All Destinations

Malaysia's cool Pahang highlands — British colonial-era BOH tea plantations carpeting hillsides, the Mossy Forest boardwalk through cloud-forest on Gunung Brinchang, strawberry farms, and weekend night markets. 1,500m elevation keeps it 15-25°C year-round — a break from the hot peninsular coast. 4 hours bus from KL.

India's smallest state packs in golden beaches, Portuguese colonial churches, spice plantations, and a laid-back tropical vibe that draws backpackers and luxury seekers alike.

A Karakoram valley wedged between 7,000m peaks — Karimabad and Altit perched on terraces above the Hunza River, Baltit Fort surveying the apricot orchards from its 700-year-old foundations, and Rakaposhi (7,788m) filling the southern view from breakfast tables. Turquoise Attabad Lake formed in 2010 after a landslide, and the Karakoram Highway threads north through it to the Khunjerab Pass and the Chinese border. One of the safest corners of Pakistan and the country's tourism crown jewel.

"God's Own Country" — India's tropical southwestern coast, where 900 km of palm-fringed beaches meet a 1,500 km maze of backwater canals. Overnight kettuvallam houseboat cruises out of Alleppey (Alappuzha), tea plantations blanketing the Munnar hills at 1,500m, the colonial spice port of Fort Kochi, Kathakali face-painted dance, and Periyar Tiger Reserve. Ayurvedic massage is everywhere. Monsoon June-September is dramatic but most travel is October-March.

Southern Thailand's Andaman coast is limestone-karst country — Railay's boat-only beach cliffs, Phra Nang Cave, Ao Nang's mainland base, and ferries to Phi Phi and Koh Lanta. The Tiger Cave Temple's 1,260-step climb rewards with the panorama. Rock climbing mecca, kayaking through mangroves at Ao Thalane, and roughly half the price of Phuket.

The high-altitude Buddhist kingdom of Ladakh, separated from Jammu & Kashmir as its own Union Territory in 2019, is more Tibetan than Indian — a 3,524 m capital city in Leh, 17th-century palaces and 12-storey monasteries terraced up cliff faces, the 134 km turquoise saltwater Pangong Lake on the Tibet border, the white-sand dunes and Bactrian camels of Nubra Valley, and passes (Khardung La 5,359 m, Chang La 5,360 m) among the highest paved roads anywhere. The temperatures swing 50°C between summer days and winter nights; rainfall is under 100 mm annually. The only practical visiting season for most travellers is June through September, and acclimatisation to the altitude is the most important first 48 hours. The most spectacular Indian destination most foreign travellers haven't been to.