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🇮🇩Things to Do in Indonesia
From Bali's rice terraces to the temples of Borobudur - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Indonesia is an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, and Bali alone draws most first-time visitors' full attention - rice terraces, beaches and temple culture within a fairly compact area. Java's ancient temples and the Komodo dragons further east are the two most common extensions once Bali's covered. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Tegallalang Rice Terraces, Bali
Tiered emerald rice paddies near Ubud, farmed using a centuries-old traditional irrigation system called subak. Early morning avoids both the heat and the busiest tour groups.
📍 Ubud, Bali
🚉 Bali has no passenger railway: the terraces are 20 minutes north of Ubud by scooter, taxi or Grab, and most visitors combine them with the Tirta Empul temple on the same road.
Uluwatu Temple, Bali
A Hindu sea temple perched on a cliff edge above the Indian Ocean, with a traditional Kecak fire dance performance staged at sunset most evenings.
📍 Uluwatu, Bali
🚉 No public transport reaches the clifftop - it is about an hour from Kuta or Seminyak by taxi or scooter, and drivers usually wait for the sunset kecak dance and take you back.
Borobudur, Java
The world's largest Buddhist temple, built in the 9th century and reconstructed after being buried under volcanic ash for centuries. Sunrise tours are the most popular way to see it, before the day-trip crowds from Yogyakarta arrive.
📍 Magelang, near Yogyakarta, Java
🚉 Nearest station: Yogyakarta Tugu, then the DAMRI shuttle bus to Borobudur in about 90 minutes; the new Yogyakarta International Airport rail link connects the same station.
Komodo National Park
Home to the Komodo dragon, the world's largest living lizard, found in the wild only on a handful of Indonesian islands. Multi-day liveaboard boat trips from Labuan Bajo are the standard way to combine dragon-viewing with the park's excellent diving.
📍 Labuan Bajo, Flores
🚉 Labuan Bajo on Flores is the only gateway, reached by air from Bali or by the Pelni ferry; from its harbour, boat trips run to Komodo and Rinca islands, which have no other access.
Mount Batur Sunrise Trek
An active volcano in Bali, climbed overnight to reach the summit for sunrise. Guides are effectively required and easy to book through any hotel or tour desk in Ubud.
📍 Kintamani, Bali
🚉 Treks start at Toya Bungkah around 3am, about two hours from Ubud by car - operators include the pickup, which is the only practical way to arrive in time.
Gili Islands
Three small, car-free islands off Lombok - Gili Trawangan is the liveliest, Gili Air more relaxed, and Gili Meno the quietest - all reachable by fast boat from Bali.
📍 Gili Islands, off Lombok
🚉 Fast boats run from Bali's Padang Bai and Amed to all three Gilis, and public boats cross from Bangsal on Lombok in 20 minutes; the islands ban motor vehicles, so it is bicycles and pony carts once ashore.
Ubud Monkey Forest, Bali
A nature reserve and Hindu temple complex home to several hundred long-tailed macaques. Keep sunglasses, food and loose items secured - the monkeys are habituated to grabbing them.
📍 Ubud, Bali
🚉 The sanctuary is at the southern end of Ubud's Monkey Forest Road, a 10-minute walk from the central market - Ubud has no bus network, so taxis and Grab cover longer hops.
Mount Bromo, Java
An active volcano in East Java, viewed at sunrise from the nearby Mount Penanjakan viewpoint across a dramatic 'sea of sand' caldera.
📍 Bromo Tengger Semeru, East Java
🚉 Nearest station: Probolinggo, on the Surabaya-Banyuwangi line, then an angkot or jeep to Cemoro Lawang on the crater rim, from where 4x4s run to the sunrise viewpoint at Penanjakan.
Mark Indonesia, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Indonesia?
A week suits Bali alone comfortably. Two weeks lets you add Java's temples or a Komodo boat trip without rushing through any one region.
What's the best time to visit Indonesia?
April-October is the dry season across most of the archipelago and the most popular time to visit. The wet season (November-March) brings shorter, heavier daily rain rather than constant downpours.
Is Indonesia good for a first-time visit?
Yes - Bali in particular is a well-worn, tourist-friendly introduction with widely spoken English in visited areas, and domestic flights make Java or the Komodo region easy add-ons.
Do I need a visa to visit Indonesia?
Many nationalities can get visa-on-arrival or a free short-stay visa exemption for tourist visits; some nationalities need to apply for a visa in advance, so check your specific passport. Check the official visa information for your nationality: evisa.imigrasi.go.id.
What are some things to do in Indonesia on a tight budget?
Local warungs (small family-run eateries) serve a full meal for a fraction of restaurant prices, many Bali temples charge only a small entrance donation, and renting a scooter is a cheap way to get around compared to private drivers.
Can I rent a car in Indonesia, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and in Bali a car or scooter is close to essential - but hiring a car with a driver for the day is the local norm and costs little more. Indonesia requires an International Driving Permit alongside your home licence, and police checkpoints in Bali ask for it routinely, including for the scooters everyone rents. Riding without one also voids your travel insurance, which is the more expensive problem. Traffic drives on the left, and the minimum age is generally 21. Official transport information is published by the Ministry of Transportation at dephub.go.id, with licence rules held by the traffic police at korlantas.polri.go.id; cars come from TRAC and Avis.