INDONESIA

Must Visit Places in Indonesia

Bali

Bali is the closest you can conjure up as utopia. Come to think about it- the blossoming rice terraces, spectacular hillside temples, dramatic volcano sites, ancient monuments, extensive coastlines with beautiful beaches and a captivating vibe of fun!

Now add all this to the phenomenal spiritual and artistic undertones, and you have the island of God- there truly is no other place like the unbelievable Bali.

Bali is an impressive destination for travellers of every genre - family, solo, friends, backpackers, honeymooning couples, you name it and you’ll find them here.

The biggest draw here is that Bali offers not just the mindboggling range of activities like surfing, diving, cultural performances, historical attractions, archaeological wonders et al but the equally fabulous Bali accommodation options at prices that are much lower than similar resorts at any other tourist destination in the world. No wonder with this very high value-for-money-ratio for a broad spectrum of visitors, Bali attracts more travellers than most of them!

Despite the many tourist attractions, the true essence of Bali is the Balinese people- generous, smiling, and genuinely hospitable people who revel in welcoming you and are exceedingly keen to embrace you in their rituals and celebrations. In my long career as a travel blogger, I’m yet to meet a traveller to Bali who is not eager to travel there again- in fact, most of the Bali first-timers can be seen promoting Bali as if they are paid by the Indonesian Government for it 😀!

Major tourist areas of Bali

While Kuta tops the list of places to visit in Bali for miles of golden sand beaches, surfing, and a vibrant nightlife, Ubud is more celebrated for its artistic heritage and traditional Balinese dances.

Here is a list of top Bali destinations:

1. Kuta - Beaches, beaches and some more beaches! You can surf to your heart’s content, take a nap and set out to absorb the vibrant nightlife of the party capital of Bali.
2. Ubud - It’s the center of Balinese art and dance, with several temples and museums along with art and craft galleries cum shops. There’s also the Bali Monkey Forest here that kids will love to pay a quick visit to.
3. Nusa Dua - Golden sand beaches and high-end resorts; arguably the toniest area of Bali. You can enjoy water sports, play golf or relax in a luxury spa.
4. Seminyak – The lively Seminyak is fancied by travellers for its swanky restaurants, clubs and a cornucopia of designer boutiques and galleries. And of course, fabulous sandy beaches.
5. Lovina - Ideal for family vacations in Bali, the gorgeous black volcanic sand beaches and coral reefs is one of the more quiet areas in Bali. Your kids will love dolphin watching here.
6. Kintamani - You can choose to visit this mountainous area that houses the active volcano Mount Batur, inescapable mountain vistas, and the largest lake in Bali.

While you can choose to indulge in any number of engrossing activities in Bali, do read our favourite list of 5 best things to do in Bali.

Sumatra

Sumatra is blessed with the very best and wickedest of nature. The sixth largest island in the world is a parcel of exceptional beauty where lush jungles and idyllic beaches are fortified with volcano eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides.

The natural disasters though are never a deterrent to travellers who are eager to explore the prodigious beauty of the island and indulge in distinctive adventurous activities.

Sumatra is so good; it must be seen. Here’s a list of highlights you can expect to discover while in Sumatra:

1. The Orangutan sanctuary in Bukit Lawang. Not just our nearest cousins, you can also expect to come across monkeys, rhinos, Sumatran tigers, and elephants in the wild.
2. Lounge around in a charming waterside resort on the shores of one of Southeast Asia’s largest lakes - Danau Toba aka Lake Toba. Don’t miss to relish the distinctive Padang cuisine here.
   
   
3. Go for world class diving in Pulau Weh and surfing in the remote and idyllic Mentawai islands.
4. Watch dolphins at Kiluan, Lampung while appreciating the magnificent rainforest fauna.
   
   

Most travellers rush to Bukit Lawang and Danau Toba for its easy approach, but if you are looking for an off beaten and experiential trip to Indonesia, take my suggestion and choose to explore a few remote islands to absorb the true grandeur of nature that this tropical paradise is.

Yogyakarta

If the kaleidoscopic Indonesia is represented in a single city, it has to be Yogyakarta- the soul of Indonesia. Capital of the semi-autonomous region of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, the city is most famous for the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan.

Yogyakarta is cherished for preserving Indonesian artistic and philosophic heritage in its purest form. The citadel of batik and gamelan loves its roots and is still ruled by a Sultan whose palace, locally called Kraton, remains a vibrant hub of all traditional arts, crafts and the rich archaeological heritage of Yogyakarta.

Yet, Yogyakarta (also called Jogjakarta or simply Jogya) is much more than traditions. It’s a dynamic metropolis with every indicator of modernity in abundance- malls, fast food chains, terrible traffic and youngsters imitating global pop icons in dresses and demeanour. No wonder Yogyakarta has become Indonesia’s liveliest city that travellers are keen to discover more of!

