12 Best Indonesian Islands You Must Explore This Year

The Indonesian islands are a paradise of diverse landscapes. They offer breathtaking beaches, vibrant cultures, and unforgettable adventures.

Place your index finger on Sumatra lying on the west of Malaysia. Move on to Java, Bali (Denpasar), move further to East Timor, and then stop at New Guinea (the white-shaded portion of New Guinea.

Now, come back to Java, and look up at the white-shaded portion of Borneo named Kalimantan, then trace your finger to the east of Kalimantan and stop at Sulawesi.

In the Indonesian Islands map above, all the white-shaded places belong to Indonesia.

How many islands are there in Indonesia?

There are 17,508 islands that belong to Indonesia.

Length of the area of Indonesia:

Starting from Sumatra and ending at New Guinea, (from west to east) the islands stretch for up to a little more than 5,100 km!

In addition, since islands such as Sulawesi and Borneo, are north of Java, from north to south, Indonesia occupies a total of 1,760 km of sea space beginning from the Celebes Sea and terminating at the Timor Sea, near the northwest coast of Australia.

Roughly, the country comprises over 5 million sq.km of land and sea area! Mighty huge-eh?

Which is the best time to visit Indonesian Islands?

In spite of such a lengthy area from Sumatra to New Guinea, the climate doesn’t change and remains the same all over. Therefore, the best time to visit Indonesia is May to August that is said to be a dry period.

The weather is sunny and ideal for hiking, island hopping, water sports, and beach bumming.

However, some travelers like to visit a tropical island during the rainy season. I belong to that category.

When it pours, the rainforests in the islands come alive with fresh green coverage, subterranean insects, surface, the sea is abuzz with abundant marine creatures, and the birds and animals too can be seen in full. In addition, the waterfalls discharge water in full force.

If you are one of such adventurous travelers, plan your trip to any Indonesian island from November to April.

While the dry season is the peak in tourism, and hence it is crowded and expensive to stay, the wet season is considered an off-season.

Food and accommodation are less expensive.

In this blog post, you will come to know in brief about various Indonesian archipelagos and their main islands.

I am leaving most of the highly visited islands that include Sumatra, Java, and Bali. These are too obvious choices for the majority of the tourists.

I am covering islands that are less visited, sparsely crowded, and very easy on your affordability but still they are true tropical paradise with breathtaking beaches, sea arches, rainforests, stunning resorts, and hotels, and great food.

12 Best Indonesian Islands You Must Explore This Year

Let us begin to know this side of Indonesia that is loaded with mesmerizing sights and at the same, cheaper.

Nusa Penida Island

Leaving the major Sumatra, Java, and Bali islands behind, we look up at Nusa Peninda Island.

It comes under the jurisdiction of Bali and lies just southeast of Bali.

How to reach Nusa Peninda Island?

Since it is lying very close to Bali (just 24 km from the port town of Padang Bai in Bali), you can be deposited on Nusa Peninda in just about 25 minutes!

Some wise tourists make Nusa Peninda as their base and go to Bali daily as a day trip and get back to their hotel

Alternatively, you can come to Nusa Peninda from Bali’s capital Denpasar by ferry.

The geography will steal your heart, and you will leave its shores with full satisfaction.

Kelingking Cliff, and the Diamond Beach, Broken Beach are the three top sights in Nusa Peninda.

Nusa Lembongan Island

Nusa Lembongon is also a part of the province of Bali. Usually, Nusa Lembongan is always mentioned with its sister island known as Nusa Ceningan.

How to reach these two Nusa islands?

Bali Island is again your gateway to these two smaller Nusa islands. Sea passage takes 45 minutes only.

Popular sights on Nusa Lembongan Island:

Dream Beach
Devil’s Tears

This one particular spot is worthy of making an exclusive trip to Nusa Lembongan.

Can you imagine how this place will look when waves come gushing in and crash at the rocks? It will be the ultimate experience you might ever have.

At some times, the water droplets (mist) might wear rainbow colors. Man, it will be absolutely dreamy and dramatic too.

The wave conditions suit wave surfers.

You can walk into Nusa Ceningan Island from Nusa Lembongan. There is a bride over the Badun Strait

White sand beaches are beautiful on this island but no dangerous, jagged cliffs.

Lombok Island

This hidden gem of a waterfall is called Senaru Glide. You have to travel a bit through a forest to reach the falls. Once there, it is very difficult to extricate yourself from the scintillating scene. It is pure bliss to stand under the falls.

This is the top most sight on Lombok Island that is again managed by Bali.

How to reach Lombok?

You can either fly or sail into Lombok Island. Aerially, it takes about 30 minutes or less. The voyage takes anywhere between 90 minutes to 150 minutes. I reckon a voyage is more beautiful than flying into the island.

The distance between these two Indonesian islands is 175 km.

Do you know Lombok is as big as Bali but much less visited than Bali in spite of possessing all the beauties of a tropical island?

