Asia

Blessed with serenity and tranquility, Wild Mahseer, named after one of the toughest game fishes, offers unique natural and cultural experiences to visitors. Spread over 22 acres of land, the heritage bungalows with antique furniture and colonial décor provide the opportunity to relive history and it is a perfect place to re-establish your lost bonding with nature.

In places like Sumatra, environmentalists are hoping a focus on eco-tourism will influence conservation efforts.

The sprawling mansion looked like a medieval European castle with its arched bay windows and turrets in each corners, the dark red laterite façade gleaming in the morning sun. We got down from our car, and were immediately greeted by Debjit Singh Deo, who owns and runs this heritage building amid the bucolic settings of rural Odisha in eastern part of India. Debjit’s great grandfather King Jyoti Prasad Singh Deo of Panchkote had built this two-storeyed mansion in 1933 as a royal hunting lodge.

It was Fall of 2019 and Beijing was beautiful, with ripe persimmons hanging from trees like lanterns and golden gingko trees glowing in the park. But as the days grew shorter and the arctic chill set in, my spirits sank. Thanksgiving was just around the corner, and I longed for home. It was our first holiday away from the U.S. during our two-year assignment of living in Beijing for my husband’s job.

The British colonized India for over 200 years, and cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai are home to notable Victorian-era buildings. But Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, was the capital of India for 39 years during the British rule, and it remains the top spot to see colonial architecture, a must-see city for architecture lovers to include on their India itineraries.

Farfetched as it may seem, the tiny Malaysian mountain town of Kundasang is sometimes compared to the pastoral villages in the Alps. Situated in the northern part of the island of Borneo, Kundasang is nestled in a rugged landscape that has spectacular scenic vistas like in Switzerland, but it’s unlike anywhere I’ve been in Europe, or Southeast Asia for that matter.

The expanse of the Bhopal sky slowly turns scarlet as we settle into the serene world of Jehan Numa Retreat. A short 30 minute drive from the Bhopal airport has us approaching the 12.5 acres boutique property of the erstwhile Nawabs of Bhopal in the Malwa plateau of Central India.

The dock at Ao Nang in Krabi, Thailand is as nondescript as any western restaurant patio. Wooden slats make up a narrow walkway with benches on either side.

The stately manor that dates back to 1804 is the residence of the Bhanj Deo royal family that had ruled the princely state of Mayurbhanj in eastern India

Tokyo is keeping pace with the rising popularity of ecotourism. A fabulous new eco-friendly park was opened recently and its reputation is growing.

A mountainous land in the Northwestern part of India, the state of Himachal Pradesh has long been a paradise for travelers. Colonial-era hill stations, idyllic rural settlements and verdant valleys dot the expanse of this North Indian state that was once a part of undivided Punjab. However, Kangra Valley, in the south-eastern fringes of Himachal, has always remained a bit off the tourist radar.

Sumatra is known as one of the only places in the world that you can see the orangutan in the wild. But the island can teach you plenty about conservation, too.