Latest Central Asia Headlines

Kip Brook finds a visit to India a thoroughly transformative experience.

Will Ottley ventures into the Himalaya’s ‘Secret Kingdom’, where happiness is a social aim and tradition is perfectly preserved.

Sara McMurry goes shopping in Jaiselmer and learns how to identify a genuine Pashmina.

Adam Clapham’s portrait of small-village life in India includes a paen to the humble coconut – and it’s alcoholic potential.

When Sara McMurry stops working she doesn’t retire. She goes off on a series of volunteering stints teaching children in rural India, In this extract she’s teaching in a village near Shiv in the deserts of Rajasthan.

Adam Clapham’s new book portrays daily life in a small Karnataka village. In this extract a straggler strays into town.

Sjue Krieger discovers the vital importance, in the Caucasus, of not being a CIA spy. As this brings the risk of sudden death.

Turkey’s Cappadocia region is an iconic destination. Elizabeth von Pier tours the world’s most indiosyncratic desert destinations.

Elizabeth von Pier takes tea and time to explore the shopping opportunities in Turkey’s greatest city.

Lee Ruddin finds history hangs heavy as he finds while he’s getting selfies against Bombay’s famous Gateway to India, everyone else chooses their background as the Taj. And that’s the Taj Hotel, not the wonder-of-the-world in Agra.

Photographer Kyle Oberman talks to the Travelmag about his expedition into China in search of the elusive – and endangered – panda bears.

There are 18 icy, wolf-infested kilometres between these two countries. Yuri Drobkov has the choice between freezing and getting eaten in the wastes of Central Asia.

Everyone told Teja that English was widely spoken in India, and getting a SIM card would be easy. But when she flies into Varanasi she finds neither statement true.

Experienced gemologist Kim Rix outlines what to look for in sapphires and how to safely buy them abroad. In her new book she’s already outlined what to look for. Now she tells you how to buy.

Heading up into Nepal’s highlands by bus, Yuri Drobkov stumbles into a pretty exotic bit of authentic culture.

Most travellers to the Indian Sub-Continent steer clear during its seasonal rains. Jack Cage says this is the time to capture the real spirit of the country.

Expat life in India can be terrific, but there is plenty of red tape. Let Richard Michael be your guide to cut through the beaurocracy.

An early injury curbs Brian Fisher’s ambitious plans for travelling around Thailand. But not by much..

Kiwi traveller Mary Jane Walker revisits Turkey’s iconic Cappadocia region, and takes the trouble to put it in a historic perspective.

Charlie Walker’s continuing adventures have resulted in the launch of a new travel book. Here, for the first time, take the chance to read his prologue.

Ignoring the advice of friends, Bhupender Gupta visits the lakes of Kashmir, where he finds a warm welcome in a postcard-pretty land now starved of tourists.

Digestive problems don’t stop Cole Evanek appreciating the sense of hope sweeping through one of the world’s least visited destinations, the country once called Burma.

Bhutan, the tiny country half-crushed between China and India, is famed for it’s religious adherence and dedication to national happiness. Alex Jones has been there.

As tension mounts over North Korea, Jacob Laukaitis – who has visited both – has put together a timely video to illustrate what each country is actually like.

Lee Ruddin finds many of Sri Lanka’s famous highlights overrun with travellers and spoiled. The overlooked town of Matara is much more to his liking.

Back in the 70’s the surf scene in Sri Lanka is pretty much a paradise, according to Devika A Rosamund. It probably still is.

Charlie Walker tracks the border between Russia and Asia. It’s cold up there but Cally helps him travel a route with absolutely no transport infrastructure.

Adventurer par excellence Charlie Walker runs into legal problems as he fights his way through a forgotten corner of the Soviet Empire. Who knew tourism was so illegal.

Years before Mother Teresa was sainted there was another philanthropist handing out food to Calcutta’s poor, Devika A Rosamund was in India when Major Gardener of the Salvation Army was equally famous.

Adam Jacot de Boinod tours the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, discovering plenty of luxurious hotels but – strangely – not much else.

Goden Kerr is the master of explaining complex subjects concisely and clearly. In this extract from his latest book, ‘A short History of India’, he explains the birth of one of the world’s greatest religions in 500 words.

These days the Swat Valley’s always in the news for the wrong reasons. Back in the 70’s it was very different, as Devika A Rosamund discovers as she peels off the ‘Hippy Trail’.

Charlie Walker’s latest expedition is tracing the border between Europe and Asia. His start, in the wintry tundra of northern Russia, makes it clear just what a task he’s undertaken.

Sankar Chatterjee flies into Burma and visits its most famous temple, the Schwedagon Pagoda in the largest city, Yangon.

Every traveller has experienced that moment when an unfamiliar environment feels overwhelming and threatening. Back in the 70’s Devika A Rosamund has a wobble on her journey to India.

On her slow journey East towards India in the 70’s, Devika A Rosamund finds Afghanistan provides a vivid experience of a medieval way of life.

Trains are notoriously inexpensive in India, but air flights are also the cheapest in the world. Lopa Mohanty has her head around all the terms and conditions.

On a study course in China, Chris Brauer realises that Chinese students eat to live rather than live to eat. A trip to the Hutongs gives a rare opportunity to find food that doesn’t taste of cardboard.