Indonesien

Nusa Dua translates literally as 'Two Islands' – although they are actually small raised headlands, each with a small temple. But Nusa Dua is much better known as Bali's gated compound of resort hotels. It's a vast and manicured place where you leave the chaos of the rest of the island behind as you pass the guards.

As home to the great world-class monuments of Borobudur and Prambanan, this is the must-see region of Java. Jakarta may be the nation’s capital, but the Javan identity is at its strongest here, in the island’s historic heartland. This is where Java’s first major Indian-inspired civilisation originated and it served as the stronghold of the great Islamic sultanates centred on the kraton (walled city palaces) of Yogyakarta and Solo. Today, Central Java (Jawa Tengah) remains the province where the island’s cultural traditions are most readily observable.

Sumatra’s major metropolis, and Indonesia’s third-largest city, Medan is the first (or final) port of call for many visitors to the island. Given it's not on the coast, and there's no mountain backdrop or even a grand river, Medan is much maligned among many travelers as a soulless industrialised city, a necessary evil to reach more exciting destinations. While it does have issues with traffic and pollution, it's a city with real Indonesian urban character. If you can get over the culture shock and give Medan a bit of time, you'll discover there's more than a hint of crumbling Dutch-colonial-era architecture, plus some worthwhile sightseeing and shopping, contemporary nightlife and restaurants, and old-school backstreet food stalls.

Danau Toba has been part of traveller folklore for decades. This grand ocean-blue lake, found up among Sumatra’s volcanic peaks, is where the amiable Christian Batak people reside. The secret of this almost mythical place was opened up by intrepid travellers years ago. While these days Tuk Tuk – the knobby village on the lake’s inner island – is on the beaten Sumatran overland path, it's still one of the undisputed highlights of central Sumatra.

Many tourists only experience the lush, volcanic panoramas of West Java (Jawa Barat) through the murky window of a lumbering bus or train, but this dramatic, diverse region has plenty to detain the inquisitive traveller who enjoys breaking away from the standard Java traveller circuit. Historically, it's known as Sunda, and its people and language are Sundanese.

It takes determination to get to the Togean Islands – but it takes far more determination to leave. You'll hop from one forested golden-beach island to the next, where hammocks are plentiful, worries scarce and the welcome genuine. Most islands have only a few family-run guesthouses, while popular Kadidiri has a small but lively beach scene with night-time bonfires and cold beers all around.

Sumatra's northernmost province, Aceh is both a fiercely proud and prosperous region. It's blessed with rainforests that feature incredible biodiversity, as well as pristine islands popular with beachgoers, divers and surfers alike. However, over the years, this western tip of the Indonesian archipelago has grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons. Earthquakes, tsunamis, civil war and sharia law are the main associations people have with Sumatra’s northernmost state. With the reconstruction from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami long completed, post-tsunami Aceh is slowly healing the social wounds incurred by the natural disaster and the previous civil war. Still, while the guns have been laid down and a degree of autonomy has been granted to the province, there are occasional blips on the road to peace, and a prevailing belief in the rest of Sumatra that the people of Aceh are keen to spread their conservative Islamic ways across the whole country.

Continuing seamlessly north from Seminyak, Kerobokan combines some of Bali's best restaurants and shopping, lavish lifestyles and still more beach. Glossy new resorts mix with villa developments. One notable landmark is the notorious Kerobokan Prison.

Once Jakarta's backpacker haven, the Jl Jaksa area is now at mid-gentrification stage. Old hostels and flophouses have been replaced with upscale condos and hotels. Its new diversity is reflected in the variety of eateries, both humble and exalted. But best of all, you're just a short walk from much of the best of what Jakarta has to offer.

Lombok's original tourist resort, Senggigi enjoys a fine location along a series of sweeping bays, with light-sand beaches below a backdrop of jungle-clad mountains and coconut palms. In the evening a setting blood-red sun sinks into the surf next to the giant triangular cone of Bali's Gunung Agung.