Sometimes when we travel, we come across places that exceed our expectations, and when we leave, we lament that we did not spend more time there. We make a promise to ourselves that we will return one day, but that’s not always practical to do when there are so many other places to see in the world.

However, occasionally there is that special place that really does draw you back, and you make the effort to return. I asked my co-writers and some of our regular contributors whether there were any such places in Asia to which they would be prepared to spend the time and money to go back in preference to travelling to somewhere new. These are the destinations that they said are worth revisiting:

Ella, Sri Lanka (Alan Williams)

There’s perhaps nowhere in Asia I’d rather return to than Ella, a charming little town in Sri Lanka’s Hill Country. It’s only 200 km by road from Colombo but it feels a world away.

When I visited Ella in December 2015, I hired a car and driver in Colombo for a four-hour drive up into the mountains. I stayed at a lovely little homestay a couple of kilometres outside town and spent four days chilling. Nosy monkeys watched as I ate breakfast outdoors. I went walking, I took afternoon naps and in the evenings I drank wine and enjoyed the views. Occasionally a local train would chug its way through the night high on the mountainside. 

Ella itself was friendly and laid back, with a hilly main street offering a range of places to eat and drink. Though a bustling town, it had retained a kind of hippie vibe and reminded me of some of the towns I stumbled upon in Nepal during my backpacking days in the early 1970s.

If I visit Ella again, I’ll do one thing differently. Instead of driving, I’ll take the train from Kandy in the Hill Country – yes, the train I saw on the mountain. It’s considered one of Asia’s most beautiful railway journeys. The meandering 160 km trip can take anything from six to 10 hours, with three stops along the way. You can go second class and sit at an open door or window with the wind in your face, but I might just splash out on a first-class ticket and enjoy the air conditioning.  

Ninh Binh, Vietnam (Louise Pieterse)

I’d love to go back to Ninh Binh. I have fond memories of its karst limestone hills and rich emerald rice fields. Ninh Binh has long been one of Vietnam’s best-kept secrets. While scores of tourists flock to Ha Long Bay to see the ocean surround iconic rock formations, Ninh Binh offers equally iconic scenes of mighty hills rising from bright wetlands.

My first and only visit to Ninh Binh was unforgettable, but it was not nearly long enough. It is easy to look at a destination’s top attractions and slot them into a fast-paced itinerary, but one neglects to leave room to breathe. The tranquility of this secluded section of Vietnam is a true tonic for the soul and I could easily spend another week peddling a bike through the rice paddies or casting a line at my homestay’s fish-filled pond.

There are also multiple national parks and wetland reserves around this part of Vietnam that need more of my attention. Hundreds of bird and animal species live in the Thung Nham Bird Valley, Cuc Phuong National Park, and Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve. A longer stay in Ninh Binh means avid bird watchers can have plenty of time to observe the giant flocks of water birds that call this area home.

Ninh Binh should jump right to the top of any Vietnam itinerary and anything under a week in this lush region is an injustice to oneself. A boat trip on the Ngo Dong River is something that every visitor should do.

Daejeon, South Korea (Nannette Holliday)

Revisiting South Korea is top of my mind, especially the countryside and natural environment surrounding Daejeon in early autumn. While my discoveries were extensive around this South Korean, non-touristy university city in January 2019, I could only take short day trips around the region as I was house sitting. 

During my six-week stay in the country, I fell in love with South Korean culture, history, food and soju. And while Seoul and Busan are popular and vibrant cities, Daejeon left a more lasting impression. It has everything the other cities have, but despite its 1.5 million population, its pace is much slower and relaxed.

Thirty minutes on a slow train from Daejeon, I discovered South Korea’s only winery in Yeongdong, the heart of the country’s fruit and vegetable growing region. Wine Korea at Chateau Mani uses local fruits, vegetables and table grapes to produce their unique wines that perfectly complement Korean foods. I’d love to experience their October harvest and wine-making festival time, sharing the foot stomping fun, frivolity and first sips with the locals.

An hour south by bus, the surrounding Daedunsan Mountain area is breathtakingly picturesque. I’m not a strenuous hiker, so this 878-metre mountain and its many walking trails suited me perfectly. I previously ascended via the cable car and ziplined down. Next time, I’d like to stroll the tracks and spend longer absorbing its natural offerings, and capturing the colourful autumn photographic opportunities, especially amidst the impressive, rugged surrounds from the suspension bridge 80 metres above the valley floor. The Jangtaesan and Maninsan Jayeong recreational forests and the Gyejoksan Hwangtogil trail in the Jiangdong recreational forest are worth more extended visits, and they are also on my autumn wish list.

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia (Jillian Huntley)

The city of Ipoh in north-western Malaysia, while famously known for its delicious white coffee, is also known as the gateway to the Cameron Highlands. Having spent a week exploring Ipoh, I was always aware of the majesty of the highlands as the backdrop to Ipoh. The fluctuating colours of the highlands in the changing light captured my attention daily and my one regret is that we did not allow enough time to visit.

There is much on offer in the Cameron Highlands. However, it is also the cooler climate that draws people to escape the heat of the plains. For hikers, there is an extensive network of documented walking trails through the jungles. Along with waterfalls, the jungle is home to over 70 species of rainforest birds, lizards, lush tree ferns and wild orchids.

