Popular tourist sites are always crowded with travelers, which can potentially ruin your dream trip. If you're looking to explore new places and truly immerse yourself in nature, Asiatica Travel have a perfect list of 10 attractive but lesser-known destinations in Asia for you.
1. Koh Rong Island, Cambodia
Koh Rong is the second largest island in Cambodia, covering an area of 78 km2, located 230 km from Phnom Penh. It's the perfect tourist destination for a "detox" trip due to its deserted beaches, sparse population, and tranquility. Koh Rong is covered in fine white sand along its long coastline and clear blue water that you can see through transparently.
In Koh Rong, besides the peaceful atmosphere, you'll also have exciting experiences like fishing, diving, and coral watching on a Boat Trip Tour. If you're a dreamer, you'll surely fall in love with the romantic sunset over the sea. If you're up for a thrill, Koh Rong is also famous for its zipline adventure at High Point Park.
2. Yaeyama, Japan
Yaeyama is an archipelago located at the southern tip of Japan, with the central city - Naha - located on the main island of Okinawa. Yaeyama consists of many small islands scattered throughout the southwest, such as Taketomi, Yonaguni, and Hatoma islands. Yaeyama is known to tourists worldwide for its beautiful collection of component islands. For example, Yonaguni is popular as a tourist destination where you can see the sunset later than anywhere else in Japan. Or Cape Hedo, an island located at the northern tip of Okinawa. The beauty of Cape Hedo is adorned with rugged cliffs, undulating in an arch as if spread to cover the lower coast. Another attraction you can only experience at Cape Hedo is the interference between two oceans: the Pacific and the East Sea.
3. Raja Ampat, Indonesia
It would be a miss if the list of the world's most splendid islands didn't include Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Raja Ampat consists of 1,600 small islands, most of which are remote and sparsely inhabited. Currently a national park of Indonesia, Raja Ampat is recognized as having the most diverse marine species in the world. According to researchers, Raja Ampat has at least 1,400 species of tropical fish, over 700 mollusks, 57 species of mantis shrimp, 13 species of marine mammals, and 600 species of hard corals. Additionally, Raja boasts the world's richest coral ecosystem, with 75% of the world's coral reefs present. So diving is always the most popular water activity in Raja Ampat. Rent a boat and take a tour around the islands.
Raja Ampat is so wonderful that you can observe steep rocky cliffs next to the white coast, as well as being able to make expeditions into forests, caves, and eerie lagoons. Because of its untouched nature, many aspects have not yet been developed, so you'll always feel like the first to explore this paradise.
4. Champasak, Laos
Champasak is like a natural "museum" of Laos, because it once witnessed all the prosperity and collapse of the Laos royal family. It is known that this was the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Champasak. Today, traces of the country's ancient civilization remain and are preserved through tourist sites like the Bolaven Plateau. Located in the national park, the Bolaven tropical rainforest is home to many wild animals, such as gibbons, tigers, elephants, monkeys, and hornbills. When heading to the northeast of Champasak, visitors will see the two waterfalls of the Bolaven Plateau and Tad Fane with impressive flow from a height of over 100m down the steep cliffs, located a few kilometers from the town of Paksong, Champasak province to the west.
5. North Maluku, Indonesia
You can call the Maluku by the familiar name of the "Spice Islands" because they are known for their origin and development of unique spices still used today. During the colonial period, the Moluccas became the most frequent commercial location for the Portuguese and Dutch. Maluku is an island system of over 1,000 islets, but only half the land has settlers.
The North Maluku is a famous tourist destination because they are the birthplace of volcanoes like Ternate and Tidore. Additionally, North Maluku also boasts the most original source of clove in the world in the Middle Ages. At that time, the reason cloves became more expensive was because they could treat diseases from toothache, halitosis to sexual diseases. Currently, North Moluccas is still a relatively new name on the ideal tourist destination list. Because of its untouched nature, tourism has not yet developed, and visitors will experience the most original nature here like clear seawater, filled with berry islands under the crispy sun. If you have the opportunity, chatting and listening to indigenous peoples about their culture, their traditions are also an interesting experience on your journey.
