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◆ Country guide · Southeast Asia

Top 10s across Indonesia

Seventeen thousand islands, three time zones and more active volcanoes than any other country. Indonesia is not a destination so much as a shortlist of them under one passport stamp.

City guides

282M

People

Video guide

Region

Bali

Yogyakarta

Labuan Bajo

Best months

May · Jun · Sep

Ideal length

10–14 days

Budget / day

$40–100

Language

Indonesian

Getting around

Internal flights & ferries

When to visit Indonesia

One dry season for most of the country, and an eastern half that keeps its own calendar.

Full month guide →

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best, dry weeks with clear volcano mornings and calm crossings Peak, the northern summer holidays and the Christmas and New Year weeks Good, the shoulder either side of the dry season, quieter and cheaper Off, the northwest monsoon, afternoon downpours and rougher seas

Quick answer · where to go in Indonesia

Most first trips are Bali plus one. Give Bali four or five days, split between Ubud for the rice terraces and temples and the south coast for the surf, then fly on. Java is the usual second leg: Yogyakarta for Borobudur and Prambanan, then dawn at Bromo and Ijen. Divers go east, to Komodo or Raja Ampat. Sumatra is the wildest and slowest to cross. Nothing is near anything else, so budget for internal flights and pick two islands.

Jump toCity guides Fun fact Stereotypes Famous Indonesians Food FAQ

4 Indonesia city guides

Sorted by what travellers are saving this month.

Fun fact

One number worth knowing

Indonesia counts 127 active volcanoes, more than any other country, and sits on the stretch of the Ring of Fire where the Indo-Australian plate dives under the Eurasian one.

Stereotypes, sorted out

The clichés you have heard, what is actually true, and how to fit in.

"Indonesia means Bali"

The realityBali is one province among dozens and holds a small share of the people. Java alone carries more than half the population, Borobudur, Prambanan and the volcano corridor. A trip that never leaves Bali has seen one island out of thousands, and a one-hour flight fixes that.

"The whole country is a beach"

The realityThe beaches are real, and so is the mountain chain running the length of the archipelago. Ijen's crater lake, Bromo's caldera and the highland lakes of Sumatra are cold enough at dawn to want a jacket. Rainforest and altitude take up far more of Indonesia than sand does.

"It is one culture speaking one language"

The realityIndonesian is the shared working language, and the education ministry has validated 718 regional languages alongside it, second only to Papua New Guinea. Javanese court manners, Minangkabau matrilineal inheritance, Balinese Hinduism and Papuan clans are different worlds under one flag.

"You can see it in two weeks"

The realityThe archipelago spans three time zones and stretches further east to west than the continental United States. Two weeks is a good trip across two islands. It is not a lap of the country, and the itineraries that promise one spend most of their days in airports.

"It is dirt cheap"

The realityWarung meals, local transport and family-run guesthouses are inexpensive by any standard. Internal flights, dive packages, Komodo boats and Bali's villa market are not, and that is where the budget actually goes. Price the flights first and the rest of the trip plans itself.

"The wet season is a write-off"

The realityThe northwest monsoon brings heavy afternoon downpours, and mornings are often clear. Rates drop and the rice terraces are at their greenest. The real cost is rougher crossings to the smaller islands.

Jam karet, rubber timeA warung on every cornerWhere are you going?No rice, no mealStrangers asking for photosThe scooter as family carSambal with everything

How to fit in

Give, receive and eat with your right hand. The left is for washing, and using it to pass something reads as an insult.
Take your shoes off before entering a home, a mosque or a temple, and follow whoever went in ahead of you.
Cover shoulders and knees at religious sites. Balinese temples lend a sarong and sash at the gate, and wearing them is not optional.
Point with your thumb or an open hand. An index finger aimed at a person is rude.
Keep your voice down and your temper flat. Raising either loses the argument and the room.
Terima kasih goes a long way, and so does learning the greeting for the time of day.
During Ramadan, eat and drink discreetly in Muslim-majority areas and expect shorter opening hours.
Ask before photographing people, ceremonies and funerals. In Toraja and in Bali a ritual is not a performance.
Do not touch anyone's head, a child's included, and do not step over the small offerings left on Balinese pavements.

Famous Indonesian faces

The names behind the country's independence, writing, music, film, sport and science. Pick a field.

