The Independent

You have to get up early to do the Cambodia temple run

12 February 2012 12:00 AM

Visitor numbers to the ancient Khmer ruins of Angkor are rocketing, so a successful visit is all about timing. Sarah Barrell sets her alarm clock

Travel Challenge: Hiking in Nepal

10 February 2012 11:30 AM

Each week we invite three companies to offer us their best deal for a specific holiday. Today: a two-week hiking holiday in Nepal.

Chun Chun's parents are average size and there was nothing unusual about his mother's pregnancy or diet

Giant baby causes a stir in China

08 February 2012 08:35 AM

A mother in central China has given birth to a 15.52lb (7.04kg) baby, possibly the largest newborn on record since the country's founding in 1949.

Burma back on the map: Tourism returns to South-east Asia’s forbidden land

04 February 2012 12:00 AM

Burma has plenty to entice visitors – and with the travel boycott at an end, they are sure to arrive in numbers, says Simon Usborne

Sun, sea and silence: one of Kadmat's white sand beaches

Lakshadweep: All quiet on India's secret islands

01 February 2012 12:00 AM

Part of the same marine mountain range as the Maldives, the little-known Lakshadweep archipelago offers idyllic scenery – minus the crowds

Travel Challenge: Japan

21 January 2012 12:00 AM

Each week we invite three companies to offer us their best deal for a specific holiday. Today: a 10-day spring holiday in Japan. Prices are per person, based on two travelling together in late March. Prices include flights from Heathrow.

A breathless week in non-stop Vietnam

15 January 2012 12:00 AM

Mark Stratton embarks on a turbo-charged seven days travelling from north to south – all made possible by the first direct flights from the UK

An worker harvests grapes in a vineyard in Nashik about 100 miles north-east of Mumbai

Filling in the blancs: Indian wine is young, but maturing nicely

08 January 2012 12:00 AM

Is this the new Napa Valley? Harriet O'Brien takes a trip to the vineyards of Nashik, near Mumbai, and discovers some fresh flavours to savour

The Big Six: Balinese beach retreats

07 January 2012 12:00 AM

Jiva Puri, Cemagi

Bright lights, big city: A woman walks through a market in Seoul

In the heart of Seoul: The South Korean capital has plenty of surprises for urban adventurers

07 January 2012 12:00 AM

"I want to show you something," said my guide. "It's very Korean, and a little bit strange. You'll probably think it's silly." We were walking, on an autumn evening that turned crisp after dusk fell on a bright and balmy day, down Isadong-gil. This is a crowded, traffic-free street in the centre of Seoul – or so you assume, until a rogue scooter or van shoots across your path. It leads through a retail gauntlet of high-quality and mostly affordable craft shops to Tapgol Park. Here, 15th-century stone pagodas commemorate the kings of the Joseon dynasty, who united the Korean peninsula after 1392 – which has plenty of resonances in 2012.