6 February - At sea

7 February

Australia: Mooloolaba

The wonderfully named Mooloolaba stretches along a beautiful golden beach on Queensland’s idyllic Sunshine Coast, and it’s a popular destination for a weekend escape from Brisbane. The seafront Esplanade is the place to be, lined with cafés, boutiques and upmarket restaurants.

8 February - At sea

9 February

Australia: Airlie Beach

The lively town of Airlie Beach is backpacker central, and serves as a transport hub for the many offshore attractions of the east coast. From here you can take a trip out to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef, or visit the stunning tropical beaches of the nearby Whitsunday Islands.

10 February to 11 February

Australia: Cairns

Cairns is a buzzing tourist hub, gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. A snorkelling trip out to the reef is the most obvious excursion to take here, but other options include riding the Skyrail cableway over the rainforest canopy or swimming in the croc-free saltwater lagoon.

12 February to 14 February - At sea

15 February

Australia: Darwin

More of a large town than a city, Darwin is less about what’s contained within the city limits and more about the huge expanse of wild landscape that’s outside it. Closer to Jakarta than Sydney, the city really does feel remote in its tropical perch.

16 February to 17 February - At sea

18 February

Indonesia: Benoa (Bali)

The beaches, spectacular volcanic scenery and lush green rice terraces lend Bali a natural beauty that seems to dovetail perfectly with the island’s distinct Hindu culture, which adorns the landscape with stunning temples.

19 February - At sea

20 February

Indonesia: Semarang

The sweltering city of Semarang, on the north coast of Java, is an intriguing mish-mash of Chinese, Islamic and Dutch colonial influences. We recommend escaping the heat with a trip up into the mountains to visit a coffee plantation, or joining an excursion to the extraordinary temple complex at Borobudur.

21 February

Indonesia: Jakarta

Indonesia’s capital is noisy, chaotic and choked with some of the worst traffic in Asia, a sprawling megacity that’s home to over 10 million people. If you can get past all of that then Jakarta has plenty to offer, with the country’s best museums and restaurants, an atmospheric old harbour and a rich mix of cultures from all over the Indonesian archipelago.

22 February - At sea

23 February to 24 February

Singapore: Singapore

Singapore’s heritage as an important trading post means that there is a real cultural mix, with four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Step away from the gleaming towers and you’ll find yourself transported into another world amongst the intoxicating streets of Chinatown and Little India.

25 February - At sea

26 February to 27 February

Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon, as it was known then, was the capital of the South during the Vietnam War, and American-style capitalism has been embraced more enthusiastically here than in the North, with a clutch of shining skyscrapers standing as testament to Vietnam’s surging economic growth.

28 February - At sea

1 March

Vietnam: Da Nang

Da Nang is the largest city in central Vietnam, and was the site of a major US airbase during the Vietnam War. The main point of interest in the city itself is the excellent Cham Museum, while nearby attractions include Hoi An, the Marble Mountains and the imperial citadel of Hue.

2 March - At sea

3 March to 4 March

Hong Kong SAR China: Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a striking mix of ancient and modern, Chinese and British, and there is a lot more to the city than just skyscrapers and high finance. It's also a fantastic destination for foodies, a melting pot of culinary influences from around Asia and beyond.

5 March - At sea

6 March

Taiwan: Keelung (Taipei)

Keelung is a fairly unremarkable port city close to Taipei, Taiwan’s capital. Taipei draws on an interesting mix of Chinese, Japanese and Western influences, and is home to attractive temples, a burgeoning street food scene and Taipei 101, which was the world's tallest building until it was eclipsed by Dubai's Burj Khalifa in 2010.

7 March

Japan: Hirara

8 March

Japan: Naha

Naha is the capital of Okinawa prefecture, a subtropical region of southern Japan with its own distinct culture. The city is a bustling commercial centre despite being flattened during the Second World War, and the architectural highlight is the elegant Shuri Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

9 March - At sea

10 March

Japan: Kochi

The small, laid back city of Kochi is situated on the south coast of Shikoku island, an important place of pilgrimage for Japanese Buddhists. Three of the 88 temples on the pilgrimage route are in Kochi, and the city is also known for its elegant 17th century hilltop castle.

11 March to 12 March

Japan: Kobe

Small in size and cosmopolitan in its outlook, Kobe is a thoroughly pleasant city with a long and distinguished history as one of Japan’s main trading ports. Kobe’s past as a commercial hub is reflected in its architecture, with a number of unusually European-looking houses, as well as a charming, if slightly touristy, Chinatown.

13 March

Japan: Hiroshima

On 6 August 1945 the world witnessed the terrifying power of nuclear weapons for the first time, unleashed on the unsuspecting Japanese city of Hiroshima. The modern city's sobering Peace Memorial Park commemorates that fateful day, which left more than 140,000 dead.

14 March

Japan: Beppu

Steam rises over the spa town of Beppu, home to numerous onsen (hot springs) and the surreal red waters of the macabre-sounding ‘blood pond hell’. Beppu is also close to Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan, and the ancient temples of the Kunisaki Peninsula.

15 March

Japan: Kita-Kyushu

16 March

Japan: Sasebo

17 March

South Korea: Busan

Busan is South Korea’s second biggest city and one of the world’s busiest container ports, but it’s an easygoing place with a discernibly different character to Seoul. Haeundae beach is a popular summer holiday destination for Koreans, while the pungent Jagalchi market sells every type of fish and sea creature imaginable.

18 March

Japan: Sakaiminato

The port of Sakaiminato is known for its fishing industry and superb seafood, and it’s a short drive from Matsue and its famous medieval ‘Black Castle’. Sakaiminato is also the home of the popular Japanese manga artist Mizuki Shigeru, and the town is full of statues celebrating his work.

19 March

Japan: Kanazawa

Kanazawa rivals Kyoto for historical significance, though the city is far less overrun with tourists. The 17th-century Kenroku-en garden is the jewel in Kanazawa’s crown, filled with pretty ponds and waterfalls, and the city is also home to exceptionally well preserved samurai and geisha districts.

20 March

Japan: Niigata

Set amongst snowy mountains on the west coast of Honshu, the city of Niigata is known for its ski resorts, seafood and hot springs, and produces some of the finest sake in Japan. Other attractions nearby include Shibata’s impressive castle and the town of Murakami, renowned for its traditional wind-dried salmon.

21 March

Japan: Akita

22 March

Japan: Aomori

The city of Aomori, at the northern tip of Honshu island, is best known for its summer Nebuta Matsuri festival, which lights up the streets every August. There is still plenty to see during the rest of the year, including elegant Hirosaki Castle, pretty Lake Towada and the Seiryu-ji Temple, home of the largest Buddha statue in Japan.

23 March - At sea

24 March to 25 March

Arriving in Tokyo

In a state of constant renewal and forever looking to the future, densely populated Tokyo is a dazzling introduction to Japan and its utterly unique culture. With more neon than Las Vegas and more Michelin stars than Paris, it’s a real assault on the senses.