20 Photos of Indonesia to Inspire You to Travel Beyond Bali

Like many, my first travel experiences in Indonesia were based in Bali. While I still visit Bali often and even got married on the island, I have been fortunate to have travelled well beyond Bali, discovering that Indonesia has so much more to offer visitors than the one, very busy destination. I hope this Indonesia photo gallery offers you a glimpse into the people and places you will encounter by travelling a little deeper into Indonesia. Jump on that extra short flight, step out of the resort-life comfort zone and you too will fall in love with these mostly lesser known Indonesian destinations.

Skye Gilkeson

Happy street vendor sitting on the edge of the famous Fatahillah Square, Jakarta, Indonesia. Image © Skye Gilkeson

The quiet hallways of the Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, Indonesia. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Indonesia Photo Gallery

Jakarta, Indonesia

While we saw so many of the must-see sights in down town Jakarta, it was the local characters that I loved, in particular. A street vendor sitting on the edge of the famous Fatahillah Square, Kota Tua, the cheeky local girls at the Istiqlal Mosque who stalked us to snap their photos, complete with a trademark head tilt, a family of three generations of women who politely stood for my camera with shy smiles and peace signs in Bogor Botanical Gardens and the lovely groups of complete strangers who walked me across the chaotic streets of the city so I would arrive safely at the other side. Compensation? A simple group selfie, of course.

Cute local girls who loved to pose for photos at the Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, Indonesia. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Lombok Island, Indonesia

Lombok Island feels a lot like Bali felt about 15 years ago. While you will find more big resorts popping up around the island, in between you still find small villages with a warung or local restaurant, a small store with a few items, a simple spa offering massages for less than the price of lunch and the occasional herd of goats holding up traffic.

This stretch of sand sat in front of our resort. We spent our mornings running the shoreline as the sun began to heat up, our only company a local dog, trailing us during the first few metres and surfers enjoying the sets, largely to themselves further off shore. Lombok was the perfect place for us to start a year of full-time travel. We caught up on sleep, we ate local seafood and enjoyed the sunset from the pool.

Lovely laid back Lombok Island east of Bali reminds me of the popular island many year ago. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Gili Islands, Indonesia

While in Lombok we had planned to climb Mount Rinjani, but when we found out weather conditions wouldn’t allow it, we sought out another active adventure to take. Snorkelling and exploring the Gili Islands was what we chose. We jumped on a long-boat across to the islands and spent the day between the water, in search of the famous local turtles and walking the sand between the bars and beaches on each of the well-known islands.

The gorgeous Gili Islands in Indonesia is a beautiful spot for relaxing and snorkelling. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Breathtaking Padar Island, Indonesia as the sun begins to set. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Komodo, Indonesia

This sunset on Padar Island is one I won’t soon forget. After hiking to the highest point on the island, we waited as the sun settled, the aqua water shimmered as it kissed the shore in each of the small inlets below, the grass turned golden and swayed with the breeze.

The perfect purple sunset off Padar Island, Indonesia. Image © Skye Gilkeson

As soon as it eventually dropped, purple blanketed the sky in the opposite bay where our boats waited. Climbing Padar Island was one of my most memorable moments spent in Indonesia. Watch the video here.

Two beautiful little girls who lead me around their village, Mesa Village, Flores, Indonesia. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Stunning traditional display of whipping by villagers at Mesa Village, Flores, Indonesia. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Flores, Indonesia

We could never have predicted the path the day would take, the morning we jumped in buses at Labuan Bajo airport to climb the mountain to Melo Village. A welcoming procession, a ritual with a chicken and my first taste of betel nut were just the warm up before we danced with the villagers in the mountains of Flores. Watch the Flores and Komodo video diary here.

Calm water and broody volcano in magical Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Underwater world captured during our time snorkelling in Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Manado, Indonesia

Manado was such a sweet surprise on my trip to visit beautiful Sulawesi. As we boarded the boat to head out snorkelling I almost couldn’t contain my excitement, which manifested in a frenzy of photography. With my phone in my pocket, GoPro under my arm and Canon in hand, I was working the boards from one end to the other, trying to capture the beauty before us, on camera. I still don’t think the photos quite do it justice. It was a day where we barely saw another tourist, the snorkelling was some of the best I’ve done anywhere and I left with this powerful image of the broody volcano, watching over us ’til this day. That was just the beginning of our Sulawesi adventure. Plan your own trip with this guide.

Our lunch spot at Lake Tondano, Sulawesi. A stilted seafood restaurant among the reeds. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Our oasis for the day, The Prince John Dive Resort in Palu, Central Sulawesi. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Palu, Indonesia

Stepping on to the sand at Tanjung Karang Beach, Donggalla felt strangely surreal. We had arrived in a haze the night before, rushing to Talise Beach for the last of sunset, inundated with crowds of friendly locals, completely unused to seeing a tourist in this part of the country. Instead, at Prince John Dive Resort, we had the sand to ourselves and the incredible crystalline water that beckoned at its toes. Some swam, others went snorkelling and a group rested in the shade, we had found a moment to truly relax in the most unexpected paradise in Palu, Central Sulawesi.

Tropical and rugged, the coastline at Namalatu Beach, Ambon was a lovely place to start our trip around the island. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Ambon, Indonesia

It was on this stretch of craggy coastline at Namalatu Beach, Ambon that we were welcomed by a group of very shy local children, eager to impress with a performance of the traditional Saureka-Reka. While I loved the performance, I really loved watching the children themselves gather in groups afterwards, boldly approaching us for selfies on their mobile phones and then running off to explore the rock pools and boats on shore, while still dressed in costume. It was such a lovely scene.

Our other incredible discovery in Ambon was Liang Beach. It was like stepping into another world, arriving to the blues at Liang to immediately brought back memories of the Maldives. We were the only tourists but we were welcomed by locals keen to chat to us and find out more about Australia.

Ani and Jaharn, lovely women who couldn’t wait to practice their English with us at Liang Beach, Ambon, Indonesia. Image © Skye Gilkeson

Skye Gilkeson

Skye is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Fit Traveller.

She is a journalist, writer, photographer, intrepid traveller and a former personal trainer with a passion for helping others reach optimal health.

As a TV journalist and producer, Skye has worked for household names such as 60 Minutes, Sunrise, TODAY and Nine News. She has also written for Women’s Health, Fodor’s Travel and Yahoo7 Travel, among many others.

Equally comfortable in a 5-star resort or hiking a far-off mountain, Skye loves the unexpected and enriching life experiences that each trip brings and can often be found in a backstreet chatting to locals with her camera in hand.

Skye is based in Sydney, working to master the balance between motherhood and her appetite for adventure.