4 Ways to Experience Asia – Which One Calls to Your Inner Adventurer?
Travellers have long been captivated by adventures in Asia.
Perhaps it’s the sight of ancient watchtowers strung across China’s mountains, the road curling through Sri Lanka’s emerald tea estates, the graceful movements of Balinese dance or the thrill of spotting orangutans in Borneo’s rainforest. But which one calls to your inner adventurer?
That’s where our Travel Styles – Originals, Classic, Superior and Signature – come in: four distinct ways to experience Asia with Exodus.
From hiking wild stretches of the Great Wall to a private temple blessing in Indonesia, here’s what each style can look like when you take it to Asia.
1. Walking the Great Wall | Originals
This is the Great Wall as it was meant to be experienced: on foot, over mountains and across its wildest stretches.
On our Walking the Great Wall trip, trek lesser-visited sections as they rise and fall across mountain ridges, from Huanghuacheng to the unrestored ‘Wild Wall’ at Jiankou, scrambling over rough stone and passing centuries-old watchtowers as you go. Feeling brave? There’s even the aptly named Spiderman Wall to tackle.
Continue to Gubeikou for the toughest day on the trail: an 8mi (13km) hike along a section that retains much of the Wall’s original character, with plenty of steep terrain between you and the next watchtower. It’s demanding stuff, but then nobody came to the Great Wall to take the easy route.
Between walks, bed down in simple village guesthouses close to the Wall, before pulling on your boots and doing it all again the next morning.
Six days and plenty of hard-earned kilometres later, you return to Beijing to explore its historic hutongs and imperial heart.
View the full adventure:
Walking the Great Wall
Trek one of the seven wonders of the world
2. Borneo Wildlife Discoverer | Classic
In Borneo, knowing where to look is half the adventure.
At Mulu National Park, walk through the rainforest to Deer Cave and arrive in time for one of nature’s more extraordinary rush hours. It’s the first of many wild encounters on our Borneo Wildlife Discoverer trip.
At dusk, millions of bats stream out to feed, forming a long, snaking line across the sky. The smell of guano inside the cave is a bit less majestic, but all part of the experience.
You and your group also take to the Kinabatangan River, where some of Borneo’s best wildlife watching happens from the water.
Head out for a dawn riverboat cruise, while your expert local guide scans the riverbanks and canopy for proboscis monkeys, orangutans, hornbills and, with luck, crocodiles – perhaps even one of the elusive pygmy elephants known to roam the area.
And in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, nightfall brings a change of scene as an entirely different cast of characters emerges after dark. Head out on a nocturnal safari drive, where you might spot leopard cats, civets or owls stirring in the rainforest.
The following evening, explore the Kingfisher Trail on foot, looking for frogs and other nocturnal wildlife.
After 15 days in Borneo, you return home knowing you’ve seen the rainforest from just about every possible angle – including after dark.
View the full adventure:
Borneo Wildlife Discoverer
Showcasing the best of Borneo – wildlife, rainforests and beaches
3. Cycle the Back Roads of Sri Lanka | Superior
Sri Lanka is even better from the saddle. On our Cycle the Back Roads of Sri Lanka trip, thoughtfully chosen stays add a little extra comfort along the way – and your first day sets the tone.
At Hotel Sigiriya, cool off in the freshwater pool with the great rock fortress rising above the palms – the very rock you’ll climb the following morning.
Next, follow quiet backroads past rice paddies, reservoirs and villages to ancient Polonnaruwa, before tackling the climb through emerald tea estates towards Nuwara Eliya.
Continue into Sri Lanka’s cooler hill country, where winding roads lead through tea plantations and mountain scenery, before a long descent takes you south towards Tissamaharama. Here, Chaarya Resort & Spa makes a comfortable base for swapping two wheels for four on safari in Yala National Park, with a pool and tropical gardens waiting when you return.
Then it’s back in the saddle, riding past Bundala’s bird-rich lagoons and the bays of Hambantota as you make for the south coast.
Finish with two nights at the atmospheric Insight Resort in Ahangama, where the beach is just beyond the gardens – a fitting reward after pedalling your way through ancient cities, tea country and Sri Lanka’s wildlife-rich south.
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Cycle the Back Roads of Sri Lanka
Explore rich Sri Lankan history and culture by bike
4. Signature Indonesia | The Sacred Wild Isles | Signature
Across Indonesia, ancient rituals meet nature at its most elemental. Our Signature Indonesia | The Sacred Wild Isles journey takes you deeper into traditions still woven into daily life.
Dine inside the private residence of a Balinese royal family, hearing stories of their heritage before renowned Legong dancer, Cokorda Istri Rukmini, performs just for your group.
In the farming village of Subak Guliang, receive a private temple blessing from a female priest, with your Signature Guide revealing the meaning behind each ritual gesture, before walking into the rice fields with local farmers and heading to the community kitchen to learn the secrets of Balinese cooking.
Your Signature Day is yours to shape. Rise before dawn with one of Bali’s pioneering female mountaineers to watch first light over Mount Batur, take part in a private Balinese dance or gamelan workshop, cycle between rural villages to meet their residents, or make the canang sari offerings you’ll have seen outside homes and temples across the island.
Further east, Flores and nearby Rinca Island bring wilder rhythms. Travel by private speedboat into Komodo National Park, exploring Rinca Island with a ranger and conservation expert to encounter Komodo dragons and learn about efforts to protect them, before snorkelling coral-rich waters and picnicking on a quiet stretch of Pink Beach.
Then head inland to Todo village, where time with the Indigenous Manggarai community reveals the stories held in its circular houses, craft traditions and distinctive spider-web rice fields.
It’s Indonesia experienced through the people who call it home – from private doors opened in Bali to wild islands explored alongside those working to protect them.
Whether you want to take the tougher trail, experience a classic, add a little more comfort or gain rare access to local life, we’ve got an Asia adventure to match.
View the full adventure:
Signature Indonesia | The Sacred Wild Isles
So, what kind of adventurer are you?
Do you want to earn every view with Originals, mix iconic sights with shared discovery on our Classic trips, enjoy adventure with a softer landing on Superior or venture deeper with rare access and immersive experiences on a Signature journey?
Whatever kind of adventurer you are, there’s an Exodus trip to match.
