Indonesia attractions

Jakarta’s old port, Sunda Kelapa is a popular stop on any tour of historic Jakarta (or Batavia, as it once was). Wooden 2-masted pinisi sailing ships still moor here, while porters move goods to and fro as they have since the 13th century. Converted warehouses hold the Maritime Museum, and a watchtower and lighthouses stand guard over the bustling harbor.

Backed by the volcanic slabs of Mount Batur and Mount Abang, Lake Batur (Danau Batur) is a striking crater lake considered sacred by the Balinese. Besides sunrise trekking, Mount Batur offers hot springs, canoe trips, and tours of Trunyan village, where the local Bali Aga people expose their dead to rot in the open air.

Serene, spiritual, and off the beaten path, Pura Luhur Batukaru was the state temple for the kings of Tabanan. Batukaru Temple nestles high above sea level in the jungled foothills of west Bali. A series of tiered shrines, including a striking 7-roofed shrine, help create a mystic air, as does the general absence of tourists.

Bali’s answer to Cirque du Soleil, the Devdan Show is an extravaganza of music, acrobatics, dance, sound, and light that takes you on a journey through some of Indonesia’s most colorful islands. Crafted around the tale of two children traveling across the archipelago, it features everything from Papuan dance to corde lisse (aerial rope).

Ubud’s Don Antonio Blanco Museum celebrates the colorful life and baroque-erotic work of Philippine-born Spanish artist Antonio Blanco. Blanco arrived in Bali in 1952 and married a famous Balinese dancer. Set on a hill amid elaborate gardens and an aviary, the museum’s architecture, a hybrid of Spanish and Indonesian influences, is a highlight.

A popular stop between Singaraja and Denpasar, Gigit Waterfall is considered to be one of the most beautiful on the island. Easy to reach from the road, the falls have a drop of 131 feet (40-meter) into a picturesque pool where visitors can swim. There are actually three falls in the area—the other falls being smaller twin waterfalls. All are signposted from the road and reached by a short hike.

The Telaga Waja River is one of Bali’s two top white-water rafting destinations (the second is the Ayung River). The rafting route covers around 8 miles (13 kilometers), mainly of Class II–III rapids, with the option of shooting a 6-foot (2-meter) man-made dam at the end. The scenery is rural, but less dramatic than the Ayung River gorge.

When volcanic activity permits—an evacuation zone has been in place since 2017—the sacred volcano Agung offers one of Bali’s most challenging and exciting hikes. Towering 9,444 feet (2,878 meters) above northeast Bali, it’s typically climbed in one long and tiring day, either from Pura Pasar Agung or from the Mother Temple of Besakih.

A charming escape from downtown Jakarta, the Bogor Botanical Gardens (Kebun Raya) are some of southeast Asia’s oldest educational gardens, officially opening in 1817. More than 15,000 species of plants, including hundreds of palm species, deck 215 acres (87 hectares) of lush green grounds amid the cool, rainy highlands of West Java.

Jakarta Chinatown, better known to locals as Glodok, was born after the massacre of 5,000 Chinese in 1740, when the remaining population were moved to a separate settlement outside the city walls. Today it’s a bustling hub where Chinese eateries, temples, street markets, and medicine shops nudge up against electronics stores.

Located in the heart of Denpasar, the Bali Museum (Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali) houses the island’s biggest and best collection of historic and cultural artifacts. Dark and hard to navigate, it’s home to precious textiles, ancient relics, dance costumes, masks, and everyday and ceremonial objects from across the island.

Nestled amid rice fields, Tenganan Village (Tenganan Pegeringsingan) is one of Bali’s most unique destinations. The people who live here are Bali Aga, with their own religious and cultural practices, including weaving a special double ikat cloth believed to have magical powers and spinning young women on a bamboo Ferris wheels at festivals.

One of three lakes within the crater of the long-dormant Bratan volcano, Lake Beratan (Danau Bratan) occupies about 1.5 square miles (4 square kilometers) of highland real estate. The star attraction is the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan water temple, but there are also some World War II–era caves, and boat rides on the lake are available.

Spilling down from dizzying heights of up to 260 feet (80 meters), Sekumpul Waterfall, a series of seven narrow cascades, is hidden away amid lush tropical foliage. Dirt paths lead to elevated viewpoints overlooking the falls and to rock pools at the foot, where visitors can cool off with a refreshing swim.

A true lost world, Jomblang Cave is a collapsed sinkhole that’s part of a cave system that runs through Gunung Kidul, outside Yogyakarta. Visitors are lowered around 165 feet (50 meters) on a rope and then hike down a tunnel to the Grubug Cave, which is flooded with rays of sunlight. Some claim the sunken forest is prehistoric.

