Indonesien

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.

Home to some Sulawesi's most stunning landscapes and one of Indonesia's most compelling traditional cultures, it's no wonder Tana Toraja is high on many bucket lists. The visual allure is immediate, with villages clustered around elaborately carved and painted houses with boat-shaped roofs, and towering terraces of emerald green rice paddies, all of which is overseen by a protective necklace of jagged jungle-clad hills.

Spectacular Komodo, its steep hillsides jade in the short wet season (December to March) and frazzled by sun to a rusty tan that makes its crystal waters pop the rest of the year, is the largest island in Komodo National Park. A succession of peninsulas spread east, each providing a different perspective with some fringed in pink sand due to red coral offshore.

With leafy, colonial-era boulevards and a breezy climate, Malang moves at a far more leisurely pace than the regional capital, Surabaya. It’s a cultured city with several important universities, and is home to a large student population. The central area is not too large and is quite walkable.

South Sulawesi is huge. The sprawling capital and bustling port city of Makassar in the far south is tumultuous yet friendly, and likely where your journey will start or end. While you're there, feast on some of the best seafood on the island and explore the stunning karst landscapes just outside of town. If you have a little longer, the southeast corner of the peninsula is home to sleepy Pantai Bira with its world-class diving and fine sandy beaches.

Combining natural beauty, a warm local heart, and a palpable and fascinating history, this remote cluster of 10 picturesque islands isn't just Maluku’s choice travel destination, it's one of the best in Indonesia. Particularly impressive undersea drop-offs are vibrantly plastered with multicoloured coral gardens offering superlative snorkelling and diving. The central islands – Pulau Neira and Pulau Banda Besar (the great nutmeg island) – curl in picturesque crescents around a pocket-sized tropical Mt Fuji (Gunung Api, 656m).

The heart of the nation, Java is a complex island of great antiquity: this, after all, is where ancient Java Man stood upright and walked abroad. As such the island, home today to 140 million people and the most populated island on earth, is defined primarily by people.

Papua’s second-biggest city, Sorong sits at the northwestern tip of the Vogelkop. It’s a busy port and base for oil and logging operations in the region. Few travelers stay longer than it takes to get on a boat to the Raja Ampat Islands, but Sorong can be interesting for a day or two, and there are some worthwhile destinations in the surrounding region.

Trekkingäventyr, surfing och orörda vidder. Indonesiska Lombok är ännu lite av ett oskrivet blad. Carl Larsson och Jenny Möllerström bor deltid på ön, här är deras bästa tips!

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.