Travel advice for Indonesia
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written by Daniel Stables
updated 31.08.2021
Bali’s beautiful beaches and shimmering rice paddies have made it a justifiably famous tourist destination – but there’s so much more of Indonesia waiting to be explored.
The world's largest archipelago, with a huge 17,000 islands, Indonesia is home to ancient ruins, world-class diving and incredible wildlife, including the critically endangered orangutan and fearsome Komodo dragon. Here, we've picked seven adventures in Indonesia not to be missed.
Bali's Beaches and Temples
Experience Bali's brilliant beaches and temples with this stunning trip. Marvel at ancient temples like Tanah Lot and Pura Besakih, soak in stunning sunsets, stroll bare-footed along the best beaches in Bali and haggle at local markets – experience all of this, and much more, with this unique trip!
customize ⤍Rest and Relaxation in Bali and Lombok
This unique trip will take you to some of Bali and Lombok's most traditional places. Look forward to driving through tropical landscapes and spending time in villages nestled in scenic spots of traditional luxury with infinity pools and stunning vistas over the ocean.
customize ⤍Royal Bali - Culture & Beaches
Enjoy a luxurious stay in Bali, with hand-picked 5 Star Hotels. This trip includes privately guided tours as well as leisure time, ideal for families with kids. Highlights include sea temple Tanah Lot, Jatiluwih rice terraces and Uluwatu temple with its famous Kecak dance.
customize ⤍The Best of Bali
This trip will take you from the modern-day Bali to the traditional one. Bali has many adventures to offer, tour the countryside with a Vespa or glide through the hidden canyons. You will also be able to enjoy visits to enchanting villages, where you can take in the local way of life.
customize ⤍Java and Lombok - culture and beaches
Start your trip in Yogyakarta (also called Jogja) with its rich cultural past such as the Borobudur temple. From there continue to hike Mount Bromo and explore more of East Java in Malang and Surabaya. End your trip on the dreamy beaches of Kuta/Lombok, dubbed 'the next Bali'.
customize ⤍Singapore & Bali - A Unique Exploration
Combine Southeast Asia's smallest country Singapore with its largest country: Indonesia. Spend a few days exploring the metropolis before flying to the magical island of Bali. Temples, volcanoes and ceremonies are part of your itinerary, as are the gorgeous beaches of Nusa Lembongan.
customize ⤍Culture, volcanoes and dragons - Bali, Flores & Komodo
Combine several islands on one trip - start in Bali's cultural capital Ubud before heading to the rice fields in Sidemen. A short flight to Flores allows you to explore volcanoes and local villages before hopping on a cruise around Komodo and other islands close to Labuan Bajo. Dragons included!
customize ⤍Love trip to Bali
Celebrate your love union on this magical island. Included are couples massages at relaxing spas, a blessing ceremony by a Balinese priest, an authentic cooking class and of course - a beautiful white sandy beach on Nusa Lembongan to relax towards the end of your trip.
customize ⤍Bali Yoga Retreat
Discover a new you with this rejuvenating Bali-based yoga retreat. Enjoy personalised yoga and meditation classes, together with revitalising Ayurvedic treatments, all in idyllic surroundings. The cuisine is a treat for all the senses; you will also have the chance to explore the temples of Bali.
customize ⤍Unknown Java and Bali - an overland adventure
A fast-paced itinerary packing plenty of highlights: discover the temples of Prambanan and Borobudur and sunrises at Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen before heading to Bali: a beautiful underwater world and the landscapes of Ubud and Sidemen await.
customize ⤍Other critically endangered inhabitants include the Sumatran elephant, Sumatran rhinoceros and Rafflesia arnoldii, the largest flower on Earth, whose putrid stench has earned it the nickname "corpse flower".
You’ll take a cruise on a traditional klotok riverboat, an impossibly romantic way to make your way through the jungle, stopping off at feeding stations and viewing platforms. While the orangutans are the stars here, they’re joined by an impressive supporting cast of clouded leopards, long-snouted gharial crocodiles and gibbons.
The diving is first-class, with a sociable scene on the island of Kadidiri, and the snorkelling’s pretty spectacular too. At Jellyfish Lake, you can enjoy the therapeutic, if counter-intuitive, experience of swimming with thousands of non-stinging jellies, while the volcanic island of Una-Una makes for a picturesque day trip.
Discover more attractive island destinations in Indonesia with our guide to unforgettable Indonesian islands to visit.
With pristine coral reefs home to thousands of fish species, this is the most biodiverse marine environment in the world, and you’ll spot kaleidoscopic nudibranchs, huge manta rays and "walking" epaulette sharks, among many others. It’s still largely free of the crowds, but tourists are very well catered for, with plenty of dive resorts and liveaboards.
Chief among them is Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world, which was covered by thick jungle until the nineteenth century – it’s 1200 years old, but it looks brand new. A similarly remarkable Hindu temple complex, Prambanan, lies nearby.
Up to 3m long and 80kg in weight, their toxic bite can fell prey as large as water buffalo, with the dragons stalking their victims for weeks as they slowly die. They live only on a small group of islands off Flores, easily reachable from the charming port town of Labuanbajo.
Most Torajans are nominally Christians, but their long-held animist traditions abide, centred around elaborate funeral rites in which hundreds of pigs and buffalo are sacrificed over several days. Foreign visitors can attend these ceremonies that, though graphic, are a vital part of Torajan tradition.
Explore more exciting attractions Indonesia has to offer with our guide to the best things to do in Indonesia.
Top image: Buddist temple Borobudur, Yogyakarta, Indonesia © Pambudi Yoga Perdana/Shutterstock
written by Daniel Stables
updated 31.08.2021
Daniel has authored, co-authored or contributed to more than 30 travel books for Rough Guides, Insight Guides, DK Eyewitness and Berlitz, on destinations as far afield as Indonesia, Nepal, Oman, Mexico, Tokyo, Thailand and Spain. He regularly writes articles for a variety of travel publications, online and in print, including BBC Travel, The Independent, Lonely Planet, and National Geographic Traveller. Read more of his work at danielstables.co.uk.
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