Asia beyond the headline destinations.
Mountain corridors, tropical archipelagos, desert geology and living cultural landscapes across the largest and most varied continent.
Asia in context.
The Asian collection crosses high valleys, volcanic islands, karst plateaus, desert basins and cultural routes. Its places reveal how settlement, geology and climate interact across very different scales.
Place stories from Asia
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Socotra
An isolated island system of endemic trees, limestone plateaus, caves, dunes and bright coastlines shaped by long evolutionary separation.
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Upper Svaneti
Medieval defensive towers, high valleys and glacier-fed rivers form one of the Caucasus region's most distinctive inhabited mountain landscapes.
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Raja Ampat
A far-flung archipelago of forested limestone islets, clear channels, reefs and small communities spread across an immense marine landscape.
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Yakushima
A steep, rain-rich island where ancient cedar forest rises from subtropical coast to cool mountain ridges within a short distance.
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Shiretoko
A remote volcanic peninsula where mountains, forest, sea ice and rich coastal waters meet at the northeastern edge of Hokkaido.
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Ha Giang
A high northern landscape of limestone peaks, deep river valleys, terraced fields and culturally distinct mountain communities.
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Batanes
Wind-shaped grasslands, volcanic hills, stone houses and exposed channels define the northernmost inhabited islands of the Philippines.
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Sumba
Savanna hills, limestone coast, traditional villages and megalithic tombs create an island identity distinct from its better-known neighbours.
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Tana Toraja
Rice terraces, limestone hills, tongkonan houses and elaborate ritual landscapes define a highland culture in South Sulawesi.
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Ura Valley
A broad high valley of clustered houses, fields, monasteries and forested slopes in Bhutan's central Bumthang region.
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Jeti-Oguz
Red sandstone formations open into a forested Tien Shan valley of rivers, pastures and seasonal mountain life south of Issyk-Kul.
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Tsum Valley
Stone villages, Buddhist monasteries and cultivated terraces occupy a high Himalayan valley beneath the Ganesh Himal range.
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Hampi
Vijayanagara ruins, living temples, river agriculture and immense granite boulder fields share one of South India's most distinctive cultural landscapes.
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Pamir Highway
A high trans-Pamir road crosses plateaus, river valleys and remote settlements beneath some of Central Asia's largest mountain systems.
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Mangystau
Chalk escarpments, isolated mesas, underground mosques and desert depressions create a vast geological landscape east of the Caspian Sea.
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Musandam Peninsula
Bare mountains descend directly into deep marine inlets at the northern tip of Oman, creating a coast of cliffs, villages and narrow water passages.
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Living Root Bridges
Footbridges trained from living tree roots connect villages across rainforest streams in one of the world's wettest inhabited regions.
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Iya Valley
A steep interior valley of forested mountains, scattered hamlets, vine bridges and roads cut into the slopes of central Shikoku.
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Haa Valley
A high western Bhutanese valley of farmhouses, monasteries, pasture and forest beneath ridges leading toward the Himalayan borderlands.
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Orkhon Valley
A wide grassland corridor where rivers, volcanic terrain, herding camps and traces of former capitals reveal Mongolia's long mobile history.
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Altyn-Emel
A vast southeastern Kazakh landscape of coloured mountains, desert plains, river corridors and a resonant dune rising above the Ili basin.
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Lanyu
A volcanic island east of Taiwan where dramatic coastal rock, tropical slopes and Tao communities create a distinct maritime cultural landscape.
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Nong Khiaw
A riverside settlement in northern Laos enclosed by limestone towers, forest and tributary valleys reached by boat, road and footpath.
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Camiguin
A compact volcanic island of steep peaks, hot and cold springs, waterfalls and a coastal road that repeatedly returns to the sea.
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Kiso Valley
A forested central Japanese valley where preserved post towns and stone paths follow a former highway between mountain passes.
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Zanskar
A high Himalayan valley system of river gorges, Buddhist monasteries, remote villages and severe mountain passes in southern Ladakh.
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Sary-Chelek
A mountain biosphere reserve of deep lakes, walnut-fruit forest, alpine meadows and small settlements in western Kyrgyzstan.
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Geghama Mountains
Volcanic plateaus, crater lakes, high pastures and extensive rock carvings form a little-known mountain landscape east of Yerevan.
