . . . . . . . . 350 Kota Bharu . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Kalimantan . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Huay Xai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351 Peninsular Interior. . . . 429
West & Central . Central & Jerantut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Kalimantan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 Southern Laos . . . . . . . . 352 Taman Negara. . . . . . . . . . 430
East Kalimantan. . . . . . . . 276 Route 8 to Lak Sao . . . . . 353 Malaysian Borneo –
Pulau Derawan. . . . . . . . . 276 Tha Khaek . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Sabah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Sulawesi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Savannakhet. . . . . . . . . . . 357 Kota Kinabalu. . . . . . . . . . 433
Makassar . Pakse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359 Mt Kinabalu & Kinabalu
(Ujung Padang) . . . . . . . . . 277 Bolaven Plateau . . . . . . 363 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 440
Tana Toraja . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 Champasak . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Sandakan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Tentena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 Si Phan Don (Four . Sepilok. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Poso. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 Thousand Islands) . . . . . 365 Sungai Kinabatangan . . . 445
Ampana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Understand Laos . . . . . 369 Semporna Archipelago. . 447
Togean Islands. . . . . . . . . 285 Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 373 Pulau Labuan . . . . . . . . . . 449
Gorontalo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Malaysian Borneo –
MALAYSIA. . . . . . . . . 378 Sarawak. . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Manado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Kuala Lumpur. . . . . . . . . 381 Kuching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
Pulau Bunaken. . . . . . . . . 287
Peninsular Malaysia – Sibu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Tomohon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 West Coast . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Maluku. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Batang Rejang . . . . . . . . . . 461
Melaka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Pulau Ambon. . . . . . . . . . . 289 Bintulu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
Cameron Highlands. . . . . 400
Banda Islands. . . . . . . . . . 290 Niah National Park. . . . . . 463
Ipoh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Papua (Irian Jaya) . . . . . 291 Lambir Hills .
Lumut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 464
Jayapura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Pulau Pangkor . . . . . . . . . 404 Miri. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
Sentani. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 Butterworth. . . . . . . . . . . . 404 Gunung Mulu .
Baliem Valley. . . . . . . . . . . 294 Penang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 466
Sorong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Penang Hill & Around . . . . 412 Kelabit Highlands. . . . . . . 468
Raja Ampat Islands. . . . . 296 Batu Ferringhi. . . . . . . . . . . 412 Understand Malaysia. . . 470
Understand Indonesia . . 297 Teluk Bahang . . . . . . . . . . . 412 Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 474
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 304 Alor Setar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412 MYANMAR
Kangar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413 (BURMA). . . . . . . . . 480
LAOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Pulau Langkawi . . . . . . . . . 413 Yangon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
Vientiane. . . . . . . . . . . . . 313 Peninsular Malaysia – The Delta, West Coast
Northern Laos. . . . . . . . . 326 East Coast. . . . . . . . . . . . 415 Beaches & North Of
Vang Vieng . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Johor Bahru . . . . . . . . . . . . 415 Yangon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
ON THE ROAD

Pathein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Bago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

