Indonesien

Just across the water from Singapore, Pulau Bintan has some of the nicest white-sand beaches in Sumatra. While it markets itself as a high-end playground for well-heeled visitors from Singapore and beyond, there is some affordable accommodation too.

Once the domain of shack-staying surfers, Nusa Lembongan has hit the big time. Yes, you can still get a simple room with a view of the surf breaks and the gorgeous sunsets, but now you can also stay in a boutique hotel and have a fabulous meal.

'Relaxed' is how people most often describe Lovina, and aside from the pushy touts, they are correct. This low-key, low-rise, low-priced beach resort town is a far cry from Kuta. The waves are calm, the beach thin and overamped attractions nil.

The gritty but energetic metropolis of Makassar is one of Indonesia's primary ports. It's a seething maelstrom of commerce and shipping, with a polyglot population of Makassarese, Bugis and Chinese residents. But as the city has few sights, and the tropical heat and pollution are unremitting, travelers rarely stay long before moving on to regional destinations.

If you’re seeking white sand, spectacular diving and surf, bubbling hot springs, majestic waterfalls and traditional villages – away from Bali-esque crowds – then Nusa Tenggara is your wonderland. Spreading west from the Wallace Line dividing Asia from Australasia, this archipelago is jungle-green in the north and tending to drier savannah in the south and east. In between are limitless surf breaks and barrels, technicolor volcanic lakes, pink-sand beaches, swaggering dragons and underwater worlds filled with color and creatures.

The land on the other side of the map, that's north Bali. Although one-sixth of the island's population lives here, this vast region is overlooked by many visitors who stay cocooned in the south Bali−Ubud axis.

Sprawling just south of the equator and split by the lower reaches of the Sungai Kapuas (the Kapuas River), Pontianak is urban Kalimantan. The main attraction here is the river itself – stroll along the boardwalks or cross by canoe taxi to get a feel for Indonesia's longest waterway.

Few isles tempt the imagination with the lure of adventure quite like the wild land of Sumatra. An island of extraordinary beauty, it bubbles with life and vibrates under the power of nature. Eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis are Sumatran headline-grabbers. Steaming volcanoes brew and bluster while standing guard over lakes that sleepily lap the edges of craters. Orangutan-filled jungles host not only our red-haired cousins, but also tigers, rhinos and elephants. And down at sea level, idyllic deserted beaches are bombarded by clear barrels of surf.

The province of West Papua chiefly comprises two large peninsulas – the Vogelkop (also known as Bird’s Head, Kepala Burung and Semdoberai) and the more southerly Bomberai Peninsula – and several hundred offshore islands. The attractions here are primarily natural – above all the world-class diving and gorgeous island scenery of the Raja Ampat Islands. Sorong and Manokwari are well-provided urban bases from which to launch your explorations.

The Canggu region, north and west of Kerobokan, is Bali's fastest-growing area. Much of the growth is centred along the coast, anchored by the endless swathe of beach, which, despite rampant development, remains fairly uncrowded. Kerobokan morphs into Umalas inland and Canggu to the west, while neighbouring Echo Beach is a big construction site.