Editor’s Choice

While Indonesia’s best-known treasures are on most visitors’ itineraries, others await those willing to go off the beaten track. Here, at a glance, are our recommendations for both familiar and lesser-known destinations.

Balinese landscape.

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Best Scenery

Terraced rice fields. Dazzling terraced rice fields stretch endlessly along the road from Antosari, passing through Belimbing, to Pupuan, West Bali. For more information, click here.

Volcano views. Enjoy spectacular views of three of Java’s mightiest volcanoes from the hilltop Gedung Songo temples north of Yogyakarta. For more information, click here.

Stormy seas. View the stormy Indian Ocean crashing onto the shore from Bali’s cliff-top Tanah Lot temple. For more information, click here.

Green valleys. The lush, green valleys of South Sulawesi’s Tana Toraja are dotted with stone graves, colourful traditional houses and picturesque farmland. For more information, click here.

Crater lake. Ascend through dense jungle to the ridge atop Lombok’s Gunung Rinjani for fabulous vistas of the crater lake Segara Anak. One for experienced hikers. For more information, click here.

Sulawesi scuba-diving.

Indonesian Tourist Board

Best Diving Spots

Raja Ampat, Western Papua. This remote spot has the world’s greatest concentration of marine life for a region of its size, according to the World Wildlife Fund. For more information, click here.

Pulau Menjangan, West Bali. Bali Barat National Park’s crown jewel and the most accessible of Indonesia’s many magnificent dive spots. For more information, click here.

Bunaken Marine National Park, North Sulawesi. Several well-established, conservation-oriented dive centres abound in Manado, the gateway to the wonders of this national park. For more information, click here.

Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi. Excellent dive sites plus local cultures and wildlife make Wakatobi Marine National Park ideal for groups that include non-divers. For more information, click here.

Maluku. Currently centred around Ambon, the fabled Spice Islands’ diving opportunities are rapidly extending north to Lembeh Strait. For more information, click here.

Alor. In Nusa Tenggara, Alor’s rich reefs attract sunfish (mola-mola), whales, manta rays, whale sharks and migrating orcas; muck diving is also excellent. For more information, click here.

Kecak dance performance on Bali.

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Most Unique Cultures

Best variety. The tiny, remote islands of the Solor and Alor archipelagos have Indonesia’s highest concentration of unique cultures and handicrafts. For more information, click here.

Asmat. Best known for their ritual woodcarvings, the Asmats of Papua still live in total isolation from the modern world. For more information, click here.

Dayak. The Dayaks of Kalimantan’s vast rainforests were once known as fierce head-hunters. For more information, click here.

Javanese. The Javanese are Indonesia’s largest ethnic group, and are known for their court cultures and refined manners. For more information, click here.

Balinese. One of the regions’ most sophisticated cultures; the majority of tourists to Indonesia have experienced the fabled Balinese spirituality and hospitality. For more information, click here.

Best Festivals

Pasola. An exciting thanksgiving ritual, Sumba’s Pasola is mock war on horseback held on a date determined by the migration of sea worms. For more information, click here.

Sanur Village Festival. This four-day festival on Bali promises entertainment for all, with an international kite-flying competition, water sports, dance, music and food. For more information, click here.

Waisak Day. The Buddhist Day of Enlightenment procession held at Borobudur, Central Java, attracts thousands of devotees from throughout Southeast Asia. For more information, click here.

Labuhan ritual. Hundreds of Javanese in traditional attire form a procession to Parangkusumo beach, south of Yogyakarta, where sacrifices are made to the South Sea Goddess. For more information, click here.

Independence Day. Every village and town is decorated two weeks before 17 August, Indonesia’s Independence Day, with games, food fairs and family fun punctuating the celebrations. For more information, click here.

Bali surf.

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Best Beaches

Kuta beach, Bali. This leads the list as Indonesia’s most famous hang-out beach and stretches north to Legian and Seminyak beaches and beyond. For more information, click here.

