Travel + Leisure India & South Asia — May 2017

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LONELY PLANET IMAGES/GETTYIMAGES. OPPOSITE: WILD COAST TENTED LODGE (2)

with the majestic whale sharks of Cenderawasih

Bay Marine Park. Thanks to lively fi shing activity

by local fi shermen, their presence is a daily

occurrence all-year-round.

FEEL LIKE A ROMANTIC KOREAN MOVIE STAR IN

Gyeongju, South Korea

Often referred to as ‘the museum without

walls,’ this charming city will take you back

in time and capture your imagination with its

rich history. This coastal city in South Korea

is one of the country’s oldest, with human

settlement dating back to the prehistoric

period. Once the ancient capital of the

Silla dynasty, where it became a booming

cosmopolitan city, today it off ers exploration

of Silla-era architecture and has the largest

number of palace ruins, temples, pagodas, and

tombs in South Korea. The Bulguksa Temple,

a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a beautiful

example of ancient Korean artistry and home

to many important relics. A stroll around the

Gyeongju National Park will open your eyes to

even more stunning architecture, museums and

monuments, and meticulously curated gardens.

Take the bullet train down from Seoul in just

a few hours, and stay in the Hilton Gyeongju

or the Park Hyatt in nearby Busan.

TAKE A HELICOPTER RIDE OVER BEARS AND VOLCANOES IN

Kamchatka, Siberia

Situated in the Russian Far East, Kamchatka is a

unique landscape where fi re meets ice, alive with

volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, and the world’s

That’s why Exotic

Voyages is leading

a discovery tour of

other-worldly settings

in actual Vietnam

where much of the

movie was shot.

“There are natural

settings in Vietnam,

off the beaten tourist

path, that are as raw

and unbelievable as

King Kong himself,”

said Andrew Carroll,

global head of sales

and marketing at

Exotic Voyages. “That’s

why the fi lmmakers

came here. That’s why

so many travellers

come here.”

Launched this month,

the ten-day trip, ‘Kong’s

Vietnam,’ ventures into

the depth of Vietnam

from Quang Binh Province

to Halong Bay, where

dramatic limestone

karst mountains provide

a primeval backdrop

for Kong’s adventures.

In Quang Binh, the

exploration plumbs the

massive caverns of Phong

Nha and Paradise Cave

in Phong Nha-Ke Bang

National Park.

Indeed, the UNESCO

World Heritage site

claims some of the

top caves in the world,

holding records for the

longest underground

river, the highest and

longest cave, the

broadest and most

beautiful fi ne sand

beaches within a

cave, and the most

spectacular stalagmites

and stalactites. The

31-kilometre Paradise

Cave is also the longest

dry cave in Asia.

Also in Quang Binh

travellers will

visit Nuoc Mooc

stream for a picnic

lunch, surrounded

by dense tropical

jungle and celestial

limestone karsts.

The UNESCO World

Heritage site of Halong

Bay, another major

shooting location for

the fi lm, is also on the

itinerary. You can see

the towering karsts and

teal waters as King Kong

would have—from high

above. A scenic seaplane

tour gives a bird’s eye

view over the 1,600 isles

and islands that pepper

the Gulf of Tonkin, and

an overnight cruise

on the bay immerses

visitors in its raw beauty.

Another tour highlight

is a traditional sampan

boat ride deep into

the Van Long Nature

Reserve in Ninh Binh,

an often overlooked

destination on the

Vietnam circuit.

Ninh Binh features

spectacular waterways

and the country’s unique

limestone landscapes.

The country’s two

largest cities, Hanoi and

Ho Chi Minh City, round

out the agenda.

Kong’s Vietnam

is the latest installment

in a series of packages

that deliver travellers

direct to the sites of

their favourite movies.

In September last

year, Exotic Voyages

launched ‘A Modern

Ta k e O n C l a s s i c J a m e s

Bond,’ inspired by

the 1974 fi lm and its

locations in Thailand

and Hong Kong.

Prices begin from

US$2,055 for the

10-day trip, exclusive

of fl ights, meals not

mentioned in full

itinerary and drinks

during meals. The

package is available

from now till December

10 th, 2018. For

more details, visit

exoticvoyages.com/king-

kong-tour.

If you would like to

experience the world’s

largest cave, Son Doong

Cave, at Phong Nha-Ke

Bang National Park you

will have to book around

one year in advance due

to restrictions on the

number of visitors.

THE KING KONG ITINERARY

If King Kong were not a fi gment of some moviemaker’s

imagination, there’s a very good chance he’d have climbed out

of the wilds of Vietnam, where producers of Kong: Skull Island

fi lmed much of the soon-to-debut movie.

TRAVEL + LEISURE / MAY 2017 93