28 - Cheer the racing boats at Vientiane's annual festival
Join in festivities at Laos' capital’s raucous boat racing festival.
Boat racing in the big city
Long considered the sleepiest of the Southeast Asian capitals, Vientiane today is a city changing gears. To catch it at its most vibrant and fun-loving, there’s no better time to visit than during the annual boat racing festival — AKA Boun Suang Heua.
For hundreds of years, Laotians have heralded the rainy season (and hopefully with it a good harvest) with countrywide festivities and boat races. Forget what you think you know about boat racing, because these are mega. Think long, thin boats, each carved from a single, massive tree trunk, and each long enough for up to 55 rowers. The boat teams train for months for this, and competition is fierce and frenzied.
Also fierce and frenzied are the festivities — because the races are really only part of what makes the boat festival so much fun. Along the riverbanks and into the city centre, streets fill up with pop-up stalls and revellers enjoying seasonal street-food snacks, bargain-hunting and traditional music and dance. Families and friends hold parties that spill out into the streets, and neighbours invite guests into their homes for khao poon noodles and Beerlao. The atmosphere is infectious: Laos at its finest.
Connects with:
Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng has shaken off its old party vibes and reinvented itself as Laos’ premier destination for outdoor adventuring – perfect for those who want to cave, climb and kayak in some of the world's most spectacular karst scenery.
Sayaboury Home to the largest elephant population in Laos – as well as a stellar conservation project working to ensure their survival – remote Sayaboury is one of our favourite places to get up close and personal with these gentle giants.
Can't do October?
October is the start of dry season, and Laos truly shines with its temperate and dry weather all the way till March. The rest of the year (May to September) is wet season, delighting heat and humidity seekers with plenty of rain and the truest sense of tropical adventure.
- Temperatures tend to be at their hottest from March to May, when the mercury soars to over 35°C/ 95°F.
- December sees the coolest temperatures with average highs of no less that 25°C/ 77°F.
- 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.
Where in the world is Vientiane?
29 - Find balance on the pilgrim paths of Kumano Kodo
Feed mind, body and spirit on the Kumano Kodo.
Explore the pilgrim paths
When our senses are buzzing from information overload and our heads perhaps a little fuzzy from too many beers on Dotonbori, we come to the Kumano Kodo for a little balance.
Japan can be intense, but it can also be serene — and if you’re the kind of person who loves to drop into bed exhausted, happy and full of home-cooked food after a day of rambling, there’s no better place to do it than the Kumano Kodo.
A network of ancient footpaths criss-crossing the mountainous south of Osaka, the Kumano Kodo has been pounded by priest and pilgrim alike for over a thousand years, linking three major Shinto shrines via numerous tiny villages, onsen towns, and traditional inns. Historically, people from all levels of Japanese society would undertake the pilgrimage, from aristocrats and samurai to commoners. Today, you’ll find people of all ages and nationalities retracing their steps.
You don’t need to be spiritual, and you don’t need to have to have weeks to spend. All you need is an appreciation for the simple things: sleeping on tatami-mat floors, eating hearty local fare, soaking in outdoor hot-spring baths and rubbing shoulders with your fellow pilgrims.
It's worth noting, too, that Kumano Kodo has a sister pilgrimage: Spain's famous Camino de Santiago. If you complete both, you can receive a certificate of dual-pilgrimage.
Where in the world does the Kumano Kodo trail start?
The popular Nakahechi route starts at Takijiri, a trailhead about 15km west of Tanabe.
Connects with:
Osaka
Tokyo has size and Kyoto has history — but as anyone will tell you, Osaka has the kind of cool most cucumbers can only dream of.
Mount Koya
Come to Koya for age-old mountain temples in mist-wreathed forest; stay to feel close to something deep and old and mysterious.
Can't do October?
The Kumano Kodo trail has something to offer in all seasons.
Winter (December to February) will see low temperatures and sometimes snow. Spring (March to May) will see popular cherry blossom trees provide the most comfortable hiking temperatures.
Summer (June to September) has high temperatures, lush scenery, exuberant forest trails and the occasional typhoon. Autumn (October - November) will have amazing hiking weather at the start (temperate during the day and cooler at night) and colourful leaves.
30 - Ogle orangutans breakfasting on the waterfront
One of Earth's last pristine corners.
True, undisturbed wilderness
The jewel in Borneo’s (already jewel-encrusted) crown, Danum Valley is a nature lover’s dream, where pygmy elephants and orangutans hide away in forests so thick and isolated that they’ve never been meddled with by humans.
For us, it’s absolutely the best wilderness experience you can have, bar none – but it’s not a place for ticking animal sightings off a list (in such dense forest it’s far too easy for them to hide). Instead, you come here to feel what it’s like to be in one of the world’s last truly wild places. This is a habitat that’s changed little since dinosaurs roamed the Earth – that’s quite something.
Unsurprisingly, getting to the heart of a 130-million-year-old rainforest cut off from all human influence and habitation isn’t easy. Visitor numbers are restricted, and the journey is long, bumpy, and far from comfortable. But when you get here, you’re in for a treat.
This is true wilderness and true luxury: the only accommodation is a stunning five-star lodge on the banks of a river, where you can wake to see orangutans breakfasting on the waterfront while the rainforest beyond stands shrouded in atmospheric morning mist.
"You have to cross a little bridge to get to the door, so it felt like entering your own house. All of the deluxe rooms have a hot tub on the balcony – basically a mini heated pool overlooking the rainforest. It's incredible."
Claire - InsideAsia team
Where in the world is Danum Valley?
Connects with:
Tabin Wildlife Reserve
Covering an area twice the size of Singapore, come to Tabin for mud volcanoes, jungle trekking, an orangutan release centre, and the chance to spot over 300 types of exotic bird – from the bronzed drongo to the blue-crowned hanging parrot.
Kinabatangan River
Stay in an eco-lodge on the banks of Sabah’s longest river, where elephants, macaques and gibbons forage in the dense riverside foliage, and frogmouths, nightjars and hornbills wheel overhead.
Can't do October?
The Danum Valley is a tropical rainforest with stable temperatures and constant humidity throughout the whole year. The month to avoid is December, when the area is closed due to heavy rains and inaccessible roads. Apart from that, the humidity stays at a minimum of 80%, and the average maximum and minimum temperatures oscillate between 31°C / 87°F and 22°C / 71°F. While October is a great time to visit the Danum Valley, April to September is also a great time to visit Borneo as it's mostly dry season.