Things to Do in Asia

The Taman Warisan Pertanian Agriculture Heritage Park is a leisure park that also serves as a living museum. It cultivates various crops that are native to Malaysia, such as cocoa, palm oil, rubber, and a variety of tropical fruits and herbs.

The park’s fruit trees include jackfruit, guava, mango, dragon fruit, star fruit, and many more. You’ll notice that some of the fruits have plastic bags wrapped around them to deter pests, and there are also signs with information on each fruit species, such as their health benefits. The herbs and spices at the park include things like lemongrass and black pepper, while the commercial crops, such as the rubber tree groves, have demonstrations on how they are transformed into their final products.

While you’re not allowed to pick the fruit as you wander around the park, the hilly pathways and abundance of trees and crops makes for a pleasant experience. The whole park is built on a hill, and there’s an observation platform with views across Putrajaya at the top.

A visit to the Taman Warisan Pertanian Agriculture Heritage Park is part of the itinerary of various Putrajaya day trips from Kuala Lumpur, including a private half-day tour of the city with a cruise on Putrajaya Lake.

Insider’s Tip: If you can, plan your visit to coincide with a meal time. Taman Warisan has a food court area with a number of stalls selling various Malaysian-style dishes. The food here is so good that many local residents of Putrajaya are said to visit the park just for the food!

This picturesque town in central Bali is known for its ancient temples and famed archeological sites. The Gunung Kawi Temple and Senang Hati Foundation have been drawing history-loving travelers to their gates for decades and the sloping hills of this former kingdom prove ideal for visitors looking to explore the natural landscapes of this stunning island. 

Travelers can explore the iconic Tirta Empul Temple, with its natural pools and public showers used for sacred cleansing rituals, or tour the larger-than-life stone reliefs of Gunung Kawi. Tampak Siring is also home to one of six presidential palaces. A visit to this more modern structure, which was built in the late 1950s for President Soekarno, offers up incredible views of nearby Tampaksiring Tirta Empul Temple and Mount Agung. 

Stretching 700 km along the Thua Thien-Hue seashore, Tam Giang is the largest lagoon in Southeast Asia with over 300,000 Vietnamese living along its shores. Just 15 km from Hue, it’s a popular place to enjoy Vietnamese rural life and go out on a fishing boat with a local, learning traditional Vietnamese fishing methods along the way. At dusk, you’ll see traps being set to collect fish and shrimps before dawn the next day, and women working hard in the water to collect the oysters and clams which are then sold at the local markets.

Popular fishing villages to visit include Ngu My Thanh, Bao La, and Tan My: learn about daily life on the banks of the lagoon, take a boat trip, sleep overnight on a homestay, or learn how local women making fishing nets and pick up the art of bamboo weaving -- there’s plenty to do on the banks of Tam Giang Lagoon. If you go to Ngu My Thanh village, be sure to visit the traditional floating market which is open in the early mornings.

A photographer’s dream, Tam Giang Lagoon is also famous for its biodiversity -- look out for lake-loving birds and flora while you’re here, and of course, try fresh seafood like squid, clams, crab and shrimp fresh from the lake at one of the cottages lining the lagoon.

 Many locals visit the park early in the morning to walk or practice tai chi, and the nearby Tao Dan Cafe is known as the “bird café” for the groups of birdkeepers who congregate here to show off their cages of songbirds. At the northern corner of the park, you can see the historic building of the former Cercle Sportif, a colonial-era French sporting club that is now the Worker’s Club, with a swimming pool and tennis courts.

A royal water temple, built for the kings of Mengwi, Taman Ayun Temple (also known as Pura Taman Ayun and Mengwi Temple) forms part of Bali’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. With some 50 buildings, including many tiered shrines, a moat, river, park, gardens, and streams, Taman Ayun is one of Indonesia’s most beautiful Hindu temples.

 

Most often visited as one stop on a day trip from south Bali or Ubud, Taman Ayun Temple—dating back to 1634—is designed to symbolize the mythological home of Hindu gods, Mount Meru, floating on the sea of eternity.

 

The vast grounds are much less busy than other popular Bali temples, such as the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Tanah Lot, or Uluwatu, although it is a regular destination for Bali cultural tours. A guide is not required but can improve the experience as Balinese Hindu beliefs are complex.

 

 

About 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Tabanan, just outside the bustling town of Mengwi, Taman Ayun Temple is on “bemo” minibus routes and some bus routes from Denpasar, but these can be hard to access if you don’t speak Indonesian. Whether coming from Ubud or south Bali, most prefer to self-drive, hire a private driver, or enjoy the convenience of an organized Bali tour with round-trip transport.

 

Taman Ayun Temple is open year-round and at its most colorful during the major Balinese festivals and specific celebrations unique to the temple itself. It is generally quieter during the morning, which is also a good bet for avoiding showers during Bali’s rainy season (roughly October to March).