Yogyakarta lies in the most seismically active zone of Indonesia and receives more than a fair share of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. While the disaster management team there is super effective, the volcanic eruption site of 2010 has also become a tourist getaway for exploring damages and collecting sands-rocks from there.

Komodo

Part of the outstanding Indonesian wonderland Nusa Tenggara, Komodo completes the triumvirate - in the company of Rinca and Padar - of the islands that form the 1817 Km of the country’s greatest natural treasure - The Komodo National Park.

The largest island here, Komodo is blessed with crystal clear waters that offer gripping underwater adventures. Yet, it is most recognized around the world for Ora, the fabled Komodo dragon. The world's largest living lizard can reach 3 metres or more in length and over 70kg in weight.

But the Komodo National Park is more than just dragons. It is home to many other significant terrestrial species such as the orange-footed scrub fowl, an endemic rat, and the Timor deer.

What is more, the Park includes one of the richest marine environments including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, seamounts, and semi-enclosed bays. These habitats shelter more than a thousand species of fish, some 260 species of reef-building coral, and 70 species of sponges.

Dugong, sharks, manta rays, at least 14 species of whales, dolphins, and sea turtles also make Komodo National Park their home.

The neighbouring town of Labuanbajo is also coming into its own and fast developing as the next big eco-travel hotspot of Indonesia. Labuanbajo lies on the Flores Island where the languid 670 km river Hwy runs along the paddy fields which has helped open up whole new tourist vistas.

The tropical El Dorado of Flores remained hidden in the shadows of big brother Bali, but the solidly improving infrastructure and refining sensitivities of modern travellers trailing smouldering volcanoes, impressive rice terraces, hot springs, uncharted white sand beaches, and exotic cultures is helping the gorgeous island bloom like never before.

I strongly recommend you include Flores in your itinerary when you visit Komodo.

Lombok

Lombok is the insider’s secret to Bali. While Bali is swamped with international travellers, local Indonesians are turning more towards Lombok for its clean beaches, green trekking trails, lush forests, mesmerizing waterfalls, backpackers’ friendly party places, and Gunung Rinjani- Indonesia’s second largest volcano.

Promoted as Unspoiled Bali, Lombok is not too far from the moniker it proudly wears. The tropical paradise retains the traditional way of life of a delightful village that is reluctant to join the big league. The natural landscapes are as spectacular as the rest of Indonesia but appear far more alluring when you don’t have to jostle around with crowds of tourists with cameras in tow. Trust me; you can ramble around here without coming across a single Instagram fan! Travellers come to Lombok to unwind in the true sense of the term.

Lombok is inexpensive as compared to Bali. Plus, it’s safe, gorgeous and receives far less tourist crowd than Bali. Hence, it’s fast becoming a preferred destination of honeymooners from around the world, especially India and Australia. While you are open to visit beaches and natural splendours, I particularly advise you to take advantage of the roads of Lombok. No, they are not the zip-zap-zoom kind of highways but mostly rickety roads yet the romanticism in hiring a motorbike with your partner or riding a bicycle or a horse cart will create charming memories you won’t ever forget.

Gili

While a Gili literally means a small island that is an offshoot of a bigger island, the famous Gili Islands is a reference to the archipelago of three islands just off the northwest coast of Lombok that has gained massive popularity in the last few years as a distinctive tourist destination.

The fascinating archipelago is surrounded by glittering turquoise waters while individual gilis present an enthralling sight of swaying coconut palm trees. The sharp increase in tourist traffic in the last few years have seen resorts and other tourist properties open up here with an unbelievable speed.

Of the 3 islands- Gili Meno, Gili Air and Gili Trawangan - the last one is specifically favoured by tourists who are bursting with raw energy to party hard and party long. Gili Trawangan also happens to be the most cosmopolitan of the triumvirate with countless resorts, bars and upscale dining options.

At the same time, the local authorities have, very sensibly, decided to ban every kind of motor traffic on the island. So, you only have horse carts and bicycles to make your way around Gili Trawangan. Lately, electric scooters have started making an appearance, but they are still small in number. Incidentally, the automobile embargo applies to all the 3 Gilis, and has helped the islands retain their dreamy charm despite the influx of hordes of tourists out for a good time.

While Gili Trawangan or Gili T as it’s more commonly called has made a reputation of a boisterous place, Gili Meno and Gili Air are comparatively less crowded and attract swooning honeymooners and urbane travellers who are more drawn to the crystal clear water and idyllic, secluded white-sand beaches. The Gili Trawangan Honeymoon Package is a big hit with new couples!