Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar

Turkmenistan

　　The best remaining testimony to Seljuq power at Merv is the 38m-high Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, located in what was the centre of Sultan Kala. The building was restored with Turkish aid and rises dramatically in the open plain. 　　Sanjar, grandson of Alp-Arslan, died in 1157, reputedly of a broken...

᠎Darvaza Gas Craters

Turkmenistan

　　One of Turkmenistan’s most unusual sights, the Darvaza Gas Craters are the result of Soviet-era gas exploration in the 1970s. The three craters are artificial. One has been set alight and blazes with an incredible strength that’s visible from miles away, while the other two contain bubbling mud and water....

Gonur Depe

Turkmenistan

　　Long before Merv raised its first tower, Bronze Age villages were assembling along the Murgab River in what is called the Margiana Oasis. The greatest of these ancient settlements, currently being excavated around Gonur Depe, has stunned the archaeological world for its vast area and complex layout. 　　The Royal Palace...

Tomb of King Kongmin

North Korea

　　The 31st Koryo king, Kongmin reigned between 1352 and 1374 and his tomb is the best preserved and most elaborate in the country. It is richly decorated with traditional granite facing and statuary, including sheep statues (in honour of his Mongolian wife, whom the king was forced to marry by...

International Friendship Exhibition

North Korea

　　This exhibition hosts a massive display of gifts given to Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un. Housed in a mountainside vault that is vaguely reminiscent of a Bond villain's hideout, on display is everything from Kim family transportation to glassware and wax figurines. 　　A member of your group may...

Rock Art Caves

Timor-Leste

　　There are fine examples of rock art in the cliffs and caves heading down towards Valu (beach), with depictions including cock fighting, sea urchins and people hunting. Sites are signposted off the Tutuala to Jaco road. It's best practice to go with a guide (organise through Valu accommodation): expect to...

Mundo Perdido

Timor-Leste

　　Crashing through foliage under the squawks of bats and lorikeets as you climb Mundo Perdido (1775m) – which translates to 'Lost World' – is one of the country's highlights. The view of sunrise from the grassy plateau near the top (1380m) is worth the 4am wake-up call. Local guide Xisto...

Balibó Flag House

Timor-Leste

　　Balibó Flag House is where the five journalists reporting on Indonesian's invasion of East Timor stayed before they were killed by Indonesian Special Forces on 16 October 1975. The Australian flag they painted for protection is still (though just) visible under a modern restoration. Press play on the DVD player...

Projeto Montanha

Timor-Leste

　　This Brazilian-founded social enterprise is a heartwarming place to visit. Kids and young adults from the surrounding area come here to be taught languages, crafts, cooking, music and more and are then supported to enable them to generate income using their skills. Enthusiastic tours are free but you'll definitely want...

Shrine of Hazrat Ali

Afghanistan

　　The twin blue domes of the Shrine of Hazrat Ali are one of Afghanistan’s most iconic sights, and pilgrims come from across the country to pay their respects at the tomb contained inside. Although non-Muslims are forbidden entry to the shrine building itself, views of the building are to be...

Herat Citadel

Afghanistan

　　Towering over the Old City, the Herat Citadel has watched over Herat’s successes and setbacks with its imposing gaze for centuries. The oldest building in Herat, it is believed to stand on the foundations of a fort built by Alexander the Great. It has served as a seat of power,...

Friday Mosque

Afghanistan

　　Over 800 hundred years old, Herat’s Friday Mosque is Afghanistan’s finest Islamic building, and one of the greatest in Central Asia. A master class in the art of tile mosaic, its bright colours and intricate detailing are an exuberant hymn in praise of Allah. Most visitors enter the mosque via the...

Minaret of Jam

Afghanistan

　　Reaching a dizzying height of 65m, the Minaret of Jam stands as a lonely sentinel at the confluence of the Hari Rud and Jam Rud rivers, the greatest surviving monument of the medieval Ghorid empire. Forgotten by the outside world until the mid-20th century, it remains a holy grail for...

Buddha Niches

Afghanistan

　　The empty niches of the Buddha statues dominate the Bamiyan valley. Carved in the 6th century, the two statues, standing 38m and 55m respectively, were the tallest standing statues of Buddha ever made. Now gone, the emptiness of the spaces the statues have left behind nevertheless inspire awe and quiet...

Historical Museum of Sughd Province

Tajikistan

　　Built within the reconstructed southeastern bastion of the city wall, this museum houses a fascinating set of modern marble mosaics depicting the life of Alexander the Great – the war scenes with their multiple horses are particularly finely crafted. The great warrior's funeral procession shows his hand dangling empty as...

Hulbuk Fortress

Tajikistan

　　Destroyed by the Mongols, the sparse remnants of this fortified palace have been undergoing excavation since 1951 and now a fine reconstruction of the palace walls, complete with minaret and battlements, has been completed. Seen from the main road driving east, it seems to loom out of nowhere (8km west...

