I know that there is no actual answer to this question, but I would appreciate anybody's input. My wife and I (in our early 50's) are planning to visit south-east Asia next year ('14), probably for a month, somewhere between Jan-Mar. Neither of us has been to Asia before. We enjoy staying in one area for a while rather than just making pit-stops. Both of us are in reasonably good shape for hiking & exploring. We enjoy seeing wildlife, although we enjoy the other cultural/social/scenic aspects, as well.
So my question is: Would you choose Thailand, Cambodia and/or Vietnam or Borneo and Sumatra?
indonesia or thailand?
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I would suggest for you to come as early as possible and the best month would be January. The weather will be less humid with cool nights, perfect for hiking in Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia.
With a month I like to suggest 2 countries, Thailand & Cambodia or Vietnam & Cambodia.
For Thailand I suggest 3 different zones or location for you to visit. Central Thailand (Bangkok) to see the palaces and wats. Northern Thailand to see the Northern Thai culture and with some good hiking or even a driving trip (search "Mae Hong Son loop"). Southern Thailand for sun and beautiful beaches and islands.
You can add on a few days and visit Siem Reap in Cambodia and see the Angkor Wat ruins from Thailand as well.
Laos, specifically Luang Prabang, is a very beautiful place to visit for 3 or 4 nights and very easy from Thailand.
I would suggest Thailand because during Jan - March is raining season in Indonesia. Otherwise I would go for Indonesia
I love it there - but Thailand is also very nice!
For a Jan-Mar trip, I'd choose Thailand/Cambodia. Indonesia has much to recommend it, but as noted, it will be rainier in Indonesia at that time of the year. That almost ll of my visits to Indonesia have been during rainy season.
Is this your first trip to Asia?
Thanks to all of you for your replies. Much appreciated! We get enough rain here (BC, Canada) in the winter - we'd like to avoid more of it, if we can.
Kathie: Yes, this is the first trip to Asia for either one of us. Really looking forward to it.
Hello, Gregory, from your southern also rainy neighbors in Seattle. For a first trip, let me also say that Thailand has really excellent infrastructure. Parts of Malaysian Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak) have very good infrastructure, the Indonesian part of Borneo (Kalimantan) not so much. The infrastructure in Sumatra is also variable.
So for that reason as well, I'd choose Thailand for a first trip. And adding in Cambodia to visit Angkor allows you to see one of the wonders of the world.