Top 10 Best Places to Visit in Indonesia

With 18,330 islands, 6,000 of them inhabited, Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. Indonesia is home to 167 active volcanoes, far more than any other country. Hardly surprisingly in the world’s largest archipelago, beaches are also a major draw. Aside from the obvious like Bali and Lombok, there are many other wonderful beaches in off-the-beaten-track locations. This island nation has some of the largest remaining tracts of tropical forest anywhere in the world, and is home to several beautiful scuba diving and snorkeling spots as well. An overview of the best places to visit in Indonesia:

1Bali

Often described as a paradise for its volcanic mountains, green rice terraces and sandy white beaches, Bali is one of the 17,000 islands that comprise the archipelago of Indonesia in Southeast Asia. In addition to remarkable culture and world-class diving and surfing, Bali is where many people come for weddings, honeymoons and for total relaxation of mind, body and spirit. With striking temples and architecture hinting at its Hindu, Javanese and Dutch colonial history, Bali first became popular in the 1970s as a top surfing and diving destination. Dive shops are located all over the island, and the crystal clear water, coral reefs, colorful marine creatures and sunken ships all present excellent diving and snorkeling adventures.

While Bali encompasses several regions and cities, some of the main tourist destinations include Kuta, known for its beautiful beaches and vibrant shopping and nightlife. Ubud is the island’s art and cultural center while the bustling capital city, Denpasar, is the main transportation hub. The towns of Sanur and Seminyak offer many fabulous beachside resorts.

Bali’s Hindu culture is among its greatest attractions. The island is dotted with tens of thousands of temples varying in size, shape and architectural design. With each of these temples hosting festivals at various times of the years, the island is always buzzing with performances of traditional Balinese music, dances, costumes and rituals.

In addition to beautiful beaches, Bali offers plenty of family and outdoor fun from botanic gardens to jungle tours and whitewater rafting. Pampering services abound on the island from massages on the beach to luxurious spas. Shopping is excellent with upscale fashion boutiques and artisan shops selling local handicrafts. Food choices range from street vendors to fast food chains and restaurants serving both Indonesian dishes and international cuisine.

Buses, taxis and minibuses, called bemos, provide public transportation around Bali.

2Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta is a bustling town of some 500,000 people and the most popular tourist destination on Java, due to its proximity to the famous temples of Borobudur and Prambanan. The city itself is a center of art and education, offers some good shopping and has a wide range of tourist facilities. Yogyakarta lies in one of the most seismically active parts of Java and has thus repeatedly been struck by earthquakes and volcano eruptions. In 2006 an earthquake flattened over 300,000 houses while in 2010 the nearby volcano of Mount Merapi erupted, spewing lava over nearby villages.

3Komodo National Park

Komodo Island is part of the Komodo National Park, a national park in Indonesia located within the Lesser Sunda Islands. The park also includes the islands Padar and Rincah, and 26 smaller ones. The island is particularly notable as the natural habitat of the Komodo dragon and consequently named after the island. The Komodo Dragon is the world’s largest living reptile and can reach 10 feet (3 meters) or more in length and weigh over 150lb (70kg). As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the island ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons eat mostly carcass of dead animals,but they are formidable predators and will also hunt prey including birds, and mammals. Although attacks are very rare, Komodo dragons have been known to attack humans.

4Lombok

The most western island of Nusa Tenggara, Lombok is often compared to its closest neighbor: Bali. Lombok has the same kind of beautiful beaches, splashing waterfalls and volcanic scenery as the island across the Lombok Strait, with less commercialism and fewer crowds. In many ways it is the tropical paradise that many people still mistakenly imagine Bali to be now. The island’s northern area is dominated by the enormous volcano of Gunung Rinjani, and trekking at least part of the way up is the reason many tourists visit the island. The three Gili Islands, just off the northwest coast are Lombok’s most popular beach destination, while the luxurious Senggigi resort and Kuta, a popular surfing center, also offer great beaches. With its manmade lagoon and mix of Hindu, Islamic and native Sasak architectural styles, the Narmada Taman temple is worth a visit as well.

5Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park

The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is best known for its awesome scenery of a vast, ancient volcanic crater and a host of picturesque volcanoes that have emerged from it. The park is named after two mountains, Mount Semeru, Mount Bromo and the Tengger people who inhabit the area. Semeru is the highest mountain in Java as well as one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes. The smouldering cone of Bromo stands in a sea of volcanic sand, surrounded by the towering cliffs of the crater’s edge.

6Bukit Lawang

Bukit Lawang is a small village situated at the eastern side of Gunung Leuser National Park about 90 kilometers northwest of Medan, the capital city of North Sumatra. A rehabilitation center for orangutans was founded here in 1973. The main purpose is to preserve the decreasing number of orangutan population due to hunting and deforestation. With a wonderful selection of treks into the heart of the jungle, whitewater adventures and some of the best opportunities to see wild orangutan in the world, Bukit Lawang is a destination worth visiting.

7Torajaland

Torajaland (Tana Toraja) is a highland region of South Sulawesi, home of the Toraja people. Torajans are famous for their massive peaked-roof houses known as tongkonan and spectacular but gruesome funeral rites. After a person’s death, the body is kept – often for several years – until the actual funeral ceremony, which can last for several days. The deceased is then finally buried in a small cave or in a hollow tree. The biggest funerals are usually held in the dry-season months of July and August, but there are funerals year-round.

8Flores Island

Lying to the east of Sumbawa and to the west of Lembata in Nusa Tenggara, the long island of Flores offers an array of natural and cultural sights. The most famous attraction in Flores is the Kelimutu volcano caldera, which has three lakes fed by volcanic gas that change color according to the amount of oxidation in the water. Flores also has a growing eco-tourism industry, where travelers can visit traditional villages, stay with local families and join in activities such as bird watching and trekking.

9Tanjung Puting National Park

The Tanjung Puting National Park is located on the island of Borneo in the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. The park is a popular ecotourism destination, with many local tour companies offering multi-day boat tours to view wildlife and visit the research centers. Wildlife include gibbons, macaques, clouded leopards, sun bears, pythons, crocodiles and – most famously – orangutans. Unfortunately illegal logging and forest clearing for agricultural uses are a major threat to the park.

10Raja Ampat

Located off the northwest tip of the island of New Guinea, Raja Ampat (the Four Kings) is a fast archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands and cays. Marine surveys suggest that the marine life diversity around the Raja Ampat islands is the highest recorded on Earth making it one of the most famous dive destinations in the world. The staggering abundance of marine life is due in part to its incredibly low human population density.