8 Asia Experiences Worth Planning Your Calendar Around
Asia is not a one-season continent. It shifts with the moon, blossom and snowfall, harvest and pilgrimage, festival and fast.
Travel in January or February and you could find bustling train stations and traditions at the very heart of family life as countries across Asia prepare for Lunar New Year. The exact date changes each year according to the lunar calendar, but the celebrations are among the biggest of the year across much of the continent.
Visit in July and you could be standing on the Mongolian steppe as wrestlers test their strength during the Naadam Festival. In spring, you’ll find cherry blossoms drifting onto South Korean streets. And in September and October in western Mongolia’s remote Altai Mountains, the Eagle Festival showcases the UNESCO-recognised tradition of hunting with golden eagles.
Timing matters when it comes to adventures in Asia.
Here are eight Asia travel experiences shaped by season, rooted in place, and brought to life by the people who know them best.
1. Trade red envelopes in China
When to visit: January or February, depending on the Lunar New Year calendar.
Travel to China in the beginning of the year, and you’ll feel Lunar New Year before you see it. Train stations fill. Markets bustle. Doorways are scrubbed clean to sweep away bad luck and red envelopes are exchanged between generations as firecrackers snap through the evening air.
Beyond the New Year celebrations, our Essential China trip gives you a broader window into China’s past and present. Travel from Beijing to Shanghai, tracing the arc between dynasties and decades. Stand in Tiananmen Square and walk through the vast courtyards of the Forbidden City. Then step into the narrow alleyways, or hutongs, of the Old Town, the hub of daily life for centuries.
And in Chengdu’s People’s Park, locals practise water calligraphy on the paving stones. Characters appear in dark strokes, then evaporate within minutes. It’s an experience you’ll get to witness and try your own hand at.
For a cultural journey beyond the cities, Tibet adds another layer. Ride the world’s highest railway, visit grand monasteries and walk alongside pilgrims, guided by local leaders who understand both ritual and routine.
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Essential China
Travel from Beijing to Shanghai to discover China's highlights
2. Temple stays and tteokguk in South Korea
When to visit: January or February. The exact date changes each year.
If you’re visiting South Korea during Lunar New Year (called Seollal), you’ll see families gathering for ancestral rites, then sharing bowls of steaming tteokguk, sliced rice cake soup, to mark the passing of another year.
While the bustle of the cities, K-pop, and spicy tteokbokki are what most people imagine when they think of South Korea, step away from the noise and you’ll find a different side of the country altogether.
Travel from royal palaces to mountain temples, including a traveller highlight: an overnight stay at Haeinsa Temple in the Gayasan Mountains, in the heart of the country. One of the oldest temples in Korea, it houses the Tripitaka Koreana, 80,000 wooden blocks carved with Buddhist scriptures between 1237 and 1248.
Here, you exchange your clothes for simple monk attire and leave the outside world behind. After introductions and a vegetarian dinner, you join a tea ceremony in softly lit halls. Lights out at 9pm. The wake-up call comes early for chanting before dawn. It’s a world away from the bustling cities of Seoul and Busan.
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Discover South Korea
Explore the Land of the Morning Calm
“K-Pop, kimchi, Squid Game… even Baby Shark: the global explosion of Korean culture (or hallyu) is one of the great cultural phenomena of our times. If you haven’t already, then now’s the time to visit ”
3. Vietnam‘s Tết peach blossoms & hiking in the north
When to visit: January or February to experience Tết, Vietnam’s Lunar New Year, or autumn and spring for the northern hiking season.
Visit Vietnam during Lunar New Year, known locally as Tết Nguyên Đán, and you’ll see the country at its most celebratory. In the north of the country specifically, peach blossoms brighten streets and courtyards. Families gather to prepare bánh chưng, the square sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaves and filled with pork and mung bean, ready to be shared at family tables.
Outside of New Year, autumn and spring are the ideal times to head north from popular Halong Bay and the lantern-studded streets of Hoi An and pull on your hiking boots.
Hiking in Northern Vietnam gives you a taste of the country few travellers see. You leave the town of Sapa and transfer to Suoi Thau village to begin your trek. The trail winds through the most remote region of Sapa district, largely along dirt paths rarely used by visitors.
You end in Nam Cang, a village of Red Dao and Black Hmong families, where you stay in a simple homestay and share dinner with your hosts.
The days in between are layered with special encounters. A Dao family shaping intricate silver jewellery by hand. In Bac Ha, households distilling corn wine and weaving palm-leaf hats. One evening, a fire dancing ceremony unfolds after dark. At Panhou Retreat, you’ll pick tea alongside a local farmer, then brewed and tasted while you learn how the leaves are prepared.
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Hiking in Northern Vietnam
Leave the backpackers and hike the remote north with a leader who knows the trails better than any
4. Cycle rural Japan, not just its cities
When to visit: March to May or September to November, when Kyushu and Shikoku typically have milder conditions for cycling and hiking.
Leave behind the neon glow of Japan’s cities and a quieter landscape emerges, best explored on two wheels. Few Asia travel experiences reveal the country’s quieter side like this.
On Japan Adventure: Kyushu & Shikoku, time outdoors shapes your journey. Cycle the Shimanami Kaido, a route linking islands across the Seto Inland Sea via sweeping bridges that rise and fall above open water. Here, fishing villages slip by, and beaches appear between stretches of citrus groves heavy with fruit.
