Bali
A Hindu island of temple ceremonies, rice terraces and clifftop villas, with a spa culture that runs deeper than hotels.
Temples, street food and slow island days, from Kyoto gardens to the rice terraces of Bali
Asia travel: Asia
How to think about Asia
Asia rewards a trip built on rhythm: a busy city, then somewhere slow, then a few days by the sea. Japan is the most organised, with fast trains between Tokyo, Kyoto and the hot-spring towns. Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia mix markets, temples and beaches. India and Sri Lanka are richer in colour and harder work, and repay a patient pace.
Here the weather decides a great deal. Monsoons move across the region at different times, so the east coast of Sri Lanka is at its best when the west coast is wet, and the Gulf of Thailand runs on a different calendar from the Andaman Sea. We plan the order of a trip around that.
The natural pairings follow the flight routes. Singapore or Hong Kong make an easy first stop before Bali, Malaysia or the Philippines. Angkor Wat sits well with Vietnam. Two countries in two weeks is plenty; more than that and the trip becomes a series of airports.
Destinations in Asia
Cambodia
Angkor at dawn, a riverside capital, Kampot pepper farms and islands with very little development.
China
The Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, pandas and the karst hills of Guilin, joined by high-speed train.
Hong Kong
A harbour city of dim sum, ferries and skyscrapers, with wild country parks and islands half an hour away.
India
Palace hotels, tiger forests and the Taj Mahal at dawn, with the Kerala backwaters for a slower second week.
Indonesia
Beyond Bali: Komodo dragons, the reefs of Raja Ampat, the temples of Java and the wild coast of Sumba.
Japan
Neon Tokyo, temple Kyoto and hot-spring inns, all joined by trains that run to the minute.
Malaysia
Orangutans in Borneo’s rainforest, the street food of George Town and island beaches on two different monsoon coasts.
Philippines
Limestone lagoons in Palawan, coral reefs and island-hopping by outrigger across an archipelago of thousands of islands.
Singapore
An easy first stop in Asia: hawker food, garden architecture and four cultures on one small, very green island.
Sri Lanka
Ancient cities, tea hills, leopards and beaches in an island small enough to cross in a day.
Thailand
Temple cities, cool northern hills and two coasts with opposite monsoons, so there is nearly always a good beach somewhere.
Vietnam
A long, narrow country of limestone bays, lantern-lit old towns and street food that changes every few hundred kilometres.
Journeys in Asia
Sample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.
Bali: five nights of retreat above Ubud, five by the sea
Five nights at a wellness retreat in the Ayung River valley with a programme of yoga, treatments and healthy food, then five nights on the quiet east coast, where terraced suites look over the Lombok Strait.
Hanoi, Lan Ha Bay, Hoi An and Angkor in eleven nights
Old Hanoi's street food, a night on a small boat among the limestone islands of Lan Ha Bay, four nights in the lantern-lit trading port of Hoi An, and three dawns at the temples of Angkor, each with a private guide.
Sri Lanka and the Maldives: temples, tea and a far atoll
Eight nights in Sri Lanka with a private driver-guide, from the rock fortress at Sigiriya to the tea estates and the old fort at Galle, then a short flight to Malé and five nights on a quiet island in Thaa Atoll.
From the Journal
Japan in cherry blossom and autumn leaf season: timing, crowds and where to stay
Sakura and koyo move across Japan like weather fronts, one north in spring, the other south in autumn. How to time them by region, how to see them without the queues, and where to base yourself.
The Maldives, Mauritius or the Seychelles: which island suits you?
Three sets of Indian Ocean islands, often booked as if they were interchangeable. They are not. Here is how they differ by season, by flight, by style and by the kind of traveller each one suits.
Sri Lanka's two monsoons explained: why there is always a sunny coast
Sri Lanka is caught between two monsoons that arrive from opposite directions at opposite times of year. Understand them and you can find a dry beach in almost any month. Here is which coast to choose, and when.
Plan your Asia trip
No forms to get through first. Tell us roughly what you have in mind and a specialist will take it from there.