50 Unbelievable Things You Can Only Do in Indonesia

 

With over 13,000 islands, the archipelago of Indonesia offers something for everyone. I've now spent over a month in this stunning country on multiple separate visits and barely touched the surface of incredible things to do in Indonesia.

As a disclaimer, I haven't done everything in this post but rather put together a collaborative Indonesia travel guide. The result is a comprehensive list of Indonesia bucket list ideas based on suggestions from some of today's best travel influencers, bloggers and instagrammers.

I've organized the guide by type of activity: Indonesia cultural experiences, wildlife interactions and nature & adventure activities. There's also a dedicated section devoted to things to do in Bali! If you have any unforgettable bucket list worthy Indonesia adventures to add, let me know in the comments!

 

Quickly jump to each section:

• Top 10 Things to Do in Indonesia: with limited time, you'll want to experience these first
• Top 10 Nature & Adventure Experiences natural scenery, sports and incredible landscapes
• Top 10 Cultural Experiences: with over 200 ethnic groups & tribes, Indonesian culture is one of the most unique I've ever experienced
• Top 10 Wildlife Experiences: orangutans, komodo dragons and other exotic animals
• Top 10 Things to Do in Bali maybe cliche, but everyone loves Bali

 

Keep reading or save this article for later ⇟ 

 

See more photos on my Instagram account @shershegoes

 

---

 

The Top Things to Do in Indonesia

 

---

If you're looking to get right to it, here is my list of 10 can't miss activities to do in Indonesia! These are fun, unique activities that will really make your Indonesia vacation memorable.

 

1. Enjoy Floating Breakfast in Your Private Villa Pool

pc: @hilvees

Bali, Indonesia

Some of Bali's most incredible hotels boast stunning infinity pools… and even let guests have a floating breakfast! Here are 3 recommended hotels to book in Bali:

Kamandalu Ubud – designed like a real-life Balinese village, this hotel offers luxury views of Ubud's rice terraces. Check rates on Booking.com or Expedia | Read reviews on Tripadvisor

Aksari Villa – this boutique hotel in Seminyak has just 10 one bedroom villas and all come with private pools & jacuzzis. Check rates on Booking.com Read reviews on Tripadvisor

Hanging Gardens of Bali – can you imagine a hotel where infinity pools are stacked on top of each other? Welcome to the modern world's hanging gardens. Check rates on Booking.com and more reviews on Tripadvisor

 

pc: @shershegoes

2. Watch the sun rise over Borobudur Temple

Java, Indonesia

Borobudur sits dramatically on a hilltop in lush Yogyakarta. Built in the 9th century, this is the world's largest Buddhist monument and an architectural masterpiece. Can you believe it was built without cement or mortar?

For a truly impressive sight, wake up before dawn and climb to the highest level of Borobudur to await the sunrise. Count over 500+ Buddha statues along the way!

Read more: 10 Can't Miss Sights in Yogyakarta

 

3. Marvel at the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva at Prambanan

Java, Indonesia

Candi Prambanan is a 9th century Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Shiva. The tallest temple soars 47 meters high but was once lost to humanity, buried deep in the jungles of Yogyakarta. It wasn't until a Dutchman went looking that the temple compound was discovered in 1733.

How to visit: Prambanan temple is located not far from Borobudur and you can easily visit both temples in one day. Read more about logistical tips and how to make the most of your visit here.

 

4. Discover that the Dead Live on at Tana Toraja

pc: @shershegoes

Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Toraja tribe has some of the most unique burial practices in the world, which may turn upside down everything you've thought about life and death. Instead of believing in death as the ultimate end, Torajans believe death is a celebration and must be heralded with elaborate, extended funeral rites to rejoice in the soul entering paradise. In fact, to ensure that burials can be held with the proper respect and grandeur, Torajans often house the body at home for months to even years while they save enough for the funeral process.

Read more:

 

5. Practice the Ancient Art of Batik

pc: @shershegoes

Java, Indonesia

Batik is a famous, traditional Indonesian cloth and you'll find that many Indonesians wear Batik as part of their modern day clothing. In the ancient city of Surakarta (commonly called Solo), you can learn the art of creating batik fabric, from heating up the dye to carefully drawing intricate patterns.

