Beyond the Familiar: Eight Secret Journeys Across Asia
The Asian Roads Less Travelled
There is another Asia waiting to be discovered, one beyond the famous landmarks and well-worn itineraries that you can discover on a Secret Retreats Journey.
The most rewarding journeys are not always about reaching the next celebrated sight. Sometimes they are about taking the longer road, following an old route, crossing a little-known border, walking through a rural landscape or travelling deep into a culture that has remained largely untouched by mass tourism.
Across Asia, Secret Retreats’ journeys invite curious travellers to experience destinations differently, through local knowledge, independent hospitality and carefully considered routes that reveal the character of a place beyond its familiar postcard image.
From the highlands of Papua to the countryside of Nepal, the remote corners of Timor-Leste and the quieter landscapes of Japan, these are eight journeys for travellers who would rather get off the beaten path for a journey of discovery, than simply follow the crowds.
Isan, The Unexplored Thai Province · 8 days / 7 nights
Discovering rural Thailand from Loei to Khon Kaen
Thailand is hardly an undiscovered country. Yet travel beyond its celebrated beaches, bustling capital and well-known northern cities, reveals a very different side of the kingdom.
Isan, The Unexplored Thai Province heads into Thailand’s vast northeastern region, travelling from Loei towards Khon Kaen through landscapes and communities that remain well beyond the reach of the established tourist circuit.
Here, the rhythm of travel is slower and the experience more intimate. This journey opens a window onto rural life in eastern Thailand to share with you the local traditions and the distinctive cultural character of Isan, a region shaped by its proximity to the Mekong and centuries of cultural exchange with neighbouring Laos. For travellers who believe that knowing a country means looking beyond its most famous destinations, Isan offers an entirely different but equally beautiful, fascinating and delicious Thailand.
Swinging Through North Sumatra · 8 days / 7 nights
From orangutans and tropical rainforests to the volcanic shores of Lake Toba
There is an Indonesia far beyond Bali and Lombok.
In North Sumatra, the journey begins amid dense rainforest with extraordinary biodiversity before continuing towards the awesome volcanic setting of Lake Toba, one of the world’s great, otherworldly, natural landscapes.
The route brings together nature, wildlife and the cultures of northern Sumatra, culminating at the lake with its distinctive Batak heritage. It is a journey of contrasts from rainforest and volcanoes to wilderness and community, to adventure and the quiet contemplation of one of Indonesia’s most spectacular landscapes. For those willing to venture beyond the well0-beaten paths on the country’s better-known islands, North Sumatra offers a compelling reminder of just how much of Indonesia remains to be discovered.
The Eastern Blues · 9 days / 8 nights
Following Thailand’s eastern coast into the jungles and waterways of Cambodia
There is something wonderfully unexpected about travelling east. Rather than following the familiar routes between Thailand’s major cities and Cambodia’s best-known temples, The Eastern Blues takes a different direction through the historic landscapes of Eastern Thailand before continuing towards Cambodia’s tropical coast and the island of Koh Rong.
Along the way, the journey shifts effortlessly between culture, history, jungle and sea. It is a route where the pleasure lies as much in the transitions as in the destinations themselves. This is Southeast Asia at its most intriguing where two neighbouring countries are connected not simply by geography, but by landscapes and stories that become clearer when experienced slowly.
Where The World Ends: Explore the Deep Heart of Papua · 7 days / 6 nights
Into the Baliem Valley and the cultural world of the Dani and Lani people
Some journeys are measured not in kilometres, but in how far they take us from the familiar.
Deep in Papua’s Baliem Valley, the landscape changes dramatically into a world of highland mountains, valleys and traditional communities. Here, travel becomes an opportunity to encounter cultures whose relationship with the land has developed over generations and remains as important and integral to daily life today as it did 1,000s of years ago. Where the World Ends is not simply a journey into a remote corner of Indonesia. It is an invitation to experience a very different cultural and geographical world, one where traditions, community and landscape remain inseparable. For the curious traveller, Papua represents the rare possibility of going somewhere that still feels genuinely far away and lost in time.
Shikoku: The Heart of Southern Japan · 13 days / 12 nights
Exploring Japan’s quieter island of temples, valleys, gardens and ancient traditions
Japan’s great cities need little introduction. Shikoku is another story.
The country’s smallest of its four main islands offers a slower, more contemplative experience of Japan, shaped by mountains, forests, rural communities and centuries-old spiritual traditions.
Over 13 days and 12 nights, this journey allows travellers to look beyond the familiar Japan of Tokyo and Kyoto and discover a landscape where ancient pilgrimage routes and everyday traditions remain woven into the fabric of life. There is a particular pleasure in travelling through a place where the journey itself matters — where a quiet road, a village, a temple or a shared meal can become as memorable as any landmark.
Refreshing Countryside Walks in Pokhara Valley
Gentle walks, Himalayan vistas and encounters with rural Nepal
The Himalayas have a way of making travellers think in terms of peaks. But in Nepal, some of the most rewarding experiences happen at ground level.
Refreshing Countryside Walks in Pokhara Valley offers a gentler way to experience the country, combining walking, rural landscapes with the extraordinary Himalayan backdrop around Pokhara. Rather than chasing the highest summit, the journey invites travellers to slow down and appreciate the details, village paths, terraced hillsides, local life, beautiful birdlife and flora, and the changing light across the mountains. At just five days and four nights, it is also a reminder that a meaningful journey does not have to be long. Sometimes all that is required is enough time to leave the main road behind.
Korea in Between · 11 days / 10 nights
Beyond Seoul: discovering Korea’s heritage, landscapes and living traditions
South Korea is today firmly on the world’s travel map. But beyond Seoul’s skyline, K-pop and the country’s extraordinary contemporary culture lies another Korea, one of historic towns, mountain landscapes, traditional architecture, regional food, and living heritage.
Korea In Between, an 11-day / 10-night journey, invites travellers to look beyond the country’s best-known urban centres and discover the spaces in between. It is here that a more nuanced Korea emerges, one where old and new exist side by side, where history is still visible in the landscape, and where travelling beyond the obvious reveals the country’s deeper sense of identity. For anyone who thinks they already know Korea, this is an invitation to look again.
History Among the Waves · 8 days / 7 nights
Discovering Timor-Leste through its history, culture and extraordinary coastline
There are still places in Asia where the feeling of discovery is unmistakable. Timor-Leste is one of them. History Among the Waves reveals a country shaped by a complex past, vibrant traditions and extraordinary coastal landscapes. From historic Balibo and Dili to traditional Tais weaving, hidden waterfalls and encounters with local communities, the journey offers a glimpse into a destination that is still largely beyond the usual travel routes. Out at sea, whale watching adds another breathtaking dimension to the experience. The journey brings together Timor-Leste’s rich history, culture, and its stunning surrounding natural beauty.
Eight Journeys. Eight Different Asias.
From the villages of northeastern Thailand to the highlands of Papua, from the volcanic landscapes of Sumatra to the quiet roads of Shikoku and the shores of Timor-Leste, these journeys share one simple philosophy:
The most interesting places are often found just beyond the familiar.
They are journeys for travellers who want more than a checklist of sights, for travellers who want to understand a destination through its landscapes, cultures, people and stories.
Because sometimes the best way to discover Asia is simply to take the road less travelled.
