Photo: Vicky T / Unsplash
2027 Scouting Expedition
14-day photography expedition · November 9–22, 2027
Thailand & Cambodia Photography Expedition
Chiang Rai · Chiang Mai · Angkor · Phnom Penh · with Bangkok + Luang Prabang extensions
€5,499 per person
Max 6 photographers
13 nights / 14 days
Yi Peng + Angkor + Phnom Penh
First-edition scouting departure
🚀 First-edition scouting expedition
This is a professionally organised scouting departure. The photographic framework is researched in advance, but roughly 30% of the schedule remains responsive to weather, light, crowds, local activity and discoveries on the ground. The goal is not to race through a checklist. It is to build an extraordinary small-group photographic adventure and leave enough room for the unexpected.
Neil's take
From Neil
"I want this trip to feel like the best parts of travelling through Southeast Asia when we were younger — curiosity, street food, markets, long days with a camera and the feeling that something interesting might be around the next corner — only now the logistics are sorted, the beds are comfortable and somebody else is driving. We will work hard when the photography justifies it, rest when it does not, and keep the group small enough to stay flexible."
Festival Photography
Photographing Yi Peng in Chiang Mai
Lantern displays, low-light camera settings and the magic of Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng festival.
Temple Photography
Angkor Wat: Sunrise, Crowds & Better Photographs
Sunrise reflections, changing light and creative compositions beyond the classic view.
Landscape Photography
Chiang Rai, Doi Mae Salong & Tea Country
Misty mountain layers, tea plantations and the photographic character of Chiang Rai.
Documentary Photography
Kampong Khleang & Life on Tonlé Sap
Stilt houses, boat photography and thoughtful storytelling around Tonlé Sap.
Street Photography
Phnom Penh: Markets, River Light & Street
Markets, river light and the small moments that make city photography rewarding.
What you'll photograph
A deliberately varied travel-photography expedition
Landscape & atmosphere
Mae Salong mountain layers, tea country, Doi Inthanon and the softer river landscapes of Cambodia and Laos.
Architecture & ancient stone
White and Blue Temples, Lanna architecture, the Great Holy Relics Pagodas, two full Angkor days and one final sunrise session.
People, festival & street
Yi Peng, night markets, food, crafts, everyday city life and respectful environmental travel photography.
Water & documentary storytelling
Tonlé Sap communities, working boats, river light and — on the Laos extension — private Mekong photography.
Itinerary architecture
The researched structure — with room to respond
1
Nov 9
Chiang Rai arrival & welcome
Recovery and introductions. Blue Temple is an optional low-pressure first session if arrivals and energy allow — nothing essential is sacrificed if you simply need sleep.
2
Nov 10
Doi Mae Salong — dawn, tea & White Temple
A very early mountain start for mist and layered landscape, followed by genuine tea-country photography where activity allows. A long midday recovery protects the pace before the White Temple later in the day.
3
Nov 11
Optional market → road to Chiang Mai
Choose the early market or sleep in. After breakfast we travel south by road, with room for worthwhile unscripted stops rather than manufacturing them simply to fill the journey.
3
Nov 11
Arrive Chiang Mai — street, food & old-city atmosphere
Settle into our second base, then ease into Chiang Mai with an evening of walking photography, food, markets and city atmosphere rather than another heavily structured session.
4–6
Nov 12–14
Yi Peng, craft, Lanna heritage & mountain light
Four Chiang Mai nights are built around the 2027 Yi Peng window: the paid mass lantern event, old-city wandering, genuine craft and working traditions, evening street photography and one protected sunset at the Great Holy Relics Pagodas. Festival dates remain provisional pending final organiser confirmation.
7
Nov 15
Chiang Mai → Siem Reap
A genuine transfer and recovery day. We do not chase a token sunset after airports and connections; the evening in Cambodia is for checking in, eating well and preparing for the Angkor block.
8
Nov 16
Angkor — iconic first light
We enter early for Angkor Wat at first light, stay long enough to work the changing morning atmosphere, then return to the hotel for breakfast, rest and image backup. In the afternoon we head back into the complex for slower exploration and a carefully chosen sunset session.
9
Nov 17
Angkor — jungle, detail & depth
A second full photography day shifts toward Ta Prohm, jungle atmosphere, secondary temples, architectural detail and quieter corners. We again protect a substantial midday hotel break before returning refreshed for afternoon light and sunset.
10
Nov 18
Recovery morning → Kampong Khleang / Tonlé Sap
After two full Angkor days, the morning is intentionally slow: sleep, breakfast, pool, laundry and image backup. In the afternoon we shift completely away from temples for working water, boats, fishing culture and contemporary Cambodian life through late light and sunset.
11
Nov 19
Final Angkor sunrise → Phnom Penh
One final early session inside Angkor gives us a last chance to work first light without committing to another full temple day. We return for breakfast and check-out, fly to Phnom Penh in the afternoon, then ease into the capital with riverfront, blue-hour and street photography.
12
Nov 20
Phnom Penh — markets, streets & river life
A full urban photography day explores markets, architecture, working streets, people and the riverfront. The pace remains photographic rather than touristic, with time to stop, observe and work scenes properly.
13
Nov 21
Phnom Penh — slower final day
A lighter final photography day leaves room for another market or neighbourhood session, independent wandering, packing and rest. We finish with a proper final group dinner rather than ending the expedition in transit.
14
Nov 22
Expedition finale — Phnom Penh
The core workshop ends in Phnom Penh, giving everyone a clean international departure point. Those continuing to the optional Laos extension connect onward to Luang Prabang; everyone else begins the journey home.
