Borobudur Temple

This central Javanese landmark is the world’s largest Buddhist temple. Built in the style of a mandala, the symbol of the Buddhist universe, walking the nine circular stacked platforms feels like an act of meditation. Exploration reveals more than 500 statues of Buddha, and carved stone reliefs depicting vivid scenes of cause and effect: an eighth- and ninth-century tableau of life lessons that ascend from teachings on human desire to the sky-scraping realm of the gods and nirvana. Nirvana or not, Indonesia’s most famous landmark can get busy. Stay overnight nearby to make a specially ticketed pre-dawn raid before opening time (6am), to best appreciate the misty marvel that British Lieutenant Governor Thomas Stamford Raffles must have experienced when he stumbled upon the temple in 1814.

TIP: Weekdays in the rainy season (November-March) see fewer tourists, but more mosquitos. borobudurpark.com CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Borobudur Temple at twilight, Yogyakarta; trail through the Khumbu Valley with Everest in the background