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Best eco-tourism destinations in Asia

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Bhutan
Himalayan monasteries, dzongs and trekking trails
8.5
Since the 1970s the kingdom has measured progress by Gross National Happiness, an idea from its fourth king, while its constitution says at least 60 percent of the land must stay forest. Hikers on the Druk Path trail cross high ridges and alpine lakes with prayer flags and few other travellers.
Highlights:
  • 🌄 Admire Himalayan panoramas from Dochula Pass’ 108 chortens
  • 🎉 Join a colorful Buddhist festival at Punakha Dzong
  • 🏔️ Hike to the cliffside Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Paro
Komodo National Park
Dragons, Pristine Reefs and Wild Beauty
7.3
Dry grass rustles as Komodo dragons, lizards up to 10 feet long, move across Rinca and Komodo islands, where rangers with forked sticks lead small groups on set trails. Pink Beach has sand coloured by red coral and manta rays feed in the water offshore.
Highlights:
  • 🤿 Snorkel with graceful manta rays at Manta Point
  • ⛰️ Hike to Padar Island’s summit for breathtaking views
  • 🦎 See Komodo dragons in their natural habitat on Komodo Island
Chitwan National Park
Wild Rhinos and Jungle Adventures
7.5
Like a wildlife park in the lowlands below the Himalayas, the national park has one horned rhinos, Bengal tigers and gharial crocodiles along the Rapti River. Guides lead walks and canoe trips through tall grass while Tharu villages nearby run homestays and dance shows in the evening.
Highlights:
  • 🐘 Watch elephants bathe and play in the river
  • 🚣‍♂️ Ride a canoe along the Rapti River at dawn
  • 🦏 Take a jungle safari to spot rare one-horned rhinos
Socotra
Alien Landscapes, Untouched Adventure
7.9
The island separated from the African mainland millions of years ago so about a third of its plants grow nowhere else, including dragon's blood trees with umbrella shaped crowns and red sap. Travellers camp on white sand dunes at Qalansiyah and swim in the Detwah Lagoon.
Highlights:
  • 🕳️ Hike to the ancient Hoq Cave’s stunning stalactites
  • 🏞️ Swim in the pristine natural infinity pool at Homhil
  • 🌳 Explore the surreal Dragon Blood Tree forest
Shiretoko National Park
Brown bears and drift ice in Hokkaido
8.3
The Shiretoko Five Lakes trail has a raised wooden walkway across ground where brown bears feed, with views of five lakes below the mountains. In February drift ice from the Sea of Okhotsk floats off the coast while people in dry suits walk on the ice.
Highlights:
  • ♨️ Hike to Kamuiwakka Hot Falls and soak feet
  • 🛥️ Take a wildlife boat cruise to see bears
  • 🌲 Walk the scenic Shiretoko Five Lakes boardwalk
Huanglong National Park
China's Colorful Terraced Wonderland
7.0
From April to October the pools of Huanglong are free of snow while a wooden boardwalk climbs through terraces of golden calcite and turquoise water to Five Color Pond at about 11,500 feet. Walkers must stay on the boardwalk, which protects the fragile limestone terraces that grow slowly.
Highlights:
  • 🏯 Admire Huanglong Temple set amid alpine landscapes
  • 🥾 Walk the scenic boardwalk to Wucai Pond viewpoint
  • 🏞️ Marvel at the colorful travertine pools terrace formations
Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve
Colorful lakes in Tibetan mountains
7.8
Tibetan families hang prayer flags beside the clear lakes of the valley, which is named for the nine villages nearby. Visitors ride shuttle buses and walk wooden boardwalks past Five Flower Lake and Nuorilang Waterfall, so the turquoise water stays clean and the forest paths stay quiet.
Highlights:
  • 📸 Capture perfect reflections at Mirror Lake early morning
  • 💧 Walk the boardwalk above Pearl Shoal Waterfall
  • 🌈 Admire the vibrant hues at Five Flower Lake
Kamikochi
Clear river valley beneath the Hotaka Range
8.5
Like a small corner of the Alps, the valley has the clear Azusa River and Taisho Pond, where dead trees stand in the water. Kappa Bridge is a wooden footbridge with views of the Hotaka peaks while private cars are not allowed so hikers arrive by bus and the valley stays quiet.
