Advanced, airy and elevated, Singapore is a spectacular, futuristic vision of utopian city life. A healthy population of almost six million call it home, but this is a city designed with space to breathe, and gorgeous outdoor parks, massive indoor greenhouses and beautiful recreational spaces spread between the City of Gardens’ skyscrapers and soaring structures. Once a quiet fishing village, now a glistening island city-state and an international beacon of science, education and technology. View less Singapore is almost intimidatingly clean – and the hyper-efficient public transport system whips residents and visitors across the city’s neighbourhoods in a heartbeat. Glorious fountains and audacious skyscrapers loom up – nodding to traditional feng shui beliefs – and putting on dazzling illuminated displays after dark. The lush green botanical gardens are a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering 52 hectares and decorated with impressive colourful orchids. Or breathe in more of the freshest air by heading up to wander the canopy strung bridges of MacRitchie Reservoir Park. Head for the iconic Marina Bay – a landmark of the city crowned by three interconnected towers, which watch out over island sprinkled waters. Jaunt between Little India and the atmospheric Chinatown in minutes, where beautiful temples – like the Chinese Thian Hock Keng Temple and Hindu Sri Mariamman Temple add rich cultural intrigue. Singapore’s cuisine is a mouthwatering fusion of its Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, and Malay influences, taking and enhancing the best of each. Enjoy dishes in towering restaurants, or toast the glowing skyline with the city’s eponymous gin-soaked cocktail – a Singapore Sling.

Advanced, airy and elevated, Singapore is a spectacular, futuristic vision of utopian city life. A healthy population of almost six million call it home, but this is a city designed with space to breathe, and gorgeous outdoor parks, massive indoor greenhouses and beautiful recreational spaces spread between the City of Gardens’ skyscrapers and soaring structures. Once a quiet fishing village, now a glistening island city-state and an international beacon of science, education and technology. View less Singapore is almost intimidatingly clean – and the hyper-efficient public transport system whips residents and visitors across the city’s neighbourhoods in a heartbeat. Glorious fountains and audacious skyscrapers loom up – nodding to traditional feng shui beliefs – and putting on dazzling illuminated displays after dark. The lush green botanical gardens are a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering 52 hectares and decorated with impressive colourful orchids. Or breathe in more of the freshest air by heading up to wander the canopy strung bridges of MacRitchie Reservoir Park. Head for the iconic Marina Bay – a landmark of the city crowned by three interconnected towers, which watch out over island sprinkled waters. Jaunt between Little India and the atmospheric Chinatown in minutes, where beautiful temples – like the Chinese Thian Hock Keng Temple and Hindu Sri Mariamman Temple add rich cultural intrigue. Singapore’s cuisine is a mouthwatering fusion of its Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, and Malay influences, taking and enhancing the best of each. Enjoy dishes in towering restaurants, or toast the glowing skyline with the city’s eponymous gin-soaked cocktail – a Singapore Sling.

Penang is the northern gateway to Malaysia and the country’s oldest British settlement. To the tourist industry, Penang has been marketed for a long time as the “Pearl of the Orient.” When the British under Captain Francis Light took possession of Penang in 1786, they found the island covered in dense jungle and uninhabited, except for a handful of Malay fishermen and a few pirates. The small township, named Georgetown after George III (Prince of Wales), developed around the camp by the harbor. Many immigrants were attracted by the newly declared free port status and the island quickly became a cultural melting pot with an eclectic mix of races and religions in a unique blend of east and west. By 1789, Georgetown had a population of 5,000. By the end of the next decade, the population had doubled.

Thailand’s only island province is connected to the mainland by the Thep Krasettree Causeway. Known as the “Pearl of Thailand,” Phuket offers pristine beaches, lush vegetation, traditional villages and seascapes of huge limestone pillars that rise above the turquoise waters of Phang Nga Bay. With a land area of 215 square miles, Phuket Island is Thailand’s largest island and about the same size as Singapore. Arab and Indian navigators have called here since the end of the 9th century, while the first Europeans arrived in the 16th century.

Glorious temples, monuments and pagodas glint in the sunshine of Yangon, rising from a sea of lush greenery. Although it’s no longer Myanmar’s capital – since 2006 – the city remains the country’s largest and most culturally alluring. Having fallen under British control, it is littered with colonial architecture, in amongst the chaotic and colour-stacked streets. View less The day starts early here – with tea in one of the many inviting tea shops, fit in like a local by sipping a laphet yay – Burmese tea of black tea, and condensed milk. Explore the bustling streets, which are alive with energy, before heading to Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon’s best-known sight, and a glorious golden wonder arising from a sea of palm trees. The Buddhist pagoda is almost 100 metres tall and its glinting dome is crusted with a dazzling display of 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 rubies. Locals claim it was built 2,600 years ago – which would make it the oldest pagoda in the world, but scientists date it to the 6th century. Regardless of the true age, it’s an unforgettable sight, and an astonishing golden vision. One way to throw yourself into the deep end of authentic Yangon life is by jumping aboard the Yangon Circular train – which was built by the British in 1954. The rickety train takes you on a three-hour round tour of the city, offering a real insight into local life, as you travel amongst kind-hearted locals. See merchants coming aboard to sell vegetable, eggs and jewellery, as the city rolls past the windows. Escape the bustle at Inya Lake, which offers a little tranquillity, with paths for strolling amid the palm trees, floral displays and ferris wheel.

