9 Best Views in Wild, Beautiful Asia

The breezy port city of Aqaba, only a dozen miles from the Saudi Arabian border, has a compact shore that may be one of the world’s best diving and snorkeling spots.

Considered masterpieces of Georgian art, the earliest of these spectacular, rock-cut sacred spaces were established in the first half of the sixth century by one of the 13 Assyrian Fathers, St. David (Garejeli), and his disciples.

This is Band-e-Amir National Park, a point of pride and a rare natural oasis in a country that has seen conflict for nearly 40 years.

Bhutan’s breathtaking and little-known Gangtey Valley is situated on the sun-drenched western slopes of the Black Mountains. Lording over the gently hollowed, treeless valley is the 17th-century cloistered Gangtey Monastery, home to Buddhist monks.

Each year, during the cool months from December until February, the wetland of the provincial capital, Nong Han Kumphawapi, turns from a watery green into a showy display of pink lotus blossoms that carpet the lake’s tranquil surface.

Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist spiritualists have all withdrawn to these mountainous folds in search of reclusion and enlightenment.

A bizarre, beautiful landscape lies beyond the northern outskirts of Taiwan’s capital city, Taipei. The Daliesque rock formations, crashing waves, volcanic mountains, and hot springs have a wild, fantastical quality.

Only three of the islands that make up the Batenes province are settled, and with a robust fishing culture, limestone architecture, pristine landscape, and a general lack of crowds, they are a destination unlike any other in the Pacific.

The estimated 1,776 grass-covered, coral limestone karst domes are nearly uniform in shape, with a smooth, symmetrical geometry. Adding to their intrigue is the fact that their name—Chocolate Hills—is something of a misnomer because lush foliage paints the mounds a vibrant, emerald green for much of the year.