Highlights:
  • 🍂 Admire autumn foliage along Kamikochi’s forest trails
  • 🗻 Hike to Myojin Pond surrounded by sacred mountains
  • 🌉 Walk the scenic Kappa Bridge overlooking the Azusa River
Kanha National Park
Tiger paradise in magical wilderness
7.6
Jeeps carry small groups through sal forest and open grassland called maidans, where Bengal tigers rest in the shade of tall trees. The hard ground barasingha, a deer with many pointed antlers, was brought back from near extinction here while sightings are best at dawn.
Highlights:
  • 🦜 Join a guided birdwatching tour through the sal forest
  • 🦌 Observe barasingha deer grazing in open meadows
  • 🐅 Spot Bengal tigers on an early morning jungle safari
Tanjung Puting National Park
Orangutan paradise in Borneo jungle
7.3
Feedings at Camp Leakey happen in the afternoon, when wild orangutans swing down from the trees to eat bananas at wooden platforms. Guests sleep on klotok, small wooden river boats with mattresses on the deck, that glide up the Sekonyer River through mangroves and peat swamp forest.
Highlights:
  • 🌳 Explore the lush rainforest on guided jungle treks
  • 🛶 Take a traditional klotok boat tour along Sekonyer River
  • 🦧 Observe wild orangutans at Camp Leakey feeding stations
Wae Rebo
Ancient village in the clouds
6.9
Like a village from another century, Wae Rebo has seven tall cone shaped houses called mbaru niang with roofs of palm leaves that go almost to the ground. Guests hike about three hours uphill from the village of Denge and sleep on woven mats while villagers serve coffee grown on the slopes.
Highlights:
  • 🤝 Participate in welcoming rituals with the Manggarai people
  • 🏠 Stay overnight in a traditional Mbaru Niang house
  • 🌳 Trek through tropical rainforest to reach the village
Lakshadweep
Pristine coral paradise off India
8.3
October to May has calm seas and clear water around the coral atolls, so snorkellers and divers explore reefs with turtles and reef fish. Only a few of the 36 islands are open to tourists and travellers need a permit, so visitor numbers stay low.
Highlights:
  • 🛥️ Enjoy a lagoon cruise through the Lakshadweep atolls
  • 🏖️ Relax on the white sands of Agatti Beach
  • 🤿 Dive into the coral reefs around Kadmat Island
Lake Baikal
World's deepest lake, Siberia's jewel
7.9
In southern Siberia the lake is 5,387 feet deep, the deepest in the world, with about a fifth of the planet's unfrozen fresh water. Hikers follow the Great Baikal Trail, built by volunteers, past pine forest and quiet bays while Baikal seals, found nowhere else, rest on the rocks.
Highlights:
  • ❄️ Swim in the icy, crystal-clear waters of Baikal
  • 🚂 Ride the Circum-Baikal Railway for breathtaking views
  • 🥾 Take a winter trek across the frozen lake surface
Khao Sok National Park
Ancient Jungle and Emerald Lake Paradise
7.8
A dam built in the 1980s created Cheow Lan Lake, where limestone cliffs rise from green water and guests sleep in floating bungalows. Guides lead small groups through the forest to see gibbons and hornbills, while from December to March the giant Rafflesia flower is in bloom.
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
Yakushima
Ancient cedars, mossy forest and waterfalls
8.8
About 40 miles off the southern tip of Kyushu, the round island has mossy forests of yakusugi, cedar trees more than 1,000 years old, while rain falls often. Hikers follow an old logging railway track to Jomon Sugi, a cedar at least 2,000 years old.
Highlights:
  • 🐒 Spot Yakushima macaques and deer along forest trails
  • 🌳 See Jomon Sugi, Japan’s legendary 7,000-year-old cedar tree
  • 🌲 Hike through the ancient cedar forests of Shiratani Unsuikyo
Daisetsuzan National Park
Japan's largest national park, in Hokkaido
8.3
In the centre of Hokkaido, the largest national park in Japan has volcanic peaks, alpine meadows and hot spring valleys that the Ainu people called the playground of the gods. Hikers climb Asahidake, 7,516 feet, on trails past steaming vents while brown bears roam the forest below.
Highlights:
  • ♨️ Soak in natural hot springs at Asahidake Onsen
  • ⛰️ Hike to Mt. Asahi summit, Hokkaido's highest peak
  • 🚠 Ride Asahidake Ropeway to scenic Sugatami Plateau
Sundarbans National Park
Whispers of mangrove giants and elusive tigers
6.9
The smell of mud and salt water is strong in the tidal creeks of the park in West Bengal, where mangrove roots poke up from the mud and Bengal tigers swim between islands. Guides on slow boats watch the banks for tigers, crocodiles and spotted deer from a quiet distance.
