Indonesien

The sparsely populated Raja Ampat Islands comprise more than 1500 islands just off Sorong. With their sublime scenery of steep, jungle-covered islands, fine white-sand beaches, hidden lagoons, spooky caves, weird mushroom-shaped islets and pellucid turquoise waters, Raja Ampat is without question one of the most beautiful island chains in the world.

Elaborately contorted and sprawling into the sea, Sumbawa is all volcanic ridges, terraced rice fields, dry expanses and sheltered bays. Though well connected to Bali and Lombok, it's a very different sort of place – far less developed, mostly very dry, much poorer, extremely conservative and split between two distinct peoples. Those who speak Sumbawanese probably reached the west of the island from Lombok, while Bimanese speakers dominate the Tambora Peninsula and the east. Although Sumbawa is an overwhelmingly Islamic island, in remote parts underground adat (traditional law and lore) still thrives.

As the economy of West Nusa Tenggara grows, west Lombok's biggest city, Mataram, grows along with it. Meanwhile the famed beach resort Senggigi continues in a 1990s time warp. The greatest allure is southwest of Lembar port, where the peninsula bends forward and back, the seas are placid and bucolic offshore islands beckon.

Even as development from south Bali creeps ever further west (via hot spots such as Canggu), Bali's true west, which is off the busy main road from Tabanan to Gilimanuk, remains infrequently visited. It's easy to find serenity amid its wild beaches, jungle and rice fields.

Banda Aceh is a relaxed and charming provincial capital that more than deserves a day or two en route to Pulau Weh.

Parked neatly between Sumbawa and Flores, the islands of Komodo and Rinca are the major draw cards of Unesco-recognised Komodo National Park. The islands' jagged hills, carpeted with savannah and fringed with mangroves, are home to prehistoric Komodo dragons or ora, the world’s largest lizards.

Maluku’s most prominent and populous island is lush and gently mountainous, indented with two great hoops of bay. Around the busy capital Kota Ambon, villages merge into a long, green, suburban ribbon. West of the airport, this gives way to a string of charming coastal villages where, if you take the time to explore, you'll discover Ambon is not just an unavoidable step on the road to the lovely Lease, Banda and Kei Islands. The bay is known for excellent muck-diving, while the southern coast has clear waters and intact coral.

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.

Sprawling, hectic and ever-growing, Bali's capital has been the focus of a lot of the island's growth and wealth over the last five decades. It can seem a daunting and chaotic place, but spend a little time on its tree-lined streets in the relatively affluent government and business district of Renon and you'll discover a more genteel side.

Almost abandoned by tourism due to a period of religious violence, Central Sulawesi is now back on the map for travellers moving between the Togean Islands and Tana Toraja.