Taman Nasional Kepulauan Togean

Indonesia

　　Togean Islands National Park was gazetted in 2004, and in 2017 was declared a tourism area of national significance. The park encompasses 3400 sq km of ocean and 250 sq km of land, and contains several of Indonesia's endemic and endangered plants and animals. The islands are home to 596...

Bada Valley

Indonesia

　　Seemingly scattered haphazardly around the hills near Lore Lindu National Park are some 400 ancient stone megaliths of unknown origin that might be over 5000 years old. A fine assortment of these can be found – with a guide – in Bada Valley, 60km west of Tentena, including the 4m...

Banyu Wana Amertha Waterfalls

Indonesia

　　Newly developed as a tourist attraction in early 2018, the falls here are among the best on Bali. It’s about a 20-minute walk from the car park; a 500m trail, which is paved only with concrete stones and logs, winds through a village and coffee plantation. You'll eventually arrive at...

Wayag

Indonesia

　　These small, uninhabited and incredibly picturesque islands, 30km beyond Waigeo, feature heavily in Raja Ampat promotional material. It’s mainly liveaboards that dive here, but Wayag also attracts nondivers for its scenery, snorkelling and the challenge of scaling its highest peak, Pindito, also known as Wayag I. A second, slightly lower...

Borobudur Temple

Indonesia

　　Dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, and built from two million blocks of stone, Borobudur is the world's largest Buddhist temple and one of Indonesia's most important cultural sites. The temple takes the form of a symmetrical stone stupa, wrapped around a hill and nestled in a compound of...

Prambanan Temple

Indonesia

　　Comprising the remains of some 244 temples, World Heritage–listed Prambanan is Indonesia's largest Hindu site and one of Southeast Asia's major attractions. The highlight is the central compound, where eight main and eight minor temples are assembled on a raised platform – an architectural crescendo of carved masonry and staircases,...

Public Museum of North Sulawesi

North Sulawesi

　　This museum features a large display of traditional costumes, and an exhibit illustrating traditional pottery-making. There are captions in English. ...

Kienteng Ban Hian Kong

North Sulawesi

　　The 19th-century Kienteng Ban Hian Kong is the oldest Buddhist temple in eastern Indonesia and it has been beautifully restored. The temple hosts a spectacular festival in February (dates vary according to the lunar calendar). ...

Pura Dalem Penetaran Ped

Nusa Lembongan & Islands

　　The important temple of Pura Dalem Penetaran Ped is near the beach at Ped, 3.5km east of Toyapakeh. It houses a shrine for the demon Jero Gede Macaling that is a source of power for practitioners of black magic, and a place of pilgrimage for those seeking protection from sickness...

Air Terjun Oenesu

West Timor

　　Hidden in this sleepy farming village just off Jl Kupang–Tablolong is a three-stage, turquoise-tinted waterfall. There’s a nice swimming hole but locals love it here, which explains the profound rubbish issue. The turn-off is 13km from Kupang near Tapa village, serviced by regular utes from Pasar Inpres (10,000Rp), or catch...

Museum Nusa Tenggara Timur

West Timor

　　This regional museum has skulls, seashells, stone tools, swords, gourds and antique looms from across the province, plus an entire blue whale skeleton in a separate building. Displays (some in English), cover historical moments and cultural topics, including plants that create dyes for traditional fabrics. ...

Pantai Tedis

West Timor

　　Don't miss the atmosphere – or sunset – at this local hangout where Jl Soekarno intersects with the oceanfront. The sand vendors set up stalls and seating, while those in the know chow down on grilled corn and pisang goreng (fried plantain banana), the latter served with chocolate and grated...

Pantai Tablolong

West Timor

　　Continue out of Kupang city on Jl Alfons Nisnoni for around 25km to arrive at Pantai Tablolong, about 13.5km southwest from Air Terjun Oenesu. This surprisingly pleasant stretch of has clear and calm water, a small warung, lopo for shelter, a stunning sunset and, according to locals, less risk of...

Gua Kristal

West Timor

　　On Kupang's west coast, south of the centre, lies this local haunt not often visited by travellers. Ignore the ubiquitous rubbish and climb down the slippery rocks to the crystal-blue pool, where locals swim and partake in photoshoots. Come between 2pm and 4pm, otherwise it will look more like a...

Mesjid Nurul Iman

West Lombok

　　A useful landmark in the heart of Senggigi, although not especially notable otherwise. ...

