Australia: the vast and undiscovered jewel.
Australia is a truly unique travel destination, the only country that is also an entire continent (often called the “island continent”). This results in a staggering diversity of landscapes, climates, and life, and a history of human occupation, that is found nowhere else on Earth. We spent five weeks visiting only a small portion of Australia, essentially…
Hangzhou: the Geneva of the East
Renowned for its tranquil beauty, surrounded by hills, temples, pagodas, and traditional gardens, Hangzhou’s West Lake (about an hour by speed train from Shanghai) has inspired poets and artists for centuries and is often described as one of the most beautiful sights in China. A common Chinese proverb states, “In heaven there is paradise, on Earth…
Shanghai: Asia’s New York
If Beijing is the political and historical heart of China, Shanghai is the modern, powerful, hyper-energetic, and trend-setting economic and cultural capital. No other city in Asia comes close to offering the vibrancy of Shanghai. But it wasn’t always this way. Before the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842, Shanghai was a well-to-do, but unimportant regional…
Off-the-beaten track Japan: fascinating, but also terrifying
A great traveller once said that if you have the time and the means, there really are only two places to visit: Japan and the rest of the world. It’s certainly true that the beauty of Japan’s countryside, the uniqueness of its minimalist architecture, its stunning urban gardens, its gorgeous temples and shrines, the refined…
Tibet: exploring the roof of the world
Tibet is unlike anywhere else in the world — it’s often called the “Roof of the World,” but that barely scratches the surface of what makes it so special as a travel destination. Tibet is one of the last places religion (in this case Buddhism) permeates everyday life. Monasteries are not museums — they are…
Yunnan: China in a nutshell.
Yunnan is one of China’s most diverse provinces, often described as a microcosm of China itself. It’s special because it fuses geographic drama, ethnic diversity, ancient culture, and mild weather into a very special travel experience. From the tropical jungles of the south to the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas in the northwest, Yunnan lies at the meeting point of…
Taiwan: easy to explore, hard to forget.
Taiwan is a small island with a big personality—rich in culture, nature, food, and heart. What makes it really special is the way these elements come together in a deeply accessible and uniquely Taiwanese way, one that is a perfect mixture of China and Japan. China during the Qing Empire governed Taiwan as a frontier…
Vietnam: turning hardship into opportunity.
Vietnam is one of Asia’s largest countries. With over 100 million inhabitants, it is about one third the size of the US in population terms. Although the majority of the population live in the Red River Delta (Hanoi) and the Mekong Delta (Ho Chi Minh City), it is still very much an agricultural country. As…
Galápagos: animals real close.
The Galápagos Islands, an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, about 1’000 km from the coast of Ecuador, are among the most extraordinary destinations on Earth. We spent two weeks over Christmas/New Year 2024/25 discovering their unique wildlife, stunning landscapes, and the pivotal role they played in shaping Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The…
Chile, nation of contrasts
Stretching along the western edge of South America for over 4’300 km, Chile is the longest country in the world. This extreme length gives Chile a remarkable diversity of climates and landscapes, from the Atacama Desert in the north to the icy fjords and glaciers of Patagonia in the south. Distance and climates also implies…
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Truliluli Travel Reports 