Why Asia
Asia is the region where the gay traveler arriving from North America gets the largest reward for the longest flight. The cultural distance is real, the cuisine is among the best in the world, and the welcome — in the countries where we work — is straightforward in a way that travel to parts of Europe sometimes isn’t. The Asia we send our clients to is the part where the network of five-star hotels, private guides, and local partners is mature enough to make a long-distance trip feel calm rather than chaotic.
What sets our Asian network apart is the people we work with on the ground. Our DMC partners across the continent are IGLTA-affiliated — local operators who have spent years planning trips for gay travelers in their own countries, with the kind of network and care that turns a long-distance journey into a properly designed one. We work with one partner per country, vetted personally over multiple trips.
Where we travel in Asia
Six destinations across the continent — one with a full itinerary available now, five with bespoke custom design on request.
Vietnam and Cambodia — From Hanoi to Angkor
Our flagship Asian itinerary. Fourteen days from north to south: Hanoi‘s old quarter, an overnight cruise in Halong Bay, the central coast at Hoi An and Hue, Saigon and the Mekong Delta, and finally Siem Reap for the temples of Angkor Wat. Five-star hotels throughout, with private guides in each city.
Thailand — Bangkok, the islands, and the north
Thailand is the most-traveled country in mainland Southeast Asia for a reason — the food, the temples, the islands, and a tourist-facing infrastructure that has been refined for decades. The trip we design pairs Bangkok with Chiang Mai in the north and the southern islands at Phuket or Koh Samui for the soft finale. The boutique-resort scene in Thailand is mature and gay-friendly.
Japan — Tokyo, Kyoto, the western route
Japan is the long-distance trip that rewards the most attention to detail — the contrast between Tokyo‘s ultra-contemporary scale and Kyoto‘s 1,000-year-old temple-and-garden culture, the food at every level, the precision of the train network. The trip we design adds Hiroshima and the Inland Sea (the lesser-traveled western route) for travelers who want more than the Tokyo-Kyoto axis.
Nepal — Kathmandu, the Annapurna foothills, and the Tibetan border
Nepal is one of the most quietly progressive countries in South Asia on LGBTQ+ rights — the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in 2023, making Nepal the first country in South Asia to legally recognize gay relationships. The trip we design pairs Kathmandu‘s temple complexes and the Boudhanath stupa with the Annapurna foothill country, Bhaktapur and Patan for the medieval Newar architecture, and Pokhara on the lake under the high peaks.
Bhutan — The kingdom in the high Himalayas
Bhutan is the most carefully managed travel destination in Asia — a kingdom that requires a daily minimum spend for all visitors, which is the mechanism that has kept the country from becoming the Nepalese trekking circuit. The reward is one of the most intact Buddhist cultures left in the world: the Tiger’s Nest monastery clinging to the cliffs above Paro, the great dzongs of Punakha and Thimphu, and a landscape that has been deliberately preserved.
Tibet — Lhasa, the Potala, and the high plateau
Tibet is the high-altitude special-permit destination that has changed less than almost anywhere else on the continent — the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the great monasteries of Drepung and Sera, the high pilgrimage circuit around the holy mountain of Kailash for the most adventurous. The trip requires a special travel permit (we handle the paperwork), and the altitude is real (Lhasa is at 3,650 meters, much of the route higher).
How we travel in Asia
Three things differentiate the way we work here.
Five-star throughout, where it’s available. The hotels we book are at the top of what’s available in each city. The standard is consistent across the Asian network — heritage feel where it makes sense (Hoi An, Kyoto, Kathmandu), contemporary five-star where it suits the city (Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore). Where the local hospitality scene is more modest by nature (Bhutan, parts of Tibet), we work with the best of what exists.
Private guides per city. Each major base has its own private guide — a Hanoi specialist for the Old Quarter and the imperial history, a Cambodia archaeologist for Angkor, a Japan-trained art historian for Kyoto’s temple gardens. This is the part that turns a “we saw the temples” trip into a “we understood the temples” one.
The right time of day. Asia’s great sites are most rewarding at the right hour — Angkor before sunrise, the Tokyo fish market at dawn, the Tiger’s Nest hike when the cloud burns off Paro Valley around ten in the morning. We design every itinerary around when to be where, not just what to see.
Coming next
The Asian network is expanding. India (the Rajasthani palace circuit, the south, and Kerala) and Sri Lanka are in active planning for late 2026. Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia (Bali, the Komodo islands, Sulawesi) are on the longer planning horizon. If a destination you’re interested in isn’t yet listed, write to us — most of the bespoke design work is the same whether the destination is on our standard list or not.
Make Asia yours
Tell us where in Asia you’d like to start — and within 48 hours we’ll come back with a proposal tailored to your dates, pace, and the level of immersion you’re looking for.
Gay Up Travel
Travel as you are.
Travel as you are.
Tailor-made journeys for gay men. Founder-led, authentically Italian, IGLTA Member.