In Aso-Kuju National Park, volcanic trails lead towards Mount Aso. Steam drifts from the crater as you hike to viewpoints many visitors never reach.
This is a fascinating cultural journey with a multi-activity edge, where temple visits and local encounters sit naturally alongside time in the elements.
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Active Japan: Kyushu & Shikoku
Active volcanoes, steaming onsens, island-hopping by bike – this is Japan at its most beautiful and exciting
5. Watch golden eagles hunt along the Silk Road
When to visit: Year-round for the golden eagle hunting tradition itself, although Exodus departures operate at selected times of year.
The Silk Road stretches across five countries on The Five Stans of the Silk Road, but one moment often stands out.
Near Issyk-Kul Lake, in Bokonbaev village, you meet falconers who practise golden eagle hunting, a tradition passed down through nomadic families for generations. Eagles are released high into the sky before returning to leather-gloved arms with striking precision.
This is not a performance staged for visitors. It is a working skill, refined over years and rooted in Central Asia’s pastoral life. Many travellers describe it as a highlight of the entire three-week journey.
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The Five Stans of the Silk Road – Ashgabat to Almaty
Five countries, three weeks, one epic trip through Central Asia's Silk Road
6. Experience Mongolia through its great festivals
Mongolia stretches wide and spare. Rolling steppe. Stark desert. Ger camps pitched against distant mountains. Here, the seasons do not just change the landscape, they shape the celebrations.
Travel during Tsagaan Sar, the Mongolian lunar new year, and families visit elders, exchange gifts and share festive dishes inside warm tents.
In July, Naadam brings the so-called “Three Manly Games,” a festival centred on wrestling, archery and long-distance horse racing, traditions that date back to the time of Genghis Khan.
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Cycling in Mongolia – Naadam Festival
Cycle through the wild steppe and attend the Mongolian Olympics
In the far west, the Golden Eagle Festival celebrates the Kazakh tradition of hunting with eagles. Hunters gather in traditional dress to showcase their skills, competing in tests of speed and precision against the backdrop of the Altai Mountains.
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Mongolia Golden Eagle Festival
From Mongolia's vast steppe to eagle hunting in the Altai Mountains
7. A Thai family adventure beyond the beach
When to visit: Thailand makes a great school-holiday adventure, with departures timed around key family travel periods throughout the year.
Thailand works brilliantly for families, but step beyond the beach for a time and watch the adventure step up a notch.
On our Thailand Family Adventure, the days are built around doing all sorts of activities together. In Bangkok, you cycle Bang Krachao, the city’s green lung. Flat pathways wind through Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park, making it manageable for mixed ages while still feeling like a proper ride.
In Erawan National Park, seven tiers of waterfalls cascade through forest. You can swim in the lower emerald pools or follow the 2km trail to the upper levels, climbing steadily and stopping to cool off along the way. For children, it is exploration. For parents, it is proof that screen time can be replaced.
Continuing the journey, in Baan Nong Khao, an agricultural village known for palm sugar production, you learn how the traditional Thai dessert khanom tan is made before tasting it warm. Nothing quite matches the excitement of falling asleep on a train, and here you do just that, bunks folded down as the countryside slips past in the dark. The next day, you kayak along the Klong Sok River, drifting beneath overhanging trees and watching for birdlife along the banks.
For families, this is adventure spent side by side. Not just sightseeing, but sharing the effort, the laughter and the stories afterwards.
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Thailand Family Adventure
Take your clan to the Land of Smiles, one of the world’s great family destinations
8. Search for snow leopards in India
Ready for one of the most extraordinary Asia travel experiences for those willing to trade comfort for altitude?
When to visit: Late February and March.
On our Search for Snow Leopards trip, you travel with one of the most experienced Himalayan guides in the region. Valerie Parkinson has spent decades leading treks and expeditions across the High Himalaya and was the first British woman to summit Mount Manaslu without supplementary oxygen. Her knowledge of local culture, religion and wildlife is unsurpassed.
This is not a safari. It is a patient search across stark valleys, scanning ridgelines for movement. Along the way, you visit ancient monasteries and, on certain departures, you can even attend a colourful monastic festival with masked dancers. There is also a homestay night with a Ladakhi family and the chance to spot lynx, blue sheep and golden eagles.
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Search for Snow Leopards with Valerie Parkinson
Search for the elusive Snow Leopard with trekking guide Valerie Parkinson
Other India adventures to enjoy throughout the year:
And if you fancy something a little warmer, India offers entirely different rhythms.
Highlights of Kerala explores serene backwaters, spice ports and wildlife-rich Periyar National Park, ending by the Arabian Sea.
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Highlights of Kerala
Easy-going, exotic and entrancing – a totally different side to India in tropical Kerala
In Rajasthan, certain departures of Colours of Rajasthan include the annual Pushkar Festival usually held in October or November, where camel trading, religious ceremonies and eccentric competitions fill the desert town.
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Colours of Rajasthan – Pushkar Festival
Experience the best of India's colourful desert state
Discover more Asia travel experiences
Whether you’re travelling to coincide with Lunar New Year celebrations, searching for snow leopards or planning a quality family adventure, Asia travel experiences reward good timing.
Because each season reveals something different.
