Visiting Indonesia in December

As the rainy season continues across most of Indonesia, the wet weather and high humidity is combined with higher prices at Christmas, so if you are visiting, try to travel earlier in the month. The best places for sun are Raja Ampat, which has some great diving this month, and the central Moluccas – the Banda Islands, and northern and southern Moluccas are all rainy however.

Bali

Despite the rainy season being in full swing in Bali, you’ll still find plenty of people hoping to spend Christmas on the beach. It’s windy around the south coast beaches, including Sanur, Jimbaran and Seminyak, while the sea is too rough to dive, and while there are often clear sunny spells, there’s also plenty of intense downpours.

The white sand beaches of Nusa Tenggara are equally wet, although you can find periods of sunshine here too. Humidity levels are high on Lombok as well, and the inter-island ferries are often cancelled during bad weather, so it’s not as easy to get around.

December is one of the wettest months of the year in Java, with frequent flooding in Jakarta, as well as one of the wettest months in Sulawesi, rainy throughout Kalimantan, and across southern Sumatra. While the worst of the rainfall is past in northern Sumatra, it’s still not the best time to visit, with roads still badly affected after the rainy season.

Festivals: Although most people in Indonesia are Muslim, there are still millions of Christians across the country who celebrate Christmas with trees and nativity scenes on display, presents for children from Sinterklaas (known here by his Dutch name) and lots of food, including special cookies eaten.

Best for: Raja Ampat, the central Molucca Islands