My recent visit to China sparked up long forgotten memories of travelling in Asia again. Something we hadn’t done in a long time,with the exception of trips to Bangladesh. We have travelled far and wide across Europe and North America the past 10 years and as we get ready to leave England and embark on new adventures in New Zealand and Australia, I cannot help but remember some of the amazing places we have been to in Asia, many that we will definitely return to again!
I have been nominated by Angela Travels to name 5 places I would want to visit again. In no particular order, here they are!
Bandhavgar National Park, India
We went here during our one month backpacking across India from Kolkata to Goa, mostly by train and bus. It was the first national park I had been to in India and all others in the future will pale by comparison I think.. Why? Because I saw 11 tigers in 3 days! Bandhavgar has the highest density of tigers in all of the national parks in India. We also saw other wildlife, mostly birds, deer and monkeys. A difficult place to get to, we had to change trains and buses three times. But the places you have to go through to get here, such as the Marble Cliffs of Jabalpur, are great for visiting as well… well worth going again!
We drove to the state capital of Meghalaya – Shillong – from Bangladesh when Ashique was a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, spreading the message of Positive Living – Say No to Drugs – Campaign. This region of India – Assam -holds a special place in my heart as my Dad’s family is from here and I have heard so many interesting stories around the language, culture and people from here. We went to visit Cherapunji, the wettest place on earth! Very lush and green, you can see the seven waterfalls in good days when it’s not raining (which it is most of the time!)
Shillong is a unique blend of different cultures as its population comprises of three major tribes as well as other communities. Random fact: Bob Dylan’s birthday is celebrated in live music concert here every year! We were there only for a few days and were mostly busy with the work events. But Shillong is a place, along with other parts in Assam, that we so look forward to visiting again!
We have been lucky to visit Sunderbans National Park in Bangladesh every time we have gone to visit from England. Banderban, located in the South-east of Bangladesh, part of the hill-tracts region is one of those places we have not had a chance to go back to. Known for its outstanding natural beauty, great for hiking and viewing wildlife, I personally look forward to swimming in one of the many waterfalls in this region and staying at the Eco Resort belonging to Guide Tours Ltd again!
Taman Nagara National Park, Malaysia
World’s oldest tropical rainforest, estimated to be more than 130 million years old! We went here while backpacking in Malaysia and Ashique’s ultimate dream was to walk the Canopy walkway (he had seen a program on this on TV and had always wanted to go!) Unfortunately it was closed during the time we went here. There were some lovely eco cottages right outside the park, but back then we couldn’t afford it, and we stayed at some cheap hostel bus ride away from the park. Taman Negara is the home of some rare mammals, such as the Malayan Tiger, Crab-eating macaque, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Malayan Gaur (seladang) and Asian elephant. We look forward to going back with the kids and hopefully Ashique will get to fulfil his childhood dream 🙂
Swatch of No Ground, Bangladesh
In the north-western part of the Bay of Bengal, a deep submarine canyon, known as the Swatch-of-No-Ground comes up close to the Bangladesh coast, south of the Sundarban Forest. We were lucky to visit here as guests of the expedition team from Bangladesh Cetacean Diversity Project. We saw many dolphins and whales, very up close, the three days we were there. It was a truly magical experience, just knowing we have such a rich marine biodiversity, so close to home! We dream of being back here again, sometime in the near future.
This is one of the many attractions for moving back to Bangladesh after our time in New Zealand and Australia in 2015. So we can travel different parts of Asia again. Have our base in Bangladesh, explore within our home country and the surrounding beautiful countries in Southeast Asia. I know I am supposed to name only 5 places but I cannot miss one of our favourites (and only reason didn’t post it on the top 5 is because don’t have pictures of the destination itself)
Goa – our all time favourite place in India – for chilling on the beach, great food and dancing the night away to Goa Trance music (might have to adapt that a bit with the two kids in tow 🙂 but so look forward to being back with the family!
I would like to thank Booked.net – Top Destinations to Go There for inspiring me to share the places I would like to return from my travels and want to nominate five other travel bloggers
http://fiveadventurers.com/Home/
http://vanillaskydreaming.com/
http://www.adventuresaroundasia.com/
Look forward to reading about their 5 travel destinations they would like to return to!
This was written as part of #Sundaytraveler hosted by A Southern Gypsy and Weekend Travel Inspirations hosted by ReflectionsEnroute
DO SHARE IF YOU LIKE THIS POST! WILL HELP US LOADS 🙂
Totally understand why you would love to return to these places!
Thanks 🙂 Just writing about it has made so many memories come back, really looking forward to travelling in Asia again 🙂
Some of these places, like Malaysia are high on my list of place I need to see soon!
For sure! we look forward to return to Malaysia again, but even more so to India! gorgeous places to visit!
Parts of the world I haven’t seen yet. Love to hear about your adventures and It has me thinking!
Enjoying sharing my adventures and look forward to to travelling these parts of the world again 🙂 Thank you!
More places to add to my bucket list. That last location with the dolphins and whales, that’s my favorite of these. Looks like you’re having fun everywhere.
Thanks 🙂 The Swatch of No Ground were we saw the dolphins and whales is a very special place, you can organize trip there through Guide Tours Ltd. Only in winter though, rest of the time the sea is too rough. Glad could inspire you to add places to your bucketlist 🙂
I have not been to any of these five destinations, which is a shame since they all have so much natural beauty. Thanks for bringing them to my attention.
You are welcome 🙂 I love discovering new places, especially ones set in nature!
I have not been to any of these five destinations, which is a shame since they all have so much natural beauty. Thanks for bringing them to my attention.
I am glad I could share the knowledge 🙂 they are all wonderful places to visit!
I had no idea that whale-watching and dolphin watching were available in Bangladesh! That looks like an amazing experience. The tiger park sounds like fun too (and maybe a little scary) 🙂
Until I went I didn’t know it was available either 🙂 I have seen river dolphins before but wasn’t aware of the rich marine life bit further out from the sunderbans!
That’s a wonderful list. There’s so much to explore in Bangladesh – its beautiful.
Thanks for sharing.
While I haven’t visited any of these places myself, you speak with such passion it’s worth considering visiting 🙂
Hi Samiya, would you be so kind to contact me, as I’ve got a small remark concerning the post’s accordance with Go There Promotion?
Hi Elena,
Sure, you can send me an email at samiya@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Bangladesh is on my list of top places to visit….I definitely want to return to Malaysia! 🙂
11 tigers in 3 days… That makes me simply Jealous!!!
I was in Ranthambore 3 years ago and saw none… Maybe I picked the wrong National Park…
Thanks for the idea 😉
Cheers, Gilles
All lovely places and indeed need to be visited again and again. The North-East of India is a treasure trove of nature at its best, do visit some of these gems.
I’ve always heard about Goa as one of the best destinations in India. I hope I can visit real soon! Would love to see the beach where Jason Bourne went running! Please share with me also how to be a part of the challenge? I would love to take part soon!