Asia Travel Guides

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population. Chiefly in the eastern and northern hemispheres, Asia is traditionally defined as part of the landmass of Eurasia with the western portion of the latter occupied by Europe lying east of the Suez Canal, east of the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas. It is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. Given its size and diversity, Asia a toponym dating back to classical antiquity is more a cultural concept incorporating a number of regions and peoples than a homogeneous physical entit.

Asia is almost too massive and diverse to conceptualize as a digestable travel "destination". Even defining the borders of this continent is difficult - from the mountains around the Black Sea in the west, to the snow fields of Siberia in the east, there are more people and cities in Asia than outside of it. Asia's highest point is Nepal's and China's Mount Everest, which rises to 8,848 m above sea level. Its lowest point is Israel's and Jordan's Dead Sea, whose surface is 400 m below sea level. Asia's longest river is the Yangtze, which runs 6,300 km through China. Its largest lake is the 386,400 sq km Caspian Sea, which is surrounded by several central Asian nations. Asia is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east, by Australia to the southeast, and by the Indian Ocean to the south. It is bounded by the Red Sea to the southwest, by Europe to the west, and by the Arctic Ocean to the north.

Travel options range widely, from the desert ruins and modern malls of the Middle East to the magnificient monuments in South Asia, and from the beach bungalows and jungle treks of South-East Asia to the megacities and technology capitals of East Asia. Find out more about regions, destinations, and itineraries below.

In any case, Asia offers the most diverse travel options available to the most avid travellers. On one end, there are the ultramodern countries like Japan and the East Asian Tigers of Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea which are very prosperous and in which people enjoy high standards of living. On the other, there are very poor countries like Afghanistan, Laos and Timor Leste where people struggle even to get a few grains of rice each day. Of course, there are also many countries lying somewhere in the middle, as well as the emerging powerhouses of China and India. To add to a list of possible travel destinations, Asia is also home to North Korea, which is under one of, if not the most, opressive regimes in the world. With great food, a tropical climate, fascinating culture and great beaches, Thailand is a magnet for travellers.