13 Nights Asia

Before embarking in Keelung, the third-largest port in Taiwan,take a little time to do some sightseeing. This pleasant port city is home to such historical sites like the Sea Gate Barrier Fort and places of worship dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.

The "Wall Street of Asia" is one of the world's truly great cities. Reunited with China in 1997, it is a fast-paced, scintillating city brimming with Chinese medicine shops, British pubs, dazzling high rises, wooden boats, ancient villages, fish eateries and rugby lawns

Recently the feature of a major National Geographic expedition, Coron is one of the world's true undiscovered paradises. Steep cliffs descend down into incredibly blue water, and the local indigenous people guard this area with pride, hanging onto their culture and winning a national court case in the Philippines to gain native title of the area. The local people have strict guidelines for all access and development in the area and access to all sites can only be gained through cooperation with the indigenous owners, the Tagbanua people.

Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines is gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage listed Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and voted as a New Seven Wonders of Nature in 2012. St. Paul?s Underground River Cave is more than 24 kilometers long, featuring a spectacular limestone karst landscape with an underground river.

Kota Kinabalu on the island of Borneo is the bustling gateway to acclaimed Kinabalu National Park. The parks high point is 13,400-foot Mount Kinabula, Malaysias tallest peak, a mecca for climbers. Ninety miles away, thrilling jungle trekking and camping await in the Crocker Range National Park

Vietnam's first privately-owned deep water port, occupied by the Japanese during World War II, now serves primarily as a portal to Ho Chi Minh City?the "Pearl of the Orient". Nearby, the Cu Chi tunnels offer grim reminders of the Vietnam War.

Thailand's largest, most modern and busiest deep-sea shipping port is the nation's pride and its main transportation and export gateway. The famed beach resort of Pattaya is nine miles to the south, while Bangkok is 68 miles north of the port.

Ko Samui, Thailand's second largest island, lies in the Gulf of Thailand off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus. It's known for its palm-fringed beaches, coconut groves and dense, mountainous rainforest, plus luxury resorts and posh spas. The landmark 12m-tall golden Big Buddha statue at Wat Phra Yai Temple is located on a tiny island connected to Ko Samui by a causeway.

This small, roughly diamond-shaped island at the end of peninsular Malaysia may be coated in modernity, but underneath lies conservative Confucian values. Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian influences make Singapore a highly tolerant city with a wealth of fascinatingly sundry cultures.