Best time to go: Late spring through summer.

How to go: Fly to Kathmandu and walk four days or take a three-day horse ride.

Don't Miss: The ghompas (restored by the American Himalayan Foundation).
–Sam Taylor

CAMBODIA
Type of Experience: Preah Vihear (Temples)
Why to go: To see a Khmer ruin before it's on the tourist map.
Number of Days: 7
Min. Cost/Day: $$
Comfort Level: High

Like the temples at Angkor Wat, the ninth-century ruins at Preah Vihear ("Pra Viharn" in Thai) are extraordinary examples of ancient Khmer architecture; with the jungle vines crawling across their crumbling stones, they look like a scene out of an early explorer's sketchbook. But while thousands of visitors clamber over the temples at Angkor each day, a traveler can climb the steep staircase to the top of Preah Vihear, straddling a cliff on the Thai-Cambodian border, and not share the experience with another soul. All this peace and quiet may not last long: UNESCO is considering the site for World Heritage status. Other major ruins lie in nearby Thailand: Prasat Hin Phimai is an entire ancient city surrounded by wide moats, and Prasat Phanom Rung is a well-preserved temple complex on the rim of an extinct volcano.

Best time to go: November through February.

How to go: Technically, the Preah Vihear is on the Cambodian side of the border, but it's best reached through Thailand. Fly on Thai Airways (thaiair.com) or Air Asia (airasia.com) to the city of Ubon Ratchathani; from there, you can hire a car and driver to take you 100 miles to Preah Vihear. Border riffs occasionally disrupt access, so check with the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Ubon Ratchathani before you go (66-45-243-770; tatubon@tat.or.th).

Don't Miss: The best place to stay in the region, the pampering Kirimaya resort, west of Preah Vihear, is an African-style tented camp with a full-service spa (66-44-426-099; kirimaya.com; doubles, $199–$216). Visit the nearby town of Nakhon Ratchasima to sample typical northeast Thai fare, such as fresh fish with chilies and fiery green papaya salad.
–Joshua Kurlantzick

JAPAN
Type of Experience: Naoshima (Museum)
Why to go: To view a staggering array of contemporary art.
Number of Days: 7
Min. Cost/Day: $$
Comfort Level: High

Art intersects seemlessly with nature and architecture at the Benesse Art Site Naoshima, an island-as-museum in Japan's Inland Sea that draws art pilgrims of every stripe. Works by a wide range of artists—including Bruce Nauman (his neon commentary 100 Live and Die is a highlight), Cai Guo-Qiang, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Claude Monet—are on exhibit, both indoors and out, using this tiny landmass's beaches and woodlands to full effect. Shinro Ohtake's fiberglass boat bits, for instance, stick out of the sand at the water's edge, and Yayoi Kusama's polka-dotted Pumpkin rests in bulbous resoluteness at the end of the pier. Monet and James Turrell are among the artists shown in the Tadao Ando–designed Chichu museum. Another of Turrell's works, Backside of the Moon, is part of Art House project, a collection of four old buildings transformed by artists into modern art spaces. The installation appears pitch-black at first, revealing itself in an unexpected way only after your eyes adjust to the nearly complete darkness. Ando also designed the island's Benesse House hotel, which combines the best elements of an art museum with understated luxury accommodations (81-87-892-2030; naoshima-is.co.jp/english/contact.html; doubles, $260–$400).