INDONESIA

Indonesia is one of the world’s greatest biodiversity hotspots, comprising more than 17,000 islands that stretch across the boundary between Asia and Australasia. This vast archipelago encompasses an extraordinary range of ecosystems, from ancient tropical rainforests and volcanic mountains to mangroves, coral reefs and remote islands, supporting one of the richest collections of wildlife on Earth.

The country’s remarkable biodiversity is driven by its unique geography. Islands such as Sumatra, Java and Borneo are home to iconic Asian mammals including Orangutans, Tigers, Rhinoceroses and Asian Elephants, while the eastern islands of Sulawesi, the Moluccas and Papua harbour an exceptional concentration of endemic species found nowhere else. This meeting point of two biogeographic regions, known as Wallacea, has produced some of the world’s most distinctive wildlife.

Indonesia is internationally renowned for its spectacular birdlife, with more than 1,800 recorded bird species. Birds-of-paradise display in the forests of West Papua, colourful kingfishers, pittas and hornbills inhabit the rainforests, while the islands of Komodo and Rinca protect the world’s largest lizard, the legendary Komodo Dragon.

The country’s marine biodiversity is equally extraordinary. The coral reefs of Raja Ampat and Komodo National Park lie within the Coral Triangle, the most species-rich marine ecosystem on Earth, where manta rays, whale sharks, sea turtles, reef sharks and thousands of reef fish thrive.

Whether trekking through the jungles of Sumatra in search of Orangutans, observing Komodo Dragons in the Lesser Sunda Islands, photographing Birds-of-paradise in Papua or diving the pristine reefs of Raja Ampat, Indonesia offers one of the most diverse and unforgettable wildlife experiences anywhere on the planet.