East Asia Travel Destinations: Guides, Galleries and Tales from the East

East Asia

Step into East Asia

The countries of East Asia have captured people’s imagination for centuries. Their rich histories, millennia long traditions, captivating cultures and incredible cuisine have attracted travellers for over a thousand years. The ancient aspects of these lands blend with the modern, resulting in a fascinating mix, with layer upon layer ready to be discovered, waiting to be explored.

COUNTRIES

KOREA

East Asia - Korea

TAIWAN

7 Best Things to do in Taipei - Shuttered shop front, closed for Chinese New Year

MONGOLIA

Budget Gobi Tour: Monks take a rest between prayer at the Erdene Zuu Monastery in Kharkhorin, Central Mongolia

CHINA

East asia - Korea

LATEST POSTS

Plants and flowers line the back of the Tainan Confucius Temple complex wall

What To See & Do In Tainan

Jan 15, 2020Guides

Jeju Olle Trail: Routes 13 to 18-1

Dec 17, 2019Guides

A catamaran sails on the calm water at sunset off the south coast of Jeju Island

Jeju Olle Trail: Routes 7 to 12

Nov 29, 2019Guides

A barman makes a cocktail in TCRC , one of the best places to eat and drink in Tainan.

Where To Eat & Drink In Tainan

Nov 4, 2019Guides

A female Olle Trail hiker standing by a Hallabong mosaic mural, looking out to sea on Jeju Island

Jeju Olle Trail: Routes 2 to 7-1

Oct 29, 2019Guides

Jeju Olle Trail: Routes 18 to 1

Oct 15, 2019Guides

Camping The Jeju Olle Trail: Everything You Need To Know

Jul 29, 2019Guides

The Best Beaches On Jeju Island

The Best Beaches On Jeju Island

Jul 22, 2019Guides

An intricately arranged motorbike repair shop in Dadaocheng, Taipei, Taiwan

A Quick Guide To Dadaocheng: Taipei’s Oldest District

Jul 9, 2019Guides

7 Days In The Gobi: A curious kid in small town Mongolia

7 Days In The Gobi

Nov 19, 2018Guides

A Guide to Hahoe: Korea's Most Charming Folk Village

A Guide to Hahoe: Korea’s Most Charming Folk Village

Sep 19, 2018Guides

The Essential Guide to Visiting the Tsaatan Reindeer Herders, Mongolia

How To Visit The Tsaatan Reindeer Herders, Mongolia

Sep 7, 2018Guides

Sitting area at Ikoi Ryokan, Kurokawa Onsen

A Guide to Kurokawa: A Japanese Onsen Town

Aug 18, 2018Guides

A True Gobi Welcome

True Gobi Welcome

Aug 8, 2018Tales

Budget Gobi Tour: Sunset over the Khongor sand dunes, the Gobi, Mongolia

The Essential Guide to a Budget Gobi Desert Tour

Jul 31, 2018Guides

Sunset Point: the best sunset spot in Tongyeong

The Essential Tongyeong Guide

Jul 25, 2018Guides

Diving Jeju Island South Korea

Diving Jeju Island South Korea

Jun 29, 2018Guides

The Essential Seoul City Guide

The Essential Seoul City Guide

Jun 3, 2018Guides

A Week On The Olle: Jeju Olle Video

A Week On The Olle: A Video From Jeju’s Island Walking Trail

May 9, 2018Other

Hiking Hallasan: South Korea's Highest Peak

Hiking Hallasan: South Korea’s Highest Peak

May 2, 2018Guides

A boldly coloured huge lantern hangs at the entrance to Longshan Temple, Taipei

Longshan: Impressions of Taipei’s Oldest Temple

Apr 25, 2018Tales

Teaching English in Korea: Work, Travel & Save - Kindergarten Crafts

Teaching English in Korea: Work, Travel & Save

Apr 18, 2018Resources

Korean Food: Kimchi Jjigae

Korean Food: Kimchi Jjigae

Apr 11, 2018Guides

7 Best Things To Do In Taipei

7 Best Things To Do In Taipei

Apr 5, 2018Guides

Yokjido A Korean Island Guide

Yokjido: A Korean Island Guide

Mar 21, 2018Guides

Taipei Night Market Culture: A Quick Guide

Taipei Night Market Culture: A Quick Guide

Mar 16, 2018Guides

Day Trip From Taipei: Releasing sky lanterns at night at Pingxi, Taiwan

A Day Trip From Taipei: Jiufen, Shifen & Pingxi

Mar 7, 2018Guides

Essential Busan City Guide - Fish Wall at Gamcheon Culture Village

The Essential Busan City Guide

Feb 28, 2018Guides

Bijindo: Two local women protected from the hot sun walk in front of a sashimi shack

