The world’s largest archipelago is an elongated chain of several thousand islands that stretch along the equator for hundreds of miles. You really need a holiday of two to three months to get to see a reasonable selection of the many delights and wonderful landscapes of Indonesia. Holidays in Indonesia can focus on the beaches of Bali and Lombok, diving in Sulawesi, the untouched wilderness of Sumatra, fascinating temples and traditional music and dance in Java or treks in search of orangutans and komodo dragons …..plus much more. The Republic shares some of its borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Malaysia.
Beach holidays
Jungle adventures
Heady traditional culture
If you use a credit card to pay a bill do not let the card be taken out of your site. Card copying (as elsewhere in the world) is becoming an increasing problem.
There are security issues in parts of the Republic. Visit www.fco.gov.uk for updates.
EU citizens require a current passport – it’s recommended that there is a minimum of a year to run to its expiry date – and will need to buy a tourist visa on arrival.
There is a departure tax to pay.
Travelling between the islands can be time consuming and expensive.
Indonesia is tropically hot. The wet season is October to April and the dry season May to September. Temperatures climb to about 31°C/88°F around most of the coast, dropping a little inland. April to October are considered the best months to visit the holiday regions in the south.
Flights to Jakarta from London take from around seventeen hours depending on the route. Flights to Bali from London can take around twenty-two hours.
Hiring a car with a driver is not expensive and a better option than self-drive.