Things to do in Indonesia

29 places worth the trip in Indonesia, grouped by what they are. Every guide explains what to see, the best time to go and the practical details, checked against official sources. Best time to visit Indonesia: Apr–Oct.

Mosques & temples (7)
Heritage (6)
Mountains (3)
Islands (3)
Cities (2)
Nature (2)
National parks (2)
Wildlife (2)
Beaches (1)
Adventure (1)

Mosques & temples in Indonesia

White modernist facade and domes of Istiqlal Mosque across a wide paved courtyard, framed by hanging leaves

Central Jakarta, Jakarta

Istiqlal Mosque

Indonesia's national mosque, opened in 1978 beside Merdeka Square, with a vast domed prayer hall, marble colonnades and a slender minaret, facing Jakarta's Catholic cathedral.

Tanah Lot temple shrines and trees on an offshore rock with waves breaking around its base

Beraban, Kediri, Tabanan, Bali

Tanah Lot Temple

A Hindu sea temple crowning a rock just off the Tabanan coast, linked to the 16th-century priest Dang Hyang Nirartha and best known for sunsets over the Indian Ocean.

Green-topped limestone cliffs at Uluwatu with the temple path along the rim and surf breaking below

Pecatu, Badung, Bali

Uluwatu Temple & Kecak Dance

Pura Luhur Uluwatu stands on a sheer limestone cliff above the Indian Ocean at Bali's southern tip; evenings bring the chanted Kecak dance against the sunset.

Eleven-tiered shrine of Ulun Danu Beratan reflected in still lake water, with clouds over the hills behind

Candikuning, Baturiti, Tabanan, Bali

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan

A 17th-century water temple on the shore of Lake Beratan in Bali's central highlands, dedicated to the lake goddess Dewi Danu, with an 11-tiered shrine that seems to float on the water.

Spring-fed pool in Tirta Empul's courtyard with thatched shrines and tall palms behind

Manukaya, Tampaksiring, Gianyar, Bali

Tirta Empul Water Temple

A temple built around a sacred spring in the Gianyar hills, where worshippers move along rows of carved spouts in the ritual purification known as melukat.

Cream and gold minarets and green roofs of Mataram's Hubbul Wathan grand mosque under a blue sky

Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara

Islamic Center Mosque (Masjid Hubbul Wathan)

The landmark grand mosque of West Nusa Tenggara in central Mataram, blending Islamic and Sasak design, with a 99-metre tower named after the 99 names of God.

White facade and black domes of Baiturrahman Grand Mosque reflected in its polished marble courtyard

Baiturrahman, Banda Aceh, Aceh

Baiturrahman Grand Mosque

The white-walled, black-domed grand mosque at the centre of Banda Aceh, rebuilt in 1879 to 1881 and still standing after the 2004 tsunami. Its marble courtyard and Madinah-style umbrellas welcome worshippers and respectful visitors.

Heritage in Indonesia

Borobudur temple with its stupas rising above trees under a clear blue sky, Central Java

Magelang, Central Java

Borobudur Temple

A vast stepped Buddhist monument from the Syailendra era, carved with thousands of relief panels and crowned by 72 latticed stupas, set among volcanoes in the green Kedu Valley.

The tall carved stone spires of the Prambanan temple compound under a blue sky with white clouds, with low shrubs in front

Prambanan, Sleman (Yogyakarta) and Klaten (Central Java)

Prambanan Temple Compounds

Tall, finely carved Hindu shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, with Ramayana reliefs and the Buddhist Sewu complex in the same park, about 17 km east of Yogyakarta.

White colonial facade of the former Batavia town hall with green shutters, red roof and domed bell tower on Fatahillah Square

West Jakarta, Jakarta

Kota Tua and Fatahillah Square

The historic core of Dutch Batavia, centred on Fatahillah Square and the old town hall, now the Jakarta History Museum, with puppet, ceramics and banking museums nearby.

White gatehouse with a carved, ornamented wooden gable and tall black doors inside the Yogyakarta Kraton, under tall trees

Yogyakarta City, Special Region of Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta Kraton and Malioboro Street

The 18th-century palace of the Sultans of Yogyakarta, with daily gamelan and dance, linked by the city's royal axis to busy Malioboro Street and Beringharjo Market.

Ornate carved gateway of the Ubud Palace with visitors in the courtyard below, framed by trees

Ubud, Gianyar, Bali

Ubud Palace & Ubud Art Market

Puri Saren Agung, home of Ubud's royal family, with carved gateways and nightly dance performances, facing the busy Ubud Art Market across the main street.

Toraja highland valley of green rice fields under low cloud, with a cluster of tongkonan roofs among trees

Tana Toraja and North Toraja regencies, South Sulawesi

Tana Toraja

Misty highlands in South Sulawesi where the Toraja people build boat-roofed tongkonan houses and honour their dead with funeral ceremonies, cliff graves and carved tau tau effigies. A place of deep cultural meaning.

Mountains in Indonesia

Batok cone and Bromo crater with low cloud drifting across the caldera, Semeru releasing a plume under a clear blue sky

Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, East Java

Mount Bromo and the Tengger Caldera

An active volcano rising from a sea of volcanic sand inside the 16-km Tengger caldera, with Semeru smoking beyond; reached by jeep before dawn for one of Java's classic sunrises.

Aerial view of Mount Batur's reddish crater ridge at sunrise, distant peaks rising above clouds behind

Kintamani, Bangli, Bali

Mount Batur Sunrise Trek

Climb an active volcano in the dark to watch sunrise from its rim, with Lake Batur below and distant peaks above a sea of cloud, inside a UNESCO Global Geopark.

