Things to do in Indonesia

Bali is where most visitors begin. Ubud, in the green uplands, is the island's cultural heart, with temples, dance, craft villages, rice terraces and the Monkey Forest. On the south coast, Kuta is the original surf-and-party beach town, Seminyak offers stylish beach clubs, boutiques and dining, and Nusa Dua is a calm resort enclave of white sand and gentle reefs.

Beyond Bali, the country stretches thousands of kilometres. Java holds the great temples of Borobudur and Prambanan and the volcanic landscape of Bromo, Komodo National Park is home to the giant Komodo dragon, and Lombok and the Gili Islands offer quieter beaches. Sumatra, Borneo and Raja Ampat add rainforests, orangutans and remarkable reefs.

Nasi goreng, satay and rendang are eaten across the islands, while on Bali feasts bring out babi guling, spit-roast pork, and bebek betutu, slow-cooked duck. The dry season, roughly April to October, is the most popular time. On Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence in spring, the whole island falls still for a day, after a night of parades with giant ogoh-ogoh effigies.