KYLIE MCLAUGHLIN/GETTY IMAGES ©

Taungoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498
Pyay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498
Southeastern
Myanmar . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
Mt Kyaiktiyo .
(Golden Rock) . . . . . . . . . 499
Mawlamyine . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Bilu Kyun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Hpa-An . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Dawei . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503 SONGKRAN FESTIVAL,
Inle Lake & THAILAND P785
Shan State. . . . . . . . . . . 503
Inle Lake & . Panay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575.
Nyaungshwe. . . . . . . . . . . 503 Kamphaeng Phet . . . . . . . 684
Negros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581
Kalaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507 Northern Thailand . . . . 685
Siquijor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583
Kyaingtong . . . . . . . . . . . . 509 Chiang Mai . . . . . . . . . . . . 685
Cebu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584
Mandalay & Around. . . 509 Chiang Rai . . . . . . . . . . . . 698
Bohol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591
Mandalay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509 Golden Triangle. . . . . . . . . 702
Mindanao. . . . . . . . . . . . . 593
Pyin Oo Lwin. . . . . . . . . . . . 519 Pai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705
Siargao. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593
Hsipaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521 Mae Hong Son . . . . . . . . . 708
Camiguin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595
Bagan & Around. . . . . . . 522 Mae Sariang . . . . . . . . . . . . 710
Palawan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
Bagan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522 Western Thailand. . . . . . 711
Puerto Princesa. . . . . . . . 596
Monywa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531 Kanchanaburi . . . . . . . . . . 711
Sabang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597
Western Myanmar . . . . . 532 Sangkhlaburi . . . . . . . . . . . 715
Port Barton. . . . . . . . . . . . 598
Sittwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 Mae Sot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715
El Nido. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599
Mrauk U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534 Northeastern
Coron. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 Thailand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717
Understand Understand
Myanmar. . . . . . . . . . . . . 536 Nakhon Ratchasima .
Philippines. . . . . . . . . . . 602 (Khorat). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 718
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 540 Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 606 Phimai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720
PHILIPPINES. . . . . . . 547 Khao Yai National Park . . 721
SINGAPORE . . . . . . . 613
Phanom Rung.
Manila. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549 Understand Historical Park . . . . . . . . . . 722
North Luzon . . . . . . . . . . 563 Singapore . . . . . . . . . . . . 637 Surin & Around. . . . . . . . . . 723
The Cordillera. . . . . . . . . . 563 Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 638 Ubon Ratchathani . . . . . . . 725
Vigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .568 Mukdahan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726
Southeast Luzon . . . . . . 569 THAILAND. . . . . . . . . 643
That Phanom . . . . . . . . . . . 727
Naga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569 Bangkok. . . . . . . . . . . . . 645
Nakhon Phanom . . . . . . . . 727
Legazpi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570 Central Thailand. . . . . . . 671
Nong Khai . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728
Mindoro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572 Ayuthaya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671
Eastern Gulf Coast. . . . . 730
Puerto Galera. . . . . . . . . . . 572 Lopburi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676
Ko Samet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730
Roxas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575 Phitsanulok . . . . . . . . . . . 678
Chanthaburi & Trat . . . . . 732
The Visayas. . . . . . . . . . . 575 Sukhothai . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679
 Contents
UNDERSTAND

Ko Chang . . . . . . . . . . . . . 734 Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 808 Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 907

Southern Gulf Coast . . . 737 Southeast Asia
Hua Hin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737 VIETNAM. . . . . . . . . . 812 Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 916
Prachuap Khiri Khan . . . . 739 Hanoi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816 History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 918
Chumphon . . . . . . . . . . . . 740 Northern Vietnam . . . . . 831
People & Culture . . . . . . 922
Ko Samui . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 741 Halong Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . 832
Ko Pha-Ngan . . . . . . . . . . . . 746 Haiphong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 836
Ko Tao . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 751 Ba Be National Park . . . . 837
Surat Thani . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755 Mai Chau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838
Hat Yai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 757 Lao Cai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838
The Andaman Coast. . . . 757 Bac Ha. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 839
Ranong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 757 Sapa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840
Ko Chang . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758 Dien Bien Phu. . . . . . . . . . 843
Ko Phayam . . . . . . . . . . . . 759 North-Central
Vietnam. . . . . . . . . . . . . 844
Khao Sok National Park. . . 759
Ninh Binh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844
Khao Lak & Around. . . . . 760
Cuc Phuong National .
SURVIVAL
Surin & Similan Islands Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845 GUIDE
Marine National Park . . . . 762
Phong Nha-Ke Bang .
Phuket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 846
Krabi Town . . . . . . . . . . . . 769 Hué. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 848
Ao Nang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 770 Responsible Travel. . . . . 930
Danang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 859
Railay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 770 Hoi An. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 862 Directory A–Z. . . . . . . . . 933
Ko Phi-Phi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 771 Southeast Coast. . . . . . 868 Transport. . . . . . . . . . . . . 939
Ko Lanta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773 Nha Trang . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868 Health. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 946
Ko Tarutao Marine . Mui Ne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 874
National Park. . . . . . . . . . . . 775 Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . 953
Con Dao Islands. . . . . . . . 876
Understand Thailand. . . 776 Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 962
Southwest
Survival Guide. . . . . . . . 783 Highlands. . . . . . . . . . . . . 879
TIMOR-LESTE. . . . . . 791 Dalat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879
Dili. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 794 Ho Chi Minh City
(Saigon). . . . . . . . . . . . . 883
Atauro Island . . . . . . . . . 799
Cu Chi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893
East of Dili. . . . . . . . . . . . 799
Tay Ninh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893 SPECIAL FEATURES
Baucau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799
Mekong Delta . . . . . . . . 894 Big Adventures,
West of Dili . . . . . . . . . . . 801
My Tho. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 894 Small Budgets . . . . . . . . . 38
South of Dili . . . . . . . . . 802
Ben Tre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 894 Temples of Angkor
Maubisse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 802
Vinh Long. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 894 in 3D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Hatubuilico & .
Mt Ramelau. . . . . . . . . . . . 802 Can Tho. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 895
Wat Phra Kaew &
Same & Betano . . . . . . . . 803 Chau Doc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 896 Grand Palace in 3D . . . . 652
Suai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 803 Ha Tien. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897
Imperial Enclosure
Oecussi . . . . . . . . . . . . . 803 Rach Gia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .898 in Hué in 3D . . . . . . . . . . 854
Understand Timor- Phu Quoc Island. . . . . . . . 899
Leste. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 804 Understand Vietnam . . . 901
 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
30