Sukarno

Proclaimed independence in 1945 and served as the republic's first president

Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Novelist who composed the Buru Quartet aloud in a prison camp before it was written down

Anggun

Rock singer turned French-based star, the first Indonesian to chart in Europe and the US

Iko Uwais

Pencak silat champion turned action star, and the reason The Raid travelled

B.J. Habibie

Aeronautical engineer who founded the national aircraft industry, then served as president

Sukarno

Proclaimed independence in 1945 and served as the republic's first president

Mohammad Hatta

Co-signed the 1945 proclamation and served as the first vice president

Joko Widodo

Furniture exporter turned mayor, Jakarta governor and president from 2014 to 2024

Megawati Sukarnoputri

Sukarno's daughter and the first woman to serve as president

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

The first president chosen by direct popular vote, in office from 2004 to 2014

Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Novelist who composed the Buru Quartet aloud in a prison camp before it was written down

Andrea Hirata

Author of Laskar Pelangi, the Belitung schoolroom novel that became a national bestseller

Eka Kurniawan

Novelist behind Beauty Is a Wound, Indonesia's most widely translated recent fiction

Anggun

Rock singer turned French-based star, the first Indonesian to chart in Europe and the US

Agnez Mo

Child singer turned pop star, and the country's most decorated contemporary performer

Joey Alexander

Jazz pianist and the first Indonesian musician nominated at the Grammy Awards

Rich Brian

Rapper and producer from Jakarta who reached a global audience straight from the internet

Iko Uwais

Pencak silat champion turned action star, and the reason The Raid travelled

Christine Hakim

Actress and producer, the defining screen presence of Indonesian cinema

Joko Anwar

Director of Satan's Slaves and Impetigore, who rebuilt Indonesian horror for the world

Taufik Hidayat

Men's singles gold at Athens 2004 and one of the finest players of his generation

Apriyani Rahayu

The other half of that Tokyo 2020 women's doubles gold, from Southeast Sulawesi

B.J. Habibie

Aeronautical engineer who founded the national aircraft industry, then served as president

Raden Adjeng Kartini

Javanese writer whose letters on women's education became Out of Dark Comes Light

Susi Susanti

Badminton singles gold at Barcelona 1992, the first Olympic gold Indonesia ever won

Raden Saleh

Romantic painter whose Arrest of Prince Diponegoro hangs in the presidential collection

Raden Adjeng Kartini

Javanese writer whose letters on women's education became Out of Dark Comes Light

Prince Diponegoro

Javanese prince who led the Java War against Dutch rule from 1825 to 1830

Chairil Anwar

Poet of the 1945 generation who reset the language of modern Indonesian verse

Wage Rudolf Supratman

Journalist and violinist who wrote Indonesia Raya, the national anthem

Garin Nugroho

Director whose films carry Indonesian cinema to the major festivals

Susi Susanti

Badminton singles gold at Barcelona 1992, the first Olympic gold Indonesia ever won

Greysia Polii

Half of the pair that took Indonesia's first Olympic women's doubles gold, at Tokyo 2020

Raden Saleh

Romantic painter whose Arrest of Prince Diponegoro hangs in the presidential collection

Affandi

Expressionist painter who squeezed paint straight from the tube onto the canvas

I Nyoman Nuarta

Sculptor behind Bali's Garuda Wisnu Kencana and the design of the Nusantara palace

Must-try Indonesian food

Rice with everything, a different signature dish on every island, and the street snacks worth queueing for. Pick a category.

Sate

Skewers over coconut charcoal with peanut or sweet soy sauce. Every island has its own.

Gado-gado

Blanched vegetables, tofu, tempe and egg under a thick peanut dressing.

Soto

Turmeric chicken broth over rice or noodles with lime and shallots. Each city has its own.

Sambal

Chilli pounded with garlic, shrimp paste, lime or tomato. Matah in Bali, ijo in Padang.

Gudeg

Young jackfruit braised for hours in palm sugar and coconut milk. Yogyakarta, and sweet.

Rawon

Black beef soup coloured by keluak nut, with bean sprouts and salted egg. East Java.

Bakso

Springy meatballs in clear broth with noodles and chilli, sold from neighbourhood carts.

Nasi pecel

Greens and rice under a rough peanut and chilli sauce. The Javanese working breakfast.

Rendang

Beef cooked in coconut milk and spice until dark and dry. Minangkabau, built to travel.

Nasi Padang

Small plates land unasked and you pay for what you touch. West Sumatran, and everywhere.

Pempek

Fried fish and tapioca cakes in dark sour-sweet vinegar with cucumber. From Palembang.

Mie Aceh

Thick noodles fried with curry spice, chilli and beef or crab. Far north, and fiery.

Sate lilit

Minced fish or pork with coconut and spice, moulded onto lemongrass and grilled.

Ayam betutu

Chicken packed with Balinese spice paste, wrapped in leaves and slow-cooked. Order ahead.

Coto Makassar

Beef and offal in a peanut-thickened broth with pressed rice cakes. South Sulawesi.

Papeda

Sago starch cooked to a translucent glue, eaten with yellow fish soup in Maluku and Papua.

