Asia attractions

All the most interesting things and places are just in Asia. There located the world`s tallest Mount Everest, as well as the world`s lowest point – the Dead Sea. The world`s deepest Mariana Trench (11 km) and the world`s deepest fresh water Lake Baikal (1.6 km) are also in Asia. The mountains of Tibet, as well as forests of Siberia, are the biggest on the earth. Asia also has surprisingly diversified landscapes – from tundra beyond the polar circle at Russia, to rainforests at the Equator.

It was just on this continent that all world religions came into being and took shape: Chris-tianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Confucianism. All places that are considered sacred by these religions are also located in Asia.

This region with its remarkable historical, cultural and nature sites simply can`t be uninteresting for tourists. For convenience of navigation we divided the continent into three sections: Asia, South-East Asia and Middle East. Here we`ll give you general information on Asia, while excellent seaside resorts of South-East Asia and sacred places of Middle East will be described in the corresponding sections. Russia will also be described separately, as significant part of its territory is just in Asia.

Touristically, China is the most interesting country in Asia. It has a lot of nature beauties, historical sites and today cities crowded with skyscrapers. You`d better start your acquaintance with this country from its capital, Beijing, to see the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. However, if you want to see modern China, you should go to Hong Kong or Shanghai. At the ancient capital Xian you can see the famous Terracotta Army, as well as the Old Town.

The primary nature sites of China are located in its mountain regions. These are Wulingyuan Area noted for its sandstone pillars, also known as the «mountains from ‘Avatar’», wonderful valleys of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong. Mount Hua Shan isn’t too far from Xian.

It will also be very interesting to go to Three Parallel Rivers Protected Areas. There you can start off on an interesting ship cruise down the Chang Jiang or Yangtze. Leaping Tiger Gorge is near the old town of Lijiang, which can be interesting for those who love trekking.

The Land of the Rising Sun, Japan, can be of at least as much interest for tourists. There you see the huge megalopolis of Tokyo, as well as ancient temple cities of Nara or Nikko. There are also a lot of nature reserves around the symbol of Japan, Mount Fuji, and you can easily climb it even you have no special training.

Of course, India may also be an interesting tourist destination (with some provisions). There are a lot of historical sites at the ancient capital of India, Agra, (Taj-Mahal, Red Fort) and nearby Jaipur (Amber Fort, Wind Palace). However, you must be aware that your experiences may be extreme to a degree. As you must have really hard nerves to observe some Indian traditions and customs, for example, to see how they cremate human bodies and throw the ashes into the Gang at Varanasi, with people washing their feet in the waters of the same river.

Alas, a vast region of South and South-West Asia is still inaccessible for tourists. There lo-cated such countries as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. And it`s a pity. As it is just in this region that the most ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia emerged. There you can see the ruins of Babylon and Persepolis, as well as many other interesting monuments of great antiquity.

For those who are interested in Buddhism Nepal would be the primary destination in Asia, as well as the city of Lhasa located on the territory of China. Nepal is a mountain country. There are a great number of trekking paths both in Katmandu Valley and highland Khangchendzonga National Park. The city of Lhasa, as well as Potala Palace that is on its territory, is a sacred place for Buddhism and its Tibetan branch, Lamaism.

Central Asia is a new but quite interesting tourist destination, namely, historical cities of Uzbekistan, as well as mountain lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan has also two interesting cities, – Bukhara and Samarkand, which history counts more than one thousand years.

 In the south of India there are islands that are just created for «paradise holidays». These are the Maldives, as well as Sri Lanka Archipelago. The Maldives are coral atolls elevated by 1-2 meters above the water level. There is nothing but palms, finest sand and emerald-green sea on the islands. So your single daily pastime will be to lie on the beach and bathe in the cleanest blue sea among most beautiful corals.