BHAGIRAJ SIVAGNANASUNDARAM/GETTY IMAGES ©

Plan Your Trip
Itineraries
Luang
Prabang
_ HANOI
#
MYANMAR –
#
–
#

•
#
Chiang •
# LAOS North Luzon
É •
#
Mai

É
Yangon •
# THAILAND # Hoi An
•
É

Siem _ MANILA
#
É Reap VIETNAM
PHILIPPINES

É
BANGKOK #
_ # CAMBODIA
•
•
#
# Kalibo
Boracay •
PHNOM #
_
É
É

•
# •
#
PENH Ho Chi Palawan
Ko Tao •
#
Minh City

É
Krabi •
# (Saigon)
–
# Pulau Langkawi South
•
# China BRUNEI –
#
Penang •
# Cameron Sea
•
# Highlands
KUALA #_ MALAYSIA
LUMPUR SINGAPORE É
_
#
É
INDONESIA
É

INDONESIA
–
#

–
#

Gunung
JAKARTA #
_ É
Bromo
•
# •
# # Bali
•
Yogyakarta

8 KS The Best of Southeast Asia

WEE

Chi Minh City, a study in resiliency.

This ‘sampler plate’ of Southeast Asia Work your way north with a stop in ador-
will have you jetting between countries able Hoi An, for bespoke fashions and
to hit the highlights: cool cities, ancient atmospheric strolls, and on to the antique
kingdoms, beautiful beaches and streets of Hanoi. Air-lift out of Vietnam
smoldering volcanoes. to laid-back Luang Prabang, Laos’
world-heritage city filled with temples and
Most international airlines fly to Bang- French colonial fragments, and then fly
kok, a chaotic but fantastic city filled to chic Chiang Mai for elephant and hill-
with fun and food. Take the direct bus to tribe adventures, Thai cooking courses
Siem Reap to see Angkor’s magnificent and loads of temple-spotting.
temples. Bus to charming Phnom Penh Return to Bangkok (plane, train or
to study Cambodia’s tragic not-so-distant bus) and work your way south to Ko Tao
past and on to Vietnam’s bustling Ho to learn how to dive before hitting the
 31