A couple of miles (3.5 kilometers) from the UNESCO World Heritage–listed temple of Borobudur, the charming Mendut Temple (Candi Mendut) features an attached working Buddhist monastery. Built in the early 9th century, the temple and the village that houses it are the starting point for the annual Waisak (Buddha day) celebrations.

A popular stop on Bedugul tours, Pasar Candi Kuning (Candi Kuning Market) is a traditional Balinese market that’s been beautified for tourists. It’s a great place to enjoy the fruit and vegetable bounty of Bedugul’s farms, although prices are higher than normal. Other specialties in the market include rabbits and orchids.

Indonesia is home to more than 1,600 species of exotic birds, and many find their home at the Bali Bird Park. Ubud's top wildlife attraction hosts eight separate exhibits showcasing 250+ bird species from Papua, Sumatra, Bali, Java, Borneo, and beyond. Don't miss the bird-feeding sessions and free flight shows.

Opened in 1868, in a grand building on Merdeka Square, Indonesia’s National Museum is one of Jakarta’s most fascinating attractions. A rich collection spanning hundreds of thousands of years covers everything from early hominids to the archipelago’s spectacular range of textiles, along with gold, statuary, and architectural models.

The Bali outpost of a popular Southeast Asian attraction, Upside Down World is tailor-made for the selfie generation. A series of rooms replicate typical houses, with the twist that furnishings and decorations, from stairs and sofas to light fittings and wallpaper, are placed upside down, enabling hilarious trick photography.

Probably Indonesia’s most spectacular live performance, the Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan takes place at an open-air theater or on an indoor stage near the Prambanan temples outside Yogyakarta. A cast of over 200 dancers and musicians perform episodes from the Hindu Ramayana epic with a traditional gamelan gong-and-drum orchestra.

In East Jakarta, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia Mini Park) showcases the sheer diversity of this archipelago of approximately 18,000 islands. The 247-acre (100-hectare) space houses full-scale replicas of homes from different cultures, plus museums, theaters, gardens, a waterpark, an aviary, an IMAX cinema, a cable car, and more.

Kehen Temple, or Pura Kehen, is the state temple of the Balinese kingdom of Bangli. It is said to be a miniature version of Bali’s most significant temple, Pura Besakih, nearby. Like Besakih, it is built on an incline, is reached by stairs, and boasts thatched tiered shrines. Kehen Temple dates back at least to the 13th century.

Bali’s most popular dive site, the USSLiberty shipwreck is known to divers around the world as one of the easiest large wrecks to access. It lies just off the shore of Tulamben, near Amed, at a maximum depth of around 100 feet (30 meters). Marine life from turtles to flashing clams are common on the wreck.

Pasar Badung (Badung Market) is Bali’s oldest and largest market, at the heart of the island’s capital, Denpasar. The 4-story structure burned down in 2016, and while a replacement is underway, most stallholders are housed in and around a converted supermarket. Besides being Bali’s number-one fruit and vegetable market, it’s great for street food.

Set just off the Bali coast in West Bali National Park, Menjangan Island (Pulau Menjangan, or Deer Island) is a white-sand gem. The island itself has no facilities beyond a simple bathroom and some open-air bale shelters, but offshore its sheer reef walls decked in undulating sea fans and lush soft corals are a magnet for marine life, divers, and snorkelers.

South of Bandung in West Java, eerie mists cloud dead trees around the pallid waters of an acid crater lake: Kawah Putih (White Crater). More pale turquoise than technically white, Kawah Putih fills the caldera of an extinct volcano. The water is far too acid for swimming, but you can walk out onto a jetty to photograph the unusual site.

Fatahillah Square (Taman Fatahillah) is the heart of the Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua) with a cobbled square with historic colonial buildings. Notable landmarks include the Cafe Batavia restaurant and bar, Wayang Museum of puppetry, and Jakarta History Museum, housed in the old town hall.

One of north Bali’s most striking waterfalls, Aling-Aling tumbles around 98 feet (30 meters) down a cliff in a twin stream. Aling-Aling is sacred, so it’s forbidden to swimming in the pool, but around it several smaller waterfalls offer adventurers cliff jumps and natural slides. These include Kembar, Kroya, and Pucuk.

Once a cool hill-station escape from Jakarta, today Bogor feels more like a suburb of its sister city. Best known for the Bogor Botanical Gardens, which date back over 200 years, it also offers some splendid colonial-era architecture and makes a great jumping-off point for the lush greenery and tea plantations of West Java’s Puncak Highlands.