Destinations · Southeast Asia · We have been, 2025
Indonesia
Seventeen thousand islands, four of which we would plan a trip around. Reefs in the far east, dragons and harbour sunsets in the middle, rice terraces and temples in the west.
Reef islands from the air, Raja Ampat
The short version
A country best planned region by region
Indonesia is wider than Canada is from Vancouver to Toronto, and its seasons do not move together. The month that suits Bali can be the wrong one for Raja Ampat. Most of the planning is getting that right before choosing a single hotel.
We spent several weeks across four regions in 2025: ten days aboard a phinisi in Raja Ampat, mornings on the water off Manado in North Sulawesi, a stretch above the harbour at Labuan Bajo, and time inland in Bali. This guide is what we would tell a friend before they booked.
- Regions we plan
- Four
- Good trip length
- 12 to 16 nights
- From Canada
- Via Asian hubs
- Time difference
- 14 to 16 hours ahead of Mountain Time
Raja Ampat
The reason most people come this far. Some of the richest reef on the planet, karst islands in every direction, and almost nothing built on them.
The best way to see it is from the water, aboard a phinisi, the traditional Indonesian two-masted schooner, now fitted out for divers and snorkellers. The boat moves overnight and you wake somewhere new. There are no port calls to speak of, which is the point.
Mantas gather at cleaning stations in the Dampier Strait, and the shallow reefs around the islets are some of the best snorkelling we have done anywhere. It works for a couple where only one dives.
- Best months
- October to April
- Getting there
- Fly to Sorong
- Suits
- Divers and snorkellers
All photographs on this section taken in Raja Ampat, West Papua, 2025.
Komodo and Labuan Bajo
A harbour town at the edge of Komodo National Park, with day boats out to the dragons, pink sand and fast, clear water.
Labuan Bajo has grown quickly, and the best hotels now sit on the hills above the harbour rather than in town. You go out by day on a private boat or for two or three nights on a phinisi, and come back to a proper bed.
The currents that make the diving good also make some sites tricky for snorkellers, so we pick boats and guides who choose the site by the tide, not the itinerary.
- Best months
- April to November
- Getting there
- About an hour from Bali
- Suits
- Wildlife and boat days
Bali, inland
The Bali we plan is the one away from the beach clubs: rice terraces, water temples, and hotels built around gardens and still water.
Bali is the easiest place in the country to arrive and the easiest to recover in, so it often sits at the start or end of a longer journey. Two or three nights inland is usually enough to reset before the islands, or to slow down before the long flight home.
- Best months
- April to October, dry
- Getting there
- Direct from Asian hubs
- Suits
- Arrival and recovery
Manado and North Sulawesi
A city with the airport, the hotels and the reefs already in place, and very few of the visitors they were built for.
Manado Tua, the volcanic island offshore, sits on the horizon at dawn, and Bunaken's reef walls are a short boat ride away. It is a good alternative to Bali as the soft landing on a reef trip, and a natural stop on the way to or from Raja Ampat.
- Best months
- April to November
- Getting there
- Via Jakarta or Bali
- Suits
- Quiet reef days
When to go
The regions do not share a season
Roughly, Raja Ampat is calmest from October to April, while Komodo and Bali are at their best in the drier months from April to November. The overlap is October, early November and April, which is when we plan trips that combine them.
A rough guide, not a forecast. July and August are marked good rather than best because they are the busiest weeks. We check conditions with the boat and the hotels before you commit.
The full month-by-month planner →Where we have stayed
How we would stay, region by region
We name the boat we sailed on. Hotels we name on the call, once current rates and any Virtuoso benefits are confirmed for your dates.
Emperor Harmoni, Raja Ampat
A phinisi built for diving, where non-divers are looked after properly too. We spent ten days aboard. Take the longer itinerary over the short one: the far reefs are the reason to go.
On the hill above Labuan Bajo
A suite with its own pool and a view of the harbour, and the boat days arranged privately rather than on a shared tour.
Inland Bali, by water and rice
A hotel set in gardens near the terraces, not on the coast. Quiet first nights after a long flight are worth more than a beach.
Facing the volcano in Manado
A room that looks west to Manado Tua, an early boat to Bunaken, and the afternoons left empty.
A sample route
Bali, Komodo and Raja Ampat in 13 nights
Built for April or late October, when all three regions are in season together. A starting point, not a set tour. We change the order, the nights and the hotels to suit you.
- 3nights
Inland Bali
Arrive, sleep, and let the flight wear off among the rice terraces. One easy morning at a water temple.
- 3nights
Labuan Bajo and Komodo
Fly about an hour east. Two private boat days into the national park for the dragons and the reefs, one day free.
- 7nights
Raja Ampat, aboard
A connecting flight to Sorong, then seven nights on a phinisi. Diving or snorkelling twice or three times a day, as you like.
- D14departure
Home
Back through a domestic hub to your international flight. We often add a night in Singapore or Manado to break the trip.
Swap: three nights in Manado instead of Bali makes the reef the theme of the whole trip.
Questions
What people ask about Indonesia
Anything else, write to info@thetravellingtunia.com.
Will I be seasick on a liveaboard?
Less than most people expect. In Raja Ampat the boat spends most of its time among sheltered islands, and in the calm season the water is often flat. The longer crossings usually happen overnight while you sleep.
If you are prone to it, we choose a cabin low and near the middle of the boat, and suggest you bring what works for you from home. A larger phinisi moves less than a small one.
Do I need to dive, or is snorkelling enough?
Snorkelling is enough. Much of Raja Ampat's best coral is in the top few metres, and the boats run separate snorkel outings with their own guide. Couples where one dives and one does not travel happily on the same boat.
If you want to learn, we can arrange a course before the trip so you arrive certified, rather than spending holiday days in a classroom.
Do Canadians need a visa?
At the time of writing, Canadians can get a visa on arrival for tourism, or apply for it online in advance as an e-VOA, for stays of up to 30 days, extendable once. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from arrival. Bali also charges a tourist levy for foreign visitors.
Entry rules change. We confirm the current requirements when you book and again before you leave.
Can we combine several regions in one trip?
Yes, and most people do. The constraint is the season, not the distance: domestic flights are short, but Raja Ampat and Komodo are at their best in different halves of the year. April and October to early November work for both.
Two regions in 12 to 14 nights is comfortable. Three is possible, as in the route above. Four in one trip is more travelling than holiday, and we will tell you so.
How far ahead should we book?
For a liveaboard in Raja Ampat, nine to twelve months ahead for the best cabins in the calm season. Hotels in Bali and Labuan Bajo are easier, though the best rooms still go early for July, August and the holidays.
Keep reading
A field report, the seasons, and a journey to start from
Ten days aboard the Emperor Harmoni
What life on a phinisi is like when the reef is the timetable.
Planning · When to goRaja Ampat, Komodo and Bali, month by month
Where each region sits in the year, with the reason in one line, alongside 23 other places we plan.
Journey · 9 nightsRaja Ampat liveaboard
Ten days aboard in West Papua, no port calls. From CA$10,000, indicative, per person, confirmed at quote.
Plan a trip
Tell us the month you can travel, and whether you dive
Those two answers decide most of an Indonesia trip. We reply within one business day, and nothing is booked until you have a written quote.