Jakarta

The majority of travellers to Indonesia fly into the international airports of Java and Bali. Though these islands only represent a small portion of the country, there's no shortage of world-class sights and unforgettable experiences to be had. Historic ruins, ornate temples and intriguing cultures are the main attractions, with ancient Buddhist and Hindu monuments, as well as delicate stupas and traditional tribal villages all making for a fantastic brush with the Indonesia's deep and complex cultures and past.

If your first stop is the country's capital, Jakarta, then it's worth taking a day in the city to visit the former Dutch colonial centre of old Batavia, which has a faded ambience and some beautiful colonial buildings both restored and crumbling. The island's cultural heartland around Yogyakarta and Surakarta is brimming with history, music, art and crafts, with regional Batik fabric workshops, gamelan orchestras and shadow puppetry aplenty. Two of Indonesia's most important sightseeing attractions are close to Yogyakarta - ancient Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world, and Prambanan, a set of ornate Hindu temples that are an important pilgrimage site for followers of the faith.

Bali is famed for its beaches, but the unique spirituality of the island really sets it apart from the rest. Known as the land of 1,000 temples, the island's spiritual dedication is part of everyday life with religious shrines of all shapes and sizes dotting its villages, rice paddies, mountains and shorelines. Ancient Hindu jungle-shrouded temples such as the ones at Ubud Monkey Forest and Uluwatu are an absolute must-see, while the delicate water temples of Tanah Lot, on the south-west coast, and Lake Bratan in the central mountains, are some of the most photogenic on the island.

For ethnic cultures and tribes, the island of Sulawesi is one of the top spots in Indonesia. Its largest city, Makassar, has been an important trading centre since the 16th century and still harbours faded colonial grandeur and traditional boat-building yards. In the north is the fabled 'land of the heavenly kings', home to the ethnic Toraji tribe who are famous for their peak-roofed wooden houses, hanging graves and elaborate animist funerary rites. In the villages around Lake Tempe, you can also meet the ethnic Buginese, known for their silk-weaving traditions.