Why Indonesia
Seventeen thousand islands, and a permanent confusion between the country and Bali. Bali is 0.3% of the territory. Java holds half the population, Sumatra has the jungle and the volcanoes, Sulawesi has cultures nothing prepares you for, Papua is another world altogether.
The climate follows the monsoon, but not everywhere at the same time: the dry season in Bali and Java runs from April to October, while the Moluccas take their rain in the opposite months. Choosing an island amounts to choosing a season.
Entry and stay
The regime depends on nationality. The visa on arrival — VOA — is open to nationals of seventy-two countries, and that list changes: twelve countries were added recently, among them Morocco, Egypt, Oman and Jordan. Nationalities not on the list need a visa obtained in advance.
The VOA allows thirty days, extendable once for a further thirty. It is taken on arrival or in advance in electronic form — the e-VOA — which can be obtained up to ninety days before departure. Its price is set by Government Regulation No. 28 of 2019.
Source: Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration, checked on 22 September 2026. Check your own nationality on imigrasi.go.id: the list of seventy-two countries evolves.
Getting around
The archipelago is crossed by air. Domestic carriers are numerous and cheap, and flying is the only sensible mode between distant islands.
Between neighbouring islands, the state Pelni ferries and private fast boats handle the links — Java–Bali, Bali–Lombok, Lombok–Gili. Quality varies enormously between operators on the fast crossings.
On Java the train is excellent: punctual, comfortable, with clearly differentiated classes, and it connects Jakarta to Yogyakarta and Surabaya far better than the road does.
Money
The rupiah is counted in tens of thousands. Cash dominates outside Bali's tourist areas.
Cash machines deserve genuine care: prefer those attached to a bank branch, and decline the conversion the terminal offers, which applies an unfavourable rate.
Health
No vaccination is required for entry from Europe. Malaria is present in Papua and in some rural areas, absent from Bali and urban Java: the question is island by island, not country-wide.
Rabies circulates, including in Bali. Contact with an animal — even a puppy or a temple monkey — is treated as an emergency, not on your return.
Before you go
Bali levies a tourist tax on entry to the province, separate from the visa and paid separately. It is settled online or on arrival.
The active volcanoes — Merapi, Agung, Rinjani, Bromo — are under official alert levels and access can close overnight. Plan a summit sunrise knowing the permit may fall through the day before.
Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence, closes absolutely everything for twenty-four hours: the airport included, with no exception for visitors.