Indonesia Travel Guide
Information and Advice

A gamelan band in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Why Travel to Indonesia:

The world's largest archipelago [13,677 islands], Indonesia has a huge variety of wonderful landscapes and strange islands, from the terraced rice paddies of Bali to the forests of Sumatra, from bizarre, diverse cultures and traditions of the primitive Dani folk [picture above right] to the weird Toraja buildings and customs [picture above left].
The people however strangely attired are calm and friendly; the food is wonderful, the wildlife diverse and there is no shortage of activities.
Finally, masses of gorgeous, stylish, little ethnic hotels offer chic comfort at the right price.

Downside:
- Indonesia's star attraction, the previously sublime Bali is close to ruination due to corrupt over-development, traffic overload and crime.
- In some years, air pollution 'Haze' has been serious in summertime.
- Political instability may also be a problem, though not so much in Bali, Sulawesi or Lombok.
- Travel from one island to another is time consuming and expensive.
- Because of its popularity, some places such as Kuta in Bali are too touristy and the local people can be unusually mercenary.

Climate:
Best: Apr-June, Sept, Oct
Worst: Dec and Jan [wet]; July, Aug [crowded, expensive, & possibly dominated by a smoke/haze problem.

Bali Island, rice terraces around Ubud

Main attractions:

Bali is struggling to maintain a rich and colourful Hindu heritage under the weight of uncontrolled development and the excessive traffic and noise that come with it.
Ubud, once a relaxed and charming rural town with shabby-chic hotels and rice terraces is fast - and tragically - becoming a 21stC high-rise nonentity, replacing exotic festivals and fine crafts with big cars, swarms of motorcycles and opportunistic crime.

Kuta beach, Bali.

Bali encompasses a number of excellent beaches, depending on the precise needs and depth of pocket of the tourist: the legendary Kuta for huge expanses of firm sand, rough water, superb restaurants and a lively night life within easy staggering distance; Legian, stretching north of Kuta without a break is very similar to Kuta's environment but not so near all the town action so it's more discreet and attracts less people; Sanur offers good hotels, softer sand, quieter water but in a much smaller space; Candidasa is similar but even smaller; Jimbaran is south of Kuta and more protected, with soft white sand and a lot of upmarket hotels and restaurants along the beachfront; Nusa Dua to the east of Jimbaran is another hi-class holiday hot-spot with some of the island's best beaches; Uluwatu on the southern tip of Bali offers the best surf but little sand and is a pain to get to - but that's a good thing if you're a surfer ready to travel rough and hang out in non-style without the comforts of wallet-shredding hotels. See our Best Bali Beaches pictures page.

For more Balinese isolation try travelling 3 hours from Denpasar to northwest coast for black sands, turquoise water, grey rocky outcrops and green paddy fields. There's a lot to do here, including bird watching in Bali Barat National Park, boating and fishing in Gilimanuk Bay and diving or snorkelling 5 miles offshore at Deer Island. See Bali Pictures

Borobudur, Java

Java: Yogyakarta is an attractive market town, good for local culture and batik, while Pranmbanan, the world's 8th largest Hindu temple complex is certainly worth a day.
Then there's Borobudur, one of the finest Buddhist monuments in Southeast Asia.
Jakarta, on the other hand, we'd prefer to wrestle a Komodo Dragon than spend another night in Java's unpleasant capital city.

Sulawesi Island, Tana Toraja effigies of the dead.

Sulawesi island, Tana Toraja region: for some really unique and bizarre indigenous customs [especially the funeral ceremonies], boat-shaped housing, lovely rural landscapes and excellent trekking. See Sulawesi Pictures.

Kalimantan [Borneo] wildlife: for Banjarmasin, floating markets and Dayak people or Pangkalanbun as a base for Tnjung Puting National Park walks and boating.

West Papua, Baliem Valley fashions.

West Papua [Balim/Baliem Valley]: strangest of all Indonesia's provinces where the Dani people still retain an ancient culture and men wear penis gourds. Hiking here is often damp and accommodation can be basic [e.g. sleeping on straw next to a mummified body] but you won't forget this place. Or the lack of beer! See Balim Pictures

Trekking in Balim Valley, West Papua.

Activities:
Trekking: especially interesting would be Balim Valley in West Papua [half of New Guinea island] for hiking hand-in-hand with very primitive people wearing penis gourds, straw hut accommodation and damp conditions or Tana Toraja on Sulawesi island for gorgeous pastoral views, wacky housing and fascinating funeral ceremonies August-October. Read the relevant travel articles: Balim or Toraja.
Wildlife: Monkeys, particularly macaques, are noisily visible and sometimes troublesome in many places but to see the big guys who share 98% of human DNA - Orangutan - you'll have to take a trip over to Tnjung Puting National Park on Kalimantan island [Borneo].
Or travel to Komodo Island to see the largest, most vicious, poisonous Komodo Dragons feasting on goats.
Jungle river boating: Tnjung Puting National Park on Kalimantan island.
Motor biking and cycling: bike hire is widely available but beware uncontrolled and erratic local driving habits.
Water sports: the usual snorkelling and windsurfing off Bali, Lombok and Gili, with some mini-surf off Kuta beach and good scuba in varied locations.

A Balinese cremation ceremony, Ubud.

Main Festivals:
March/Apr, Nyepi (Balinese New Year), Bali, a few days
August, Galungan, Bali, 10 days.
May [Full-moon]Waisak, Borobudur, 1 day.
June/July, Usaba Sambah,Tenganan (Bali), 1 day.
August, Caci Whip Duels, Ruteng (Flores), 1 day.
Aug-Oct (Sept is the peak), Torajan Funeral Feasts, Tanatoraja (south central Sulawesi), 1 week.

Bali Video | Indonesia Resources | Toraja Travel | Balim Valley Travel | Indonesia Tours