Island Guide
Bali Travel Guide: Beaches, Temples, Trekking & Nomad Life
Plan your Bali trip with our guide to the best regions, temples, surf spots, rice terraces, where to stay, and how to get around Indonesia's island icon.
Islands
Indonesia's Islands
Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago — 17,000+ islands stretching 5,000km from Sabang in northern Sumatra to Merauke in Papua. No other country has this density of distinct island experiences: Bali's Hindu temples and rice terraces, Lombok's empty white beaches, Komodo's prehistoric dragons, and Raja Ampat's underwater world — the most biodiverse marine ecosystem on earth.
Most travellers start in Bali. From there, Lombok and the Gili Islands are a 2-hour ferry ride; Komodo is a 1-hour flight to Labuan Bajo. Deeper into the archipelago, destinations like Raja Ampat, Banda Islands, and remote Maluku require dedicated planning. Each island feels like a different country.
Featured Islands
Complete guides to Indonesia's most-visited and most rewarding islands — from well-trodden to genuinely off the radar.
Bali
Temples, rice terraces, surf breaks, and a world-class villa scene
Lombok
Less crowded alternative to Bali — Rinjani volcano, Gili Islands, surf
Komodo
Komodo dragons, world-class diving, pink beaches
Raja Ampat
The world's most biodiverse marine ecosystem — remote Papua
Nusa Penida
Dramatic cliffs, Manta Point diving, day trip from Bali
Flores
Gateway to Komodo, traditional villages, tri-coloured crater lakes
Sumba
Megalithic culture, deserted beaches, luxury surf resorts
Sulawesi (Bunaken)
Renowned marine park — wall dives and pristine coral in North Sulawesi
Island Guides
Island Guide
Bangka Island Travel Guide: Chinese Heritage, Beaches & Tin Mining History
Bangka Island guide: Pantai Parai Tenggiri, Chinese-Indonesian culture, tin mining heritage, and outstanding seafood with Bangka pepper.
Island Guide
Belitung Island Travel Guide: Granite Boulders, White Beaches & Lighthouses
Plan your Belitung trip — white sand beaches framed by enormous granite boulders, a Dutch colonial lighthouse on Lengkuas Island, and clear tropical water.
Island Guide
Derawan Islands Travel Guide: Mantas, Jellyfish & Turtles in East Kalimantan
Plan your trip to the Derawan Islands — 31 islands off northeast Kalimantan with manta rays, stingless jellyfish, whale sharks, and loggerhead turtles.
Island Guide
Flores Travel Guide: Komodo, Kelimutu & Untouched Indonesia
Travel guide to Flores island — Komodo gateway, Kelimutu crater lakes, Wae Rebo village, traditional Ngada culture, and Trans-Flores Highway.
Island Guide
Gili Islands Guide: Gili T, Gili Meno & Gili Air Compared
Compare all three Gili Islands — Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. Diving, accommodation prices, fast boat costs, and which island suits you.
Island Guide
Karimunjawa Travel Guide: Islands, Reefs & Sharks off Central Java
Karimunjawa: 27 national park islands in the Java Sea with reef sharks, coral reefs, mangroves, and white-sand beaches reached from Jepara.
Island Guide
Komodo Island Guide: Dragons, Pink Beaches & World-Class Diving
Complete guide to Komodo National Park — Komodo dragons, Pink Beach, Rinca, Padar Island, and the best boat tours from Labuan Bajo.
Island Guide
Lombok Travel Guide: Beaches, Rinjani Trekking & Gili Islands
Plan your Lombok trip with our complete guide to Rinjani trekking, the Gili Islands, Pink Beach, Kuta's surf bays, and how to get to Lombok from Bali.
Island Guide
Nusa Penida Travel Guide: Kelingking Beach, Angel's Billabong & Diving
Plan your Nusa Penida trip with our guide to Kelingking, Angel's Billabong, Broken Beach, Mola Mola diving, manta rays, and how to get there from Bali.
Island Guide
Raja Ampat Island Guide: Marine Life, Islands & Wildlife
Raja Ampat's marine biodiversity, top islands (Wayag, Misool, Pianemo), birds of paradise, diving overview, snorkelling and the wildlife you can expect to find.
Island Guide
Sulawesi Travel Guide: Bunaken Diving, Toraja Culture & Manado
Guide to Sulawesi — Bunaken Marine Park diving, Tana Toraja funeral culture, Tangkoko wildlife, Togean Islands, and how to get between north and south.
Island Guide
Sumba Island Guide: Wild Beaches, Pasola War Festival & Ancient Megalithic Culture
Guide to Sumba island — Pasola festival, Nihi Sumba resort, Weekuri Lagoon, megalithic stone tombs, traditional Marapu culture, and how to get there.
Island Guide
Wakatobi Travel Guide: World-Class Diving in Southeast Sulawesi
Plan your Wakatobi trip — four islands in the Coral Triangle with 750+ coral species, wall diving, and Southeast Asia's most respected dive resort.
More Island Guides
Island Guide
Belitung Beaches: Giant Boulders, Island Hopping, and How to Visit
Belitung's granite boulder beaches are unlike anything else in Indonesia. We cover the top beaches, island hopping logistics, and the best time to visit.
Island Guide
Day Trips from Bali: Nusa Penida, Uluwatu, Ubud & More
Best day trips from Bali — Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, Mount Batur sunrise trek, Ubud, and Jatiluwih rice terraces with costs and logistics.
Island Guide
Diving Gili Trawangan: Turtles, Sharks & Where to Learn
Dive sites, PADI courses, best operators, and snorkelling spots on Gili Trawangan — the Gili Islands' top destination for underwater exploration.
Island Guide
Diving the Derawan Islands: Mantas, Jellyfish Lakes, and Whale Sharks
Derawan Islands offers manta rays, stingless jellyfish, whale sharks, and turtles. A complete diving guide to East Kalimantan's best sites.
Island Guide
Getting to the Gili Islands from Lombok: Fast Boats & Ferry Guide
How to get from Lombok to the Gili Islands — Bangsal harbour public boats, fast boat operators, direct routes from Bali, and inter-island transport.
Island Guide
Kelingking Beach, Nusa Penida: What to Expect at the T-Rex Cliff
Practical guide to Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida — the T-Rex cliff viewpoint, the steep beach descent, transport options, and what to bring.
Island Guide
Komodo Dragons: Facts, Safety & Where to See Them
Everything you need to know about Komodo dragons — biology, where they live, how to stay safe with rangers, and the difference between Rinca and Komodo Island.
Island Guide
Wakatobi Dive Sites: A Complete Guide to the National Park's Best Reefs
Wakatobi National Park has some of Indonesia's finest diving: sea fan gardens, pelagic walls, turtles, and 20–40m visibility. Here's what to dive and when.
Start exploring Indonesia's islands