Highlights:
  • 🌅 Hike through saltwater forests at sunrise
  • 🐅 Spot Bengal tigers nesting near the riverbanks
  • 🚤 Explore mangrove labyrinths aboard a guided boat tour
Raja Ampat
Vibrant coral reefs and lush tropical islands
8.9
Villagers follow sasi, an old custom that closes a reef to fishing for a season so fish can recover. Many local families run small homestays on stilts over the clear water while snorkellers swim above reefs with more than 1,400 kinds of fish, including manta rays and wobbegong sharks.
Highlights:
  • 🌋 Explore Tofua volcano crater for panoramic sea views
  • 🚤 Kayak through crystal lagoons surrounding the hidden islands
  • 🐠 Snorkel at Manta Point, witness majestic manta rays
Chūbu-Sangaku National Park
Northern Alps peaks, snow walls and onsen
8.5
An English missionary named Walter Weston climbed these peaks in the 1890s and helped make the name Japanese Alps and the sport of mountain hiking popular. Today hikers sleep in huts along high ridge trails while in spring the Tateyama road in Toyama is cut between snow walls up to 60 feet high.
Highlights:
  • ♨️ Soak in natural hot springs surrounded by mountain scenery
  • 🏔️ Climb Mount Hotaka or Mount Yari for panoramic views
  • 🥾 Hike through the dramatic alpine landscapes of Kamikōchi Valley
Danum Valley
Untamed rainforest, rare wildlife sanctuary
8.0
A canopy walkway of hanging bridges rises about 90 feet above the forest floor in Danum Valley, a protected area of old growth lowland rain forest in Sabah on Borneo. Guides lead night walks to spot slow lorises, flying squirrels and sometimes orangutans nesting in the treetops.
Highlights:
  • 🐵 Spot orangutans lounging in their natural habitat
  • 🥾 Hike to the top of the rainforest ridge
  • 🌲 Explore Danum Valley's ancient cloud forest canopy
Chiang Mai
Ancient temples and mountain escapes
8.1
Elephant Nature Park opened in 1998 about 60 kilometres from this city. By 2005 it had stopped elephant performances and shifted to visitors helping with care. Doi Inthanon National Park, known as the roof of Thailand, reaches 2,565 metres. It has cloud forest and 383 bird species.
Highlights:
  • 🛕 Visit the sacred Doi Suthep temple atop the mountain
  • 🍲 Join a traditional Thai cooking class with locals
  • ⛩️ Explore the ancient temples of the Old City
Phong Nha cave
Majestic Underground Wonder
Boats carry passengers up the Son River into Phong Nha Cave, where huge chambers have stalactites and a pale underground river. Nearby Son Doong Cave, with a jungle inside a collapsed ceiling, is visited by only a small number of trekkers each year, which protects the cave from damage.
Highlights:
  • 🧗‍♂️ Try adventurous ziplining and mud bathing nearby
  • 🪨 Explore stunning stalactites and underground lakes
  • 🛶 Cruise the Son River to enter Phong Nha Cave
Sundarbans
Whispers of mangrove giants and hidden wildlife
Calls of kingfishers and the plop of mudskippers, fish that walk on mud, come from the largest mangrove forest in the world, which stretches across the Ganges delta. On the Bangladesh side boats from Mongla take small groups to Hiron Point, where spotted deer graze and guides watch for tigers.
Highlights:
  • 🍤 Visit local fishing village to taste fresh seafood
  • 🐅 Spot Bengal tigers during dawn patrols
  • 🌿 Explore mangrove labyrinth on guided boat tour
Mount Kinabalu
Majestic peaks echo ancient jungle whispers
Climbers must hire a licensed local guide and sleep at the Laban Rata hut, then start in the dark at about 2 am to reach Low's Peak, 13,435 feet, by sunrise. The park is a World Heritage site with giant pitcher plants and the huge Rafflesia flower.
Highlights:
  • 🌊 Witness orchid display at Poring Hot Springs waterfall
  • 🌺 Explore Kinabalu Park botanical gardens on guided tour
  • ⛰️ Climb Mount Kinabalu summit before sunrise
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