Panchshanbe Bazaar

Tajikistan

　　The core of this great bazaar, reputedly the largest in Central Asia, is an unusually elegant, purpose-built hall (1964) with arched entrance portals and a pink-and-lime-green neoclassical facade. If not the largest it's certainly one of the best-stocked markets in Central Asia, especially on Thursday (panchshanbe in Tajik) when people...

Citadel

Tajikistan

　　The city’s top sight is the citadel, the reconstructed corner of which is open to visitors. From the top of the 10th-century ramparts, the disintegrating baked-earth walls suggest hints of the seven gates and 6km of fortifications that were rebuilt in the 13th century and which mark the site of...

Rishton Ceramic Museum

Uzbekistan

　　Of the thousand local potters who make a living from the legendary local loam, only a handful are considered true masters who still use traditional techniques. Among them is Rustam Usmanov, erstwhile art director of the defunct local collectivised ceramics factory. He runs this ceramics museum out of his home...

Khan’s Palace

Uzbekistan

　　The palace of the Khan of Kokand, with seven courtyards and 114 rooms, was built in 1873, though its dazzling tiled exterior makes it look so perfect that you'd be forgiven for thinking it was as new as the modern park that surrounds it. Just three years after its completion,...

Yodgorlik Silk Factory

Uzbekistan

　　Margilon's main attraction is this fascinating factory, a block west of the central Dekon Bazaar. English-language guides can walk you through traditional methods of silk production from steaming and unravelling the cocoons to the tie-dyeing and weaving of the dazzling khanatlas (hand-woven silk) fabrics for which Margilon is famous. 　　After...

Kumtepa Bazaar

Uzbekistan

　　The fantastic Kumtepa Bazaar, 5km west of Margilon centre, is a time capsule full of weathered Uzbek men in traditional clothing exchanging solemn greetings and gossiping over endless pots of tea. Rows of handmade khanatlas and adras silk, available from just 5000S per metre, are both the shopping and the...

Savitsky Museum

Uzbekistan

　　The Savitsky Museum houses one of the most remarkable art collections in the former Soviet Union. About half of the paintings were brought here in Soviet times by artist and ethnographer Igor Savitsky, who managed to preserve an entire generation of avant-garde work that was proscribed and destroyed elsewhere in...

Kolsai Lakes National Park

Kazakhstan

　　Located around 12km by paved (from 2018) road from Saty village, these three spruce-and-mountain-hemmed lakes are Alpine-esque beauty at its best and a Kazakhstan highlight. As you hike between the lakes, graze on wild strawberries and raspberries in summer and take frigid dips in the clear waters. The hiking trails...

KarLag Museum

Kazakhstan

　　Housed in the old KarLag headquarters building, this poignant museum walks you through KarLag's role in the Soviet Gulag Archipelago. The repression of Kazakh 'kulaks', the post-1917-Revolution Red Terror, the man-made famine of 1931 and the suffering of the victims of the Gulag are all given a voice here. From...

Yasaui Mausoleum

Kazakhstan

　　This astoundingly beautiful, tiled mausoleum with a turquoise dome is home to Kozha Akhmed Yasaui. The main chamber is capped with an 18m-wide dome, above a vast, 2000kg, metal kazan (cauldron) for holy water, given by Timur, who had the tomb built in the 14th century. Yasaui’s tomb lies behind...

Charyn Canyon

Kazakhstan

　　Over millions of years, the swift Charyn (Sharyn) River has carved a truly spectacular 150m- to 300m-deep canyon into the otherwise flat steppe some 200km east of Almaty, and time has weathered this into some weird and colourful rock formations. The most popular section, the Valley of Castles, is accessible...

Beket-Ata

Kazakhstan

　　Some 285km east of Aktau, Beket-Ata is an important and extremely popular place of pilgrimage for those wishing to visit the underground mosque and final resting place of Sufi mystic and teacher, Beket-Ata (1750–1813). The mosque is near the bottom of a picturesque desert canyon and the journey to Beket-Ata...

Soneva Fushi

Maldives

　　Rightly one of the most famous resorts in the country, ecofabulous Soneva Fushi is the place to get back to nature in style. The personal creation of hoteliers Sonu and Eva, it’s an incredibly impressive place where rustic private houses are perched on dazzling white-sand beaches behind the thick vegetation...

Vaadhoo

Maldives

　　In the south of Huvadhoo Atoll, only about 20km from the equator, the island of Vaadhoo has two hawittas (stone prayer mounds) and a mosque that dates from the 17th century. The mosque is elaborately decorated inside and has a stone bath outside, as well as ancient tombstones carved with...

