A well-planned week allows you to explore the best of the island nation. Buy a samurai sword beside a smoking volcano in Bandung. Watch the Indonesian version of the Ramayana in Yogyakarta. Feel Jakarta’s Delhi-like vibe, flecked with its own flavour of history. Inhale the serenity at Ubud. Dig into the superb local food, and catch as many of those painterly sunsets as you can.

You will probably need seven times as much time to discover all of Indonesia’s pleasures, but on your first trip, here’s what you should try not to miss...

GET A WHIFF OF JAKARTA’S MARITIME HISTORY AT SUNDA KELAPA

Old, crumbling buildings. A rundown port with an eerily quiet dockyard. And rows of massive wooden ships. Sunda Kelapa feels like the set of an epic period film.

Sitting at the mouth of Ciliwung River, it has served as the centre of all sea trade for the Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran for more than 500 years. Today, an adjoining port has taken centre stage, but Sunda Kelapa stands proud, wrapped in nostalgia.

Especially beautiful here is the sight of two wooden sailing ships, docked beside each other. Called Bugis Phinisi, they were once the fulcrum of trade between Indonesia, Europe, and Africa. I stood watching them for a long time, soaking in the silence, broken only by the sound of porters unloading cargo using traditional nets.