China is becoming one of the popular tourist spots in the world. It is a land of cultural and geographical splits.  Scenic landscapes and towering mountains make the country an ideal destination for couples, families with children and fun lovers. The deserts, sacred peaks and imperial ruins make your travel in China an unforgettable one. You can get cheap and best deals to visit China by shopping around the internet.

Beijing is the capital city of China and it boasts of plenty of attractions. The magnificent Forbidden City is one of the top attractions here. It is the well preserved imperial palace complex in the world. It is surrounded by a deep moat and an elevated wall. It has 9,999 rooms.  Yellow is the symbol of the royal family in China, so the palace roofs were built with yellow glazed tiles and the decorations are made in yellow color. Now the palace serves as a museum.

The Great Wall of China is one of the wonders in the world. The wall has eight sections and five of them are opened to the public. Most of the sections in Beijing are well maintained. If you are an adventure seeker or fun lover, you can combine any of the sections in the Great Wall for hiking.

Tiananmen Square is another must see place in China. You can see the monument of people’s heroes, Tiananmen Tower and Great Hall of the people here. It is also a relaxing place for locals to fly kites and walk.

Shanghai is a lively metropolis in China that invites people from all around the world to enjoy its beautiful atmosphere. The Bund is a popular waterfront and is the symbol of Shanghai. The night view of the Bund is mesmerizing. The usage of period lamp posts helps to keep the aesthetic feeling of building structures. Yuyuan garden is the largest ancient garden in Shanghai. The Great Rockery in this garden allows you to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the garden.

Guangzhou is a famous cultural city in China. If you have passion for ancient art and architecture, you can plan a visit to this city.  Bright Filai Piety Temple in this city is an important place to visit. This temple provides insight into the history of Buddhism, culture and architecture in China. The Pearl River in Guangzhou is another fantastic place to visit. You can enjoy walking in the scenery corridor alongside the river or take a boat ride to enjoy the picturesque views.

When arriving in Singapore don’t be alarmed by the intense heat and humidity. It will hit you like a brick wall the moment you step off the plane. It is something that you will definitely have to get used to, so pack appropriately.

If you go to Singapore make sure to make time for a day trip to the Singapore zoo. We caught a great elephant show and at the end you even get to have some up close and personal time with the elephants. The zoo is mammoth and the enclosures are a lot bigger and better than most other zoos. It’s a great time to spend a day.

Even though Singapore is known for its ultra hip and modern scenery, it has a tropical and wild side. If you’re looking for a different Singapore experience, try the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. This is a chance for you to see untamed and abundant rain forest. We walked up the MacRitchie Trail and saw all kinds of fabulous wildlife. There are so many different kinds of plants, insects and animals around you that you will want to walk slowly so you can take it all in.

After trekking through the natural side of Singapore, why not go shopping in one of Singapore’s many malls? My favourite was Orchard Road. There is nothing you won’t be able to find on this road. There are malls, hotels and eateries galore. The stores are both international and local and stock everything you could think of. It is shopping heaven.

Another great place for shopping, and particularly great for bargain hunting, is China Town. You can find great trinkets and knickknacks in the China stalls for great prices, and they don’t have that mass produced feel.

Ever notice how being an “eco-tourist” occasionally bears a startling resemblance to being a broke traveler? I ended up as an eco-tourist in Northern Thailand (and loving it) due to some poor financial management on my part. I had saved up my money and decided to take a year off from my day job as an elementary school teacher to travel the world. Unfortunately traveling through Europe really cleaned me out and by the time I reached Thailand funds were running low. In an attempt to get my budget back in check I turned to the cheapest form of accommodations and entertainment: camping, hiking and nature watching. Not having been a particularly outdoorsy person prior to the trip- I had a few mishaps along the way but overall it was a wonderful experience. I got lucky because Thailand happens to be one of the best places to be an eco and/or broke tourist.

Thailand has 76 national parks and the majority offer places to camp. Many will even rent you a tent for 5 baht a night. I would recommend that you try to bring your own tent because rental tents, as you can probably imagine, are occasionally stinky. I initially bought myself a cheap one-person tent but after a wet night during “the mango rains” I sucked it up and invested in a larger, sturdier model. The mango rains for those who don’t know refer to a one-week period in April when the season changes from dry to hot triggering heavy rainstorms. It is also the time when the land changes from brown to green. While it made for a wet and smelly week of camping the opportunity to watch the remarkable changes in the land was worth it. During my trip I stayed primarily in the Chiang Mai province.

Doi Suthep – Pui National Park
This national park is located just 12 km outside of Chiang Mai City. The park is basically a mountain and as you go deeper into the park you are simultaneously climbing the mountain. The park is home to a breathtaking Buddhist site the Wat Prathart Doi Suthep, which draws pilgrims and visitors from all over the world. I was lucky to camp near the Mok Fa waterfall where I was lulled to sleep by the rushing of the water. Beautiful walking and biking trails criss-cross the park. During the day you can see butterflies and at night the view of the stars is incredible.