 

6. Fire Up Your Taste Buds with Indonesian Food

pc: @alaya hotels, @alice.jp.h

Country wide

Indonesian food will fire up your palate, with an emphasis on spicy and sweet. While nasi goreng (fried rice) and satay (chicken or veggie skewers) are national favorites, you'll find that each region, island and tribe has their own local specialties. Some Indonesian foods to try?

• Beef Rendang, a spicy meat dish that's almost curry like. One of my favorite Indonesian dishes!
• Tumpeng is the photo in the top left, a cone shaped rice dish with vegetable and meat side dishes
• Binte Biluhuta is the photo in the top right, a delicious corn soup. This one is from Gorontalo province and served with Indonesian basil and lime juice
• If you're vegetarian, try tempeh and gado gado
• If you like sweets, try martabak, a roti-like stuffed and pan fried bread. It's one of the most popular Indonesian street foods and is usually sweet but can also have savory versions.

 

 

7. Learn Local Customs and Dress up in Indonesian Outfits

pc: @chrissyteigen

Country wide

Indonesians wear western clothes on a day to day basis but traditional clothing for meetings, festivals and celebrations. Examples include kebaya, which is a blouse dress worn by Indonesian women. For men, peci is a common head dress than Indonesian men wear, it's a variation of the traditional Muslim cap.

Each region again has their own traditional textiles and dress, so it's fun to discover local clothing for each place that you visit. In the photo above, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are wearing royal Balinese attire.

 

8. Go to the Ends of the Earth at Devil's Tears Bay

pc: @redcameraguy

Nusa Dua, Indonesia

Indonesia is the perfect place to witness the majesty of the ocean. For a dramatic experience of Mother Nature's power, head to Nusa Lembongan to see the tide and spray from a cave in the cliff, aptly named Devil's Tears.

 

9. Sign Up for a Surfing Lesson.. or Book a Surf Camp!

pc: @emmett_sparling

Nusa Dua, Indonesia

Bali is an ideal place to surf. The south coast's rolling waves and serene beaches offer incredible waves for both experienced and beginner surfers. Pros should check out the Bukit Peninsula's outer break while surf camps guide newbies to Bali's gentler lagoons. As a plus, there are so many surf schools, rental shops and surf shops on the island as well!

 

10. Take the Most Incredible Photos of Your Life

pc: @karenkh0

Everywhere, Indonesia

You might think that visiting one island means you've visited them all but Indonesia holds a special place in my heart because the landscape is so incredibly diverse. You've got volcanic mountains, classic beaches, misty rain forests and a mish-mash of cultures, religions and traditions. Almost everywhere you look, you'll discover something new and I don't think I've ever been to a country where each corner is a new photo opp. Enjoy, snap lots of memories and don't forget the overdone, ‘Insta-style' shots too – like the friendship swings!

Fun fact: these beach swings got so popular on Instagram that they've popped up all over various islands in Indonesia seeking tourism and many local companies started adding their logos to the swing tops for branding / advertisement purposes.

 

---

---

 

Best Places to Visit in Indonesia for Nature & Adventure

 

---

Indonesia scenery is some of the most stunning natural beauty I've ever seen. From pink lakes to dramatic rice terraces, from active volcanoes to humid rain forests, Indonesia has one of the world's most beautiful, diverse landscapes that are worth exploring.

 

11. Stay on Lake Toba, a Natural Blue Lake in the Caldera of a Super Volcano

pc: @shershegoes

Sumatra, Indonesia

Lake Toba is the largest lake in Southeast Asia and was formed over 75,000 years ago after a dynamic volcanic eruption. The dynamic explosion holds the terrifying distinction of creating the largest volcanic eruption in the last 25 million years!

Today the lake is quite peaceful and it's worth staying a couple days on the center island, called Samosir. Choose a hotel on the center island, which is in fact larger than the country of Singapore! Debate carefully if you want to go for a swim – Lake Toba is the deepest volcanic crater lake in the world, with an average depth of 450 meters.

Where to Stay: Right on the island of Samosir, suites here are spacious, affordable and offer gorgeous lake views.