6. Con Dao, Vietnam
Con Dao, also known as Con Son, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam in recent years. With an area of 74 km2, Con Dao used to be the most dreadful prison in Asia in the past. For over 100 years, about 20,000 Vietnamese were imprisoned and sacrificed here. Besides its historical value, Con Dao also attracts visitors for its beautiful beaches and rich marine populations, such as sea turtles, salmon, parrotfish, especially to mention the coral reefs. Con Son is also an attractive place for tourists who like to explore pristine forests and island ecosystems.
The landscape in the small town of Con Son is very special, you can see the wild green coast, but just turn to the other side is the architecture of the French colonial period with the mark of the West. Traffic here is sparse so visitors can walk to experience slowly and peacefully.
7. Wadi Rum, Jordan
About 100 km south of the citadel of Petra, Wadi Rum - Valley of the Moon - is the largest and most spectacular desert in Jordan. This tourist destination consists of a set of valleys covered with sand dunes and sandstone tops with all the unusual shapes and colors that are constantly changing. Here, visitors will be amazed by the majestic beauty of the vertical stones, going from black to bright yellow with red tones dominating, rising high as if rising from the sand dunes of 30 million years ago.
This desert will steal the hearts of enthusiasts with many legends of invaluable treasures, such as the ruins of the Nabatean temple, the 35m Burdah stone bridge. Under the impact of the environment, time, the valleys, and oases of Wadi Rum constantly change clothes, from yellow to dark red, creating an ancient and charming beauty of a sacred land. To fully feel the spirit of Wadi Rum, you can stay in the Captain Camp tent - a well-equipped four-star tent with green palm trees on the cliff.
8. Kirirom National Park, Cambodia
When living the good life, we tend to return to nature. The freshness of the Kirirom ecosystem is the missing piece to your life. Located 112 km from the capital of Phnom Penh, along the road to Sihanoukville, Kirirom National Park is situated on a hill with a height of 700 m. Although Kirirom does not have a diverse ecosystem like some other national parks, in return, this tourist destination is home to many birds. Additionally, Kirirom is famous for its impressive number of lakes and waterfalls. Perhaps because of this, Kirirom used to be the perfect choice for the holidays of King Sihanouk in the past.
One interesting thing about Kirirom for travelers is that you have to pass through some dangerous cliffs to explore the caves, the mysterious forest system here. If you're lucky, you may even encounter many wild animals like pangolins and elephants on your journey. Winding trails, pine forests, or watching the miniature world from the top of Cardamom Mountain, you will realize how small we are.
9. Ella, Sri Lanka
Ella in Sri Lanka is known for its vast green tea hills. This tourist destination is also known as the "tea garden of the world". On the way to visit the tea hills, you won't want to miss the sunrise at Ella Rock or the sunset at Little Adam's Peak.
After arriving in Ella, you should take a walk on the train track here. Train travel is considered a regular activity in Ella because Sri Lankan trains are extremely slow. However, to ensure safety, you can check before the train passes. Ella also has the Nine Arch Bridge - nicknamed one of the most beautiful train bridges in the world.
10. Phong Nha, Vietnam
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Located about 500 km south of the capital Hanoi, Phong Nha is a cave belonging to the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Quang Binh. With untouched natural landscapes, Phong Nha - Ke Bang is compared to the "first place of fairies in the world" or "royal palace on earth". The cave is 7,729 m long, making it the cave with the largest underground river system in the world. To enter the cave, visitors will sit in a boat along the Son River to enter the cave. Feeling a little chilly and comfortable is what you can feel when you're inside. Going inside, you will feel like you're in another world. Rock blocks, mountains, mountain blocks are corroded by water, creating unprecedented shapes. The caves of Bi Ky, Co Tien, and Cung Dinh are also the segments that contribute to the beauty of these "Best Caves".
Phong Nha was ranked as one of the most beautiful caves in the world by the Royal Society of the United Kingdom. Additionally, the site was also recognized as a World Natural Heritage Site in 2015 with biodiversity criteria.