Glorious temples, monuments and pagodas glint in the sunshine of Yangon, rising from a sea of lush greenery. Although it’s no longer Myanmar’s capital – since 2006 – the city remains the country’s largest and most culturally alluring. Having fallen under British control, it is littered with colonial architecture, in amongst the chaotic and colour-stacked streets. View less The day starts early here – with tea in one of the many inviting tea shops, fit in like a local by sipping a laphet yay – Burmese tea of black tea, and condensed milk. Explore the bustling streets, which are alive with energy, before heading to Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon’s best-known sight, and a glorious golden wonder arising from a sea of palm trees. The Buddhist pagoda is almost 100 metres tall and its glinting dome is crusted with a dazzling display of 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 rubies. Locals claim it was built 2,600 years ago – which would make it the oldest pagoda in the world, but scientists date it to the 6th century. Regardless of the true age, it’s an unforgettable sight, and an astonishing golden vision. One way to throw yourself into the deep end of authentic Yangon life is by jumping aboard the Yangon Circular train – which was built by the British in 1954. The rickety train takes you on a three-hour round tour of the city, offering a real insight into local life, as you travel amongst kind-hearted locals. See merchants coming aboard to sell vegetable, eggs and jewellery, as the city rolls past the windows. Escape the bustle at Inya Lake, which offers a little tranquillity, with paths for strolling amid the palm trees, floral displays and ferris wheel.

Glorious temples, monuments and pagodas glint in the sunshine of Yangon, rising from a sea of lush greenery. Although it’s no longer Myanmar’s capital – since 2006 – the city remains the country’s largest and most culturally alluring. Having fallen under British control, it is littered with colonial architecture, in amongst the chaotic and colour-stacked streets. View less The day starts early here – with tea in one of the many inviting tea shops, fit in like a local by sipping a laphet yay – Burmese tea of black tea, and condensed milk. Explore the bustling streets, which are alive with energy, before heading to Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon’s best-known sight, and a glorious golden wonder arising from a sea of palm trees. The Buddhist pagoda is almost 100 metres tall and its glinting dome is crusted with a dazzling display of 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 rubies. Locals claim it was built 2,600 years ago – which would make it the oldest pagoda in the world, but scientists date it to the 6th century. Regardless of the true age, it’s an unforgettable sight, and an astonishing golden vision. One way to throw yourself into the deep end of authentic Yangon life is by jumping aboard the Yangon Circular train – which was built by the British in 1954. The rickety train takes you on a three-hour round tour of the city, offering a real insight into local life, as you travel amongst kind-hearted locals. See merchants coming aboard to sell vegetable, eggs and jewellery, as the city rolls past the windows. Escape the bustle at Inya Lake, which offers a little tranquillity, with paths for strolling amid the palm trees, floral displays and ferris wheel.

Built on a truly majestic natural harbour – one of the world’s largest – Trincomalee is a gateway to the deep historical interests of Sri Lanka. Richly cultural and historic, Trincomalee is surrounded by treasured sites, which hark back thousands of years – and hold unprecedented cultural value. Set on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka – on the peninsula that it shares its name with – venture inland to explore some of the world’s most majestic and evocative archaeological and holy sites. View less Or, take it easy and lay back on Trincomalee’s plentiful, palm-lined beaches. Boat tours can take you out to cruise among dolphins and whales, or to the reefs of Pigeon Island. A swirl of colonial houses, temples and mosques line the multi-cultural streets of this fascinating destination. Live like a local and start the day with a steaming cup of Ceylon tea and buffalo curd for breakfast before heading out to visit extraordinary sites of ancient worship, as you explore Sri Lanka’s incredible UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Head inland to the jaw-dropping Golden Temple of Dambulla, a vast temple, dominated by a gleaming gold Buddha figure. The amazing Ancient City of Polonnaruwa dates back to the 12th century and is an unearthed treasure trove of ruins – famous for its meticulously thought out urban planning. Polonnaruwa was the second capital of Sri Lanka, and you can visit the first capital at the Sacred City of Anuradhapura – a place of immense value to the Buddhist faith. The Sirigiya Rock Fortress is a jaw-dropping collaboration between man and nature, and the incredible fortress sits perched above an almighty 200-metre high slab of rock.

