Asia's First 11

Asia has a wealth of riches, among them the world's highest mountains, the oldest civilisations and an unsurpassed biodiversity. From such abundance we have picked a team of attractions that should make it on every traveller's wishlist. We can take you to all of them. But how many have you seen?

1. Everest Base Camp, Nepal
   Trekking to Everest isn’t just for mountaineers: the fit will find it a life-changing experience. Kumuka’s ‘Base Camp Trek’ puts the world’s greatest mountain in perspective, exploring Kathmandu and taking the time to meander through the Sherpa people’s homeland, with porters to take the strain of heavy luggage and simple, atmospheric tea-house accommodation. Three weeks on the ‘Roof of the World’ finishes all-too-quickly, with a spectacular flight from Lukla.
2. Lhasa, Tibet
   The Potala Palace is Tibet’s largest building, a home to generations of Lamas and the best-preserved chapels and temples in the country. Kumuka’s ‘Tibet, The Forbidden Land’ tour explores the country in depth, flying into Lhasa from neighbouring Nepal and then following ancient caravan trails through valleys to exotic towns huddling on the ‘Roof of the World’. Meet the Tibetan people, insulated for so many centuries from the outside world, in a journey of 12 unforgettable days.
3. The Taj Mahal, India
   The world’s most famous monument to love, the Taj Mahal is a stunningly elegant symphony in white marble, an elegiac mausoleum built by Shah Jahan to house and honour his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Built by craftsmen from India and the Middle East, this is widely thought to be the finest monument to India’s Mughal rulers. Whether floating ethereal in a thin river mist or glowing in the low light of dawn and dusk, the Taj Mahal is always a deeply affecting sight. Kumuka visit the Taj Mahal on a number of our Indian itineraries.
4. Kettuvalom Cruising, India
   Kerala’s backwaters – the inland lakes and seas that spread in from India’s southwestern coast – are an excellent place to let your pace slow on a rice-boat cruise. Far from the bustle of India’s cities and roads, these tranquil waterways move at a much slower pace, fringed by palms where nothing moves much faster than a hand-poled wooden fishing boat. Kumuka’s ‘Temples and Backwaters’ tour, spending 11 days exploring India’s southern Hindu heartlands, stays overnight on a rice-boat and provides canoes to explore further.
5. Bentota Beach, Sri Lanka
   There are plenty of wonders in Sri Lanka. The holy elephants of Kandy, the tea plantations in the cool highlands, the cave-temples and holy sites. But for many the highlight is the broad swathe of golden sand at Bentota, amongst the finest beaches in the world, washed by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Several Kumuka tours and special family adventures close off detailed expeditions into the heart of this magical island with some time on the beach.
6. The Mekong, Laos
   One of the world’s greatest rivers, the Mekong brings snowmelt waters from Tibet to feed the diverse cultures of China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Perhaps the best place to experience life on the river is in Laos, a calm Buddhist society where western visitors are still a rarity, but welcomed like exotic friends. Kumuka’s ‘Hill Tribes and River Rides’ travels from Thailand into Laos, using the river as an atmospheric lifeline into the heart of an ancient culture.
7. Elephant Trek, Thailand
   Hilltribe country, and Thailand’s north is the setting for some of the world’s finest trekking and hiking opportunities, with the chance to travel by raft or on elephant-back through an unspoilt region where different tribal groups still maintain their traditional beliefs and way of life. Kumuka’s ‘Thailand Discoverer’ tour takes 16 days to explore the country, travelling by private vehicle, sleeper train, rice boat and on foot, ending the experience with some time on a Thai beach.
8. Great Wall, China
   The only man-made structure visible from space, China’s Great Wall writhes across the Chinese landscape, sinuously tracking mountains, plateaux, deserts and plains, travelling more than 4,000 miles across the country from east to west. Several of Kumuka’s China itineraries visit the Great Wall, even taking children aged six and over to a specially quiet and tranquil stretch of wall.
9. Halong Bay, Vietnam
   Sheer limestone outcrops, standing proudly in the sheltered waters of the South China seas, are the classic postcard images of Halong Bay. More than 1600 islands can be explored on an overnight cruise on a sturdy traditional junk, using smaller vessels to enter lost-world lagoons, dramatic caves, uninhabited islands and unspoiled beaches. As daylight fades, toast the sunset with a glass of rice wine before sampling the flavours of a traditional Vietnamese feast. Overnight cruises among the mountain islands of Halong Bay are part of Kumuka’s 8-day ‘Vietnam Northern Trek’.
10. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
    Deep in the heart of an ancient forest the vanished Khmer civilisation lives on, the temples and palaces of its capital city atmospherically strangled by giant fig trees. With countless temples to climb and walls engraved with tales of war, Angkor Wat can reward days of exploration, while the nearby town of Siem Reap provides a gentle insight into Cambodia’s troubled history. Kumuka visit Angkor Wat on 6-day tours of Cambodia or longer journeys around Indochina.
11. Mount Kinabalu, Borneo
    South East Asia’s highest mountain is scaleable: you need to be fit but not a mountaineer. The mountain is surrounded by a National Park which protects a botanical paradise, including the world’s largest flowering plant (the Rafflesia), pitcher plants and many bird species. Kumuka’s two-day assault on the peak sees all these and more, with views from the summit to the Philippines. n