Bijindo: A Guide to Korea’s Sleepy Island Getaway

Feb 14, 2018Guides

Looking towards one of Saryangdo Island's suspension bridges from the ridge hiking trail, with the road bridge and surrounding islands in the distance, South Korea

Saryangdo: The Best Day Hike in Korea

Feb 7, 2018Guides

Sandstorm: The tents set up on stony ground in Qinghai Province, China

Sandstorm

Jan 23, 2018Tales

LATEST VIDEOS

LATEST GALLERIES

TAIWAN

Images of Taiwan: Elephant Mountain Pastel Sunset

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A rare moment of quiet on the 125 metre high Hilla

A rare moment of quiet on the 125 metre high Hillary Bridge, as a lone porter crosses enroute to Namche Bazaar. During peak season, thousands of people and animals cross this bridge each day, and it’s not unusual for queues to form, making the often windy crossing even more daunting for some. You can see the old bridge below, no longer safe and now completely unused. Out of sight 125 metres below, the grey blue Dudh Koshi rushes by, draining snow and glacier melt from the highest mountains in the world.

@goingthewholehogg

#Nepal #visitnepal #discovernepal #himalayas #hikingtheglobe #trekking #visualsofearth #outdoortones #folkscenery #alphacollective #sonyalpha #solarcollective #roamtheplanet

A moody morning at Gokyo Lake, the mighty forms of

A moody morning at Gokyo Lake, the mighty forms of Arakam Tse (6423 m) and Cholatse (6335 m) rising behind. We had a cold time at Gokyo (4790 m), with a fair bit of snow and temperatures well below zero, but the conditions made the already stunning scenery even more stunning.

@goingthewholehogg

#Nepal #visitnepal #discovernepal #himalayas #hikingtheglobe #trekking #mountain #mountains #mountainview #mountainlake #mountainstories #mountainplanet #reflections #reflection_shotz #visualsofearth #outdoortones #folkscenery #alphacollective #sonyalpha

So many enjoyable forest sections at lower altitud

So many enjoyable forest sections at lower altitudes in the Langtang Valley. We really enjoyed trekking here. There’s a lot of variety to the landscape as you climb through the valley, and once you clear the treeline, impressive mountains are your constant companion.

We are currently busy working on the first film from our recent Nepal trip, and seeing as we like to work in chronological order, it’s from the first trek - the Langtang Valley. It’ll be a while yet but we’re looking forward to sharing it with you in the not too distant future 😃

@goingthewholehogg

#Nepal #visitnepal #discovernepal #nepalnow #trekkinginnepal #trekking #hikingtheglobe #hikingadventures #hikevibes #outdoortones #solarcollective #alphacollective #sonyalpha

New on the blog! 🇳🇵 If you’re planning a

The Himalayan Tahr Effectively a wild goat, the H

The Himalayan Tahr

Effectively a wild goat, the Himalayan tahr is an even-toed ungulate (a large mammal with hooves) native to the Himalayas in southern Tibet, northern India, western Bhutan and Nepal. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, as the population is declining due to hunting and habitat loss.

Despite its threatened status, these tahr were noticeably unskittish, allowing me to approach within a few metres while Kim and our guide (@govindarai69) looked on from the trail below. Thanks to eagle-eyed Govinda for making these pictures possible - he’s the one who spotted them up on the hillside as we climbed the trail towards Pangboche, on the Everest Base Camp/Three Passes route.

@goingthewholehogg

#Nepal #visitnepal #discovernepal #nepalnow #himalayas #nature #wildlife #goats #mountainstories #hikingtheglobe #solarcollective #outdoortones #alphacollective #sonyalpha #transfer_visions

Lhotse (8516 m), the world’s 4th highest mountai

Lhotse (8516 m), the world’s 4th highest mountain. Which one do you prefer?

1 // Blue toned Lhotse

2 // Black and white Lhotse

3 // Unedited Lhotse

When I started working on this one I was struggling to decide how to approach it and took the notion to try black and white, something I never really do. I have to say though, I really like the dramatic effect and am pretty pleased with the results.

I took this image from the hills around Chukhung (4730 m), the last place you stay on the Everest Three Passes trek before crossing the first pass, Kongma La, if going anti-clockwise. The sun had just appeared from behind the clouds before setting, with only Lhotse’s peak illuminated. I could no longer feel my feet and this was just about the last shot of the day, as my camera battery died rapidly in the subzero temperatures and the spare gave up almost instantaneously. Kim, along with everyone else, was sensibly keeping warm next to the fire inside the cosy dining room of our guesthouse, Hotel Yak Land.

@goingthewholehogg

#Nepal #visitnepal #discovernepal #himalayas #hikingtheglobe #trekking #mountain #mountains #mountainview #mountainstories #mountainplanet #lhotse #solarcollective #visualsofearth #outdoortones #alphacollective #sonyalpha