Indonesia

 

The Indonesian archipelago is the largest archipelago in the world and spreads over 5200 km between the Asian mainland and Australia, all of it within the tropics, and comprises about 18,000 islands, 6,000 of them inhabited. Its ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity is correspondingly great – over 300 languages and dialects are spoken by its 240+ million people, whose fascinating customs and lifestyles are a major attraction. The largely volcanic nature of the islands has created tall cloud-swept mountains swathed in the green of rice terraces or rainforest, dropping to blindingly bright beaches and vivid blue seas, the backdrop for Southeast Asia’s biggest wilderness areas and wildlife sanctuaries. All of this provides an endless resource for adventurous trekking, surfing, scuba diving, or just lounging by a pool in a five-star resort.

Travel across the archipelago is pretty unforgettable, in tiny fragile planes, rusty ferries and careering buses. Give yourself plenty of time to cover the large distances; if you only have a couple of weeks, you’ll have a better time if you restrict yourself to exploring a small area properly rather than hopping across 3000km to see your top ten sights.