Doi Inthanon National Park
Doi Inthanon National Park boasts the highest peak in Thailand and is the most popular of Chiang Mai’s parks. In addition to Thailand’s highest peak- it is home to one of the most gorgeous waterfalls, Mae Ya- truly awe-inspiring. This is also the place where I began my “nature watching” in earnest. I did not know it at the time but the park is home to more than 300 species of birds so you don’t have to be a professional birder to spot some. If you are lucky you may see a deer or a gibbon (ape).

In conclusion, fellow travelers, we no longer have to admit when we are broke instead we can proudly claim to be part of the latest global trend, ecotourism.

Vacationing in Southeast Asia is about more than the cities, the museums and the food. Indeed, no vacation to the region is complete without a trip to a few of the region’s many pristine national parks. One of the first parks on the list of important national parks is Kinabalu National Park in Malaysia. Located on the island of Borneo, Kinabalu Park is dominated by Mount Kinabalu, a popular destination for mountain climbers and hikers.

The park is on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites for its unique ecology and natural beauty. This includes a variety of orchids and carnivorous plants. The park spans four climate zones. It’s possible to arrange for a guide through the park administration but whether you’re seeking a guided climb up the mountain or simply a leisurely hike through the grounds of the park, it’s a beautiful natural landscape that attracts thousands of tourists each year.

Another important national park is Phnom Kulen National Park in Cambodia. The site is of national and religious importance in the region and has played a role in everything from the founding of the Khmer Empire in 802 AD to the end of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. The water is sacred to Hindus and underneath the water are hundreds of ornate stone carvings depicting Hindu religious scenes. The site is also notable for its two waterfalls and an eight-meter long Buddha statue.

Gunung Mulu National Park in Indonesia is important not because of its history but because of its caves. The park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to the largest cavern in the world. Many of the caves are uncharted and the aforementioned largest chamber in the world (named the Sarawak Chamber) was only discovered in 1981. Today, the park can be reached by helicopter and there are a variety of ecotourism activities on offer for visitors.

Ba Be National Park in Vietnam is also home to a cave but the focus of this park is more on its freshwater lake. Surrounded by forests and limestone cliffs, Ba Be Lake is home to a variety of wildlife including King Cobras and European Otters. It’s visually arresting and its biodiversity makes it the perfect place for ecotourist activities such as hiking, bird watching and boating.

Khao Sok National Park is the final park on my list. Located in Thailand, Khao Sok is notable as a rainforest with more biodiversity than the Amazon. The park also includes a reservoir and is known for a variety of flowers and animal life that make it an important ecological preserve. Perfect for hiking and photography, the Khao Sok Park sounds somewhat more tame than the other parks on the list but with water, forests and wildlife, it’s a good place to get away form the urban bustle of modern Thailand. Indeed, these parks are all great getaways from the modern economies and urban centers that often define Southeast Asian tourism today. Hiking may be much simpler than touring a modern city but it’s equally enjoyable and important in an Asian vacation.

If you’re planning a trip to Asia be it a tour of the region or a vacation to a single country, it’s important to draft an itinerary that includes the historic and cultural sites you intend to visit. But in a region with so many thousands of years of history, it’s difficult to choose just a few sites or to find sites that are less popular but may have more meaning to you as individual. Selecting such sites is easier if you have access to the right resources and, luckily, many of these resources are available for free from both government and non-government sources.

One such resource is the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are sites of historic, cultural or natural beauty and include everything from the Great Wall of China to the tropical rainforests of Sumatra. These sites are uniformly impressive and you should make sure to see them if they are within your reach. UNESCO maintains a very useful index of these sites organized by country and identified according to either their cultural or natural significance. As a bonus, many of these sites are free and open to the public because, after all, it’s not really possible to charge admission to a rainforest.

But the UNESCO list isn’t the only resource available to curious travelers. Indeed, the official tourism sites maintained by each nation can often be a great resource in deciding what to visit, how to get there and when to go. For instance, Singapore’s tourism site contains detailed information about what to see, how to get there and where to go next. Sites like these are a great source because they present all of the most popular places to visit along with the latest local events that might interest tourists.

Of course, you have to be careful when you use government tourism sites because their mission is to sell you a product. Take everything they say with a grain of salt but in the end they have your happiness and safety in mind because it’s in their best economic interest to do so. Another resource that can be helpful when selecting sites to see on your Asian vacation is Wikipedia. The online encyclopedia often has good information on local cultural events including festivals that tourists will find entertaining.

Simply look up the city or country you’ll be visiting and spend some time looking through links on their history, food and culture to find places and things that look interesting. Wikipedia probably won’t include tour information or the cost of admission but it is a starting point. It will also give you some background on the places that look interesting and you’ll be able to see if they truly captivate you or if they’re not worth

There are a broad variety of resources prepared by governments, world bodies and private citizens and they’re all available to tourists planning a trip to Asia. Take advantage of them when you’re deciding what to visit and hopefully they’ll enrich your trip by helping you select the best sites according to your interests.