Getting here: Fly into North Sumatra's capital of Medan and drive for ~3 to 4 hours.

Things to do on Lake Toba: explore the rich culture of the Indonesia Batak people, a tribe with very unique marriage customs and who were once cannibalistic!

 

 

12. Hike Mount Merapi, One of the Most Active Volcanoes On Earth

Java, Indonesia

Mount Merapi is nicknamed Fire Mountain by daring locals who live in the foothills of one of earth's most active volcanoes. The perfectly cone shaped volcano peaks nearly 3,000 meters above sea level and is believed to have caused the rise and fall of the ancient empire of Mataram. If you're in the area, take a lava tour to follow the path of the last deadly eruption or opt for an adrenaline rushing off-road jeep adventure through the devastated areas.

 

 

13. Walk Through the Rainforest Canopy in Kalimantan

Kalimantan, Indonesia

Take a trek through the rainforest… in the area! The canopy bridge near the entrance is high, high, HIGH up in the forest canopy and you can spot leaf monkeys, macaques, flying gibbons and maroon langur monkeys… that is if you can get one foot past the other on the tiny, twisted rope bridges!

 

 

14. Padar Island

Komodo, Indonesia

Padar Island was once home to komodo dragons, until they left in search of more plentiful hunting opportunities. Out of the three islands in Komodo National Park, hikers and photographers will love this one the best – short, incredible treks; rolling beaches and island hills as well as vivid sunsets are just a few things to look forward to. For beach lovers, Padar has both white, pink and black sand beaches. Talk about spoilt for choice!

 

15. Go Off Roading in Bandung

pc: @shershegoes

Java, Indonesia

Bandung is a popular weekend getaway for local Jakartans, as it's located in a cool, leafy mountain region with gorgeous natural scenery and abundant shopping. What else is there to do? Go off roading on an hour long, mud slicking jeep adventure! I talked about my experience doing this in an earlier post h6re.

Read more: Rip Roaring Thrills in Bandung

 

 

16. Visit the Strange, Sad Town of Sidoarjo Mud Volcano

Java, Indonesia

The Sidoarjo mudflow is perhaps the oddest attraction in Indonesia. It's exactly what it sounds like, a ongoing flow of hot mud that has continually gushed since May 2006 and buried entire villages in East Java. There are eerie statues of victims trapped in mud throughout the disaster zone which have since become a popular, if odd, tourist attraction for visitors to pose for selfies with.

 

17. Pink Beach of Komodo

pc: @jordhammond

Komodo, Indonesia

There are just 7 pink beaches in the world and Indonesia has one of them. Head to Pantai Merah for the most striking, naturally tinged, millennial pink beach you'll ever find. The corals and underwater gardens of Pink Beach are fabulous as well.

How to get there: From Bali, take a domestic flight to Labuan Bajo. Hire a cab to drive you the 10 minutes to Labuan Bajo from the airport, then catch a speedboat to the Komodo islands.

 

 

18. Dive the Liberty Wreck in Bali

Bali, Indonesia

If you're looking for a fun, unique dive site in Bali check out the USS Liberty Wreck. The ship was hit by a Japanese torpedo during World War II and beached itself onto the shore of Tulamben. After Mount Agung erupted in 1963, lava flow pushed the boat back into the water where it currently lies on its size. The wreck is entirely covered in coral and large fish species and makes for a great dive. If you enjoy scuba diving, night dives are also a popular thing to do in Bali.

 

 

19. Chase the Blue Flames at Sulfuric Lake Ijen

pc: @wynprmn

Java, Indonesia

Active hikers and adventure travelers will want to climb Ijen Crater, a quiet but still active volcano. The landscape is dramatic, smokey and blue tinged as sulfuric fumes rise steadily from volcanic cones all across the plateau.

 

 

20. Go Caving in Jomblang

pc: yogya backpacker

Java, Indonesia

Jomblang Cave is part of a mysterious vertical cave system in Yogyakarta, formed over millions of years as underground rivers and rainwater eroded the earth's karst rocks. Here you can rapel 20 meters down a rope through a sink hole and turn the corner to watch heavenly light stream through the ancient cave.