Top attractions in Lombok

Mount Rinjani-a volcano
Senaru Waterfalls
Tanjung Aan Beach
Senggigi Beach

Interestingly, Lombok Island is surrounded by:

Indian Ocean in the South
Java Sea in the North

One more sea, known as Lombok Strait, separates the island from Bali.

Flores Island

If you care to go deep into the places to see in Flores, you would certainly wonder why Bali alone garners all the attention.

Flores is wild, beautiful, and absolutely stunning. In addition, the Komodo Dragons’ exclusive habitat, Komodo Island is very close to Flores.

It’s a pity that people from every corner of the world travel all the way up to Komodo Island, watch the dragons, and simply go away without bothering to wet their feet in Flores.

Location of Flores:

Spot Flores Islands just below the Flores Sea.

Though there are numerous natural beauties on the main island of Flores, you can see the much-talked-about Komodo Dragons here itself without paying for a visit to Komodo Island but you will miss the romantic pink beach on Komodo Island.

For your information, Flores Islands consists of 565 islands!

The main tourist attraction here would have to be the Kelimutu Lakes, a pair of volcanic lakes in central Flores.

How to reach Flores Island?

Flores has three international airports. Yes, the island is that big. Labuan Bajo, Ende, and Maumere are the three cities that are equipped with airports.

U.K. serves direct flight to Labuan Bajo. It’s a long haul flight, taking about 22 hours. There must be a stop somewhere.

Otherwise, Bali is the most used gateway to Ende or Labuan Bajo. Bali to Ende flying time is only 4 hours.

From Bali, you can also sail. But it is totally not recommended because you will be on the water for more than 2 days.

Top sights in Flores:

17 Islands National Park
Kelimutu Lake

Mount Inerie
Island hopping tour

Komodo Island

Man, aren’t they beastly?

Another top most attraction on Komodo Island is the beautiful pink sand beach.

It is said to be the pinkest beach in the world. It surely is very attractive.

Please be aware that, just because of the Komodo Dragons, the UNESCO named the Komodo National Park as a World Heritage Site.

Sumba Island

This Indonesia Island is huge, boss, comprising over 11,200 sq. ft! That is as big as Hawaii!.

Sumba Island’s culture and ethnicity attract a separate kind of visitors, who are interested in studying different cultures, and anthropology.

Top attractions in Sumba Island:

Waimerang Waterfall
Soru Waterfall
Numerous virgin beaches
Houses of Sumbanese are the striking feature of the island.

This island’s religious beliefs are also as exotic as their houses.

How to go to Sumba Island?

Bali is again the dependable gateway. You can fly from Bali to Sumba. The distance is a little more than 900 km, southeast of Bali.

Sumbawa Island

325 km east of Bali lies Sumbawa Island. This is also a large island, comprising over 15,000 sq. Km!

The island’s biggest crowd-puller is an active volcano called Tambora. The mountain’s crater is at an altitude of 9,350 feet!

Fuming crater of Tombora.

Sumbawa Island sits between Lombok, and Flores islands. From Sumbawa, Sumba Island is located 230 km southeast.

Location map of Sumbawa.

Sights to see:

Sandalwood tree groves
Vast grassland that is actually strange on tropical islands
Deer and wild horses

Reaching Sumbawa.

Fly into the island from Lombok in only 30 minutes. Alternatively, enjoy a sea ride from Lombok. You can touch the port in Sumbawa in 90 minutes.

You will be crossing the Flores Sea from Lombok.

Bali also operates domestic flights to Sumbawa. The maximum flying time is one and a half hours.

Padar Island

If this stunning photo of an island cannot lure you to make a visit, no other island’s photo can attract you.

This is truly wild and breathtaking.

It is located too close to the Komodo Island. The island is rich in reefs and marine life.

The beaches are incredibly beautiful and clean too.

Beware of the dangerous Komodo Dragons that also roam the beaches, looking for prey. I have seen them taking a sunbath on the beach.

The biggest attraction is a viewpoint on this island. First, see the video below and then I will tell you how many steps you have to climb up to the observation platform.

Are you hooked on the attraction? You have to climb 400 steps, buddy! It will be hot when you climb. Hence, start by 5 am, and be back by 7 am.

Reaching Padar Island

Boat rides take up to 3 hours from Flores Island’s Labuan Bajo town.

Even though Padar Island is one of the smallest islands in the Komodo National Park, the scenic viewpoint here has become a famous natural landmark of Indonesia.

If you get down to the actual bay from the viewpoint, you can collect three different colored sands that include black, pink, and white. All of them in one place, lying adjacent to each other, are spectacular.

Borneo

Borneo is a very large island and is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Sultanate of Brunei.

The Indonesian part is called Kalimanatan. It is further divided into North, East, West, Central, and South Kalimantan.

Kalimantan is one of the bio-diverse regions in Borneo, and it occupies a staggering 5,34,698 sq. km!

There are too many places to see in Kalimantan to shrink and fit it in a post. Nonetheless, to name a few:

Tanjung Putting National Park
Derawan chain of islands
Kutai National Park
Lamandau River theme reserve

You can watch the rare Orangutans, Proboscis Monkeys, and Hornbills here.

