5 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
Crime against visitors is rare and the island feels relaxed day and night. The real risks are practical: scooters are how most people get hurt, so ride only if you already can and always with a helmet. Watch the monkeys at Monkey Forest, who take glasses and phones, and drink bottled water.
Comfortable: Ubud · Sanur · Seminyak · Nusa Dua · Canggu
Kuta — at night, for bag snatching from scooters and drink spiking
Scooter riding without a licence or a helmet, which is how most visitors are hurt here
Methanol in cheap cocktails and arak — stick to sealed bottles and known bars
Currency-exchange booths offering a rate better than the banks
Remote in a way that matters — the nearest hyperbaric chamber is a flight away, so dive conservatively and carry insurance that covers evacuation. The currents are strong, the reefs are shallow and fragile, and the marine park fee is checked.
Comfortable: Waisai · the village homestays · Arborek · the dive sites with a guide
diving beyond your training — the nearest chamber is a flight away and the currents here are strong
the ferry in bad weather — it is cancelled, and that can cost you a flight
the reef underfoot — shallow, alive, and damaged by standing on it
running out of cash — there is no machine past Sorong and nothing takes a card
Relaxed, friendly and one of the easiest cities in Indonesia. Traffic is the real risk and the motorbike swarm takes adjusting to; helmets on Gojek are provided and should be worn. Merapi is genuinely active and access is restricted at short notice — follow the official status rather than a tour operator. Petty theft is rare but bag-snatching from moving bikes happens on Malioboro.
Comfortable: Prawirotaman · Kotagede · the Kraton quarter · Tugu station area
Malioboro in the evening crush — for bag-snatching from moving motorbikes
Merapi's restricted zones — the volcano is active and access changes at short notice
Generally easy and friendly, and quieter than Bali in every sense. Three real cautions: the Rinjani trek is a serious two- or three-day climb that people underestimate every season, the south-coast surf has rips and few lifeguards, and scooter accidents are the commonest thing that happens to visitors. Lombok is more conservative than Bali — cover up away from the beaches, particularly during Ramadan.
Comfortable: Senggigi · Kuta Lombok · Gili Air · Mataram
the south-coast surf breaks — rips and few lifeguards
the mountain roads at night — unlit, and scooter accidents are the commonest thing that happens to visitors here
The dragons are the obvious hazard and the ranger system exists because of it — never walk alone, and tell them if you have an open wound. The sea is the real one: the currents between the islands are strong enough to matter to good divers, and boat safety varies enormously between operators.
Comfortable: Labuan Bajo · the harbour and the hill viewpoints · the licensed boats · the ranger-led trails
walking on Komodo or Rinca without a ranger — it is forbidden and it is forbidden for a reason
the currents between the islands — strong enough to matter to experienced divers
boat safety — it varies enormously; ask about life jackets and radios before you book the cheap one
the sun on the water — there is no shade on most day boats
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