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Kackar Mountains
Glaciated peaks, cloud forest, alpine lakes and high seasonal settlements rise behind Turkiye's wet eastern Black Sea coast.
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Togian Islands
A dispersed tropical archipelago of coral reefs, forested islands, sea villages and volcanic landscapes in central Sulawesi.
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Nan Province
Forested mountains, river valleys, Tai Lue heritage and a compact historic town define Thailand's quieter northeastern north.
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Gobi Gurvansaikhan
Mountain ranges, dune fields, fossil country and cold desert valleys create a varied landscape within Mongolia's South Gobi.
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Akiyoshidai
Japan's largest karst plateau combines pale limestone pinnacles, grassland, caves and a long record of human land management.
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Spiti Valley
High desert valleys, Buddhist monasteries and villages beneath eroded mountains create a severe trans-Himalayan landscape.
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Upper Mustang
Eroded cliffs, walled settlements and Tibetan cultural landscapes occupy a rain-shadow basin north of the central Himalaya.
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Tavan Bogd
Glaciers, high peaks and open steppe meet at Mongolia’s western edge near the borders with China and Russia.
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Alay Valley
A broad high valley separates the Alay and Trans-Alay ranges, opening long views toward the Pamirs.
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Arslanbob
Walnut forest, waterfalls and a large village occupy the foothills of the Fergana Range.
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Dhofar Highlands
Monsoon cloud, green escarpments and frankincense country form a seasonal landscape unlike the rest of the Arabian Peninsula.
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Masirah Island
Long beaches, dry hills and fishing settlements form a wind-exposed island off Oman’s eastern coast.
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Hormuz Island
Multicoloured earth, salt formations and a strategic island history meet at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.
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Goto Islands
A chain of wooded islands, fishing ports and hidden-Christian heritage extends west of Kyushu into the East China Sea.
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Banda Islands
Volcanic islands, coral water and nutmeg history form a compact archipelago far from Indonesia’s main tourism routes.
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Daisetsuzan
A high volcanic massif of alpine plateaus, hot springs and vast autumn colour rises at the centre of Hokkaido.
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Kerinci Seblat
Rainforest, tea country, volcanic peaks and highland villages surround one of the largest protected landscapes in Sumatra.
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Si Phan Don
A broad Mekong river landscape of islands, channels, rapids and farming communities unfolds near the Laos-Cambodia border.
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Taman Negara
Lowland rainforest, broad rivers and forest-edge communities form one of the largest continuous protected landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia.
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Kinnaur
Deep Himalayan valleys, orchards, Buddhist and Hindu traditions and high desert passes meet along the upper Sutlej corridor.
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Gurez Valley
A high border valley of wooden villages, alpine meadows and the Kishanganga River lies beyond major passes in the western Himalaya.
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Altyn Arashan
A high forested valley of hot springs, alpine pasture and glacier-fed water lies above the eastern shore of Issyk-Kul.
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Karimunjawa
A small Java Sea archipelago of coral reefs, mangroves, fishing villages and low forested islands sits north of central Java.
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Phong Nha-Ke Bang
Towering limestone, major cave systems, forest and river villages form a deep karst landscape in central Vietnam.
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Cat Ba Archipelago
Forested limestone islands, floating communities, coves and a rugged main island form a complex seascape beside Ha Long Bay.
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Munduk Highlands
Cool upland villages, waterfalls, coffee gardens and crater-lake views form a greener, quieter interior landscape in northern Bali.
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Khentii Mountains
Forest-steppe, river headwaters and broad mountain valleys form a quieter, greener Mongolia east of the central grasslands.
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Ogasawara Islands
Remote subtropical islands, endemic ecosystems and clear Pacific water create a Japanese landscape reached only after a long sea crossing.
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Kumano Kodo
Ancient pilgrimage routes cross cedar forest, mountain villages and shrine landscapes on Japan’s deeply folded Kii Peninsula.
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Tirthan Valley
A clear Himalayan river, forested slopes and small villages form a quieter gateway to the Great Himalayan National Park.
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Khao Sok
Limestone towers, tropical rainforest and the long inlets of Cheow Lan Lake create one of southern Thailand’s most dramatic inland landscapes.
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Pulau Weh
A volcanic island off northern Sumatra combines reef coastlines, forested hills and small settlements around the port of Sabang.
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Cardamom Mountains
Large rainforest blocks, rivers and low mountain ranges form one of mainland Southeast Asia’s most important remaining wilderness landscapes.