Optional modules
Add Bangkok, Laos — or neither.
Pre-extension · November 6–9, 2027
Bangkok Photography Extension — 3 nights / 4 days
Designed to make long-haul arrival easier rather than harder. Bangkok combines recovery time with a compact city-photography programme before we fly north together to Chiang Rai.
Wat Arun, Chao Phraya and temple architecture
Chinatown / Yaowarat street and food photography
Markets, skyline and modern Bangkok
MRT, BTS, boats and walking rather than a full-time van
3 hotel nights + 3 main evening dinners
Bangkok → Chiang Rai flight with baggage allowance
Price: €675 per person, twin-share, at 2+ participants. A transparent one-person rate applies if only one photographer books; if another later joins, the first participant automatically receives the lower 2+ rate.
Post-extension · November 22–26, 2027
Luang Prabang Photography Extension — 4 nights / 5 days
One hotel, deliberately slower pacing and a different visual language from Angkor. This is designed as an atmospheric epilogue rather than another four-day sprint.
Private Mekong river photography session
Phousi Hill sunrise and mist potential
Kuang Si landscape photography
Morning market and heritage old town
Respectful Buddhist-life photography where appropriate
Optional final Mekong mist sunrise
Price: €1,560 per person, twin-share, at 2+ participants. One-person operation remains possible at a higher transparent rate; room-sharing with Neil may reduce that solo cost where mutually comfortable.
The rhythm of the expedition
Work hard when the photograph is worth it. Rest when it isn't.
70% researched structure
Key locations, access, transport and strong light are planned in advance. We know why we are going somewhere before six photographers get out of bed.
30% responsive freedom
Weather, mist, crowds, local activity and discoveries can change the day. Flexibility is a feature, not a planning failure.
Recovery is built in
Long midday breaks are protected after demanding dawns. Angkor includes lunch and rest. After two full Angkor days, the following morning is deliberately protected for recovery before our afternoon on Tonle Sap.
Late night can replace dawn
A wonderful festival or street session is allowed to be enough. We do not accumulate sleep debt simply because sunrise happens every morning.
Main expedition inclusions
Included
- ✅13 nights twin-share accommodation
- ✅Photography leadership, field tuition and location research
- ✅Private ground transport where it materially improves the photography
- ✅Chiang Mai → Siem Reap regional flight with appropriate baggage allowance
- ✅Yi Peng mass lantern event admission
- ✅Angkor three-day pass and planned photographic admissions
- ✅Siem Reap → Phnom Penh domestic flight with appropriate baggage allowance
- ✅Scheduled boats / local transport for the Cambodia programme
- ✅Breakfast where included by the selected accommodation
Not included
- ❌International airfare to Thailand / from Cambodia
- ❌Most lunches and dinners unless specifically stated
- ❌Travel and medical insurance
- ❌Visas / entry formalities where applicable
- ❌Personal spending and gratuities
- ❌Bangkok and Luang Prabang extensions
- ❌Single supplement
Small groups. Big days. No luxury-tour theatre.
The organisation happens quietly underneath. The lived experience is intended to feel closer to a group of photographers travelling somewhere extraordinary together.
Read participant stories →Is this expedition right for you?
Adventure is welcome. Exhaustion is not the objective.
✅ This trip is for you if…
- ✅You care more about photographic opportunity than luxury branding
- ✅You enjoy early starts when the light genuinely earns them
- ✅You like street, landscape, architecture and documentary photography
- ✅You are comfortable with heat, stairs, boats, walking and a few long days
- ✅You value flexibility when weather or local activity changes the plan
- ✅You want a small-group journey rather than a conventional escorted tour
❌ This trip isn't for you if…
- ❌You need every hour fixed months in advance
- ❌You expect five-star hotels to be the point of the trip
- ❌You dislike occasional very early starts or long photographic days
- ❌You want people staged as photographic props
- ❌You want drone photography included
Questions
Before you register interest
Do I need to book Bangkok or Laos?
No. The 14-day Thailand and Cambodia expedition is designed to begin and end cleanly on its own. Bangkok and Luang Prabang are optional modules with separate pricing.
What if only one person books an extension?
The intention is to keep extensions viable with one participant where the economics remain responsible. A higher one-person price may apply because fixed costs are shared by fewer people. If a second participant later joins, the first participant automatically receives the lower 2+ participant rate. Where mutually comfortable, twin-sharing with Neil can reduce the solo-extension cost.
Are the Yi Peng dates confirmed?
The working 2027 itinerary is built around the expected mid-November Yi Peng period. The exact mass-event date and ticket category will be reconfirmed with the organiser before deposits are taken. Festival access and programming remain subject to organiser confirmation.
How intensive are the Angkor days?
We have two full Angkor photography days plus one final sunrise session. The full days are deliberately split: early photography, a substantial hotel break for breakfast, rest and image backup, then a fresh afternoon and sunset session. The morning between the full Angkor block and Tonle Sap is deliberately recovery-focused.
Will local guides be with us every day?
No. The expedition is photography-led, with researched locations and solid drivers rather than a permanent sightseeing guide. Local fixers, interpreters or community contacts may be brought in for specific cultural access where they materially improve ethics, communication or safety.
What does scouting expedition mean?
The route and key photographic anchors are researched in depth before departure, but this is the first edition and some locations, timings and alternatives are being tested on the ground. Participants should expect professional organisation with genuine exploratory freedom rather than a rigid polished-tour script.
Thailand & Cambodia Photography Expedition · November 2027
14 days. 4–6 photographers. Bangkok before it. Laos after it.
€5,499 per person · first-edition scouting departure