Also known as Si Phan Don, 4,000 Islands is one of the most laid-back destinations in Laos. It is situated in the south of the country, just above the border with Cambodia, and is a wonderful place to come to experience rural, authentic Lao…

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Built in 1488, the A Ma temple on the south side of the peninsula is dedicated to the Taoist Goddess of the Sea, and remains the focus of intense ritual activity, with visitors and local fisherman streaming through to leave offerings. Part…

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Bartender, Ngiam Tong Boon, is credited with inventing the world-famous Singapore Sling, a smooth, slow, sweet cocktail with a complex flavour which aficionados will best enjoy in Raffles’ old-world Billards Room bar. Opened in 1887, the h…

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Set against its backdrop of rugged desert mountains, with a foreground of poplar trees and fruit orchards, the red-brick village of Abyaneh forms one of the signature sights of central Iran. The spread of cuboid houses, which spill in drama…

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A constant flow of white-clad pilgrims of many faiths pours year round up the thousands of steps leading to the top of Sri Pada, or Adam’s Peak (2,243m/7,360ft). The mountain’s summit sports an impression in a rock revered by Buddhists as t…

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The city of Agra makes up one-third of India's 'golden triangle', along with Delhi and Jaipur, three of northern India's most popular destinations for tourists. Agra’s heart-stopping centrepiece needs little introduction. Rising from the b…

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Inconspicuous on its traffic island amid the chaos of central Ahmedabad, the diminutive mosque of Sidi Sayyid encapsulates the flawed charms of Gujarat’s largest city. Blink and you could miss it. But the building holds some of the greatest…

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Nowhere else in India does the distant past feel closer to the surface than the rock-cut complexes of Ellora and Ajanta, a day’s journey northeast of Mumbai. Carved from the mountains of the Deccan Plateau between the 2nd century BC and the…

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Ladakh’s first contact with Buddhism came in the 10th century, when its rulers looked to Kashmir rather than Tibet for religious inspiration. Because most of them were destroyed by Muslim raiders in later eras, few monuments from this early…

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Renowned for its 2,000-year-old cypress trees, the Alishan National Park is at the foot of Jade Mountain (3,952m), the highest point in northeast Asia. A metalled road runs to Alishan, but a more atmospheric way to reach the park is on the…

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The city of Alleppey in Kerala is an ideal location for wandering into tranquil areas of this beautiful region. Relax on a houseboat, enjoy the peaceful backwaters, and taste local home-cooked cuisine. The grids of streets and canals in th…

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Among the most venerable of the old British hill stations in India, Almora is draped at an altitude of 1,651m along a saddle-back ridge, above finely terraced hillsides and forests of pine and fir. It was founded by the Chand Dynasty in the…

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