Highland Escapes in Asia
As temperatures climb across much of Asia and beyond, the search for a holiday destination is beginning to change. Rather than seeking out more sunshine, travellers are looking towards mountains, highlands and elevated valleys where the landscape brings a welcome change of weather and climate.
Asia has no shortage of places where altitude transforms the summer travels experience. From the high-altitude desert of Ladakh to the tea-covered hills of southern India and Sri Lanka’s highlands, and the mountains of northern Vietnam to the Himalayan foothills of Bhutan, these destinations offer a different way to travel through the warmer months, often with cooler air, dramatic landscapes and a welcome change of pace.
Not every destination below is cool in the literal sense, and several experience substantial rainfall during the summer months. But each destination offers something different from the heat of Asia’s lowlands thanks to the elevation, fresh mountain air, forested landscapes creating a more temperate climate.
Here are six places in the Secret Retreats collection to consider when the heat rises
Ladakh, India
Nimmu House
For a genuine change of climate, few places in the collection compare with Ladakh.
Set at around 3,100 metres above sea level and surrounded by the stark majestic beauty of the Zanskar Range, Nimmu House lies in a traditional village near Leh, the capital of Ladakh. The dry mountain air and cooler evenings offer a striking contrast to the heat and humidity experienced across much of the Indian subcontinent.
During June to August, daytime temperatures can reach around 20–30°C, while nights are noticeably cooler at or around 10°C.
Nimmu House is a centuries-old Ladakhi noble house that has been carefully restored to retain its traditional architecture and character. Guests can stay within the heritage house or in comfortable glamping tents that are set among the fragrant apricot orchards.
Beyond the retreat, Ladakh offers ancient monasteries, remote valleys, high mountain passes and vast and breathtaking otherworldly landscapes to enjoy.
Sapa, Vietnam
Topas Ecolodge
High in northern Vietnam, Sapa offers a cooler alternative to the tropical climate found across much of the country.
The town sits in the Hoàng Liên Sơn mountains, close to Mt. Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest peak at 3,147m. August is also part of the rainy season, so this is not necessarily a dry-weather escape but temperatures are generally much more moderate than in Vietnam’s lowland cities. August daytime highs in Sapa are broadly in the low-to-mid 20s Celsius, although warmer days do occur.
Set above the valleys and terraced rice fields, Topas Ecolodge takes full advantage of its mountain setting. The surrounding landscape is a reason to come in itself, sharing views of steep green valleys, minority hilltribe villages and layers of mountains disappearing into the mist. The views are stunning.
Here, the rain is part of the landscape rather than something to escape. Clouds move across the mountains, the rice terraces become intensely green, and the cooler air lends a different rhythm to a summer stay.
Munnar, India
Windermere Estate
In Kerala, the journey from the coast into the Western Ghats brings a dramatic change in landscape and climate.
The town of Munnar lies high among the tea plantations and forested hills, and its elevation makes it considerably cooler than Kerala’s tropical lowlands. August is one of the wettest months, but August temperatures are typically around 16–21°C, making it a great choice for a cool-weather summer retreat.
At Windermere Estate, the setting is intimately connected to the surrounding plantation landscape. The property grew from a working cardamom and coffee estate and still today retains the character of a private hill-country home, with rooms scattered among gardens and plantations.
This is a place for slow mornings, enjoying views of the mist over the hills, walks through the plantation and afternoons spent watching the clouds gather over the Western Ghats.
For travellers looking to avoid India’s intense summer heat, Munnar offers a particularly compelling alternative, not another tropical retreat, but a highland landscape with a distinctly different climate.
Thimphu, Bhutan
Zhiwaling Ascent
Bhutan’s capital sits in a Himalayan valley at around 2,300 metres above sea level, giving Thimphu a markedly different climate from the subtropical plains of neighbouring India.
August falls within Bhutan’s monsoon season, so rain is very much part of the experience. Yet temperatures remain relatively mild with August daytime highs around 13°C.
At Zhiwaling Ascent, the mountains are never far from view. The property combines traditional Bhutanese architectural motifs with contemporary design, and makes for the perfect home from home from which to explore Bhutan’s capital city, Dzongs, monasteries, and the surrounding landscapes.
The appeal here is less about escaping to somewhere cool and more about experiencing life at a different altitude in a truly beautiful and unspoilt environment, Bhutan is somewhere where every traveller should visit at least once, the closely guarded and cherished vistas here define natural beauty.
Pai, Northern Thailand
Reverie Siam
Pai presents a more subtle version of a cooler escape, it’s very much the place to chill.
Located in a mountain valley in Mae Hong Son province, the bohemian country town of Pai is surrounded by forest, rice fields and hills. Its elevation and inland position give it a somewhat different climate from Thailand’s hotter central and southern destinations.
August, however, cannot be described as cool in absolute terms with average daytime temperatures generally in the mid-20s to around 30°C, with high humidity and substantial rainfall as August is within the monsoon season.
The attraction of Pai at this time of year is therefore as much about landscape, attitude, and pace as temperature.
At Reverie Siam, the gardens, the Pai River and the surrounding mountains create a quiet setting that transports you far away from the intensity of Thailand’s larger urban centres. This boutique property has 18 individually styled rooms and two swimming pools, with the surrounding landscape providing a natural backdrop to an unhurried stay.
In August, Pai is not a destination where you’ll need to pack for cold weather. Instead, it offers a greener, slower, more chilled hill-country alternative to Thailand’s hotter lowlands.
The Central Highlands, Sri Lanka
Madulkelle Tea & Eco Lodge
Sri Lanka’s central highlands offer another change of scenery, and a different pace of travel.
Set among the mountains of Sri Lanka’s tea country near Kandy, Madulkelle Tea & Eco Lodge occupies an elevated landscape that looks across to the Knuckles Mountain Range. The property itself is surrounded by tea plantations and rolling hills, making the setting feel worlds away from Sri Lanka’s tropical coast.
It is worth being precise about the climate, however. Madulkelle is not a cold-weather destination, and August temperatures can still be warm, particularly during the day. Climate records for the wider Madulkele area indicate considerably higher temperatures than those found in Munnar or Leh, averaging between 26 to 28°C. But nights get cool and fresh feeling, with temperatures often as low as 18°C.
What makes it relevant to this collection is the combination of elevation, mountain landscape and cool evenings, together with a setting where the weather becomes part of the experience.
Days here are best spent outdoors, walking through the tea plantations, exploring the surrounding hills or simply sitting on the terrace and watching clouds move across the mountains.
A different way to escape the heat
The most interesting summer escapes are not necessarily the places with the lowest temperatures.
Sometimes, the difference comes from altitude. Sometimes it is the dry air of a high-altitude desert, the mist of a mountain valley or the shade of a forested hillside. And sometimes, escaping the heat simply means exchanging a crowded city for somewhere greener, quieter, slower and simply more chilled.
From Ladakh’s otherworldly mountain scenery to the gentle hills of the tea country of Kerala, these six destinations offer six very different interpretations of a cool summer escape.
Because when the heat rises, perhaps the answer isn’t to travel further into summer but to travel somewhere higher.