While I want to visit the flourishing vegetable gardens, strawberry and lavender fields, and flower and rose gardens, it is the tea plantations, first introduced by the British in 1925, that I most want to see. Spreading across the hills and valleys in a carpet of emerald-green, these tea plantations grow the finest teas in Malaysia. Boh Tea, the oldest of the four tea producers, can introduce you to the history of Malaysian tea culture through a tour of their factory and a chance to sample their teas in a café which overlooks their plantations.  

The Cameron Highlands is a two-hour trip from Ipoh and there are plenty of accommodation choices available. Locals suggest taking a taxi, rather than the bus, as the roads are narrow in sections and wind up and down through the hills which can be a challenge for someone with motion sickness. So, top of my list is a taxi to the Cameron Highlands when I am next in Ipoh.

Isan region, Thailand (Michael Cullen)

High on my must-revisit list is Thailand's northern-eastern region, Isan. A wonder-filled area equating to a third of Thailand, with minimal international visitors. I was introduced to two of its southern provinces on my first visit. Ancient Khmer ruins built in the Angkor Wat era, the character-filled city of Khorat and the 230 km long UNESCO-listed Dong Phaya Yen-Khao Yai Forest Complex and national parks were highlights.

Isan's 20 provinces each have their own reasons to visit, though the province of Loei in the far north-west of the region is top of my list. The Phetchabun Range divides it from central Thailand and the mighty Mekong from Laos in the north. Loei is an up-and-coming ecotourism region with majestic mountains like Phu Kradueng, Phu Luang, Phu Ruea and their national parks. Hike the plateaus, catch a sunrise from cliff edges, explore the abundant flora (especially March – April), check out the waterfalls and be enthralled by fog-enshrouded summits.

To the north on the Mekong is Chiang Khan, listed as a World Sustainable Destination in 2020 by Green Destinations. Walking or cycling is the easiest way to get around the old town with its rustic wooden house rows converted into guesthouses, cafes, and restaurants. Sunrises or sunsets with the Mekong as the canvas are described as magical. Just 20 km west is a newly opened glass decked skywalk with panoramic views of the Thai-Laos border where the Hueng and Mekong Rivers meet.

Ideally, I would time my trip to include the boisterous, colourful, and intriguing three-day Bun Luang and Phi Ta Khon Festival or Ghost Mask Festival, held mid-year. Local men and boys of the Dan Sai village, cowbells at the waist, don homemade costumes of colourful fabric strips and wear ghost masks made from upturned bamboo steamers and coconut leaf sheaths. They create enough noise to wake the dead.

Luang Prabang, Laos (Niko Samaras)

Without a doubt I would choose Luang Prabang in northern Laos to visit again. I first went there about 30 years ago when it was regarded as one of Asia’s best-kept secrets. I remember walking its quiet streets when there were only a handful of backpackers around, and sampling delicious freshly baked baguettes and pastries from the French boulangeries.

I loved the colonial architecture of the old buildings, the beautiful temples, boat trips on the Mekong, the hikes to waterfalls in the surrounding hills, and the fabulous Asian fusion cuisine which had a distinct French influence. Back in those days ‘LP’ as it was colloquially known had a backpacker feel to it, but there were small boutique hotels springing up giving it quite a sophisticated atmosphere as well.

Access was difficult back then because the only planes flying into the small airport were Lao Aviation prop jets which had a terrible safety record, so most people drove up from Vientiane – a two day drive overnighting at Vang Vieng on the way. But that all changed when the airstrip was lengthened and new airlines started bringing in more tourists, changing the character of the town almost overnight. Luang Prabang started getting even more crowded when four Chinese airlines started flying direct from provincial cities in the PRC.

I’d like to go back before the Covid restrictions on outbound tourism from China are lifted because I’ve heard the town is much quieter now because none of the Chinese flights have resumed and there are no Russian tourists doing side-trips from Bangkok. It may be my last chance to see Luang Prabang before its appeal is finally destroyed by over-tourism.

Yangshuo, China (David Astley)

Finally, for me, there was one place that immediately came to mind, and that was Yangshuo in southern China’s Guangxi region where I had a short but memorable cycling holiday several decades ago. The scenery around Yangshuo is quite similar to Ninh Binh in Vietnam – a destination recommended by Louise Pieterse earlier in this article.

Like Louise, I felt my stay in Yangshuo was not nearly long enough, and I’d like to go back to do some bamboo rafting on the rivers, and hot-air ballooning if that gets restarted after the Covid pandemic. And also to try more of the many excellent restaurants in Yangshuo that were established to cater for international visitors.

Most people who travel to Yangshuo do so by way taking a morning river cruise from Guilin down the Li River, and then a bus or private car back to Guilin after their stay. That’s well worth doing as the scenery along the way is nothing short of spectacular, but if you don’t mind forking out a few extra dollars for the experience of a lifetime, hire a private boat instead and cruise down to Yangshuo in the late afternoon.

You’ll have the river to yourself (aside from the empty morning cruise boats coming back up the river to Guilin), you’ll feel closer to nature and the experience of seeing the sunset between the craggy limestone karst peaks as you approach Yangshuo is nothing short of magical.

Header image: © Porjai Kittawornrat