Get Lost

Decorated Death in the Londa Burial Caves

The Toraja ethnic group of South Sulawesi has some of the most elaborate death customs in the world, and the Londa burial caves, the region’s oldest, provide the best opportunity to encounter these fascinating traditions up close. After an expensive, intricate funeral – held months or even years after death – the deceased’s coffin is either laid in a stone cavern or hung on a cliff face. Upon approaching the caves, visitors can observe the hanging coffins and tau tau (carved wooden effigies of the dead) tucked into crevices in the cliffs.

At the entrance, be sure to buy a lantern since there’s no lighting inside, and negotiate with a tour guide for the best deal. Inside, the cavern extends for hundreds of metres, and the low ceilings can make it difficult to navigate. Watch your step – there may be a centuries-old skeleton underfoot.

Underground epic in Hang Son Doong

Imagine a cave so big it could house an entire New York City block of 40-storey skyscrapers; a subterranean system so vast it creates its own weather system and is home to a micro-ecosystem of lakes, rivers and concealed jungle. First explored in 2009 and later officially declared the largest cave in the world, Hang Son Doong in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, north-central Vietnam, is a geological marvel only recently opened to the public.

Join a seven-day expedition led by experts from the British Cave Research Association and be one of the first to discover the secrets of this fascinating network of limestone chambers, karst pinnacles, stalagmites and stalactites. Wade through thigh-deep water by torchlight, examine 350-million-year-old fossils and keep your eyes peeled for white spiders and shrimp. A Boeing 747 could comfortably fly through the largest cavern but you’ll make the trek on foot with a team of porters and guides, who will take you to places that experience less foot traffic than Mount Everest.

Waterfall Wonderland

Vietnam’s answer to Iguazu Falls is located in Cao Bang, in the country’s far northeast, and provides a spectacular natural border with China. Framed by dramatic limestone karsts, rice paddies and bamboo groves, Ban Gioc waterfall tumbles 30 metres down a series of cascades fed by the Quay Son River.

Getting here is quite the journey – the falls are about 350 kilometres northwest of Hanoi – but the rewards more than outweigh the effort. Hitch a ride on a bamboo raft and prepare to get wet as you punt across the 300-metre width of the falls. Take a dip in one of the jade-green pools and enjoy a side trip to nearby Nguom Ngao Cave, an underground network of tunnels and chambers that extends for several kilometres and sheltered villagers during the 1979 war with China. Hotels in Cao Bang City can organise trips to Ban Gioc and the caves.

Island Fishing Fun

Join a squid fishing fleet on the idyllic island of Phu Quoc and try your hand at catching your own dinner. Organised tours departing from Duong Dong Harbour at sunset will show you the ropes or, for a serious squid-jiggling jaunt, you can commission your own boat and skipper at An Thoi Port in Ganh Dau.

Largely undeveloped, Phu Quoc is located in the Gulf of Thailand about 15 kilometres off the coast of Cambodia and is made up of white-sand beaches and lush tropical jungle, with most of the island a declared national park. If you like fish sauce with your squid, check out one of the local distilleries. Nose pegs recommended.

Relax on your own sandbar in Mozambique

One of you needs naps beneath a palm tree between meals; the other wants to plunge into the water, pull dinner from the ocean and take the windsurfer for a spin. Do all this and more on the Quirimbas Archipelago, one of the few parts of the earth where the marine environment remains largely untouched by human hands. Lying just off the coast of Mozambique, the archipelago consists of 12 major islands, about 20 smaller outcrops and any number of sandbar beaches.

One of the cultural gems is Ibo Island, with its strong Arab and Portuguese influences. Stay at Ibo Island Lodge, where there are just 14 rooms and a private sandbar beach for complete separation from the rest of the world – if only for a few hours. For divers, this is a must-visit. Shallow sites swarming with tropical life are suitable for newcomers, while those with a few stamps in their logbooks will want to hit the staggeringly beautiful drop-offs. One popular spot is the southern tip of Matemo Island, where you can see dolphins, turtles, groupers and stingrays in the drift.

Dip into a canyon secret

With its endless rugged cliffs and deep red crevices, the Grand Canyon couldn’t be more awe-inspiring – that is until you discover its hidden jewel, Havasu Falls. Nestled in the tribal lands of the Havasupai Indian Reservation, this spring-borne waterfall plunges from a 30-metre-high cliff top into a natural amphitheatre.

Clear blue-green pools glow against the terracotta-stained rock, their luminous colour generated by naturally occurring calcium carbonate and magnesium. Rise early and hike there or, if you’re super keen, take a helicopter. However you get here, this is one gem you want to find.

Pack a punch at a Muay Thai camp

There’s no better way to get close to the action of Thailand’s national sport than by training with a Muay Thai master. Poptheeratham Muay Thai Camp in Bangkok is owned and run by legendary fighter Samart Payakaroon, one of the sport’s best combatants of all time. Famed for his extraordinary ability to avoid being hit, and packing power beyond his light frame, Samart was so good he switched to boxing when no one would fight him. With movie-star looks that survived more than 170 fights, Samart turned to acting and music after retiring, becoming one of the more famous men in Thailand.

When we asked him what it was that makes a great fighter, he smiled and patted his chest: “Without heart you have nothing.” Seize the opportunity to learn from a legend, jump onto the mat, pull on your gloves and discover how to jab, kick and clinch like a true warrior.

Plunge into a sinkhole

Take a break from Tulum’s ruins and jump straight into this emerald sinkhole. Part of the Ik Kil Archeological Park – also home to Chichén Itzá, a pre-Columbian city built by the Mayans – this swimming hole is just one of about 7000 cenotes (the word means natural well) dotted throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, thanks to an elaborate underground river system.

It’s a 26-metre drop from the lip of Ik Kil to the water. If you’re brave enough you can take the plunge – the water is about 40 metres deep, so you’re not about the hit the bottom. For the rest of us, there’s a set of stairs carved into the limestone for a more sedate entry. Get there early, or leave it till the late afternoon, to avoid the tour buses.

Adventure into a Rock Forest

The pinnacles of World Heritage-listed Mulu National Park have to be seen to be believed. Imagine sword-like blades of eroded limestone piercing from the verdant forest floor. The pinnacles cling to the side of Gunung Api (Fire Mountain) on Malaysian Borneo, with some reaching heights of up to 50 metres. You can witness this peculiar landscape on a strenuous three-day trek departing from Mulu National Park headquarters.

Feel great, do good in Laos

It’s true – in one part of the building you can give blood and in the other you can get pummelled into submission during a traditional Laos massage. Granted, the surrounds at the Red Cross Spa in Luang Prabang aren’t all rich silks and wafting incense like you might find at one of the ritzier hotels in the city, but the rooms – each with several beds separated by curtains for privacy – have undergone a reno and are bright and clean.

The quality of the massage is completely dependent on the person who’s assigned to dig their elbows into your sore spots, but at about US$6 for an hour-long treatment (admission to the sauna costs less than US$2) there’s not a lot to complain about. All proceeds go to Red Cross projects in some of the poorest parts of Laos, so you’re doing good while feeling great.

WHICH LETTER DOES YOUR DESTINATION START WITH?

Archives: Highlights