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Best camping destinations in Asia

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Wadi Rum
Valley of the moon's timeless magic
8.1
Zalabieh Bedouin run camps, guided 4x4 tours and camel rides across this 278 square mile valley. Jabal Umm ad Dami, Jordan's highest point, rises about 6,037 feet. Sandstone cliffs tower over flat valleys. Petroglyphs mark ancient cultures. UNESCO inscribed the protected area in 2011. Aqaba lies about 37 miles west.
Highlights:
  • 🏕️ Spend a night in a traditional Bedouin desert camp
  • 🏂 Sandboard down giant red sand dunes for adrenaline rush
  • 🚙 Take a thrilling 4x4 jeep tour through vast desert landscapes
Zanskar
Hidden Himalayan Buddhist wilderness frontier
7.8
The district covers about 2,700 square miles at generally 11,800 to 13,100 feet. Pensi La pass reaches roughly 14,400 feet on the road from Kargil. Padum has hotels and homestays. Phugtal Monastery is a day's trek from the end of the road at Dorzang. Winters are extremely long, so camping is a summer pursuit.
Highlights:
  • 🗻 Explore the stunning Drang Drung Glacier up close
  • 🕉️ Visit the ancient cave monastery at Phugtal Gompa
  • ❄️ Trek the famous Chadar frozen river trail in winter
Kyrgyzstan
Untouched mountain wilderness awaits explorers
7.5
The Tian Shan covers over 80 percent of the country, which earns it the nickname Switzerland of Central Asia. Jengish Chokusu tops out at 24,406 feet. Issyk Kul is the second largest mountain lake in the world after Titicaca. Herding families still move to high summer pastures called jailoo and live in yurts.
Highlights:
  • 🌌 Sleep in a traditional yurt under the starry sky
  • ⛰️ Hike to the waterfall in the red canyons of Jeti-Ögüz
  • 🏞️ Ride horseback through the alpine meadows around Lake Issyk-Kul
Mongolia
Land of endless steppes
7.7
The ground is wide open in the world's most sparsely populated sovereign state, with about 5.8 people per square mile. The country covers 603,909 square miles and gets over 250 sunny days a year. About 30 percent of the population is nomadic or semi nomadic. The traditional dwelling is the ger.
Highlights:
  • 🛕 Visit the Gandan Monastery and observe morning prayers
  • 🌌 Stay overnight in a traditional ger under starry skies
  • 🐎 Ride a horse across the vast Mongolian steppe
Khao Sok National Park
Ancient Jungle and Emerald Lake Paradise
7.8
Rainforest here is estimated to be over 160 million years old. Cheow Lan Lake covers about 64 square miles behind a 308 foot dam. It is known for limestone cliffs and turquoise water. White handed gibbons and Asian elephants live in the 285 square mile park. Rafflesia is its most famous flower.
Highlights:
  • 🐘 Trek into the jungle to spot wild elephants and gibbons
  • 🛶 Kayak through emerald waters surrounded by limestone cliffs
  • 🏞️ Stay overnight in floating bungalows on Cheow Lan Lake
Pamir Mountains
The Remote Roof of the World
6.6
Nicknamed the Roof of the World, the range holds Ismoil Somoni Peak at 24,590 feet. About 10 percent of the area is glaciated and the Vanch Yakh Glacier runs 48 miles. Annual precipitation is only about 5 inches. The Pamir Highway links Dushanbe and Osh and is the world's second highest international road.
Highlights:
  • 🏡 Stay with a local family in a remote Pamiri village
  • 🥾 Trek through the Wakhan Valley with views of Afghanistan’s peaks
  • 🚙 Drive the rugged Pamir Highway, one of the world's highest roads
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