Senggigi. Lombok’s west coast has the country’s most beautiful beaches, centred on Senggigi, which blends north into Mangsit, and also includes the southwest peninsula. For more information, click here.

Sangalaki archipelago. Currently being developed off the east coast of Kalimantan, the Sangalaki archipelago includes Derawan and Nabucco islands, dive resorts and white-sand beaches. For more information, click here.

Pantai Merah. The fabulous Pantai Merah (Pink Beach) on Komodo island gets its name from the prolific red corals in surrounding crystal-clear waters. For more information, click here.

Togian islands. In Sulawesi’s azure Tomini Bay, the Togian islands’ scenic limestone cliffs and secluded white-sand beaches are also excellent for snorkelling and diving. For more information, click here.

Maluku. A premier dive destination, the Maluku islands’ shores are lined with sparkling-white beaches, particularly at Ambon and in the Kai archipelago to the southeast. For more information, click here.

Legong dance.

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Best Performing Arts

Ramayana epic. Performed seasonally on an open-air stage at Prambanan temple near Yogyakarta, the Hindu Ramayana epic epitomises Javanese culture. For more information, click here.

Hornbill dance. In days of yore, Kalimantan’s Dayak tribes welcomed returning warriors with a traditional hornbill dance, now seen at harvest festivals. For more information, click here.

Contemporary dance. Students at Indonesian Art Institution universities (ISI) in Bali and Yogyakarta often combine contemporary and traditional dance. Performances are open to the public. For more information, click here.

Gamelan. Originating in West Bali, where competitions are held, jegog instruments are made of giant bamboo, their quality judged by resonance and tone. For more information, click here.

Dance and light shows. At Bali Theatre in the Park in Gianyar, and seasonally at Borobudur, Central Java, dancers, animals and technology make for spectacular revues. For more information, click here.

Torajan house.

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Unique Architecture

Traditional houses, Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi. Tongkonan traditional houses in Tana Toraja are decorated with carved wooden panels. The more buffalo horns displayed, the wealthier the owner. For more information, click here.

Restored Art Deco buildings, Bandung. These Art Deco buildings are a remnant of the Dutch colonial era and are still in use today. For more information, click here.

Minangkabau architecture, West Sumatra. The Tanah Datar area is the best place to see traditional Minangkabau architecture, their distinctive roofs resembling the horns of a water buffalo. For more information, click here.

Traditional houses, West Sumba. The dwellings here feature steeply pitched roofs where the family’s heirlooms are stored. Their four supporting posts are symbolically placed. For more information, click here.

Javan rhino at Ujung Kulon National Park.

Willem v Strien

Best Wildlife and Trekking

Ujung Kulon National Park. West Java’s major wildlife reserve shelters the endangered Javan rhino and numerous other forest species. For more information, click here.

Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park. In North Sulawesi, this area is home to rare, endemic Sulawesi animals including babirusas, anoas and Sulawesi warty pigs. For more information, click here.

Kerinci Seblat National Park. Kerinci Seblat in West Sumatra shelters Sumatran elephants and tigers, clouded leopards, Malayan sun bears and tapirs, and over 375 species of birds. For more information, click here.

Way Kambas National Park. In South Sumatra, Way Kambas is a sanctuary for Sumatran elephants and rhinos, assuring visitors of the chance to spot them. For more information, click here.

Tanjung Puting National Park. While orang-utans are the flagship species of Tanjung Puting, Central Kalimantan, also abundant are fun-to-watch proboscis monkeys. For more information, click here.

Best Shopping

Weaving villages. Visit the far-flung villages of Nusa Tenggara – notably on Solor and Rote – for hand-woven ikat textiles. For more information, click here.

Bali boutiques. Numerous small shops along the main roads of Seminyak, for export-quality fashions and home furnishings. For more information, click here.

Batik. Yogyakarta is the best place to look for traditional motifs in modern patterns and colours. For more information, click here.

Kuta Beach, Lombok.

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Legong dance.

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

A Dani child wearing mud markings.

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