Home to more than 120 active volcanoes, more than 700 languages, and 17,000-plus islands (and counting), Indonesia stretches further from east to west than the continental United States. For travelers to the world’s fourth most populous nation, this means two things: You’ll never see it all, and you’ll never run out of things to do. Adventure awaits in this tropical wonderland—from spotting Komodo dragons and Sumatran orangutans to learning about Sulawesi funeral rituals and visiting ancient temples on Java to partying at beach clubs on Bali.
The summer peak season (July–August) and the shoulder seasons (April–June and September–November) are the best times to visit Indonesia. In most of the country, the dry season runs between roughly May and October. While it’s tempting to visit during the northern hemisphere winter, Indonesia’s rainy season brings heavy humidity and often unpleasant water conditions. Bali, in particular, can get extremely crowded over Christmas, New Year, and Lunar New Year.
With all those islands, it might seem that flying would be the best way to get around Indonesia, but boats and trains (on Java and Sumatra) are greener and more atmospheric ways to travel. Indonesia’s public transit can be hard to navigate, but regional ride-sharing apps, such as Gojek and Grab, fill in the transportation gaps. Travelers looking for photo ops won’t want to miss quirky short-hop modes of transit, such as pedal-powered becak cyclos or Lombok’s cidomo horse carts.
It’s easy to try and cram too much into an Indonesia trip. Staying for a month or more and picking a small number of areas to focus on will let you spend more time experiencing the archipelago and less in transit. Pack carefully for your itinerary: For example, what is appropriate in a Bali beach club won’t be acceptable in downtown Jakarta. Volcano hikes can get surprisingly cold, while plus-size clothing is almost impossible to find even on Bali.
