Indonesia Things to See & Do Guide

With some 18,000 islands, beaches are easy to find in Indonesia. Bali has some of the most famous beaches in the country, but you'll also find tremendous beaches farther east on Lombok, the Gili Islands and farther into Nusa Tenggara. The more adventurous will be more than satisfied in Maluku, though Java and Sumatra also have their own fine beaches and offshore islands.

Golf

With more than 40 golf courses just around Jakarta, a round or two is a popular way to spend the weekend or a holiday, especially among the well-to-do locals or keen golfing tourists. Conditions can be quite humid, so those used to more temperate conditions should be sure to drink plenty of water. The higher mountains are cooler, and Bogor (near Jakarta) and Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club (in the Bali hinterland) are more comfortable courses to play.

Hiking & Walking

The Indonesian archipelago forms a large portion of the Ring of Fire, so there's no shortage of trekking and mountain climbing opportunities. Java in particular offers some tremendous opportunities to climb dormant and extinct volcanoes.

Sumatra has some fine national park trekking, but the more hard-core hikers head out to Papua—home to Indonesia's highest peak—for some serious mountain climbing. For the more sedate experience, try short walks into the hills around Ubud on Bali or Gunung Rinjani on Lombok or explore the hilly districts of Sulawesi.

In many national parks, permits and often guides are compulsory (though inexpensive).

Scuba & Snorkeling

Indonesia has terrific diving most of the year, with all the major island groups in the archipelago boasting great diving opportunities. Reef dives are the most common, but there are also plenty of wreck dives. Bali attracts the biggest crowds, but if you've got a few extra days, head farther east to the Gili Islands. Diving during the wet season (October-April) isn't recommended, as visibility drops significantly and the seas can get choppy.

Surfing

Although you can hire a board in the more popular surfing spots, you may want to take your own (if airline fees aren't too steep) if you're planning on doing a lot of surfing. When arriving in the country with a board, don't be surprised if you're asked to pay a small handling fee.

Bali remains one of the main crowd-pleasers, with "crowd" being the active word—waves can be as congested as Jakarta expressways come the tourist season.

Farther afield, Lombok has some good waves, as does Timor. Closer to Jakarta, the south coast of Java has some famous breaks, but it is not an area for novices.

You can also head north to Nias, in Sumatra, once one of Indonesia's most famed surfing destinations. Hit partly by the 2004 tsunami, it was even more devastated by an 8.7-magnitude earthquake three months later and is still struggling to get back into shape.

Other Options

Rafting is still very much in its infancy in Indonesia, and the experience is often closer to a gentle float down a stream than white-water rapids. Kalimantan, Sumatra, Bali and Java all offer limited opportunities.

Shopping

Shop for batiks, silver, cloth, porcelain, ceramics, tin art objects, and canvas, wood and leather goods. The exact list varies by location. Batik has become high fashion, and some of the top designers have shops in Jakarta. In Yogyakarta, look for leather crafts, handbags made of sisal or other plant fibers, silver, wayang kulit puppets and batiks. In Lombok, Sumbawa and Sumba, consider baskets and ikat textiles and other handwoven cloth. Papua is the place for wood carvings, and Surabaya for lengths of printed batik cloth and machine-woven ikat.

In Bali, shop for batiks—both in ready-made clothes and by the length—hand-painted sarongs, silver, metal crafts, masks and other wood crafts, ceramics and housewares, paintings, ikat and (in Tenganan) the rare and expensive double ikat.

Bali is an excellent place to shop, but we suggest that you do so without a guide (guides generally steer you to places where they get the highest commission). Instead, browse on your own and be prepared to bargain hard with shopkeepers. You'll have more fun and save a considerable amount of money, but remember that a good bargainer gets a price that is fair for both buyer and seller.

For wholesale or commercial buying, sourcing agents and personal shoppers are available. Delivery is easily and safely arranged for oversized items or items purchased in volume.

In general throughout the country, be prepared to bargain for everything from unmetered taxis to souvenirs. Look around to get an idea of prices before making any offers. In a traditional market, where prices aren't displayed, indicate your interest in an item, and the seller will state a price, usually up to two times as much as the expected price. If you make a counteroffer, that means you're seriously interested in buying. Start low and expect to meet the seller at around a third to half of the starting price, depending on what you're buying and where you're buying it.

For inexpensive and unusual gifts, venture into a supermarket or grocery store and buy delicious Indonesian honey, Javanese jasmine tea and Indonesian coffee (we like the Sari Wangi brand of tea, and the Kapal Api or Kopi Bali brands of coffee). Supermarket beauty counters sell wonderful at-home herbal scrubs and facial masks for pennies.

Shopping Hours: Monday-Saturday 8:30 am-8 pm. Some shops open Sunday. In Muslim areas, some shops close in the early part of Friday afternoon for prayers.

Day By Day

Travelers on a tight schedule or otherwise concerned with delays should definitely take a package or escorted tour. Flexible visitors traveling independently outside the tourist areas will find that they can get by with spending very little, but accommodations are basic and transportation is slow.

Day 1—Arrive Jakarta.

Day 2—Jakarta.

Day 3—Fly to Yogyakarta.

Day 4—Yogyakarta with a side trip to Borobodur.

Day 5—Fly to Bali.

Days 6 and 7—Bali.

Day 8—Fly to Flores.

Day 9—Flores.

Day 10—Fly to Sumatra (via Denpasar, Bali).

Day 11—Sumatra.

Day 12—Full-day trip (with cruise) to Lake Toba.

Day 13—Back to Jakarta to depart country.

For the traveler with less time, and interest only in Bali, we'd recommend the following eight-day trip.

Day 1—Arrive Denpasar, Bali. Overnight in either Kuta, Sanur or Nusa Dua, depending on your interests.

Day 2—Depart in the morning for Ubud, stopping at craft villages along the way. Stroll through town and attend an evening dance performance.

Day 3—Ubud. Spend the day exploring the surrounding sites, terraced rice fields and villages.

Day 4—Depart in the morning for a drive to Batur Volcano and Lake, the Mother Temple and the royal baths at Tirtagangaa. Overnight in either Candidasa or Tulamben.

Day 5—In Tulamben, spend the morning snorkeling or scuba diving around the offshore wreck of the USAT Liberty. Depart in the afternoon for Lovina.

Day 6—Lovina. Get up early in the morning to see the dolphins.

Day 7—Depart Lovina. Head for Kuta, Sanur or Nusa Dua for overnight.

Day 8—Spend the day shopping and on the beach. Visit the Ulu Watu or Tanah Lot temples. Depart in the evening.

Should you be able to stay longer, consider extending the stay in Bali one week or adding a week on the islands of Ambon and Sulawesi. Another option would be to spend three to five days on Bali, travel to Surabaya by bus (or van) and ferry, take a train to Yogyakarta (a daylong trip) and spend a few days there, especially around Borobodur, before flying to Denpasar or Jakarta for your departure.

Other alternatives include a trip to Komodo Island; a two- or three-day trip to the easternmost major island, Papua, to see the birds and jungles and try its fabulous diving; a four-day trip to Kalimantan to visit the orangutans; or a few days on an excursion to one of the volcanoes. Most travelers see only the major islands and sights and leave satisfied. But if you have lots of time and patience, you can visit literally hundreds of other islands. Most are only seen by dedicated anthropologists, ornithologists or long-term around-the-world adventurers.