19 - Summit the tallest mountain between the Himalayas & New Guinea
Reach new heights with Mount Kinabalu, Borneo's highest climb.
This is one of the most magnificently biodiverse places on the planet.
Kinabalu’s misty forests are cloaked in mosses and liverworts; its towering tropical hardwood trees home to gibbons and orangutans. Its trails are fringed with wild grape vines and rhododendrons, and its skies are filled with mountain serpent-eagles and eyebrowed jungle flycatchers.
This mountain and the 750 sq km of park around it are home at least half of all of Borneo’s plant and animal species – which is more than the whole of Europe and North America combined (if you don’t count the tropics of Mexico). It’s enough to make David Attenborough swoon.
Although Kinabalu has other attractions (hot springs, nature trails, botanical gardens and a butterfly farm), there are better rainforest experiences elsewhere. You come here first and foremost to summit the mountain. It's one of the safest and most conquerable big peaks in the world but, let us assure you, this is no walk in the park. It’s an 8.8 km trek to the top, leading you through five different forest zones, from rich lowland rainforest, through misty montane forests, to the treeless, subalpine zone at the peak.
At the top, you’re rewarded with spectacular sunrise views over the third-largest island in the world and an immense sense of accomplishment.
"Waking at 3am to start the final ascent, we emerged out of the darkness to stand at the summit of the highest mountain in Southeast Asia. We were treated to the most incredible sunrise blazing through a blanket of fluffy white clouds."
Claire - InsideAsia team
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Kota Kinabalu Beyond its colonial clock towers, lakeside mosques and ocean-fresh seafood, Sabah’s up-and-coming capital is the gateway to the tallest peak in Southeast Asia and one of the most important areas of biodiversity in the world.
Read more Sepilok Sepilok isn’t just the best place in North Borneo to see orangutans – it's one of the island’s premier conservation destinations, with exemplary projects doing fantastic work.
Can't do July?
The classic season for summiting Kinabalu is March to September, although this is also the most popular time and so you'll want to make your arrangements well in advance. It's also possible (and quieter) October to January, although the changes of rain are greater this part of Sabah is not as affected by the Northeast Monsoon which sweeps other parts of Malaysia.
Where in the world is Mount Kinabalu?
20 - Taste the fusion of cultural exchange
George Town: an intoxicating medley of natural and cultural treasures.
Welcome to George Town
Strategically located on the one of the most important maritime trade routes in the world is the 300-square-kilometre island of Penang, Malaysia. And George Town, a booming free port that soon grew fat on the trade in opium, pepper, tin, rubber, and spices. These riches naturally attracted attention, and over the decades saw immigration from India, China, Armenia, Persia and the Arab world – all of which left it with a diverse and unique local culture.
Today, this past can still be read in the streets of George Town, where fishing boats bob between jetties lined with stilt houses, Hindu gopura towers loom over alleys filled with the strains of Bollywood hits, and a British stone bastion fort stands overlooking it all.
It's one of Malaysia’s best foodie destinations and a hotspot for street-art lovers, with streets overflowing with works, including those by “Lithuanian Banksy” Ernest Zacharevic.
Beyond George Town, you can ride a funicular railway up Penang Hill to see colonial-era villas set in forests of oak and laurel, or cycle through coconut farms and mangroves to rural villages. We love taking a boat trip to the national park, where you can lie on white beaches fringed with jungle and visit a turtle sanctuary overlooked by a 19th-century lighthouse.
Where in the world is George Town?
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Kuala Kangsar
Kuala Kangsar may have an illustrious royal pedigree and an important colonial past, but we come here to soak up the simple life on the banks of Lake Chenderoh: sleeping in real Malay cottages, eating home-cooked rendang, and listening to stories about traditional kampung living.
Langkawi
Langkawi is a jungle-clad island paradise amid the sparkling waters of the Andaman Sea. The best way to round off a day of snorkelling, trekking or mangrove kayaking? Satay skewers and an ice-cold beer on its white, sandy beaches.
Can't do July?
Penang has a year-round tropical climate with plenty of sun. Average temperatures in Penang vary barely at all. Considering humidity, temperatures feel hot all year with a very low chance of rain throughout the year.
21 - Catch a stormy sunrise at Wat Phou
Witness a new dawn breaking over one of Laos' most magical temples.
Worth the early start
There's nothing quite like a spectacular sunrise to make getting out of bed while it's still dark feel worthwhile, but catching a new dawn breaking over Wat Phou, one of the most treasured historical sights in Laos, while the early morning clouds are brooding - is a special kind of magic.
Located in a region of Laos that's still being uncovered, few tourists visit this site - which means if you get there early enough you'll have the UNESCO-listed ruins almost to yourself; it's not hard to imagine what temple-life was like in the heyday of the Khmer Empire.
Champasak, once the seat of an independent royal kingdom that thrived for over 200 years, is a good spot to use as your base. Once you've had your fill of temple serenity, spend some time exploring this tiny, sleepy, riverside town. Life moves at a very slow pace here (even by Lao standards), revolving around rice harvests, coffee breaks, and the ebb and flow of the Mekong.
It's also an excellent base to make a day trip to idyllic Don Daeng Island, visit the Bolaven Plateau, or use as a gateway to the lush and laid-back 4,000 Islands.
"Visiting at sunrise elevates the meditative quality of the ancient complex – if you’re up for the early rise, you will most likely be completely alone up there!"
Steph - InsideAsia team
Where in the world is Wat Phou?
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Champasak
You’d never guess it now, but Champasak was once the seat of an independent royal kingdom that thrived for over 200 years. Today, this tiny, sleepy, riverside town is best-known as the gateway to the lush and laid-back 4,000 Islands.
4,000 Islands Si Phan Don, or the 4,000 Islands, is landlocked Laos’ answer to the coast: laid-back, palm-fringed, and lush beyond belief, this riverine archipelago is the ultimate place to relax.
Can't do July?
With no coastline, Laos has a simple climate. There are just two distinct seasons which are experienced at roughly the same time throughout the country: wet (May to September) and dry (October to April). At all times of year, highland areas are noticeably cooler than lowland – and you will need something warm to wear in the evenings and early morning.