Cheval Blanc Randheli

Maldives

　　Want to know where the one per cent really holiday? It's at this ultra-top-end hotel run by the French LVMH group (that's short for Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, you know), which has become renowned in Maldives for its high prices and exclusivity. Indeed, Cheval Blanc Randheli is a dazzling retreat...

Huvafen Fushi

Maldives

　　Huvafen Fushi set a new standard for stylish, sophisticated luxury when it opened in 2005 and has inspired countless imitators elsewhere in Maldives and beyond. Understated and more than a little fabulous, Huvafen Fushi is all about unfussy luxury and hassle-free glamour, making the most of its gorgeous beaches and...

Gili Lankanfushi

Maldives

　　Astonishingly impressive Gili Lankanfushi is the original pioneer of barefoot luxury in Maldives, where the 'no shoes, no news' philosophy reigns supreme and few visitors come away anything but amazed. Each of the palatial two-floor villas is built over water: they're extraordinary rustic-meets-sophisticated timber creations that are as open to...

Huraa

Maldives

　　The island of Huraa is well used to tourists visiting from nearby resorts, but it retains its small-island feel. It is now home to several guesthouses, and a buzzing surfer scene with 15 breaks within easy reach. Huraa’s dynasty of sultans, founded in 1759 by Sultan Al-Ghaazi Hassan Izzaddeen, built...

Himmafushi

Maldives

　　Himmafushi is famous for its main street selling some of the least expensive souvenirs in the country, such as carved rosewood manta rays, sharks and dolphins. Wander into the back streets and you'll discover a sleepily traditional village and a cemetery with coral headstones. A sand spit has joined Himmafushi...

Thulusdhoo

Maldives

　　Thulusdhoo has traditionally been an industrious island, known for manufacturing of bodu beru (big drums), for its salted-fish warehouse and for its Coca-Cola factory, the only one in the world where the drink is made from desalinated water. In the past few years tourism has exploded, however, and there are...

Utheemu Ganduvaru

Maldives

　　This small palace – now a museum – was the childhood home of Maldivian national hero Mohammed Thakurufaanu, who, alongside his brothers, overthrew Portuguese rule in 1573. Visitors are escorted around the complex by a museum staff member to see the fascinating 500-year-old wooden interiors, including swing beds (used to...

Dhigurah

Maldives

　　Dhigurah is a charming, clean and friendly local island with about 600 inhabitants and around ten guesthouses. It's a very long island, with an absolutely stunning white-sand beach down one side that extends into a giant sandbank that sometimes connects Dhigurah to the LUX* Maldives resort to the south. There's...

Khon Phapheng Falls

Laos

　　More a glorified set of rapids than a waterfall, but oh, how glorious it is. The largest and by far the most awesome waterfall anywhere along the Mekong, Khon Phapheng is pure, unrestrained aggression, as millions of litres of water crash over the rocks. While pricier than the similar Tat...

Tat Kuang Si

Laos

　　Thirty kilometres southwest of Luang Prabang, Tat Kuang Si is a many-tiered waterfall tumbling over limestone formations into a series of cool, swimmable turquoise pools; the term 'Edenic' doesn't do it justice. When you're not swinging off ropes into the water, there's a public park with shelters and picnic tables...

Wat Phu Champasak

Laos

　　Bucolic Wat Phu sits in graceful decrepitude, and while it lacks the arresting enormity of Angkor in Cambodia, given its few visitors and more dramatic natural setting, these small Khmer ruins evoke a more soulful response. While some buildings are more than 1000 years old, most date from the 11th...

Vieng Xai Caves

Laos

　　Joining a truly fascinating 18-point tour is the only way to see Vieng Xai's seven most important war-shelter cave complexes, set in beautiful gardens backed by fabulous karst scenery. A local guide unlocks each site while an audio guide gives a wealth of first-hand background information and historical context. The...

Khövsgöl Nuur National Park

Mongolia

　　Cupped in the snowcapped fist of the Sayan and Khoridol Saridag mountains, this national park is anchored by the shimmering blue sweep of the ice-cold, eponymous Khövsgöl Nuur. Buffeted by gusts of northern winds and ensconced in endless miles of trackless taiga, the region merges the raw beauty of the...

Erdene Zuu Khiid

Mongolia

　　Founded in 1586 by Altai Khaan, Erdene Zuu (Hundred Treasures) was the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. The monastery went through periods of neglect and prosperity until finally the Stalinist purges of 1937 put it completely out of business. The monastery remained closed until 1965, when it was permitted to...

Bogdkhan Uul Strictly Protected Area

Mongolia

　　The Bogdkhan Uul is said to be the world’s oldest nature reserve. Established in 1778, the park was guarded by 2000 club-wielding lamas. Animal poachers were hauled away in chains, beaten within an inch of their lives, and locked inside coffin-like jail cells. These days you can enjoy some terrific...