One of Asia's great success stories, this island republic has merged diverse cultures into a dynamic and thriving nation. Clean, modern and full of green gardens, its neighborhoods reflect the Chinese, Malay, Indian, Arab and European backgrounds of its past. After sampling the legendary shopping, retire to Raffles Hotel's famous bar and toast Maugham, Kipling and Noel Coward with a Singapore Sling.
New Guinea is one of Asia's most spectacular regions for tourism. A living museum of natural history, untouched rain forests, white-sand beaches, snow-capped mountains straddling the equator, jewel-like lakes and moss-carpeted forests shelter some of the world's most astonishing wildlife. In the highlands valley of Baliem, Stone-Age tribes sport boar tusk nose rings, necklaces of harvested spider webs, and reed skirts for women. The custom of smearing their bodies with red or white clay for warmth has given rise to the nickname "mud people." In Jayapura, a picture-postcard harbor with a backdrop of eternally green hills greets travelers who visit this Indonesian part of New Guinea. Indeed, the only access is by sea, and aside from a few roads around the town, the only means of travel to the interior is on foot or by light aircraft. Streets bustle with an interesting mix of tribesmen, vendors, Minang merchants, Bugis fishermen or sailors from Makassar.
The Great Barrier Reef city of Cairns is the northernmost city of Queensland and is located amidst endless stretches of white sandy beach, attracting visitors from around the world. Although Cairns is the scuba-diving capital of the Great Barrier Reef, you can also wander along the Esplanade, with its remarkable views over Trinity Bay, or explore the Heritage Walk with its fascinating insights into the city's history.
Named after evolutionist Charles Darwin, this tropical city on the top end of Australia is a former frontier town with a rough-and-tumble past. Darwin's growth was achieved back in 1871 with the discovery of gold at Pine Creek, and today a number of historic buildings from that era remain. Darwin is also the center of the aboriginal community, the world's oldest culture. From here, you can visit Kakadu National Park, a World Heritage Site renowned not only for its Australian wildlife but Aboriginal rock art.
A rare discovery awaits the traveler who ventures onto this remote island of Komodo. Walking through the dense vegetation, hearing and seeing a variety of bird and animal life, you may feel you've landed in another epoch. Indeed, the last vestiges of long-gone dinosaurs survive here, in the form of the legendary, giant lizards called Komodo Dragons.
One of Asia's great success stories, this island republic has merged diverse cultures into a dynamic and thriving nation. Clean, modern and full of green gardens, its neighborhoods reflect the Chinese, Malay, Indian, Arab and European backgrounds of its past. After sampling the legendary shopping, retire to Raffles Hotel's famous bar and toast Maugham, Kipling and Noel Coward with a Singapore Sling.