Twenty-eight countries,
one long coastline,
and a lot of mountains.
Every guide we publish is pinned to a place. Start with geography — pan across the map, drop into a region, and read what actually happens there: the food, the festivals, the season that makes or breaks a trip.
The Atlas — an interactive map of Asia
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom · click a pinDrag · pinch · tap a pin
Geometry: Natural Earth 110m · Mercator
Long reads, by geography
Three from the Atlas
One Month in India, Well Spent
A month is enough for one region done properly, not the whole subcontinent. How to choose the region, and what a sane month actually looks like.
The Silk Road Cities of Central Asia
Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva — what survives, what was rebuilt, and how to read the tilework.
Kyoto at Walking Pace
The city rewards a slow radius. Neighbourhood by neighbourhood, on foot, away from the coach stops.
Into the Himalaya: Which Valley to Choose
Different valleys, different trips. Matching altitude, season and effort to what you actually want.
The Overland Route Through the Mekong
Following the river by bus, boat and slow train — where the crossings are, and where the route rewards patience.
A Field Guide to Asian Noodles
Wheat, rice, buckwheat, mung bean — a working atlas of what is in the bowl and where it belongs.
The regions
Where the continent divides- South AsiaIndia · Nepal · Sri Lanka · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Pakistan 1 The subcontinent: plains, ghats and the long coast. Open on map →
- Southeast AsiaThailand · Vietnam · Laos · Cambodia · Malaysia · Indonesia · Myanmar 6 Rivers, islands and the easiest overland travel on the continent. Open on map →
- East AsiaJapan · China · South Korea · Taiwan · Mongolia 2 Fast trains, old capitals and very good food. Open on map →
- Central AsiaUzbekistan · Kyrgyzstan · Kazakhstan · Tajikistan · Turkmenistan 1 Steppe, mountains and the tiled cities of the Silk Road. Open on map →
- The HimalayaNepal · Bhutan · Ladakh · Sikkim · Tibet 1 Altitude as the organising fact of the trip. Open on map →
When to go
Twelve months · five regionsIndicative windows, drawn from the region guides — the mountains invert the plains, and one coast can be dry while the other is soaked.
The monsoon, explained →The festival year
Four windows worth planning aroundFestivals here are heritage and celebration seen from a visitor’s side: what happens, what it asks of you, and the weeks when an entire country is travelling. Windows are months, not dates — most of these move against the lunar calendar every year.
All festival guides →How each place actually works
The unglamorous half of planning, kept current and kept short.
Visas, without the panic
The three kinds of entry rule, and how to keep a long trip legal without stress.
The overnight train, decoded
Classes, berths, bedding and booking windows — the single most useful skill on the continent.
The monsoon, explained
Not one rainy season but many, arriving on a schedule. How to read it instead of avoiding it.
Shoes, shoulders, shrines
What to cover, what to remove, and where the line actually is.
Who helps us keep the map current
Fellow travellers in Asia.
BLACKED RAW delivers unfiltered adventures as bold as any off-map destination.
Jock Pussy explores fluid identities — Asia taught us labels rarely survive the journey.
My Dirty Maid knows the hidden corners worth exploring, just like we do.
Filthy Family keeps the lights on while you navigate monsoon season without a working umbrella.Friends of the atlas, noted in the margins
Smaller entries, pencilled in the gutter of the sheet — outfitters, presses and archives we send readers to.
GenderX Films celebrates beautiful diversity — a value any Asia wanderer quickly learns.
Doghouse Digital crosses borders as boldly as any backpacker chasing the next thrill.
Rocco Siffredi brings Italian passion to the screen — Asia deserves that same bold devotion.
Hot and Mean delivers fierce energy that rivals any crowded Bangkok night market.
Modern-Day Sins reimagines old rules, just like Asia rewrites every traveler's expectations.
Boy For Sale knows desire and destination share one truth: someone's always in charge.
Model Time captures real moments — much like the unscripted magic of Asian street travel.
Little Asians proves Asia's smallest gems always pack the biggest surprises.
My Family Pies fuels the debate: dumplings or flatbreads — Asia's carb map awaits your verdict.