PL AN YOUR TRIP I t i n e r a r i e s

Tea estate, Cameron Highlands (p400), Malaysia

seaside rock-climbing retreat of Krabi Then bus to Gunung Bromo, an active

and other beachy hotspots, such as Ko volcano, visited on pre-dawn hikes for
Phi Phi, Ko Lanta and Ko Lipe, on Thai- sunrise summits. Leapfrog to Bali for sun,
land’s Andaman coast. Scoot across the fun and the island’s unique Hindu culture.
border from Ko Lipe to Malaysia’s Pulau
Catch a cheap flight to sophisticated
Langkawi – high season only. Then take
Singapore, which has air connections
the ferry to the foodie’s paradise of Pen-
to everywhere else, including Myanmar’s
ang and overland to Malaysia’s multi-
Yangon, where you can explore the tem-
ethnic capital Kuala Lumpur with a
ples and villages of this formerly cloistered
stop in the green-tea plantations of the
country. Or fly from Singapore to Kalibo
Cameron Highlands.
(Philippines), then bask on Boracay’s par-
Catch a flight from Kuala Lumpur to ty beaches, transit through Manila to trek
Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, and soak up the rice terraces of North Luzon or just
Java’s renowned culture in Yogyakarta. chill on the rustic beaches of Palawan.
32
PL AN YOUR TRIP I t i n e r a r i e s

MYANMAR Sapa •
#
Mandalay Luang Nam HANOI
•
# Tha _
#
•
# Luang •
#
Halong Bay
Inle Huay Xai Prabang
É

•
#
•
#
Bagan Lake • •
#
–
#
#
Pai PHILIPPINES
Mae Hong Son •#•# Vang •
#
•
# Vieng North Luzon •#
Chiang _
#
Mai
# VIENTIANE
LAOS #Hue
É

É
É

• •
Yangon •
# Sukhothai # Hoi An
•
MANILA #
_
É

–
#
É

Ayuthaya VIETNAM
–
# •
#
Siem Reap CAMBODIA É
É

_ É
# Nha
–
#

•
#
É

BANGKOK #Trang –
#
PHNOM PENH •
É

•
# É _
#
Andaman Ko Chang # Mui Ne
É

É • Cebu •
#
•
#
Sea •
#
Ho Chi
É

Sihanoukville
THAILAND Minh City
(Saigon) É
–
#
Mt Kinabalu
–
#

É South # R •
Kota Kinabalu • # Sepilok
China Sea BRUNEI #
É

_
É

É
•
# Semporna
# Taman Negara
• BANDAR SERI
BEGAWAN
É
É

_
#
KUALA MALAYSIA
# Melaka
•
LUMPUR
 33

NORA CAROL PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES ©

8 KS Mainland to Borneo &
WEE
Philippines

Cruise around mainland Southeast Asia,

PL AN YOUR TRIP I t i n e r a r i e s
hitting the beaches and the highlands,
and then bound over to Borneo and the
Philippines to climb into the heavens and
dive under the sea.

From Bangkok, head to Ko Chang and then

slide into Sihanoukville for lots of sand and
suds. Scoot to shabby-chic Phnom Penh. Adore
the architectural wonder of the Angkor temples
from the base town of Siem Reap. Fly to full-
throttle Ho Chi Minh City. Migrate to the
beaches of Mui Ne or Nha Trang, the antique
city of Hoi An and imperial Hue. Rest in
Hanoi, a mature, manicured capital. Cruise
karst-filled Halong Bay and detour to Sapa
and its highland communities of ethnic minori-
ties. Return to Hanoi.
Fly to Vientiane (Laos), bus to Vang Vieng
and on to Luang Prabang, a riverside city.
Continue to the trekking centre of Luang Nam
Tha. Ride the Mekong River south to the Laos–
Thailand border at Huay Xai.
Slide into Chiang Mai. Escape to the moun-
tains of Pai or Mae Hong Son for stunning
mountain vistas and intriguing border cultures.
Return to the lowlands for the ancient Thai
capitals at Sukhothai and Ayuthaya before
returning to Bangkok.
JOHN HARPER/GETTY IMAGES ©