Pura Batu Bolong

West Lombok

　　It’s not the grandest, but Pura Batu Bolong is Lombok’s most appealing Hindu temple and is particularly lovely at sunset. Join ever-welcoming members of the Balinese community as they leave offerings at the 14 altars and pagodas that tumble down a rocky volcanic outcrop into the foaming sea about 2km...

Taman Wisata Alam Kerandangan

West Lombok

　　This pleasant, little-visited nature reserve is ideal for escaping the tourist bustle of Senggigi and indulging in a few hours of strolling in the rainforest. The Princess Twin and Swallow Cave waterfalls lie on the marked trail (which can get a little indistinct in parts) and there's the chance of...

Colonial Quarter

West Sumatra

　　Although badly damaged in the 2009 earthquake, Padang’s colonial-era quarter around Jl Batang Arau is still worth a lazy stroll. Crumbling old Dutch and Chinese warehouses back onto a river brimming with fishing boats. 　　The beach along Jl Samudera is the best place to watch sunsets. ...

Adityawarman Museum

West Sumatra

　　Within a grand traditional Minangkabau-style building is this excellent museum offering a thorough overview of Padang culture. Captions are all in English, and cover Minangkabau lifestyle and architecture, as well as the Mentawais; try to visit before you go to the islands if you're heading there. There's also a rather...

Eng An Kiong Chinese Temple

East Java

　　For those who love wafting incense, flickering candles and the rituals associated with Chinese belief systems. ...

Great Mosque Jami Malang

East Java

　　Malang's central mosque is a pincushion of minarets that overlooks one end of the alun-alun (main square). ...

Pasar Bunga

East Java

　　The flower market, Pasar Bunga, is pleasantly sited around a river valley and is the place to stroll in the morning. ...

Pasar Besar

East Java

　　Malang's largest public market. Expect fruit, beef, fish and more, much more. Busiest in the morning, it's worth a trawl for the people-watching as much as for the shopping. ...

Balai Kota

East Java

　　Close to the city centre, the Balai Kota is an immense Dutch administrative building, built in a hybrid of Dutch and Indonesian architectural styles with a tiered central roof that resembles a Javanese mosque. ...

Kampung Warni Widi

East Java

　　A local initiative to beautify Malang's ramshackle, high-density kampung are these whimsical multicoloured neighbourhoods that have been transformed into one of the city's most popular sights. While they could do with a fresh lick of paint, they're still worthy of exploration. 　　Each kampung asks for a donation, which includes a...

Jalan Besar Ijen

East Java

　　Malang has some wonderful colonial architecture. Just northwest of the centre, Jl Besar Ijen is Malang’s millionaires' row, a boulevard lined with elegant whitewashed mansions from the Dutch era. Many have been substantially renovated, but there’s still much to admire. On Sunday mornings it's closed to traffic and a market...

Hotel Tugu Malang

East Java

　　Malang’s most impressive museum isn’t actually a museum at all, but a hotel: the boutique, four-star Hotel Tugu Malang, a showcase for its owner, arguably Indonesia's foremost collector of Asian art and antiquities. English-speaking tours are available all day, but aim for evening for candlelight ambience; it's complimentary for guests...

Pantai Losari

Makassar

　　Pantai Losari is a kilometre-long beachless promenade that stretches south to Masjid Amirul Mukminin, the 'floating mosque'. It's a good place to catch some sea air by day, but springs to life at night with endless snack carts hawking pisang epe (a grilled banana decadence) to milling teenagers. ...

Beteng Somba Opu

Makassar

　　Once the most formidable fortress in the archipelago, Somba Opu was decimated by the Dutch in 1669, then consumed by the Jeneberang River delta. One massive wall was excavated in the '80s and '90s as part of a brief interest of historical preservation that also saw construction of several traditional...

Museum Negeri La Galigo

Makassar

　　Spread across two buildings inside Fort Rotterdam, Museum Negeri La Galigo has an assortment of exhibits, including palaeolithic artefacts, rice bowls from Tana Toraja, Polynesian and Buddhist statues, musical instruments and traditional costumes – most accompanied by blocks of poorly translated English text. It's a modest collection, but worth the...

Pelabuhan Paotere

Makassar

　　Pelabuhan Paotere, 4km north of the city centre, is a large port where Bugis sailing ships berth. It's a working port, with requisite bustle and grime, but the ships are photogenic, and people generally friendly. The port and the nearby fish market are atmospheric places from dawn until mid-morning, when...