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Kelimutu
Three crater lakes with changing colours sit above agricultural villages and volcanic ridges in central Flores.
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Kanchenjunga Conservation Area
Deep river valleys, rhododendron forest, high villages and enormous Himalayan peaks form Nepal’s remote eastern mountain frontier.
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Putorana Plateau
A vast basalt plateau cut by deep canyons, long lakes and an exceptional concentration of waterfalls.
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Lena Pillars
A forty-kilometre wall of limestone towers rises directly above the Lena River.
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Shantar Islands
A remote archipelago of forested islands, tidal straits and cold-water wildlife in the western Sea of Okhotsk.
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Commander Islands
Wind-battered volcanic islands with seabird cliffs, fur-seal rookeries and treeless oceanic tundra.
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Wrangel Island
An isolated Arctic island preserving tundra, mammoth-steppe vegetation and major polar-bear denning habitat.
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Onekotan Island
A nearly uninhabited Kuril island containing a volcano rising from the centre of a lake inside a larger caldera.
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Iturup Island
A long volcanic island of white pumice cliffs, black beaches, hot rivers and active fumaroles.
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Chara Sands
A compact field of moving dunes lies between taiga, wetlands and snow-streaked mountains in eastern Siberia.
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Ergaki Nature Park
Granite spires, clear lakes and dense Siberian forest form a compact mountain park in the Western Sayan.
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Great Vasyugan Mire
One of the world's largest peatland systems spreads across western Siberia as a mosaic of bogs, lakes and forest islands.
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Daurian Steppe
Open grassland, saline lakes and rolling border country support mass bird migration and Mongolian gazelles.
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Sikhote-Alin
Korean-pine forest, river valleys and rugged ridges form the core habitat of the Amur tiger.
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Cocos (Keeling) Islands
A low coral atoll combines a turquoise lagoon, Cocos Malay culture and almost empty outer beaches.
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Christmas Island
Rainforest, sea cliffs and endemic wildlife occupy an isolated limestone-and-volcanic island south of Java.
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Tianmen Mountain Cliff Walk
Paved ledges and glass sections circle the summit cliffs of Tianmen Mountain above a dramatic cable-car ascent.
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Huashan Plank Walk
A short harnessed plank section forms the most exposed part of the steep stair and summit network on Mount Hua.
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Tiger Leaping Gorge
A multi-day high trail follows terraces and villages above one of the Yangtze system’s deepest gorges.
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Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge
A broad glass-deck bridge spans Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and connects to stairs, paths and canyon attractions below.
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Jebel Shams Balcony Walk
A narrow but mostly level trail follows the wall of Wadi Ghul to an abandoned village and hidden pool beneath Oman’s highest mountains.
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Wadi Mujib Siq Trail
A seasonal route follows flowing water through a narrow sandstone gorge using ropes, ladders and small waterfalls.
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Wadi Rum Burdah Bridge
A guided scramble climbs Jebel Burdah to one of Wadi Rum’s highest natural rock bridges.
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Lycian Way above Butterfly Valley
A high Lycian Way section passes terraces and exposed viewpoints above Butterfly Valley and the turquoise coast.
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Saklikent Gorge
A seasonal route enters a very narrow limestone canyon by boardwalk and continues through cold flowing water.
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Kalavantin Durg
A steep rock pinnacle is reached by exposed steps cut into the basalt above Prabalgad and the Konkan plain.
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New in Asia
Release 1.5.28 adds 6 more Asia places to the atlas.
Qeshm Island
A large Persian Gulf island of eroded canyons, salt caves, mangrove channels and coastal villages shaped by trade across the Strait of Hormuz.
Bolaven Plateau
A cool volcanic plateau of waterfalls, coffee farms, forest and ethnic minority villages rising above the Mekong lowlands of southern Laos.
Kalash Valleys
Three steep Hindu Kush valleys where the Kalash community maintains a distinctive language, seasonal festivals and timber-built settlements.
Hpa-An Karst
A lowland plain punctured by sheer limestone towers, cave temples, rice fields and villages beside the Thanlwin River.
Banggai Islands
A dispersed Indonesian archipelago of limestone islands, coral water, fishing villages and endemic species far from the country's main tourism routes.
Anambas Islands
A remote Indonesian island group of granite bays, clear reefs and small settlements between Borneo and the Malay Peninsula.