Destination Guides

Where to go in Indonesia

Matching Indonesia's regions and cities to trip types — first-timers, beach weeks, food trips and family holidays.

6 min read · Updated 2026-08-01

Indonesia spans thousands of islands across more than 5,000km, straddling the equator between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Bali is the entry point for most first visits, but Java holds the country's great temples and volcano hikes, Komodo and Raja Ampat rank among the world's best diving, and Sumatra and Borneo hold rainforest and orangutans. Because the archipelago crosses the equator, there is no single national season: southern islands including Bali, Java and Nusa Tenggara follow a roughly April–October dry season, while parts of Sumatra and Maluku run on different patterns. Plan one or two island groups per trip, not the whole map.

The places worth building a trip around

Each of these has its own page with timing, budget and getting-around notes.

Bali (Island) — Rice terraces, temples, surf coast and the widest range of places to stay in the country.
Yogyakarta (City) — Java's cultural capital, next to the Borobudur and Prambanan temple complexes.
Komodo & Flores (Island) — Dragon islands, pink beaches and some of the best diving in Southeast Asia.
Lombok & the Gili Islands (Island) — Quieter beaches, the Rinjani volcano trek and three car-free islands offshore.
Mount Bromo & Ijen (Mountain) — East Java's caldera sunrise and the sulphur crater with its blue flames.
Raja Ampat (Island) — Remote West Papua archipelago with the richest reef biodiversity on the planet.
Sumatra — Bukit Lawang & Lake Toba (Region) — Orangutan jungle trekking and the vast volcanic Lake Toba.
Nusa Penida (Island) — Cliff viewpoints, manta snorkelling and rough roads, 45 minutes from Bali.
Jakarta (City) — Sprawling capital and main air hub — museums, malls and a serious food scene.