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In 2020, the natural world had a chance to heal itself, and many destinations in Asia are better for it. Whether it’s the leopards of Yala in Sri Lanka or the manta rays of Indonesia, many areas of Asia are emerging in the new year recuperated and reenergized. As we look forward to a New Year, we most look forward to getting a little bit wild.
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After a respite from tourists, Sri Lanka national parks — featuring some of the best safari destinations in all of Asia — are refreshed and ready for travelers once again. The most sought after sighting is that of the leopards, best found in Yala National Park. From the sloth bears of Wilpattu to the elephants of Udawalawe, it is always a good time for a safari in Sri Lanka.
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This isolated corner of the Indonesian archipelago is best explored on a private schooner, providing access to the over 1500 jungle-covered islands with secluded coves and untouched beaches. The region boasts a mega-biodiverse underwater world in the heart of the Coral Triangle.
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Slated to open this year, the Bill Bensley-designed Khao Yai Swan Lake in the jungles just outside of Bangkok opens up this area to luxury tourism. The Khao Yai National Park, one of Thailand’s largest and most wild regions, is home to gibbons and monkeys, but the wild Asian elephants roaming the hills are the real highlight.
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Kamchatka is the ultimate adventure destination for nature lovers. Here, travelers can traverse the Russian Far East via helicopter to visit with bears and fly over active volcanoes in Russia’s wildest landscape. If you’re planning for spring, Kamchatka is most well known for its large brown bears and whale watching, and in winter Kamchatka is ideal for heli-skiing and heli-boarding.
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Slowly opening once again to international travel, Oman is an underrated wildlife destination. Famed for the underwater worlds at the Daymaniyat Islands and dolphins outside of Muscat, the real wildlife treat of Oman is found at Ras al Jinz, where the endangered green turtle is found hatching in the early mornings, best seen from May to September.
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The red ape of Borneo is one of Southeast Asia’s most fascinating creatures. The orangutan, with its distinctive orange fur and gentle broad face, can be seen in the wild and at rehabilitation centers which serve to care for, treat, and ultimately re-release them into the wild. On a journey through Borneo’s Kinabatangan river, travelers can see proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants, and crocodiles.
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The world’s largest lizard is found in one of Indonesia’s most beautiful national parks, Komodo. Here the dragons live on three islands — Komodo, Rinca, and Flores — and today these immense reptiles are the focus of any trip to the area, Komodo National Park, which also offers excellent diving.
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Seeing a tiger in the wild is a bucket-list experience, and nowhere is better suited than the forests and grasslands of India. From the vantage of the ultra-luxe Aman-i-Khas tented camp, travelers can explore Ranthambore, a wonderland of savannas and emerald lakes by the peaks of the Aravili and Vindhyan Hills. Panna and Bandhavgarh are excellent parks for tiger spotting as well.
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Perhaps no large mammal is more quintessentially Asia than the adorable panda, found in the foggy forests of Sichuan. From the comfortable vantage of historic Chengdu, travelers can view and even visit with these bamboo-munching bears of the Middle Kingdom.
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Located in a landscape dense with rivers, trees, and animals, Chitwan National Park is one of South Asia’s most impressive wildlife reserves. Guests traverse the deer-filled forest via jeep looking for the placid one-horned rhino and other wildlife of this tropical jungle in the shadow of the Himalayas.
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