Segara Anak crater lake and the dark cone of Barujari inside Rinjani's caldera

North and East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara

Mount Rinjani National Park

A 3,726 m volcano dominating northern Lombok, whose vast caldera holds the blue lake Segara Anak and the young cone of Barujari; reached on guided treks of two to four days.

Islands in Indonesia

T-shaped green headland above Kelingking Beach and turquoise sea, Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida, Klungkung Regency, Bali

Nusa Penida

A rugged island across the Badung Strait from Bali, known for the T-shaped headland of Kelingking, the sea arch at Broken Beach, snorkelling at Crystal Bay and manta rays offshore.

Aerial view of Gili Trawangan's shore with boats moored over turquoise reef shallows

Gili Indah, North Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara

Gili Islands

Three small, car-free islands off Lombok's north-west coast, ringed by white sand and reefs where green turtles are often seen; lively Trawangan, quiet Meno and easy-going Air.

Jungle-covered karst islets scattered across a turquoise lagoon at Pianemo under a wide blue sky

Raja Ampat Regency, Southwest Papua

Raja Ampat

Hundreds of jungle-clad karst islands and reefs off Papua's western tip, at the heart of the Coral Triangle. Come for Piaynemo's lagoon views, manta rays, rich coral reefs and community homestays.

Cities in Indonesia

Labuan Bajo town and harbour full of moored boats, backed by green hills

Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara

Labuan Bajo

A once-sleepy fishing port on the western tip of Flores, now the busy launch point for Komodo boat trips, with a harbour full of phinisi schooners and sunsets over the islands.

Jam Gadang clock tower with its horn-shaped Minangkabau roof in the town square, a green volcano behind

Bukittinggi, West Sumatra

Bukittinggi & the Minangkabau Highlands

A cool highland town at over 900 m, centred on the Jam Gadang clock tower and perched above Sianok Canyon. A friendly base for Minangkabau culture, markets, wartime history and some of Indonesia's best-loved food.

Nature in Indonesia

Aerial view of curving green rice terraces and palm trees at Tegallalang, Bali

Tegallalang, Gianyar, Bali

Ubud Rice Terraces (Tegallalang)

Stepped rice paddies tumbling down a palm-shaded valley about 20 minutes' drive north of Ubud, still irrigated by the cooperative subak system that shapes Bali's farmland.

Lake Toba seen from a green hillside, with a lakeside village below and caldera ridges under blue sky

Samosir and Toba regencies, North Sumatra

Lake Toba & Samosir Island

A huge lake filling the caldera of an ancient supervolcano, with Samosir Island in the middle. Come for cool highland air, Toba Batak villages, carved traditional houses and slow days by the water.

National parks in Indonesia

Padar Island viewpoint with ridges and curved bays at golden hour, Komodo National Park

West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara

Komodo National Park

A UNESCO World Heritage park between Sumbawa and Flores where Komodo dragons roam dry island hills, Padar's ridges overlook curving bays and rich reefs draw snorkellers and divers.

Clear turquoise water over shallow reef with the volcanic cone of Manado Tua under a cloudless sky

Manado Bay, Manado, North Sulawesi

Bunaken National Marine Park

A national marine park off Manado whose steep coral walls, turtles and reef fish draw divers and snorkellers. Bunaken, Siladen and the volcanic cone of Manado Tua are a short boat ride from the city.

Wildlife in Indonesia

Two long-tailed macaques holding infants while sitting on a mossy rock under the forest canopy

Padangtegal, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

About 12.5 hectares of shady forest, mossy temples and ravine walkways on the edge of central Ubud, shared with roughly a thousand Balinese long-tailed macaques.

Adult Sumatran orangutan resting among branches in the green forest canopy

Bahorok, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra

Bukit Lawang & Gunung Leuser National Park

A small village on the Bahorok River at the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park, where guided treks offer a chance to see Sumatran orangutans, gibbons and other wildlife in lowland rainforest.

Beaches in Indonesia

Aerial view of a curving sandy bay and grassy headland on the Mandalika coast

Kuta, Pujut, Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara

Kuta Lombok and the Mandalika Coast

A coastline of bays and grassy headlands on Lombok's south coast, from Kuta's beach to calm Tanjung Aan and the Merese Hill viewpoint, now part of the Mandalika tourism zone.

Adventure in Indonesia

Turquoise crater lake of Kawah Ijen ringed by pale rock walls, with steam rising at left and green volcanoes behind

Banyuwangi and Bondowoso, East Java

Ijen Crater (Kawah Ijen)

A pre-dawn hike up an active volcano to see blue flames of burning sulphur gas and a vivid turquoise crater lake, where miners still carry sulphur out by hand.

Indonesia holiday packages

Aerial view of curving green rice terraces and palm trees at Tegallalang, Bali

BeachCulture

Indonesia · 10 nights5★ Resort

Bali Temples & Beaches

Ubud rice terraces
Uluwatu temple
Private pool villa

Includes accommodation · private transfers · daily breakfast · guided sightseeing

Indicative from

$2,258 pp

Borobudur temple with its stupas rising above trees under a clear blue sky, Central Java

AdventureNature

Indonesia · 13 nights4★ Hotel

Java, Bali & Komodo Explorer

Borobudur sunrise
Komodo dragons
Mount Batur trek

Includes accommodation · private transfers · daily breakfast · guided sightseeing

Indicative from

$3,196 pp

Indonesia travel overview Plan a Indonesia trip

Indonesia travel guides