Best provinces for tourism
These provinces have the country's most-developed tourism industry. They handle the bulk of foreign arrivals and offer the most consistent quality across hotels, transport, food and activities. They're the natural starting points for any Indonesia trip.
1. Bali
Capital Denpasar · Lesser Sunda · pop 4,317,000
Indonesia's most-visited province. Beaches, surf, Hindu culture, infrastructure that handles 6M+ visitors per year.
2. Yogyakarta
Capital Yogyakarta · Java · pop 3,669,000
Cultural and historical capital of Indonesia. Borobudur, Prambanan, the Sultan's palace, food scene unmatched at the price.
3. Jakarta
Capital Jakarta · Java · pop 10,562,000
Indonesia's capital and primary international gateway. Strongest urban food, business and museum scene.
4. West Nusa Tenggara
Capital Mataram · Lesser Sunda · pop 5,320,000
Lombok and the Gili Islands. Beach + Rinjani volcano + diving.
5. East Nusa Tenggara
Capital Kupang · Lesser Sunda · pop 5,541,000
Komodo, Flores, Sumba. Dragons, diving, traditional villages.
6. Central Java
Capital Semarang · Java · pop 36,742,000
Borobudur (in the province), Solo (cultural sister to Yogyakarta), gateway to Mt Merbabu.
7. North Sumatra
Capital Medan · Sumatra · pop 15,136,000
Lake Toba, Bukit Lawang orangutans, Medan food scene.
8. West Sumatra
Capital Padang · Sumatra · pop 5,640,000
Padang cuisine origin, Mentawai surf islands, Bukittinggi highland city.