Indonesien

Med sina 17 000 öar är Indonesien så mycket mer än Bali. Följ med på äventyr bland vilda orangutanger, aktiva vulkaner, orörda vågor och utomjordiska öar.

Naturfotograferna Magnus Lundgren och Staffan Widstrand har vunnit det prestigefyllda priset ”Årets Pandabok 2022” med fotoboken om västra Papua i Indonesien.

The idyllic islands of Maluku once played an unlikely but hugely important role in global geopolitics and economics. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Maluku was the world's only source of nutmeg, cloves and mace, then vital and very valuable commodities. The search and subsequent fight for control of the Spice Islands (known then as the Moluccas) helped kick-start European colonialism and, thanks to a series of wrong turns and one auspicious land swap, shaped the modern world.

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.

If you’ve ever dreamt about having a tropical island entirely to yourself, complete with palm trees, powdery white beaches and crystal-clear waters, the Banyak Islands is a great place to fulfil your Robinson Crusoe fantasy. A cluster of 99 mostly uninhabited islands, the Banyak (Many) Islands are situated about 30km west of Singkil. Remote they might be, but they are now very much on the radar of paradise-seeking travellers and surfers. As well as having arguably the finest beaches in Sumatra and a handful of quality surf spots, the Banyaks feature Sumatra’s best snorkelling, with beautiful underwater forests of colourful coral (at least where there has been no past dynamite fishing).

Manado is a prosperous, well serviced and friendly place, with a decent selection of comfortable hotels and excellent dining options. The waterfront is one nearly continuous mall, perhaps a testament to the city's relative affluence, and the streets are one nearly continuous traffic jam.

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.

Den populära turistdestinationen Bali kommer inte öppna upp gränsen för turister under 2020. Det menar myndigheterna som pekar på ökade fall av Covid-19.

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.

Together with Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Bagan in Myanmar, Borobudur ranks as one of the great cultural icons of Southeast Asia. Looming above a patchwork of bottle-green paddy fields and slivers of tropical forest, this colossal Buddhist monument has survived volcanic eruptions, terrorist attack and the 2006 earthquake. The last caused considerable damage, but thankfully this most enigmatic of temples has remained undiminished in scale and beauty.