Indonesia Area Guide

Jakarta, Indonesia's capital and largest city, is often referred to as ‘The Big Durian’ – the popular but rather pungent Asian fruit, banned from hotels and airplanes, but nonetheless unexpectedly tasty. It's also the most heavily populated city in Southeast Asia. Read More...

Bali is a stunning tropical island bathed in beauty.  With mystical temples, colourful festivals, unique arts and crafts and much more, it's no wonder influential publications vote it as the world's favourite island destination. Read More...

Lombok, east of Bali and accessible by plane or boat, consists of pristine sandy beaches and hilly terrain and fringed by azure shores, making it a favourite for trekking, surfing and beach lounging. Read More...

Bintan is an idyllic retreat that has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years, particularly amongst Singaporeans who, due to the island’s close proximity, have made it their preferred quick getaway. Read More...

Batam is a small yet charming island, strategically located close to the Malacca Strait and Singapore. Only 45 minutes by ferry from Singapore, Batam acts as a gateway to 3,000 islands in the Riau Archipelago of Sumatra. Read More...

Yogyakarta, referred to as the main gateway of Central Java, is renowned as being the centre of Javanese fine arts and culture such as the Wayang Kulit or shadow puppets, as well as for music, ballet, drama, poetry, and batik. Read More...

Java, the 13th largest island in the world and fifth largest in Indonesia, is divided into four provinces, and two special districts, Jakarta and Yogyakarta. A chain of volcanic mountains forms an east-west spine along the island. Read More...

Sumatra, Indonesia's largest island and the world's sixth largest, neighbours Java separated by the Sunda Strait. To the north is the Malay Peninsula, separated by the Strait of Malacca and to the east is Borneo, across the Karimata Strait. Read More...

The world's third-largest island, Kalimantan represents nearly 30% of the nation’s land area, but less than 5% of the population. Many foreign visitors are attracted by its wildlife, whitewater rapids, the untracked depths of the jungle and the indigenous Dayaks. Read More...

'Papua' usually refers to the entire western half of New Guinea despite its division into separate provinces. A central east-west mountain range dominates the geography of the island of New Guinea, over 1,600km in total length. Read More...

Samosir Island is located in Lake Toba, a large crater lake in northern Sumatra. Slightly smaller than Singapore, Samosir is the world’s largest island within an island, born of a pair of dramatic prehistoric volcanic events. Read More...

Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air are three small, picturesque islands off the coast of north-west Lombok that have become popular destinations since being ‘discovered’ by party-loving backpackers in the mid-eighties. Read More...