Southeast Asia Tourism
The vast and varied region that we call Southeast Asia offers something for everyone. Hot sun and warm water, dense jungle, frigid mountaintops, crowded cities, steamy markets and a wealth of outdoor pursuits, from scuba diving to bungee jumping to off-road dirt biking. Existing under a diverse cultural, historical and linguistic framework that remains as varied and complex as ever, along with plenty of tourist-friendly infrastructure, you’ll remember your trip from the moment you first step into the humid air to your last bowl of spicy street-noodles.
Thailand is without a doubt the transport hub of the region, as well as the most popular country in terms of tourist numbers. Extensive and cheap road, rail and air travel networks ensure easy access to Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, which follow closely in terms of popularity; all three offer pristine natural beauty of all forms – from bamboo forests to endless rice paddies – and huge, bustling cities to shop, sleep, eat and play in (indeed, Singapore is one huge city in an of itself).
Indonesia and the Philippines cover vast areas of ocean with thousands of islands, some as big as a small country, some as small as a city block. Both offer rugged and nearly untouched marine and forest parks – dive with endangered green sea turtles near the Philippine island of Palawan or climb into the clouds on Indonesia’s volcanic Dieng Plateau. The less-populated but still culturally rich Laos and Myanmar offer stunning ruins, ancient but active customs, and a glimpse into what their richer and more populous neighbours were like before the endless incursion of Coca-Cola, 7-Eleven and the internet.
Some Highlights
Asian Metropolises
Large, sprawling and endlessly fascinating, the streets of Bangkok, Jakarta, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Manila and Kuala Lumpur each offer enough variety and spectacle to satiate any thirst – as long as you don’t mind the hustle and bustle.
Beaches
From the pristine water around Malaysia’s east-coast islands to the party beaches of Krabi in Thailand, every country in the region can offer several beach-bum paradise locales where you can tan during the day and dance into the night.
Ruins
Some of the most fantastic archaeological ruins on the globe lay here; from the majestic Angkor Wat in Cambodia, to the sprawling Bagan plain in Myanmar, to the ancient and mysterious Hindu temples in My Son, Vietnam. Countless others masterpieces of history are dotted around the region.
Ho Chi Minh Trail
During the Vietnam War, this nature-trail from hell helped the Viet Cong move supplies, troops and weapons around while fighting the war that could not be won. Most of it snakes through Vietnam, but it also runs through parts of Laos and Cambodia.
Cameron Highlands
A lush, elevated plain of rolling hills and tea plantations, Malaysia’s answer to a Canadian prairie is a popular way to escape the coastal heat.
Mt. Kinabalu
See nearly the entire Malaysian province of Sabah from as high as you can go, at the top of this massive but surprisingly easy to climb mountain that dominates the north-eastern tip of Borneo.
Ha Long Bay
A postcard photographer’s dream, this bay on Vietnam’s north-eastern tip is possibly the most visited natural attraction the country has, with craggy limestone spires jutting out of the blue waters of the South China Sea.
The Killing Fields
A sobering reminder of one of Asia’s darkest moments, this sorrowful but historically important site is one of the locations used by Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge to detain, torture and ultimately kill over 1 million Cambodians in the late 1970’s.
