Southeast Asia
So much more than the clichés
Is there anywhere on earth more misunderstood and exoticized than Southeast Asia? Decades of backpacker lore and lazy travel writing have cemented all the obvious clichés in the public mind: the beaches, the fiery 'street' food in steamy cities, Buddhist traditions and mountaintop temples. But is this image fair? Or even real?
For every staged photo of a deserted tropical beach there are countless others struggling with the burdens of overtourism. In Southeast Asia 'street' food is just called food. Yes, mainstream culture here is grounded in its Buddhist roots, but not to the exclusion of countless ethnic minorities, lively—sometimes violent—political movements, or rocking music and vibrant creative arts scenes. Most of this is whitewashed (or just outright ignored) by mainstream tourism marketing, much to the detriment of both the people who live here and those who come to visit. Instead, Southeast Asia has become a destination that tourists "do" rather than multi-dimensional places with real people living real lives.
Nearly 10% of the world's population lives in this corner of Asia and there's so much more to see and learn than the clichés would have you believe. Slow down, break out of the luxury resorts, pull up a plastic stool and see what contemporary Southeast Asia is all about. You won't regret it!
Hidden gems in Southeast Asia
Con Dao Islands
Con Dao National Park
Remote and covered in jungle, Con Dao is an archipelago of 16 islands off the southern coast. Once used by the French as a prison, the largest island offers both a sombre history lesson and some of the best independent hiking in the country. Con Dao National Park covers 6,000 hectares of land and 14,000 hectares of the surrounding ocean. After registering with the park office, visitors can walk a number of marked forest trails that end at secluded beaches. Con Dao is also one of the best places for diving in Vietnam.
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Cat Tien National Park
Cat Tien National Park
Cat Tien National Park in south Vietnam offers nature, hiking and prime bird and wildlife viewing opportunities just 160km northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. Covering 71,920 hectares and bound by the Dong Nai River, the lowland tropical rainforest and wetlands contain monkeys, civets, sambar, guar, langurs, wild crocodiles and a number of bird species like the endangered pitta. The park is also home to a Sun and Moon bear sanctuary, opening to the public in 2019. Visitors can do one-day or multi-day treks, boat trips and night safaris.
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Fansipan Mountain
Fansipan ascent
Dominating the majestic Hoang Lien Son mountain range to the west of Sa Pa is Fansipan mountain (Phan Xi Păng in Vietnamese script). At 3,147 metres, Fansipan is the highest mountain in Indochina, and its commanding position overlooking green valleys and terraced rice paddies draws hikers by the bus load, making this a popular – sometimes too popular – trek from Sa Pa town. There are three routes to the summit, each with their own pros and cons: Tram Ton, at 11km over two days/one night, is the fastest and most direct route to the summit. Ideal for beginners, this popular trail offers a gradual ascent, with campsites for rest and spectacular panoramic views. It’s about seven hours up to the top, and six hours down the next day. Sin Chai is just 9km but is done over two or three days as the terrain is technical, with dense vegetation and steep sections. This is the wildest and most challenging route – for experienced trekkers only. Cat Cat is the longest route, 20 kilometres done over three to four days. This one is another challenge, although less technical. This is my favourite route, for the complete immersion in the scenery and exceptional panoramic views. The fourth option, which involves no real hiking at all, is to take the cable car to the summit. Personally, I find the summit itself – with its crowds of day-trippers, modern temple, shops and services – to be the least interesting part of the experience. Especially when cloud cover is obscuring the view! If your only interest is ticking off the summit without putting in the work of getting there, I’d gently steer you elsewhere. Finally, a word of caution: trekking here is all conducted under the auspices of the Hoang Lien Son National Park authorities – even if you’ve booked through a trekking operator, they won’t have any control over the guides or porters selected for your group. There are reports of guides and workers contributing to the mountain’s growing litter problem and base camps/camping sites being poorly maintained. This isn’t to warn you off – just make sure you come with open eyes and do your bit to maintain the sanctity of the environment.
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Thailand
Loy Krathong & Yi Peng festivals
After Songkran, Thailand's other big nationwide festival is Loy Krathong, when candlelit offerings fill rivers and float through the sky in a moving ritual to release past negativity and start anew. In the north, Loy Krathong coincides with another festival, Yi Peng, when vast clouds of paper lanterns are released into the air. It's a breathtaking sight that is certain to awe the kids. Just don't think about where all those lanterns eventually come back down to earth... Note that downtown Chaing Mai gets fairly rowdy at this time of year with lots of fireworks in the streets. The date changes each year but it’s usually in November, always on a full moon.
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Thailand
Wet and wild at Songkran
The Songkran holiday is now a full-blown water war waged by hose, pistol, balloon and bucket, but it began centuries ago with more gentle water splashing which remains part of a cleansing ritual still seen at temples. The festival runs from 13th to 15th April nationwide, although Chiang Mai adds extra soakage days and the Mon enclave of Phra Phradaeng, near Bangkok, throws its own unique style of Songkran a week later. A word of warning: it's all good fun, but it does get boisterous and tourists are seen as prize targets. Keep your electronics indoors, and fully expect to get drenched.
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Borneo
Indigenous cultures & conservation on the Kahayan River
The Kahayan River, immediately east of Sebangu National Park, is a real hidden gem which doesn't feature highly on most 'mainstream' orangutan-spotting itineraries. The main reason I recommend the Kahayan River to almost anyone who visits Indonesian Borneo is because it's here that you can combine wildlife spotting with real and meaningful cultural interactions with the indigenous Dayak people which is, I believe, key to ensuring the long-term survival of both the orangutans and the people who live here. You access the Kahayan River from the town of Palangkaraya, which is close to the forested island of Pulau Kaja. This is a pre-release habitat for rescued orangutans managed by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, and it's possible to spot orangutans from the river. Downstream from Palangkaraya are Dayak villages of Bukit Rawi, Sigi Tumbang Nusa and Pilang, where you can learn about indigenous religion, cultures and traditional livelihoods. At night the captain will simply find a sheltered location on the bank to moor the boat – it's a true expedition! If you're solely interested in tracking orangutans, the Kahayan River area might not be for you (although it can be easily combined with a visit to nearby Sebangu National Park). However, if you're remotely interested in traditional culture and the interaction of cultural preservation and wildlife conservation, I can't recommend this area highly enough.