How to reach Kalimantan:

You can fly into any one of the three airports in Kalimantan from various cities in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Manila, the capital of the Philippines, operates flights to South Kalimantan.

Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City serves flights to East Kalimantan.

Bangkok joins the business by sending flights to East, and Central Kalimantan.

West Papua New Guinea

The western part of New Guinea belongs to Indonesia. New Guinea is one of the largest islands located just west of Australia.

The Indonesian part of New Guinea is also shortly called, ‘West Papua’. The Indonesian portion comprises a very large 60,275 sq km out of the total New Guinea area measuring an incredible 785,753 sq,km

This makes New Guinea the world’s second-largest island. It is surrounded by the South Pacific Ocean and is put under the Melanesia group of islands.

How to reach West Papua?

If you are a fan of Columbus, you can board a ferry from Java to reach West Papua.

On the way, the ship calls on many islands that you cannot see otherwise. Strange seascapes, unknown ethnic people, exotic food await you on the way.

Finally, after 7 days, you can disembark in West Papua.

Alternatively( wisely), you can board a flight from Java or Bali, or Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi.

From Java, depending on the airways, you can land in West Papua in four hours to eight hours.

Please note that you will be landing in the city of Manokwari, the capital of West Papua, one of the provinces of Indonesia.

Top sights in West Papua New Guinea.

Mount Wilhelm-peak at 14,790 feet!
Kakoda Trail
Alotau Port
Warkesi Forest Park
Interacting with local tribes. There are as many as 250 different clans. In all of Papua New Guinea, 800 languages are spoken!
Anfak Mountain-famous for watching the birds of Paradise that are easily identified by their extraordinary plumage, and colorful, long feathers.

This forest and these birds are the only reason for visiting the easternmost part of Indonesia.

Sulawesi Island

What an odd-shaped island!

It is so large (over 174, 000 sq. km) that it is divided into various 6 provinces as follows.

North Sulawesi
Gorontalo
Central Sulawesi
West Sulawesi
South Sulawesi
Southeast Sulawesi

Each of them has their own capitals.

It is too big an area and thus, the geography, and wildlife are rich and diverse. Food is the same all over Sulawesi.

A few of the top attractions in all of Sulawesi:

Tangkoko National Reserve
Bunaken Marine Park
Lokon Volcano
Lake Linow-water changes color

Hot springs that surround the lake cause changes in water color, several times a day. Lake Linow is a worldly attraction in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi.

Visit several islands in Celebs Sea-which is the western arm of the South Pacific Ocean
Upper Kima Waterfall
Togian Island archipelago-one of the top most coastal attractions in all of Asia.
Numerous boardwalks, and piers

In order to see the dense tropical rainforests, the hot springs, birds of paradise, and unlimited beaches, select the period starting from May until September.

Try to spend more days in North and South Sulawesi for breathtaking bays, unlimited marine life, and wonderful islands, and islets.

Taroja Tribe

Sulawesi’s tribes attract a large number of anthropologists from all over the world.

In South Sulawesi, the Tano Taroja region is rated next to Bali. Here, the Taroja tribe has a weird culture. They excavate the cemetery of their relatives every year, just to clean the remains of the cadaver, and change the dress!

Which Sulawesi is capable of receiving flights from other parts of Indonesia?

North and South Sulawesi are the destinations for tourists. To visit other parts of Sulawesi, you have to either hire a taxi or take a long cruise around the Sulawesi in the Celebs Sea.

I think the most practical way to see all of Sulawesi’s attractions; one can opt to undertake a cruise tour that lasts for 12 days to three weeks.

Sulawesi demands up to 4 weeks of your time. So, a cruise tour around all of Sulawesi is the finest option

West Timor Island

The Island Timor that is floating in Timor Sea, lies just north of Australia.

The Eastern part of Timor Island is a separate country. The western part is known as West Timor and it belongs to Indonesia. Kupang is the capital city that you can read in the map above.

West Timor is a very large country comprising a whopping 14,500 sq.km

It is interesting to note that country was ruled by the Dutch for a long time. I wonder how the English, and the French left it to the Dutch. The Ditch travelled more than 12,000 km across the Asia to capture it is incredible.

Reaching Kupang

Bali is the gateway to West Timor. The flying duration is about 2 hours roughly.

As it is nearer to Australia, you can find flights from Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Manila also serves direct flights to West Timor.

Top sights in West Timor

There are not many popular tourist attractions apart from beaches, mountains, and waterfalls.

However, the western part of Timor does pull historians and anthropologists as the island is inhabited by many tribes.

I read the names of a couple of fishing villages as sights to see but I doubt they will attract any international tourists.

There are trails on the mountain overlooking the Timor Sea. If you like to trek on unknown land that is offering great views, and unique bird species, you can enjoy the Wild West Timor.

Nonetheless, the number of flights from Australia to Kuping is intriguing.

These are the top 12 Indonesian islands that the tourists and the locals frequent.

Apart from these 12 major islands in Indonesia, you can plan exclusive trips to the following islands located in different seas.