Fly to Myanmar’s Yangon and continue

to the island monasteries of Inle Lake, the
ancient capital of Mandalay and the ruins of
Bagan.
From Yangon, fly to Kuala Lumpur. Explore
Taman Negara, an ancient wilderness. Cruise
through Melaka, a colonial port of call. Return
to KL for a well-planned, well-funded tour of
Malaysian Borneo. Fly to Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah, and ascend Mt Kinabalu, Borneo’s
highest peak. Head east to Sepilok’s orang-
utan sanctuary. Swing over to Semporna, the
gateway to dive sites. Culture vultures: detour
to oil-rich Brunei and its unassuming capital,
Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB), surrounded by
pristine rainforests and water villages.
Cheap flights link Kota Kinabalu with
Manila (Philippines). Bus to the mountains of
Top: Mt Kinabalu (p440), Malaysia North Luzon, then fly to Cebu, gateway to the
Bottom: Beach at Boracay (p576), Philippines Visayas beaches.
34

KIMBERLEY COOLE/GETTY IMAGES ©

6KS Mainland Beaches to
WEE
Indonesia

Become a certified beach connoisseur by

PL AN YOUR TRIP I t i n e r a r i e s

tracing the coastline of Thailand, Malaysia

and Indonesia. In-between, grab a few slices
of culture to keep things balanced.

From Bangkok, make a beeline for the islands

in the Gulf of Thailand: dive-crazy Ko Tao and
hippie Ko Pha-Ngan. Get certified on Tao,
then follow the herd to the Andaman coast.
Khao Lak is the base for live-aboard dive trips
to the world-class Surin and Similan islands.
Skip down to adrenalin-charged Krabi, home
to rock climbing and cave exploring, and then
island-hop to Rasta-vibed Ko Lipe. Cross the
border at Pulau Langkawi for Penang’s
famous hawker centres.
From Penang, bus to Kota Bharu, the
jumping-off point for the fabulous jungle
islands of Pulau Perhentian. Head south to
Mersing, the mainland port for sleepy Pulau
Tioman, before returning to civilisation in
Kuala Lumpur, for flights to Indonesia.
From Indonesia’s tip in Medan, on the island
of Sumatra, visit the orang-utan outpost of
Bukit Lawang and go volcano hiking in Be-
rastagi. From Medan fly to lovely Banda Aceh
for dive-tastic Pulau Weh.
Say goodbye to rugged Sumatra and buzz
GONZALO AZUMENDI/GETTY IMAGES ©

over to Java, touching down in Jakarta, In-

donesia’s intense capital. Cruise Yogyakarta
and its culture trail. Day trip to the giant stupa
of Borobudur or huff-and-puff up Gunung
Bromo volcano for a sunrise spectacle.
Leapfrog to Denpasar, in Bali, to nuzzle
the sandy beaches of the Bukit Peninsula or get
cultured in Ubud. Party in Gili Trawangan,
spot dragons on Komodo and go rustic on the
beaches of Flores.
Check your visa and apply for an extension
back in Denpasar before flying to Makassar
on the island of Sulawesi. Pay your respects in
Tana Toraja, where funeral rituals are ancient
and bloody. Travel to the Togean Islands and
the northern diving board of Pulau Bunaken;
it might feel faraway, but it is worth it. Fly from
Manado to Kuala Lumpur.
Alternatively, from Denpasar hop over to
Timor-Leste’s capital of Dili to tour old colonial Top: Longtail boats, Ko Lipe (p775), Thailand
Bottom: Religious ceremony, Ubud (p208), Indonesia
towns and uncrowded reefs.
 35

PL AN YOUR TRIP I t i n e r a r i e s
_ BANGKOK
#
THAILAND
É

Ko Tao
•
#
É # Ko Pha-Ngan
•
PHILIPPINES
Khao Lak •
# Krabi
Kota Pulau
•
#
Pulau Ko Lipe •
# Perhentian
Bharu •
#
Weh Pulau •
# •
#
É
Langkawi •
É

•
#
#
•
# KUALA BRUNEI
É
Banda Penang Pulau
–
#

LUMPUR
–
#

Aceh Bukit •
#• Bunaken
# Medan #_ # Pulau Tioman
Lawang • #
• MALAYSIA •
#
É •
# •
#
Berastagi Mersing Manado
•
#
Togean
INDONESIA
É