Built on a truly majestic natural harbour – one of the world’s largest – Trincomalee is a gateway to the deep historical interests of Sri Lanka. Richly cultural and historic, Trincomalee is surrounded by treasured sites, which hark back thousands of years – and hold unprecedented cultural value. Set on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka – on the peninsula that it shares its name with – venture inland to explore some of the world’s most majestic and evocative archaeological and holy sites. View less Or, take it easy and lay back on Trincomalee’s plentiful, palm-lined beaches. Boat tours can take you out to cruise among dolphins and whales, or to the reefs of Pigeon Island. A swirl of colonial houses, temples and mosques line the multi-cultural streets of this fascinating destination. Live like a local and start the day with a steaming cup of Ceylon tea and buffalo curd for breakfast before heading out to visit extraordinary sites of ancient worship, as you explore Sri Lanka’s incredible UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Head inland to the jaw-dropping Golden Temple of Dambulla, a vast temple, dominated by a gleaming gold Buddha figure. The amazing Ancient City of Polonnaruwa dates back to the 12th century and is an unearthed treasure trove of ruins – famous for its meticulously thought out urban planning. Polonnaruwa was the second capital of Sri Lanka, and you can visit the first capital at the Sacred City of Anuradhapura – a place of immense value to the Buddhist faith. The Sirigiya Rock Fortress is a jaw-dropping collaboration between man and nature, and the incredible fortress sits perched above an almighty 200-metre high slab of rock.

Galle is an ancient Muslim port where different political influences from Europe have merged. In fact, the Galle Fort was occupied by the Portuguese, Dutch and British until the late 19th century. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, it is surrounded by the sea on three sides. The surviving Dutch-colonial architecture and narrow streets exude the historic atmosphere of this living fort. The 18th century Dutch church has a splendid wooden memorial to one of the commanders of Galle, while the Arab quarter has a distinctly Moorish touch.

Hithadhoo is a district of Addu City, in the Maldives. Hithadhoo is the main administrative district of Addu City, with many of the administrative buildings in this district. The town is situated on the island of the same name, the westernmost of Addu Atoll.

This small island, no more than four square miles in size, is Praslin’s beautiful neighbor and presents a picture of peaceful seclusion. Apart from a few minivans, the only other means of transport here are ox carts or bicycles. The island has two centers, La Passe where you come ashore via the ship’s tender and, just half a mile to the south, La Réunion. Both are on the island’s west coast and neither has more than a handful of dwellings, a few shops, bicycle and oxcart rentals. A perfect place to explore on one’s own, some of the beaches near La Passe are within easy walking distance. To venture further you may want to hire an oxcart or a bicycle. There is good diving practically anywhere in the waters around La Digue, as well as excellent snorkeling at Anse Patates and Anse La Réunion. Protected on all but its southeast shores by a magnificent encircling coral reef, La Digue retains all the fascination of an untouched world. The road leading south from La Passe takes you past the charming La Digue Island Lodge and continues to L’Union Estate. The grounds feature a copra factory and an impressive tumble of granite rocks, at the foot of which live several giant tortoises. (There is a fee to enter L’Union Estate.) Further along the beach at Source d’Argent, a dirt path winds around heaps of giant granite boulders which present a popular subject for photo buffs.

This tropical Eden covers 14.5 square miles and lies a mere 28 miles from the island of Mahé. In addition to glorious beaches and fantastic marine life, Praslin is best known for the Vallée de Mai World Heritage Site where the botanical rarity, the coco de mer, grows wild. In fact, this incredible palm forest earned the island its original name of “Isle de Palme,” accorded by the French navigator Lazare Picault who had to carve his way through the tangled undergrowth of the inland hills. In 1768 Marion Dufresne led an expedition to the island and renamed it Praslin. He placed a Deed of Possession in a bottle which he buried in the sands of the northern coast. In the early 1800s the total population of the island amounted to ten families. Nothing noteworthy happened through most of the century, except for the arrival of General Charles Gordon in 1881. The hero of Khartoum thought he had found the biblical Garden of Eden and pronounced that the coco de mer was the biblical tree of knowledge

Like jade-colored jewels in the Indian Ocean, the more than 100 Seychelles Islands are often regarded as the Garden of Eden. Lying just four degrees south of the equator, the Seychelles are some 1,000 miles from the nearest mainland Africa. Little more than 200 years ago, all 115 islands were uninhabited.Then in 1742 a French ship dispatched from Mauritius sailed into one of the small bays. Captain Lazare Picault was the first to explore these unnamed islands. He encountered breathtaking vistas of rugged mountains, lagoons, coral atolls, splendid beaches and secluded coves. After Picault sailed away, the islands remained untouched for the next 14 years. Then France took possession of the seven islands in the Mahé group. During an expedition Captain Morphey named them the Sechelles, in honor of Vicomte Moreau de Sechelles.This name was later anglicized to Seychelles. The first settlers arrived at St. Anne’s Island in 1770; 15 years later the population of Mahé consisted of seven Europeans and 123 slaves. Today there are about 80,000 Seychellois, the majority of whom live on Mahé; the rest are scattered in small communities throughout the archipelago.The people are a fusion of three continents — Africa, Asia and Europe.This has created a unique culture and the use of three languages — Creole, French and English. Mahé is the largest island in the archipelago and the location of the capital,Victoria. Ringed by steep, magnificent mountains, few capitals can claim a more beautiful backdrop.The town features a mixture of modern and indigenous architecture; it is the center of business and commerce thanks to the extensive port facilities. Noteworthy sites in Victoria are the museum, cathedral, government house, clock tower, botanical gardens and an open-air market.