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Tanjung Puting National Park
Tanjung Puting National Park & Camp Leakey
“One of the natural wonders of the world”, according to the UK’s Orangutan Foundation, Taman Nasional (National Park) Tanjung Puting is home to the world's largest population of wild orangutans and represents their best hope for survival. It was at Tanjung Puting in 1971 that leading orangutan authority Dr Biruté Galdikas established the Camp Leakey research station — an instrumental step in bringing the plight of the park’s most famous resident to worldwide attention. Set amid the largest swathe of coastal tropical heath and peat swamp forest, which used to cover much of southern Borneo, Tanjung Puting started out as a game reserve in 1935 before becoming a National Park in 1982. The best way to experience the wonders of Tanjung Puting is on a traditional klotok (houseboat) puttering gently along Sungai Sekonyer as you search for pot-bellied macaques, hornbills and the odd crocodile. Starting from the Kumai river port in the central Kalimantan city of Pangkalan Bun, your guides will typically stop at three main feeding stations within the park, where you will get to experience semi-wild orangutans during feeding sessions. The best option for this is at Tanjung Harapan, but you’ll also stop at Pondok Tangui. Your final destination will be Camp Leakey, a 4-4 ½ hour journey upriver. From the docking point, be prepared for a 45-minute walk to the first feeding platform at Camp Leakey, on a flat and well-maintained path. Here, as well as orangutans, you will see Bornean bearded pigs, gibbons and mangrove-loving proboscis. Camp Leakey is your best chance to see orangutans — most were released around here and stay close to the site. In general, orangutans around Camp Leakey are the most relaxed around humans. Look out for Tom, the camp’s alpha male (but if you do see him, be careful not to engage in a staring match). Once feeding time is over, you can explore the camp’s excellent information centre. Tanjung Puting offers plenty of other activities including birding, hiking and wildlife tours — as well as cultural trips to remote villages.
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Sebangau National Park
Sebangau National Park and Katingan River
Sebangau National Park is rarely visited by tourists and has been at serious risk from illegal logging and land conversion, which is why I'm so keen to encourage visitors to come here. The Katingan River flows through Sebangau and its forest-lined banks offer a wonderful experience for intrepid travellers. You can canoe through the canals and trek into the park from the river, going via tiny indigenous villages to track orangutans, wild proboscis monkeys and gibbons. You might see sun bears, or even an elusive clouded leopard, as well as spotting many bird species – I have seen one of the most endangered birds - Storm’s stork - as well many magnificent hornbills, kingfishers and raptors. Trekking through the swampy forests in Sebangau can be a challenge as trails are either non-existent or very hard to follow. It's not for the faint-hearted, but Sebangau is a true hidden gem in Kalimantan and one I can highly recommend.
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An Giang
Nui Cam trail
The guided Nui Cam trek is actually a 21km-trail run, which was designed a few years ago for an annual race. The trail begins in rice paddies before ascending through fruit farms and waterfalls. This is a deeply spiritual part of the Mekong Delta, and highlights of this trek are the atmospheric shrines tended to by smiley caretakers.
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Dalat
Ta Nang Phan Dung trek
This is one of several organised treks that involve a pick-up in Dalat and drop-off on the coast. Transfer by car to begin the trek in Ta Nang, a district of pine forests and rice paddies, before hiking into Phan Dung, a neighbouring district with gushing rivers and lush farmland. You’ll then be collected and driven to the beach town of Mui Ne.
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Bach Ma National Park
Rhododendron Falls trail
Bach Ma National Park has several excellent trails, and more are being created as the area tries to promote adventure tourism. Rhododendron Falls Trail is one of the most popular hikes. It’s suitable for families, passes a panoramic viewpoint, and the highlight is a thundering waterfall with rock pools that are good for swimming.
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Son Doong & Phong Nha Caves
Son Doong cave expedition
The British Cave Research Association helped launch this tour with Oxalis Adventure, a local company, with limited numbers and a strict route to protect the integrity of the cave. This includes guides, porters, a cave expert and food, and it remains the only way to explore Son Doong Cave. Son Doong is a unique trekking experience, with underground jungles, giant ceiling collapses, ethereal campsites and stalagmites the size of multi-storey buildings. If you think caving is crawling around in narrow spaces, think again – some of these chambers can fit aeroplanes with room to spare. Whenever I mention the Son Doong Expedition, people usually question the expense of the all-inclusive tour – USD $3,000 – and I always say the same thing. Yes, it’s expensive, especially for Vietnam. But this cave is one of the world’s great wonders. Many people are happy to pay that much to go skiing in the Alps for a week – and the Son Doong Cave Expedition surely beats that. If the Son Doong Expedition is over budget, consider one of more than a dozen other caving experiences in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, including the hike to En Cave, Pygmy Cave or the Tu Lan cave system.
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Con Dao National Park
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Cat Tien National Park
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Loy Krathong & Yi Peng festivals
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Wet and wild at Songkran
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Indigenous cultures & conservation on the Kahayan River
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Tanjung Puting National Park & Camp Leakey
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Sebangau National Park and Katingan River
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See rescued elephants (ethically)
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Enter the belly of an elephant near Bangkok
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