![]() Son Tra Peninsula – located just 20 minutes from the city centre – is another tourist draw, home to a 17-storey, 220-foot statue of Lady Buddha, as well as endangered red-shanked douc langurs that live in the peninsula’s nature reserve. Every June, more than 150 daily flights deliver tourists eager to witness the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival. In 2023, Vietnam Airlines reopened its popular Tokyo route, Taiwan’s China Airlines started direct flights from Taipei, and several Southeast Asian budget airlines launched flights to the city, with plenty more in the works. Go for: Nature reserves central Vietnamese cuisine and the firework festivalĪ modern beach city located amid dozens of UNESCO-recognised sites in the country’s heartland – including the ancient port city of Hoi An and the former imperial capital city of Hue – Da Nang is one of Asia’s big post-Covid success stories, with 2023 international arrivals exceeding pre-pandemic figures, thanks in part to new flight routes that make the City of Bridges easier to get to than ever. Traversing historic tea plantations, colonial estates, local villages, holy shrines, and forests brimming with biodiversity, it’s a novel way to experience Sri Lanka’s lush hill country, particularly when paired with stays at boutique properties such as W15 Hanthana, the luxurious Goatfell, or the Kelburne Estate, scheduled to open in December 2024. Inland, development of the Pekoe Trail, a new 300km network of hiking routes that snakes its way through Sri Lanka’s highlands, continues. In January, the Galle Literary Festival will return after a five-year hiatus, with appearances by literary figures such as Shehan Karunatilaka and Alexander McCall Smith, while Gourmet Galle, the country’s new food festival, will spotlight 12 chefs in 12 venues, ranging from beaches to paddy fields, over a 12-week period from January to March. Go for: Wellness retreats a new food festival and a 300km nature trailĪ comprehensive renovation of the nine-room Meraki, which employs local women and offers yoga, holistic treatments, island-sourced vegetarian fare and artisanal crafts in the Polhena Beach district of Matara, is set to be unveiled in early 2024 and luxury fitness getaway Makahiya is gearing up to launch its own brand of bespoke retreats. ![]() – Lakshmi Sankaran South and central Sri Lanka In September, the country has its annual date with Formula 1 at the iconic Marina Bay Street Circuit, which, as F1’s original night race, is set against a dazzling backdrop of skyscrapers and city lights. Not to forget Singapore’s legendary glamour, which holds sway over everything, as Belmond returns with its long-awaited Eastern & Oriental Express, kicking off a new journey from Singapore to Malaysia and back in February. A 230-metre-long forest trail and a lagoon pool will be among the highlights of the soon-to-reopen Big Sister’s Island marine park. Cycling paths are coming to 10 additional neighbourhoods (Jurong Lake District and Punggol among them), and some will be linked to the city’s more than 300km-long green network of park connectors. At Gardens by the Bay, the country’s landscaping masterpiece, the longest sculpture in the world – a 192-metre parade depicting 60 endangered animals cast in bronze – is on display until May. ![]() Singapore is also adding exciting accoutrements to its impressive green quilt.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |