Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
🌴 Indonesia, According to an Indonesian 🇮🇩
23
items 🇮🇩✨ If you’re planning a trip to Indonesia, let me help you skip the generic tourist list 😂 these are the places I’d genuinely recommend experiencing — from iconic Bali spots to beautiful islands, diving destinations, mountains, waterfalls, cultur...
Map
Sections
6
🏝️ Beaches & Islands I’d Actually Recommend
🤿 Diving Spots Worth the Trip
🌋 Volcanoes & Mountains I’d Recommend
💦 Waterfalls & Nature Worth Exploring
🛕 Cultural Places You Shouldn’t Skip
🌾 Slow Travel & Hidden Gems
🏝️ Beaches & Islands I’d Actually Recommend
🌴 If it’s your first time in Indonesia, I honestly think Bali is still worth experiencing. Yes, it’s touristy — but there’s a reason people keep coming back. Beaches, temples, rice fields, food, nightlife, and completely different vibes depending on...
🌴 Bali
💙 The cliffs and turquoise water are genuinely as beautiful as they look in photos. It can get crowded, but if you’re visiting Bali and love dramatic coastlines, I still think Nusa Penida is worth the trip.
🐚 Nusa Penida
🐢 If you want an easy tropical island escape, the Gilis are such a good choice. Clear water, snorkeling, sunsets, and a much slower pace — basically the kind of place where you can forget about your itinerary for a few days.
🏝️ Gili Islands
🌴 Bali’s quieter neighbor, and honestly one of the places I’d recommend if you want beautiful beaches without quite as much chaos. Add waterfalls, local villages, and Mount Rinjani, and you have a pretty incredible trip.
🌊 Lombok
🐉 One of those places where the photos genuinely don’t do it justice. Island-hopping, Padar viewpoints, turquoise water, snorkeling, and seeing Komodo dragons in their natural habitat — this is one I’d absolutely put on an Indonesia itinerary.
🐉 Labuan Bajo & Komodo National Park
🌾 Sumba feels completely different from Bali. Rugged landscapes, beautiful beaches, traditional villages, and huge open spaces — I’d recommend it if you want something more adventurous and less polished.
🌅 Sumba
🤿 Diving Spots Worth the Trip
🪸 This is the one I’d save up for. The marine biodiversity is incredible, and it’s the kind of place that makes you understand why people travel across the world specifically to dive here.
🐠 Raja Ampat
🐠 Much more laid-back than the southern Bali hotspots. I’d recommend Amed if you want to spend more time in the water without turning your whole trip into a complicated diving expedition.
🌊 Amed, Bali
🤿 A quieter Bali recommendation for anyone who wants beautiful reefs and clear water without being surrounded by the busiest tourist areas. It’s a very different side of Bali.
🐚 Menjangan Island, Bali
🌊 If you’re willing to go beyond Bali, put Bunaken on your radar. I’d especially recommend it to travelers who are coming to Indonesia for the underwater world rather than just the beaches.
🐠 Bunaken, North Sulawesi
🌋 Volcanoes & Mountains I’d Recommend
☀️ Probably one of the easiest ways to experience an Indonesian volcano sunrise. The wake-up call is brutal 😂 but watching the sun come up from the mountain makes the early start worth it.
🌅 Mount Batur, Bali
🧡 One of my strongest recommendations for a first Indonesia trip. The landscape genuinely feels otherworldly, especially around sunrise. It’s touristy for a reason.
🌋 Mount Bromo, East Java
💚 This one is for the adventurous traveler. It’s a serious hike, so I wouldn’t recommend it as a casual sightseeing stop — but the crater lake and mountain scenery are incredible if you’re prepared for the trek.
🏔️ Mount Rinjani, Lombok
🏔️ For the serious mountain people. I’d put this firmly in the “plan properly and come prepared” category rather than something to casually squeeze into a holiday.
🌋 Mount Semeru, East Java
💦 Waterfalls & Nature Worth Exploring
💚 If you want to see Bali beyond the usual Instagram spots, go here. The rice terraces are huge, the mountain scenery is beautiful, and the whole area feels much calmer than the more famous Bali hotspots.
🌾 Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Bali
🌴 This is for the wildlife lovers. Getting into the rainforest and seeing orangutans in their natural habitat is a completely different kind of Indonesia experience — and one I’d remember far longer than another beach day.
🦧 Tanjung Puting, Central Kalimantan
🌋 Massive volcanic lake, Samosir Island, beautiful scenery, and Batak culture. It’s one of those Indonesian destinations I wish more international travelers knew about.
🌊 Lake Toba, North Sumatra
🛕 Cultural Places You Shouldn’t Skip
🎨 If you want to understand more of Indonesia beyond beaches, put Yogyakarta high on the list. Art, history, food, batik, traditional culture, and some of the country’s most important temples are all here.
🕌 Yogyakarta
🤎 You don’t have to be a huge history person to appreciate this one. Seeing Borobudur in person is one of those moments where you immediately understand why it’s such an important Indonesian landmark.
🛕 Borobudur
✨ Completely different atmosphere from Borobudur and absolutely worth pairing with it if you’re visiting Yogyakarta. I’d personally do both rather than choosing only one.
🛕 Prambanan
🕊️ Please don’t come to Bali only for the beach 😂 The temples, ceremonies, traditional arts, and everyday Balinese culture are a huge part of what makes the island special.
🌺 Ubud & Balinese Temples
🌿 A lovely choice if you want to see a quieter, more traditional side of Bali. I’d especially recommend it if you’re interested in Balinese architecture, community traditions, and slower travel.
🏡 Penglipuran Village, Bali
🌾 Slow Travel & Hidden Gems
🤍 If Ubud feels too busy, I’d look at Sidemen. Rice fields, mountain views, village life, and a much slower pace. This is the Bali I’d recommend when someone tells me they want “peaceful Bali.”
🌿 Sidemen, Bali