–
#

Islands
INDONESIA
É
É

•
# Tana Toraja
–
#

# Makassar
•
É
JAKARTA
–
#

_
# Gunung
É
•
# Bromo Gili Trawangan DILI
Borobudur •# • Bali •
# É # Flores
Yogyakarta •
# •
# •
# _
#
Denpasar Komodo É
TIMOR-LESTE
36

Off the Beaten Track: Southeast Asia

NONG KHAI (THAILAND)
CHINA
Few border crossings are as charming
as this pretty town perched on the
PL AN YOUR TRIP O F F T H E B EATEN TRA C K

banks of the Mekong River. Cycle

around the riverside market and the BA BE
strange but wonderful Buddhist- NATIONAL
Hindu sculpture garden. (p728) PARK
LAOS HANOI
Bay MYANMAR Luang
of (BURMA) Prabang Hainan
Bengal
NAY PYI TAW Chiang VIENTIANE CHINA
Mai
Yangon THAM KONG LO
NONG
MAWLAMYINE KHAI
THAILAND Hoi An
Paracel
BANGKOK Islands
INDIA ANDAMAN
CAMBODIA
SEA BATTAMBANG
PHNOM VIETNAM
Gulf of PENH
Thailand
Ho Chi
Minh City

SOUTH
Pulau Pulau Langkawi CHINA
Weh SEA BRUNEI
MALAYSIA DARUSSALAM
Taman Natuna
Negara Islands BANDAR SERI
Danau
KUALA
BEGAWAN
Pulau Toba
Simeulue LUMPUR MALAYSIA
Sarawak
Pulau
Equator Nias Sumatra
SINGAPORE
Kuching

INDONESIA Kalimantan
MAWLAMYINE Pulau
Bangka TANJUNG PUTING
(MYANMAR) NATIONAL PARK
With Myanmar's newly relaxed Pulau
Belitung
borders, overlanders can cross from
Thailand's Mae Sot to this urban JAVA SEA INDONESIA
centre boasting stupa-studded hills JAKARTA
and scenic onward travel to Hpa-an or Madura
Java
Yangon. (p500)

KRANJI COUNTRYSIDE Bali

ASSOCIATION
(SINGAPORE)
BATTAMBANG
When in cities, do as city-dwellers do:
(CAMBODIA)
go back to nature. This collection of
This lovely French colonial town is farms on the outskirts of Singapore
known for its river trips to Siem Reap. lures urbanites on 'agri-tainment'
Nearby are ancient temples and rural tours of fields, fish ponds and
scenery. (p103) produce stands. (p636)
 37
0 500 km
0 300 miles

BA BE NATIONAL PARK
(VIETNAM) Tropic of Ca
ncer

A stunning landscape of limestone

TAIWAN mountains, sloping valleys,

PL AN YOUR TRIP O F F T H E B EATEN TRA C K

mist-shrouded lakes and evergreen
forests provides a full dose of nature THAM KONG LO (LAOS)
exploration. For a cultural hook, A watery underworld awaits at this
ethnic minorities host rustic 7.5km-long cave explored by longtail
homestays. (p837) boat. Daylight recedes as you putter
deep into the darkness and
bulbous-shaped calcified sculptures
decorate the vaulted ceiling. (p353)
Banaue
Luzon PHILIPPINE
SEA SIARGAO ISLAND
MANILA (PHILIPPINES)
Catanduanes
PHILIPPINES Famous for its surf break, this
Mindoro
Samar Catholic island in northern Mindanao
is blessed with pretty coves, fine
Panay
blonde beaches and laid-back
Cebu
Bohol SIARGAO villages. Nearby Camiguin has
Palawan volcano hikes, reef dives and scenic
wandering. (p593)
SULU SEA Mindanao
Mt PACIFIC
Kinabalu
(4095m) Jolo OCEAN BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
(BRUNEI DARUSSALAM)
Talaud
Sabah Tawi-Tawi
Shoestringers mistakenly assume
Sangir that they can't afford to visit the
Islands Morotai capital of this oil-rich sultanate. But it
CELEBES SEA
is a modest and traditional city, kind
Waigeo to visitors of all budgets. (p53)
Togean Islands

