Asia Bucket List Experiences
Expand each section for a list of things I want to do and see in the different countries in Asia.
Afghanistan
- Visit the Bamiyan Valley and see the Buddhist remains carved into the cliffs
Bangladesh
- Explore the Sundarbans mangrove forest, one of the largest mangrove forest in the world
Bhutan
- Hike to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery
- See the phallus paintings (slightly NSFW) all throughout Bhutan
- Attend the Jambay Lhakhang Drup festival
Cambodia
- Explore the temple complex of Angkor Wat – the largest religious monument in the world
- Visit the Killing Fields Memorial in Phnom Penh
Mainland China
- Walk the Great Wall of China
- See the Terracotta Army sculptures in Xi’an
- Eat spicy traditional Sichuan cuisine in Sichuan
- Attend the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
- Visit the giant panda research center in Chengdu
India
- Visit the Nasiyan Jain Temple in Ajmer
- Visit the Hawa Mahal palace in Jaipur
- Visit the Blue City of Jodhpur
- Tiger safari in Ranthambore National Park
- Visit the Shree Karni Mata Temple (Rat Temple)
- Trek in the Himalayas in Ladakh
- Relax on the beaches of Kerala
- Walk down the art street of Maravanthuruth in Kerala
- Houseboat hire in the Kerala backwaters
- Experience the Holi festival
- Do yoga in Goa
- Explore the sacred city of Varanasi
- Attend the Pushkar Camel Fair
- Attend a Diwali celebration
- Take a cross-country train trip
Have already checked off:
- Visit the Taj Mahal in Agra ✔
- Visit the Elephanta Caves in Mumbai ✔
Indonesia
- Hike Mount Batur in Ubud, Bali
- Visit the Ubud Monkey Forest
- Explore the Tegallalang Rice Terrace in in Ubud
- Visit the Pink Beach on Lombok Island
- Climb Mt. Rinjani in Lombok
- Snorkel in the Komodo National Park
- Visit a coffee plantation in Java
- Orangutan trekking in Borneo
Iran
- Visit the Red Beach on Hormuz Island
- Visit the Golestan Palace complex in Tehran
Japan
- Attend the Sapporo Snow Festival
- Climb Mt. Fuji
- Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Peace Park
- Visit the Aoshima Cat Island
- Island hop in Okinawa
- See the snow monkeys in Joshinetsu Kogen National Park
Have already checked off:
- Fed bowing sacred deer in Nara Park, Nara ✔
- Visited an onsen in Nara ✔
- Toured the Nijo Castle and Golden Temple in Kyoto ✔
- Fed monkeys at the Iwatayama Monkey Park in Arashiyama, Kyoto ✔
- Saw a show at the Robot Restaurant in Tokyo ✔
- Went to the Tokyo Skytree observation deck to see Tokyo from above ✔
- Ate sushi at the Tsujiki Fish Market in Tokyo ✔
- Ate takoyaki on Dotonbori Bridge in Osaka ✔
Kazakhstan
- Hike in the Almaty Mountains
- Explore Kolsai Lakes and Lake Kaindy outside Almaty
- Attend the World Nomad Games (sometimes in other countries in Central Asia region)
Have already checked off:
- Visit Big Almaty Lake ✔
Kyrgyzstan
- Visit the Oghuz Ancient Town
- Visit Issyk-kul Lake
- See the walnut trees of Arslanbob
Have already checked off:
- Hike through the Alay Mountains ✔
- Horse trekking to Song Kul Lake ✔
- Hike in Ala Archa National Park near Bishkek ✔
- See the old Soviet murals throughout Bishkek ✔
Laos
- Visit the golden Buddhist temple of Phat That Luang in Vientiane
- Cruise the Mekong River
- Attend a Lao New Year festival
Lebanon
- Visit the ruins of the Umayyad Trading City in Anjar
- Explore the Jeita Grotto
- Go to the top of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa
Malaysia
- Visit the Patronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur ✔
- Explore the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur ✔
- Explore Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak
- Eat street food throughout Georgetown, Penang ✔
- Attend the Rainforest World Music Festival
- Rainforest trek with the Penan Tribe in Malaysian Borneo
Mongolia
- Go on a horse trekking expedition
- Visit the Gobi Desert
- Attend the traditional Naadam festival
- Attend the Golden Eagle festival
- Experience nomadic culture and stay in a Ger camp
Myanmar
- Visit the Shwedagon Pagoda
- Cruise the Irrawaddy River
- Attend the Tazaungdaing Festival (Festival of Lights)
Nepal
- Visit Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) in Kathmandu
- Take a panoramic flight over Mt. Everest
- Do the Manaslu Circuit Trek
- Do the Upper Mustang Trek
- Attend the Tihar festival
Oman
- Tour the fjords of Musandam
- Camp and stargaze in the desert
Pakistan
- Explore the ruins in the ancient city of Taxila
- Visit the Chaukhandi Tombs outside Karachi
- Visit the Khunjerab Pass
- See the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad – one of the largest mosques in the world
Philippines
- Relax on the beaches of El Nido
- See the Chocolate Hills in Bohol
- Eat traditional lumpia
Singapore
- Eat across the Hawker centers ✔
- Visit the Supertree Grove ✔
South Korea
- Visit a traditional Korean bathhouse in Seoul
- Picnic at a park with Korean fried chicken by the Han River
- Explore Jeju Island
- Walk the Seoul Old City Walls
- Visit Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul ✔
- Visit a traditional Korean market in Seoul ✔
Sri Lanka
- Visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy
- Attend the Kandy Esala Perahera (Festival of the Tooth) in Kandy
- Tour the tea plantations in Ella
Taiwan
- Explore the night markets
- Attend the Yanshui Fireworks Festival
- Eat my weight in dumplings
Tajikistan
- Travel the Pamir highway and hike through the mountains ✔
Thailand
- Visit the iconic Wat Arun Temple in Bangkok
- Visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok – regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand
- Attend the Wat Pan Tao Ceremony in Chiang Mai
- Explore temples in the Chiang Mai Old Town
- Relax on the beaches in Southern Thailand ✔
- Eat khao soi in Northern Thailand
- Eat street food across the country
- Practice muay thai at a Thai training camp
Turkmenistan
- Visit the Door to Hell in Darvaza
United Arab Emirates
- Visit the Louvre of Abu Dhabi
- Go to the Burj Khalifa observation deck in Dubai
Have already checked off:
- Visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi ✔
Uzbekistan
- Visit the historic Silk Road city of Samarkand – one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Asia ✔
Vietnam
- Cruise Ha Long Bay ✔
- Explore the Hoi An Ancient Town
- Go on a trek with the Sapa Sisters ✔
- Visit the rice terraces in Ninh Binh
- Visit the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City ✔
- See the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi ✔
Yemen
- Hike on Socotra Island
Multi-Country
- Attend the Lowering of the Flags ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border between India and Pakistan
Those are some of the things on my Asia bucket list! Let me know if there’s anything I should add.