Guest blogger Gary Arndt has spent the last two years traveling around the world and has visited 45 countries and territories, and 53 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Asia/Pacific region. Here are a few of the lesser known places you should consider visiting if you find yourself in the area. Purnululu National Park, Western Australia
Purnululu (aka the Bungle Bungle mountain range) is located in the middle of nowhere in Western Australia. To get to Purnululu, you have to drive three hours from Kununrra, the closest town, to the Turkey Creek Roadhouse. From there, it is an additional three hours on unpaved road to get to the park. Once you are in the park you will drive an hour to get to the parts of the park which are interesting. The most famous feature of Purnululu are the Bee Hive Dome formations: eroded sand stone which look like striped bee hives. There are also fantastic gorges and chasms in the park as well. The Purnululu is closed from October to April, so plan accordingly.
Willandra Lakes Region, NSW, Australia
Located near the intersection of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, The Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Site was recognized for its archeological finds of 60,000 year old human remains. The heart of the site is Mungo National Park.
Mungo is not on the typical Australian tourist route and takes and effort to get to, but it is well worth the journey. The entrance to Mungo is from Mildura, Victoria which is a farming community on the border of Victoria and NSW. In addition to archeology, Mungo is one of the best desert experiences you can have in Australia.
East Rennell, Solomon Islands
To say that it is difficult to get to East Rennell is an understatement. East Rennell probably gets less than 20 real tourists a year, mostly due to the difficulty of getting there. Once you get to the capital of the Solomons, Honiara (which isn't easy to get to in itself), you have to catch the twice weekly flight to the island of Rennell, then you have to take a 20 mile ride over rough raised coral to get to the east end of the island. When I was there we had eight flat tires! The east side of the island is Lake Teganno which is a large brackish lake with many tiny islands in the lagoon area. The lake is home to the largest diversity of bird species in the Pacific. There is little in the way of formal tourism on Rennell, so you will have to book lodging ahead at the visitors center in Honiara.
Preah Vihear Temple, Cambodia
Probably the only place to spark a military conflict due to becoming a World Heritage Site, Preah Vihear was the scene of fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops in 2008. Located on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, Preah Vihear is an ancient Hindu temple of the Khmer Empire which is situated on a hilltop overlooking the Cambodian plains. While it lies within Cambodia, it is much easier to reach via Thailand. Assuming the border is open, you can drive up to the temple on the Thai side and get a special visa for visiting the temple. This is not the same visa-on-arrival normally used in Cambodia. If you come from the Cambodian side of the border, expect about a 250km trip from Siem Reap, almost all of which is unpaved.
Yakushima, Japan
Located an hour south by boat of the southern most city on the main islands of Japan, Yakushima was the inspiration for the animated film "Princess Mononoke". Japanese Cedar forests high on the middle of the island seem to float in the clouds.
Because of its location far south of the major cities in Japan, few tourists outside of Japan visit the island. Once on the island, you can rent a car to get to the various cedar groves.
Rice Terraces of Banaue, Philippines
Often called the 8th Wonder of the World, the Rice Terraces of Banaue have been carved in the mountain side by local rice farmers over thousands of years. Still in use today, they cover miles of mountain side in the Central Luzon highlands.
Being surrounded by the terraces is stunning and you can easily find it hard to believe it was created by people over 1000 years ago. I have heard it described as the largest project ever created by unforced labor, which is sort of a jab at the Great Pyramid.
Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia
Mulu was the most amazing natural heritage site I've visited on my trip to date. Unfortunately, not many people know about it. Hidden in the rainforests of Malaysian Borneo, you can only get to Mulu by airplane. There are no roads to the park. In addition to the beauty of the rainforest, Mulu is home to some of the largest cave formations in the world. Deer Cave is the largest single cavern in the world. You could fit St. Paul's Cathedral in London in it three times! Every night the millions of bats which live in the cave stream out in a river in the sky to feed in the forest. There are many other caves to explore, treks to mountain tops, and rainforest canopy walks.
To read more about Gary's travels, head to the Everything Everywhere Travel Blog
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