Pisang goreng

Battered banana fried hot from the cart, sometimes topped with cheese and chocolate.

Siomay

Steamed fish dumplings with potato, cabbage and egg under peanut sauce and lime.

Kerak telor

Sticky rice and duck egg grilled crisp over charcoal under fried coconut. Betawi Jakarta.

Klepon

Pandan rice-flour balls in coconut, filled with palm sugar that bursts when you bite.

Dadar gulung

Pandan crepes rolled around coconut and palm sugar. Market food, gone by nine.

Jamu

Turmeric, tamarind and ginger tonics, sold fresh from a basket. Bitter, taken as medicine.

Nasi goreng

Fried rice with sweet soy, shallots and chilli, under a fried egg. Eaten at any hour.

Tempe

Whole soybeans fermented into a firm cake, then fried or braised. A Javanese invention.

Babi guling

Suckling pig stuffed with turmeric, lemongrass and chilli, spit-roasted. Balinese.

Martabak

Either a thick sweet chocolate pancake or a thin savoury one folded around egg and beef.

Es cendol

Green rice-flour worms in coconut milk and palm sugar over shaved ice.

Kopi tubruk

Coarse coffee and sugar under boiling water. Let it settle, and stop before the grounds.

Es kelapa muda

Young coconut water and flesh over ice, with palm sugar. Worth walking for in the heat.

Know before you go

The essentials for planning an Indonesia trip.

Currency

Indonesian rupiah (IDR)

Prices run to five and six zeros, and 10,000 and 100,000 notes look alike in a hurry. Cards work in cities and hotels; warungs and markets take cash. Use a bank's own ATM.

Language

Indonesian, plus 718 regional languages

Indonesian is taught everywhere, so a phrasebook earns its place. The ministry has validated 718 regional languages alongside it. English is common in Bali and tourist centres, patchy elsewhere.

Power

230V · Type C & F

230 volts at 50 Hz on the two-round-pin European sockets. UK and North American plugs need an adapter, and anything that is not dual voltage needs a converter as well.

Emergency

112

112 reaches the national emergency line from any phone. The direct lines still work too: 110 for police, 113 for fire, and 118 or 119 for an ambulance.

Entry

Visa on arrival for most

Most European, North American and Australasian passports get a 30-day visa on arrival, at the airport or online as an e-VOA. It extends once, in person, for 30 more. Check the official list first.

Bali levy

IDR 150,000 per visit

Every foreign visitor to Bali pays a one-off levy on top of any visa. Pay on the official Love Bali site or on arrival, and keep the QR voucher. Copycat sites overcharge: use .go.id.

Getting around

Internal flights & ferries

Distances are ocean-sized, so flying between islands is normal. Grab and Gojek cover every city, Java has toll roads and decent trains, and ferries handle short hops like Bali to Lombok.

Tipping

Not expected

Hotels and mid-range restaurants usually add service. Rounding up a fare, leaving change at a warung or tipping a guide after a long day is welcome and never demanded.

Nyepi

Bali stops for a day

The Balinese new year is a day of silence: no flights at Ngurah Rai, no traffic, no beach, no lights after dark. Hotels stay open and guests stay in. Check the date before booking March.

Volcanoes

Check the alert level

Eruptions close airports and trails at short notice. Check the geological agency's live alert level before Bromo, Ijen, Rinjani or Merapi, and take a closure at face value.

Indonesia travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Indonesia?+

Ten days is the realistic minimum for two islands: five in Bali and five in Java, or Bali and Lombok if you would rather not move much. Two weeks lets you add Komodo or a Sumatran leg without spending half the trip in airports. Anything shorter should stay on one island.

Do you need a visa for Indonesia?+

Most European, North American and Australasian passports get a visa on arrival, bought at the airport counter or in advance as an e-VOA on the immigration ministry's own portal. It runs 30 days and extends once for another 30, with the extension done in person at an immigration office. Check your own nationality on the official site before booking, because the eligible list changes.

When is the best time to go?+

April to October is the dry season across Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, and May, June and September are the sweet spot: dry, but either side of the July and August peak. The wet season runs November to March, with heavy afternoon rain and few washed-out days. Raja Ampat keeps its own calendar and is calmest from October to April.

Is Indonesia expensive?+

Not on the ground. Warung meals, local transport and guesthouses are cheap by any standard, and the cost of a trip is decided almost entirely by the flights between islands, the dive and boat packages, and how far into Bali's villa market you go. Price those three first.

Do you have to pay anything extra to enter Bali?+

Yes. Bali charges every foreign visitor a one-off tourist levy of IDR 150,000, paid through the province's own Love Bali portal before you land or at a counter on arrival. Keep the QR voucher for the airport. Only the address ending in .go.id is official, and lookalike sites overcharge.