Pulau Samalona

Makassar

　　Just far enough away from Makassar to shed most (but not all) of the rubbish, the white sands of Pulau Samalona are popular with day trippers, particularly on weekends. There are patches of (degraded) coral offshore, some reef fish, and snorkelling gear for hire. Compared to Makassar harbour, the water’s...

Makam Sultan Hasanuddin

Makassar

　　This tomb memorialises Indonesian national hero Sultan Hasanuddin, who ruled Gowa during the 17th century, fiercely defending the kingdom against the Dutch. He held the impressively fortified Fort Somba Opu against an invasion party of 94 Dutch and 2000 Bugis soldiers for eight days before it fell in 1669. Outside...

Asmaul Husnah 99 Kubah

Makassar

　　On the reclaimed waterfront opposite Pantai Losari, this stunning bright-orange-and-white, 99-domed mosque was almost complete at the time of research and is destined to become a major Makassar attraction. Reach it by passing the dramatic 'Centre Point of Indonesia' globe sculpture and a new cable bridge shaped like a tongkonan...

Fort Rotterdam

Makassar

　　One of the best-preserved examples of Dutch military architecture in Indonesia, Fort Rotterdam was built on the site of a Gowanese fort, itself built to repel the Dutch East India Company. Having failed to keep out the orang belanda (Dutch people), it was reconstructed by the new masters of Makassar...

Pasar Pabean

Surabaya

　　Pasar Pabean is a sprawling, darkly lit market, which links the Chinese and Arab Quarters, where you can buy everything from Madurese chickens to Chinese crockery. ...

Governor's Residence

Surabaya

　　A holdover from the early 20th century, the former governor's residence, with its front porch colonnade and touches of gold paint, fronts an expanse of lawn. It's one of the signature buildings of the city. The only way to gain entry is to be invited to a shin-dig with the...

Monumen Kapal Selam

Surabaya

　　Surabaya’s foremost stretch of renovated waterside real estate centres on the iron hulk that is Pasopati, a massive Russian submarine commissioned into the Indonesian navy in 1962. You can poke around the horribly cramped interior, peek through the periscope and even climb into the torpedo tubes. It's in a small...

Jembatan Merah

Surabaya

　　Originally the old city was divided along ethnic lines, with Europeans on the west side of the Kali Mas river and Chinese, Arabs and Javanese on the east bank. Jembatan Merah is a famous bridge that connected the two halves of the city; it also saw fierce fighting during Indonesia’s...

Kong Co Kong Tik Cun Ong Temple

Surabaya

　　The highly evocative Kong Co Kong Tik Cun Ong delivers a blast of unfiltered culture. The primarily Buddhist complex (with dashes of Confucian and Taoist influences) spans two sides of a small gang, arched with temple gateways. Expect flickering candles, wafting incense, praying pilgrims, concrete columns wrapped with dragons and...

Masjid al Akbar

Surabaya

　　Perhaps the most impressive modern mosque in Indonesia. You'll probably get a glimpse of Masjid al Akbar's magnificent array of bulbous watery-turquoise-tiled domes as you exit the city. Staff are happy to show visitors around and will accompany you up the elevator to the top of the freestanding ottoman-style minaret,...

Mesjid Ampel

Surabaya

　　The Mesjid Ampel is the most sacred mosque in Surabaya. While non-Muslims aren't allowed to enter the mosque itself, the souk-style streets surrounding it make it a worthwhile visit. It was here that Sunan Ampel (one of the wali songo who brought Islam to Java) was buried in 1481. The...

House of Sampoerna

Surabaya

　　Undoubtedly the city’s best-presented attraction, the House of Sampoerna is home to one of Indonesia’s most famous kretek cigarette manufacturers (now owned by US giant Altria, formerly Philip Morris). Whatever you think about the tobacco industry, this factory and museum make a fascinating place to visit. The building itself is...

Masjid Agung At-Taqwa

Balikpapan

　　An impressive sight, this mosque is adorned with a complex sheath of Islamic geometrical patterns, and is lit up in multicoloured splendour at night. ...

Kemala Beach

Balikpapan

　　A cleanish beach lined with a few cafes and restaurants, and a laid-back vibe. If you need a break from the jungle (urban or natural), this is your best local option. Although it gets hot at midday, you probably won't want to swim in the polluted waters with oil tankers...