 

UNESCO recognizes Bali’s rice terrace landscapes and water temples with a World Heritage listing. Taman Ayun Temple is the most architecturally important of the temples, which include Ulun Danu Bratan. To put Taman Ayun Temple in context, it’s worth making a stop at another water temple, perhaps Tanah Lot.

Each morning the historic city of Takayama hosts two morning markets. The smaller of the two takes place in front of Takayama Jinya and the larger — one of the best morning markets in Japan — takes place on the east bank of the Miya-gawa River in Old Town.

The morning market tradition dates back to the Edo Period, and modern day shoppers will find vendors selling fresh produce, local folk art, souvenirs, sweets, fresh milk and other traditional Japanese cooking ingredients, like miso. And while both markets remain open until around noon each day, they’re best visited around 6 am when they first open, as there’s an added energy in the air as vendors begin setting up their stalls and preparing their wares for the local early shoppers.

Set on the Ngo Dong River banks, UNESCO-listed Tam Coc's limestone cliffs covered in greenery jut out from emerald rice paddies and waterways and are accessible by rowboat. The town, which forms part of the Ninh Binh province, draws fewer crowds than famous Halong Bay, resulting in a more serene experience of Vietnam’s spectacular scenery.

 

Trips to Tam Coc typically include a ride by wooden rowboat along the waterways, which provides the best views of the limestone cliffs known locally as “Halong Bay on Land.” Most tours depart from Hanoi and also stop at Hoa Lu, home to ruins and tombs that date back to the 11th-century Dinh and Le dynasties. If you’re after something a little more active, opt for a tour that includes a bike ride through the rice paddies.

 

 

From Hanoi, you can take either a public bus, which takes around 2.5 hours, or a train, which arrives in significantly less time. Both routes are incredibly scenic and reveal Ninh Binh’s gorgeous landscapes. The majority of tours from Hanoi include hotel pickup and drop-off, making for a much more convenient option that requires far less advance planning.

 

The wet season in Northern Vietnam lasts from May to October, when rainfall is high and the air is hot or humid. To avoid the rain, choose to visit Tam Coc outside of these months and aim to arrive in the late morning, when the sun begins to burn off the morning mist that can obscure the view.

 

If you want to continue exploring Vietnam’s cave systems, head south to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to some of the world’s most spectacular caves. Dark Cave provides high-octane activities, while Paradise Cave exhibits majestic stalactites and limestone formations.

Located just southwest of Ishigaki in the Okinawa Islands, Taketomi Island is at once convenient yet remote. Quiet and charming, the small island has no cars and no chain convenience stores, and the population of only a few hundred still live in traditional coral-walled houses with red-clay tile roofs. Visitors wanting to get the full cultural experience can tour the village on a cart pulled by water buffalo, guided by a local who’ll tell folk takes to the sounds of a local instrument.

The island’s beaches also make it worth a visit. Kondoi Beach on the western shore offers beach facilities with white sand and beautiful teal water. Kaijihama Beach on the southwestern coast and Aiyauhama Beach on the eastern coast are both notable for their star-shaped sand formed by the shells of crustaceans.

Widely considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and certainly one of India’s most famous landmarks, the Taj Mahal is a living testament to the grandiose and the romantic. Lovingly built from white marble by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, the structure is decorated with carvings of flowers and inlays of precious stone arranged into intricate patterns that can be admired both from its impressive exterior and interior. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a must-see for every traveler to northern India.

Tours are available year-round and at all times of the day, and can be customized to your interests and the timing of your visit. The easiest and most popular option for travelers wanting to see the Taj Mahal is to visit on a full-day group tour or in a private car with an English-speaking tour guide and driver, plus roundtrip transportation. Guided tours from both Jaipur and New Delhi abound and often also visit other interesting sights and attractions around Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, such as Agra Fort, the Red Fort, Akbar’s Tomb at Sikandra, and Fatehpur Sikri. Guided photography tours are a popular option at the Tah Mahal and generally take place either at sunset or sunrise. Other excursions, known as Golden Triangle tours, visit Jaipur, New Delhi, and Agra all in one go.

Located in Agra, the Taj Mahal is easily accessible from New Delhi on a journey of about three hours by road. Agra also has its own airport set just four miles (6.4 kilometers) from the city center that receives domestic flights on a regular basis. The city can be reached from New Delhi by train, but you will need additional local transportation to reach the Taj Mahal from the train station.

The Taj Mahal is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Both sunrise and sunset Taj Mahal tours are extremely popular, given that at these times of day, the sun creates an exquisite reflection upon the palace’s white marble, drenching its surface in red, orange, pink, and golden hues. It’s even possible to see the palace at both sunrise and sunset as part of a full-day tour of Agra that starts and ends at the Taj. Northern India can be hot in summer, so October to March, when the weather is mildest, are considered the best months to visit. Early morning is often the least crowded time of day to see the Taj Mahal.