Sula Islands
Sulawesi SERAM SEA Misool
PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Tana INDONESIA Buru Seram

Toraja Papua
Puncak Jaya
(5030m)
Butung (Buton) Kai
Islands Aru
BANDA SEA Islands
Selayar
Yos
FLORES SEA Wetar Tanimbar Sudarso
Bali
Sea SUMBAWA Babar Islands
DILI Islands ARAFURA SEA
Flores TIMOR-LESTE
Lombok Sumba
TIMOR SEA TANJUNG PUTING
Sawu NATIONAL PARK
SUMBAWA (INDONESIA) (INDONESIA)
Surfers brave the poor infrastructure Riverboats glide into a deep and dark
and conservative Islamic culture for Borneo jungle where orang-utans
this island's year-round breaks. It is perch in the trees and fireflies light up
easy to get to from Lombok, but hard the night. Join forces with other
to get around. (p236) AUSTRALIA travellers to cut costs. (p275)
 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Map Legend
Sights Information Routes
Beach Bank Tollway
Bird Sanctuary Embassy/Consulate Freeway
Buddhist Hospital/Medical Primary
Castle/Palace Internet Secondary
Christian Police Tertiary
Confucian Post Office Lane
Hindu Telephone Unsealed road
Islamic Toilet Road under construction
Jain Tourist Information Plaza/Mall
Jewish Other Information Steps
Monument Tunnel
Museum/Gallery/Historic Building Geographic Pedestrian overpass
Ruin Beach Walking Tour
Sento Hot Baths/Onsen Hut/Shelter Walking Tour detour
Shinto Lighthouse Path/Walking Trail
Sikh Lookout
Taoist Mountain/Volcano Boundaries
Winery/Vineyard Oasis International
Zoo/Wildlife Sanctuary Park State/Province
Other Sight Pass Disputed
Picnic Area Regional/Suburb
Activities, Waterfall Marine Park
Courses & Tours Cliff
Bodysurfing Population Wall
Diving Capital (National)
Canoeing/Kayaking Capital (State/Province) Hydrography
Course/Tour City/Large Town River, Creek
Skiing Town/Village Intermittent River
Snorkelling Canal
Surfing Transport
Water
Swimming/Pool Airport
Walking Border crossing Dry/Salt/Intermittent Lake
Windsurfing Bus
Reef
Other Activity Cable car/Funicular

Sleeping
Cycling Areas
Ferry
Airport/Runway
Sleeping Metro/MRT station
Camping Monorail Beach/Desert
Parking
Eating Petrol station
Cemetery (Christian)
Eating Skytrain/Subway station Cemetery (Other)
Taxi
Drinking & Nightlife Train station/Railway
Glacier
Drinking & Nightlife Tram Mudflat
Cafe Underground station
Park/Forest
Other Transport
Entertainment Sight (Building)
Entertainment
Sportsground
Shopping Note: Not all symbols displayed above Swamp/Mangrove
Shopping appear on the maps in this book
 Shawn Low
Singapore Shawn grew up in hot, humid, food-crazy Singapore but later made his
way further south to less hot, less humid, food-crazy Melbourne (Australia, not
Florida). He’s spent the last six years working for Lonely Planet: as an editor, com-
missioning editor, author, TV host and travel editor. Returning home to check out
the bars and hawkers is a hard job, but someone’s gotta do it. So he did. Post-trip
hunger pangs have struck and Shawn is longing to return for more of that delicious
Singapore hawker food. He’s also on Twitter @shawnlow.

Simon Richmond
Myanmar (Burma) Simon is an award-winning freelance author and photographer
who has produced many guides for Lonely Planet since 1999, including several in
Southeast Asia. He first visited Myanmar in 2001, returning a decade later in 2011
to coordinate the 11th edition of Lonely Planet’s Myanmar. He was back again in
2013 to coordinate the 12th edition and take the pulse of Yangon, one of the re-
gion’s most underrated cities. Read more about him at www.simonrichmond.com.

