5 Best Sights in Indonesia

From white tigers to rhinos to northern cassowaries, Bali Safari and Marine Park's 60 species will fill in blanks on most bucket lists. The park's Bali Aga extravaganza (daily except Mondays) has Disney-level production values, well worth the US$10 surcharge. Entertaining animal and elephant shows emphasize conservation themes. Most animal headliners are viewed only on the 30 minute safari tour, but there are elephants, camels, and birds around the park for photos and feeding (for a fee). There's also an aquarium featuring piranhas.

Bali's lake country highlands present breathtaking vistas at elevations above 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), two to three hours north of southern resort areas. Bedugul overlooks Danau (Lake) Bratan. Lakeside temple Pura Ulun Danau Bratan (Rp10,000) is rightly among Bali's most photographed spots. Vast Bali Botanical Garden (Kebun Raya Eka Karya Bali; Rp7,000), mobbed on Sundays, grows palms to pines to pink roses, thanks to the elevation. Bedugul's market and countless hawkers sell famed local strawberries. The winding 16-km (10-mile) road to Munduk skirts Danau Buyan and Danau Tamblingan, with views of forested mountainsides that reach the sea. Munduk features hiking trails, waterfalls, Dutch colonial buildings, and coffee plantations. Weather ranges from sweltering sun to misty downpour to mountain chill, often changing dramatically within a couple of hours.

Ubud is Bali's arts center, and Neka Museum traces the island's painting history. Arranged like a family compound in separate pavilions in a garden, the museum illustrates the evolution of painting in Bali, including the influence of prominent foreign and Indonesian artists who have lived here. One wing showcases Java's Abdul Aziz, who evocatively depicted everyday Balinese. Upstairs, there's a veritable greatest hits gallery dedicated to Bali's resident international masters, including Antonio Blanco and Rudolf Bonnet.

Take a primer course in the fine arts of Bali at Pasifika Museum. The 350 piece collection, mainly paintings, includes legendary Balinese and foreign artists. Big names Adrien Jean Le Mayeur, Theo Maier, Miguel Covarrubias and Donald Friend—the latter two perhaps better known for their writing about Bali—are well represented. Rather oddly, artworks are arranged by the artists' country of birth, rather than chronologically or by subject or region depicted. Works from Pacific islands and Indochina are also displayed. The museum injects needed local culture into Nusa Dua, a government-developed five-star hotel complex about 9 miles (15 kilometers) from Kuta at the southern tip of Bali that lacks island character.

A haven for shutterbugs and children, Ubud's Monkey Forest is home to dozens of Balinese macaques. These long-tailed grayish primates mug it up and dive spectacularly into their pool when not taking refuge in the tall trees. But there's more to the forest than monkeyshines. Guides posted along the paths gladly expound on the site's history and temples, including Pura Perana, dating to the 14th century. Monkeys here are better behaved than their counterparts in Uluwatu, but still can get nasty. Remove anything they can grab (like hats, glasses and earrings) and all food from your person. Obey the many "Do Not Feed" signs rather than the sales pitches of banana and peanut hawkers.