Though there is no substitute for seeing the famous Taj Mahal with your own two eyes, it’s a popular spot for photography. Raised on a marble platform, the monument’s only backdrop is the sky, and white minarets flank each of its corners, giving it a three-dimensional effect from each of its perfectly symmetrical sides. The photogenic structure also resides within a pristine Mughal garden. In the center is a raised reflecting pool positioned on a north-south axis so that when its fountains are not flowing, the Taj is perfectly reflected in its waters. Head to Yamuna River for a unique shot of the water in the palace’s foreground.

Lee Gapyong, a retired scholar and hermit living in Maisan Mountain created some 120 pagodas from neatly piling stones on atop another. According to local lore, Lee Gapyong built the structures by himself over the course of three decades during the late 1800s, collecting stones by day and stacking his pagodas by night. 

Only 80 of these structures remain — each with its own distinct size and shape — and they’re what make Tapsa Temple famous. Built without the use of mortar, these towers of natural stone have stood for over a century. The largest pagodas measure an impressive 30 feet (9 meters) tall.

The temple and its collection of pagodas sits beneath a cliff on Maisan Mountain inside Maisan Provincial Park, creating a bizarre temple landscape quite different from anything else in Korea.

Encompassing 1,677 square miles (4,343 square kilometers) of lush tropical rain forest, Taman Negara is the largest national park in peninsular Malaysia, famous for its rich biodiversity. Sprawling through the peaks and valleys of the Titiwangsa Mountains, it’s one of the oldest rain forests in the world.  

For many years, Taman Negara National Park was only accessible by boat, and jungle cruises remain one of the most popular means of wildlife spotting. It's possible to take in the highlights on a long day tour from Kuala Lumpur. A typical itinerary includes a boat ride along Tembeling River, a trek to Bukit Teresek (Teresek Hill), and wildlife watching from the suspension bridge Canopy Walkway. 

 

More intrepid travelers can hire a tour guide for treks into the rain forest that vary in length from a few hours to several days. Multi-day tours offer plenty of time for activities such as hiking, rapid shooting (cruises over the river rapids), and exploring Orang Asli settlements, and often include nearby sites such as the Cameron Highlands or the Batu Caves.  

 

Taman Negara National Park is about 155 miles (250 kilometers) northeast of Kuala Lumpur. The main gateway to the park is the small town of Kuala Tahan, reachable by boat. To get there from Kuala Lumpur, it’s around a 3-hour drive to the village of Kuala Tembeling, just outside Jerantut, then a 2.5-hour boat trip to Kuala Tahan. 

Peak season runs from May to August; to avoid the crowds, opt for a multi-day tour, allowing you to make an early start before the day tours arrive. The dry season (February to September) is the best time for trekking, while visitors in monsoon season (December to February) are advised to keep a close eye on the weather forecast and only visit with a guide.  

Taman Negara is home to an enormous variety of exotic and endangered species including elephants, sambar deer, wild boar, leopards, and numerous bird and insect species. Night walks and 4WD safaris offer some of the best opportunities to admire the rain forest wildlife, with sightings including nocturnal flowers, glow-in-the-dark fungi, water dragons, and monitor lizards. If you’re really lucky you might even spot a tiger or leopard. 

Tanjung Rhu has one of Langkawi’s most celebrated shorelines—and for good reason. Flanked by limestone cliffs jutting out into the Andaman Sea, the beach at Tanjung Rhu is breathtakingly attractive; the sand is as soft and white as any Thai island, its waters are crystal-clear and it affords some incredible views across the other Langkawi islands. 

The beach is not the only draw for many visitors to Tanjung Rhu however, with many people heading further inland behind the shoreline and into Tanjung Rhu Village—home to some of Malaysia's most fascinating and diverse wildlife and natural landscape.

Tanjung Rhu Village is a place where visitors can immerse themselves in the beauty of Mother Nature. Monkeys, kingfishers and huge monitor lizards gather to greet visitors along the river banks, while eagles soar overhead. Elsewhere, the village’s fish farm restaurant serves up fresh seafood straight from the ocean.

One of the largest zoos in Asia, Taipei Zoo—also known as Muzha Zoo—features a wide variety of animals from around the world and those that are native to Taiwan. A popular attraction for locals and visitors alike, Taipei Zoo is also a leader in wildlife and ecological research, education, and conservation.

 

Established in 1914 as a private zoo, Taipei Zoo moved to its current location in Muzha in 1986. The zoo has a total area of 408 acres (165 hectares), of which 22 acres (90 hectares) are open to the public. Featuring eight outdoor displays and six indoor areas, the Panda House, Formosan Animal Area, Koala House, and Penguin House are especially popular. There is a lot to see at Taipei Zoo, and you can easily spend half a day here. Take advantage of the internal (paid) shuttle to get around the vast grounds, which are built on a hill.

