ASIA TOURS
Stay in a Buddhist temple in Japan
Rather than simply snapping a quick photo outside a Buddhist temple, guests on this InsideJapan
Tours trip will be spiritually submerged, sleeping in traditional accommodation – think futons, tatami mats and shoji paper sliding doors – attending morning prayers and sitting among chanting monks amid the heady scent of incense. The temple’s shojin ryori-style banquet is a highlight too: strictly vegetarian, seriously delicious and based around the rule of five drawn from Chinese philosophy, with variations in cooking methods, tastes and even colours. The guide will be on hand to explain everything, both at the temple in Mount Koya and on the myriad other included experiences – taking tea with
a trainee geisha, a behind-the-scenes tour at a kabuki theatre, a kendo martial art lesson and
a session at a traditional onsen (hot spring) baths. Book it: InsideJapan’s 12-night Hidden Japan tour starts from £4,975, including some meals, transfers and destination experiences.
insidejapantours.com
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Watch golden eagles hunt in Mongolia
Those who can’t get their dog to come to heel in the park will marvel when they see a golden eagle swoop down to the gloved wrist of a hunter in splendid traditional dress. Mongolia’s Kazakhs – the country’s largest ethnic minority – have co-existed with these magnificent birds for hundreds of years, and the annual Golden Eagle Festival is a great opportunity to see them in action, alongside other pursuits including challenges on horseback and tug-of-war contests. This tour with Abercrombie & Kent invites guests to spend time with a Kazakh family, then visit the Gobi Desert and capital Ulaanbaatar, where Buddhist monasteries and
Soviet-era blocks stand side by side. Book it: Abercrombie & Kent’s 12-day Mongolia’s Golden Eagle Festival tour starts from £19,425, including all meals and transport.
abercrombiekent.com
Get nearer to nature on a farm in Vietnam Nearly three-quarters of Vietnam’s population lives in rural areas, and many use farming techniques handed on from their ancestors. Guests on this Wendy Wu Tours itinerary can get their hands dirty at Tra Que Vegetable Village, a communal farm just outside the pretty historic town of Hoi An. Donning the conical hats so signature to Vietnam, they learn about natural seaweed fertiliser sourced from local lagoons, plant their own crops and master the distinctive watering method using twin bamboo buckets carried across the shoulders, before a cooking demonstration using freshly picked produce.
The tour also visits Hanoi, Halong Bay, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta. Book it: Wendy Wu Tours’ 12-day Vietnam at a Glance starts from £2,890, with all meals, listed excursions and transfers, and including international flights.
wendywutours.co.uk
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2 APRIL 2026
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURES: Flora Ioannou; Shutterstock/Wirestock Creators, Nguyen Quang Ngoc Tonkin
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