About The Indonesia Guide

Between us, our contributors have made more than 50 visits to Indonesia across its 17,000 islands — surfing Uluwatu's reef breaks, tracing the rice terrace trails above Tegalalang in Ubud, watching Borobudur at sunrise from the Mahkota Agung viewpoint, diving the Komodo National Park in the Banda Sea drift, and reaching Raja Ampat's Wayag archipelago by speedboat from Sorong. The Indonesia Guide covers this complexity honestly: logistics, inter-island transport, and what actually differs between the tourist version and the real one.

Who writes this site

Our team covers Indonesia across three distinct areas of expertise:

• Bali and surf coast writer — has spent more than two years in Bali across multiple extended stays, covering Uluwatu's limestone cliff temples and surf breaks, Canggu's coworking scene and cafés along Batu Bolong, Seminyak's beach clubs, and the Ubud rice terrace circuit including Jatiluwih (a UNESCO Cultural Landscape). Tracks Bali's overtourism debate, Kuta versus Canggu shifts, and the 2024 foreign visitor levy.
• Java culture and heritage researcher — has visited Yogyakarta seven times, covering the Sultan's Kraton palace complex, Prambanan's Trimurti Hindu temples, and Borobudur — the world's largest Buddhist monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. Also covers Surabaya, Solo's batik markets, and the active volcano treks on Bromo and Ijen.
• Eastern Indonesia islands and diving editor — has dived Komodo National Park's current-swept sites (Batu Bolong, Crystal Rock), snorkelled with manta rays at Manta Point off Nusa Penida, and reached the karst islands of Raja Ampat for liveaboard diving in the Coral Triangle. Covers Flores road trips, Lombok's Rinjani trekking permit system, and the fast boat logistics between Bali, Lombok, and the Gili Islands.

Bali's contrasts: Ubud rice terraces versus Seminyak coast

Bali divides sharply between inland and coastal experiences. Ubud — the cultural and artistic centre — sits at 300 metres in the foothills, surrounded by working rice terraces still irrigated by the 1,000-year-old subak cooperative system (UNESCO-listed since 2012). The pace is slower, mornings cooler, and the village temple network more accessible. Seminyak and Canggu on the southwest coast run on a beach-club-and-sunset-bar rhythm entirely different from Ubud's rice paddies. Our Bali guides separate these two worlds rather than blending them into a single "Bali experience".

Borobudur and Prambanan: Java's UNESCO sites

Borobudur — a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist mandala built across nine stacked platforms — is the most visited tourist site in Indonesia and one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world. Entry is managed by PT Taman Wisata Candi, with separate ticket tiers for domestic and foreign visitors; sunrise access requires additional booking. Prambanan, 50 kilometres east of Yogyakarta, is the largest Hindu temple complex in Southeast Asia, built around the same period. Our Java guides cover entry logistics, the best approach from Yogyakarta without a tour, and what changed after the 2023 access restrictions on climbing Borobudur's upper terraces.

Our editorial standards

Every article on The Indonesia Guide is produced through a three-stage process:

• We visit in person. Our writers have arrived at Ngurah Rai International in Bali, Adisucipto and Yogyakarta International airports in Java, and reached Labuan Bajo on Flores by direct flight from Bali — the gateway to Komodo National Park. We take public Damri buses, charter boats, and the overnight Wisata bus from Yogyakarta to Surabaya.
• We verify against official sources: Kemenparekraf (Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy) for destination data and tourism policy; BMKG (Indonesia's meteorological and geophysical agency) for weather, volcanic activity, and seasonal travel warnings; and the Directorate General of Immigration for current visa-on-arrival rules, eligible nationalities, and e-visa requirements.
• We update when conditions change. Indonesia's visa rules, Komodo permit fees, and Bali's tourist levies have all changed in recent years. Volcano alert levels from BMKG affect trekking access on Rinjani and Bromo. High-traffic practical articles are reviewed every six months and we note the year of any price reference.

How we keep the lights on

Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you book a tour, hotel, or activity through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This keeps The Indonesia Guide free, independent, and ad-free. We only link to services we would recommend regardless of any commission.

Read our full affiliate disclosure →

Get in touch

Found an error, or have a question we haven't answered? Contact us here — we read every message.