 

You can purchase tickets at the gates or, to save time, buy them ahead of time and have them delivered to your hotel in Taipei.

 

 

Taipei Zoo is located in Taipei’s Wenshan district, near the Maokong Gondola. Take the MRT’s Brown Line to the terminus, Taipei Zoo. A number of city buses also stop at the zoo.

 

Taipei Zoo is open year-round, except for Chinese New Year’s Eve. If you want to see the pandas, visit during the week or earlier in the day on weekends and holidays, when there is a cap on visitor numbers and a separate timed-entry ticket is required. Also note that some exhibits are closed for maintenance on different Mondays of the month; check the schedule to avoid disappointment.

The Formosan Animal Area features species that are native to Taiwan, which, despite being an island, has a diverse ecosystem. Featured animals include the Asiatic black bear, Chinese pangolin, flying fox, Formosan sika deer, Taiwanese macaque, Swinhoe’s pheasant, and otters.

Situated to the southeast of Jakarta, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (or ‘Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park’) covers some 250 acres and features famous mini buildings and landmarks from all over Indonesia.

The park is not only a visual attraction and recreation area, but also serves to showcase authentic examples of the different cultures and heritages of the people of Indonesia. It consists of traditional houses for each of the country’s provinces, supplemented with ornaments and motifs from each territory, along with displays of clothing and handicrafts.

The park also features a cable-car ride, an IMAX theatre, a mini-scale borobudur, an orchid garden, a bird park, and various museums. In addition, the park hosts a number of dance and cultural events, particularly on Sundays.

Tam Dao National Park, a protected area located 53 miles (85 kilometers) northwest of Hanoi, was founded in 1996 as one of the largest national parks in Vietnam. The park covers a vast area of tropical mountains rich in biodiversity – it’s home to 490 species of flora and 281 species of fauna. For birdwatchers, the park offers the chance to spot rare species like the Blue-naped Pitta, Purple Cochoa, Pale-footed Bush Warbler, Rufous-headed Parrotbill and the Chestnut-headed Tesia.

Tam Dao town, which lies within the confines of the national park, was established in the early 1900s by French colonists as a hill station to escape summer heat. Another worthwhile site in the area, the Tay Thien site, is considered the birthplace of Vietnamese Buddhism and includes a monastery, temple and several pagodas.

The National Palace Museum in Taipei is home to one of the most important collections of Chinese art in the world, and covers more than 8,000 years of Chinese history and culture. Featuring some 690,000 pieces, it covers all areas of Chinese art, including antiquities, painting, calligraphy, bronzes, jade, ceramics, and sculpture.

 

Opened in 1965, the National Palace Museum was designed in the style of a traditional imperial palace. Spread over four floors and two exhibition halls, the museum’s exhibits are on constant rotation and only a small portion of the museum’s vast holdings are shown at any given time. Pieces date from the neolithic age to the modern era, though the majority of pieces are from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Don’t miss the jadeite cabbage and the meat-shaped stone, two of the museum’s most famous pieces.

 

The National Palace Museum is one of the top attractions in Taipei and features on most sightseeing tours, along with other must-sees such as Taipei 101 and the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. Visit on a hop-on hop-off bus for the most flexibility, or opt for a private city tour to combine the museum with other sights on your list.

 

 

The museum is located in Taipei’s Shilin district. By MRT, take the Red Line to Shilin Station, then take bus R30 to the museum; or take the Brown Line to Dazhi Station and take bus B13 to the museum. Buses 255, 304, 815, and M1 also stop near the museum.

The museum’s main building is open from 8:30am to 6:30pm daily, with extended hours to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The museum is extremely popular and can get very crowded; visit on Mondays or late on Fridays and Saturdays, when the museum isn’t as busy.

The museum’s collection used to reside in the Imperial Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing. In 1933, when the Japanese Army threatened northern China, the museum directors moved and hid nearly 20,000 crates. Then in 1948 and 1949, after the Communists rose to power, Chiang Kai-Shek shipped around 3,000 crates to Taiwan, where they were kept out of sight until the National Palace Museum opened in 1965.

The southernmost of Sentosa Island’s three beaches, Tanjong Beach hosts sleepy vacationers beneath its shady palms. Bookended by breakwaters where you’ll often spot locals fishing, its double crescent of white sand often sports kids building sand castles while families splash together in its protected cove.

Connected to its northerly neighbors, Siloso and Palawan Beaches, by an inland walkway, Tanjong stretch is quieter and less crowded. Here, there are more leafy trees than bars and restaurants.  Tanjong Beach Club, the beach’s sole commercial enterprise, has a right-off-the-sand pool, lounge chairs, cabanas, bar and restaurant. At night DJs spin tunes that keep the party going late.