The nation of Indonesia stretches along an equatorial archipelago numbering nearly 18,000 islands in total. Encompassing several ecosystem types as well as straddling the boundaries between the Oriental and Australasian faunal regions, Indonesia is one of the most biodiverse nations on Earth.

If you have never visited Cambodia before and are limited on time, the highlights not to miss are the ancient, UNESCO World Heritage-listed temples of Angkor, including Angkor Wat, and the Mekong riverside capital of Phnom Penh, once regarded as the Venice of old French Indochina.

The peaceful and tolerant nature of the Thai people is legendary in South East Asia where they are regarded as humble, hospitable and easy going. Combined with 13th century history, fantastic scenery and great, but not too difficult cycling, in areas where few tourists go, you have all the ingredients of a truly great discovery bike ride.

The Sepik River is one of two vast tropical river systems in Papua New Guinea that meander through the densely forested lowlands of the world's second largest - and the world's tallest - island. Along the banks of the river and its many tributaries live sparsely scattered, remote villages scarcely contacted by the outside world, where people live a lifestyle that has changed little for thousands of years.