A guide to Cambodia's top places, plus our lesser-known favourites

The chances are you’ve heard of Angkor Wat, but did you know that the Khmer Empire extended over a million square kilometres, and that their ruins lie hidden in every corner of Cambodia?

Remote Batang Ai is the ancestral heartland of Sarawak’s Iban people and the best place to spot orangutans in the wild. After exploring the jungle, experience life in a tribal longhouse, sharing song, dance and tuak rice wine long into the night.

With its crumbling colonial buildings, fertile countryside, vital contemporary arts scene and mellow, carefree ambiance, it’s very difficult not to fall in love with Battambang.

One of our favourite unsung cities, Bhopal’s lakeside setting, Islamic old town and history of feisty female rulers are just a few of its draws.

Mughal palaces and sunbaked desert are the backdrop to laid-back Bhuj, where old-fashioned workshops produce some of the finest textiles in the world.

Asiatic black bears, Malayan tapirs, pileated gibbons and perhaps even the elusive Indochinese tiger: Botum Sakor National Park is a haven for Cambodia's endangered mammals.

Swathed in a blanket of pine trees and dotted with secluded temples, Bukhansan National Park rears up behind Seoul like a jagged granite crown. Its myriad peaks will allow you to pick your level of exertion quite precisely – anything from a gentle forest stroll to an exhilarating pant to the top.

Korea’s bustling second city often comes out in first place with visitors, and it should be no surprise – as well as boasting the country’s most popular beach and Asia’s biggest film festival, “Seoul by the sea” has spent the last decade cementing its reputation as the country’s hippest destination.

A cultural crossroads, seaside Calicut is refreshingly un-touristy – despite having plenty to see and do, from medieval mosques to martial arts.

With green, rolling hills and cool mountain air, the Cameron Highlands are your chance to escape the heat for a day and picnic among strawberry farms, wander colonial-era tea plantations or search for medicinal herbs in mist-cloaked moss forests.

Chambal is fascinating: tales of outlaws, river safaris, camel treks to ruined cities and villages full of haveli mansions — all totally under the tourist radar.