 

 

---

---

 

Travel to Indonesia for Unforgettable Culture

 

---

 

21. Watch the Kecak Dance at Uluwatu Temple

Bali, Indonesia

You can't visit Bali without experiencing sunset and the kecak dance at Uluwatu temple. Held on a small cliff facing the sea, the dramatic dance is performed entirely without music. Instead bare chested men wearing Balinese sarongs chant keh-chak in rhymthic sounds to create an acapella-type performance. There's quite a beautiful story to the entire dance so I recommend this for everyone from families with kids visiting Indonesia to millennial travelers and retirees.

Where to Stay in Uluwatu: Alila Villa Resorts is perhaps the most stunning hotel I've ever been to, where each villa comes with a butler and private infinity pool.

 

 

22. Visit an Underground Mosque in Jogja

Java, Indonesia

Sumur Gumuling is a round, circular building with just a single gate at its entrance. The one story building can only be entered via an underwater tunnel. Once inside, five stairs symbolizing the principles of Islam connect to a center platform, which is the site of many popular Instagram shots.

 

23. Make Traditional Balinese Offerings

pc: @shershegoes

Bali, Indonesia

Balinese women are considered by many to be the sexiest ethnic group in Indonesia and part of balinese culture involves near constant offerings to the gods. What's incredible about all this is how local women donate the offerings. For ceremonies and large events, they'll walk for miles with elaborate, heavy urns balanced perfectly on their heads. We tried making the offerings and could barely stand upright with them, much less walk!

 

24. Watch Puppets Come Alive in Samosir

Sumatra, Indonesia

A must do when visiting Lake Toba's Samosir Island is to see a Sigale-gale, or a wooden dance performance. Although traditionally played during funerals, we had the chance to learn some cultural traditions about the Batak people and participate in their dances. According to local beliefs, Batak Indonesians believe that Sigale-gale puppets revive the souls of the dead and are used to communicate with spirits.

 

25. Explore the Head-Turning Customs of the Dani Tribe

pc: @febrian

Papua, Indonesia

In remote Papua, the Dani tribe wages mock wars once a year as part of their fertility festival. With elaborate instruments, weapons and tribal clothing and even penis sheaths… this is one celebration that's difficult to describe. Another unique cultural heritage? Dani tribe women are expected to amputate part of their finger when relatives die. For anyone interested in unique Indonesian traditions and tribal heritage, make the journey to West Papua.

 

26. Remember World War II on the Island of Morotai

Maluku, Indonesia

World War II history buffs should check out Morotai, a small island that was once a hive of activity during the fight against Japanese forces in the second world war. Allied forces used Morotai to attack posts across the Philippines and Borneo and was the pivotal site from which General Douglas MacArthur launched the counter invasion against the Japanese Navy.

 

27. Visit Ulun Danu Beratan, an Iconic Lake Temple in North Bali

pc: @emmett_sparling

Bali, Indonesia

This stunning water temple sits on Lake Beratan and was built to worship the Goddess Danu, a lake queen according to Balinese beliefs. The temple consits of four sacred buildings according to Hindu Trimurti beliefs. Although a bit far to get to from South Bali, the serene lake and highlands is worth a visit. You might even meditate once you're here!

 

28. Watch a Concert at Saung Angklung Udjo

pc: @shershegoes

Java, Indonesia

Saung Angklung Udjo is a cultural center in West Java dedicated to Sudanese culture. If you're traveling to Indonesia with kids, watching a concert here is a must! The show is packed with a number of performances by local children showcasing wayang golek (wooden puppets), traditional dances and colorful rites. The end is the best part: a communal angklung orchestra performance with some unique, intricate sounds.

Read more: Everything You Can't Miss in Bandung

 

29. Escape Underground at Tamansari Water Castle, a Place to be Hunted by the Sultan

Java, Indonesia

In ancient Yogyakarta, a sultan built an elaborate garden with multiple buildings, bathing pools and underground tunnels. Today the tunnels make for a fun instagrammable spot for tourists while the unique east-meets-west architecture draws culture and history buffs.

 

30. Relive Dutch Colonial Days in Semarang's Old Town