Daniel Robinson
Brunei Darusasalam, Malaysia Daniel has been covering Southeast Asia and its
rainforests since 1989, when he researched Lonely Planet’s first, award-winning
guides to Vietnam and Cambodia. On his many visits to Borneo, he has developed
a fondness for travelling ulu-ulu (way upriver) by longboat, tramping through the
jungle in search of gargantuan Rafflesia flowers, and slurping Sarawak laksa.
Daniel, who has a BA in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University, was the
coordinating author for Lonely Planet’s Borneo guide.

Iain Stewart
Vietnam Iain first visited Vietnam in 1991 and has returned many time since to write
several editions of Lonely Planet’s Vietnam. Highlights on this trip were travelling
with mate Vinh and his family, the swim-through caves of Phong Nha, mountain
biking around Dalat, hanging out in Hoi An, bar-hopping in HCMC and the silence of
Con Dao.

Ryan Ver Berkmoes

Indonesia Ryan Ver Berkmoes first visited Indonesia in 1993. On his visits since he
has criss-crossed the archipelago, trying to make a dent in those 17,000 islands. Re-
cent thrills included returning to the amazing Banda Islands, finding the perfect love
villa on Bali and going nose to nose with a komodo dragon. Off-island, Ryan splits
his time between the US and Europe and writes about Indonesia, travel and more at
ryanverberkmoes.com. Follow him @ryanvb.

Richard Waters
Laos Richard is an award-winning journalist and works for the Independent, Sunday
Times, Wanderlust and National Geographic Traveller. He lives with his fiancée
and two kids in the Cotswolds. Laos is one of his favourite countries in the world;
his journeys there started in ’99 and have kept him going back ever since. He’s also
authored a thriller set in Laos, Black Buddha, which is published on Kindle. To read
more of his travel journalism visit: www.richardwaters.co.uk.
 OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of
adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed
for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to
Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but
inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling
together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap.
Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.
Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Franklin, London,
Melbourne, Oakland, Beijing and Delhi, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief
that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

OUR WRITERS
China Williams
Coordinating Author, Thailand Every two years, China Williams leaves her quiet
suburban life for a guidebook deployment to Thailand. This time she brought
along her one-year-old daughter as her research assistant and to boost her cute-
ness factor. It worked; the Thais were smitten. China first came to Thailand in 1997
to teach English in Surin. Since then she has shuttled across the Pacific for more
than a decade for various Thailand and Southeast Asia titles. Thailand gets richer
and happier with every visit. China lives in Catonsville, Maryland (USA) with her husband Matt, son
Felix and daughter Phoebe.

Greg Bloom
Cambodia, Philippines Greg has lived in Southeast Asia for more than a decade,
dividing his time between Manila and his current home of Phnom Penh. Over the
years he has covered virtually every Cambodian province and dozens of Philippine
islands for Lonely Planet. When not writing about Southeast Asia, Greg might be
found snouting around the former Soviet Union (he once called Kyiv home) or
running around Asia’s ultimate frisbee fields.

Celeste Brash
Malaysia Celeste first visited Malaysia while she was studying at Chiang Mai Uni-
versity, Thailand in 1993 and she later moved to Singapore to teach English. The
more of Malaysia she’s visited, the more she’s fallen in love with it – especially the
food. When not desensitising her taste buds with sambal, Celeste lives in Portland,
Oregon, with her husband and two children. She’s contributed to around 50 Lonely
Planet titles. Find out more about her at www.celestebrash.com.

Stuart Butler
Indonesia Stuart first hit the Indonesian shores at the end of a long trans-Asia surf
trip. Not surprisingly it was his favourite stop. Since then he has made repeated
visits for waves, walks and wildlife, and to delve deeper into the rich culture of the
islands. The stories and photos from his Indonesian travels have appeared frequent-
ly in the international surf and travel media. Hailing from southwest England, Stuart
now lives on the beautiful beaches of southwest France with his wife and young son
and daughter.

OVER MORE
PAGE WRITERS

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