Bandar Lampung

The Krakatau buoy, Lampung Museum and Pasir Putih boats in two days

Two days work in Bandar Lampung. See the iron buoy flung ashore by Krakatau's 1883 eruption at Taman Dipangga in Telukbetung, visit the Lampung Museum on Jalan ZA Pagar Alam before it closes in the early afternoon, and buy keripik banana chips; take boats from Pasir Putih on the second day.

Start the first morning in Telukbetung at Taman Dipangga, where the iron buoy flung ashore in 1883 stands beside a monument to the tsunami victims. It takes twenty minutes and sets the tone. Head up to Tanjungkarang for the Lampung Museum on Jalan ZA Pagar Alam before it shuts in the early afternoon; the rooms of bronze work, ceramics and Sumatran house models give the province's Lampung and transmigrant story in one place.

After lunch, ride up to the Wan Abdul Rachman forest park above Batu Putu, where the deer enclosure and the gardens at Wira Garden are cooler than the city below. Finish the day on Puncak Mas for sunset, then go down for grilled fish in Pahoman.

Day two belongs to the bay. Take a car to Pasir Putih beach, about half an hour south of the centre, and bargain with a boatman for a loop of the small islands offshore, arranging a mid-afternoon pick-up. Back in town, buy keripik and coffee on Jalan ZA Pagar Alam, then end with a drink on one of the hills that look over the harbour.

Seruit, pempek and the keripik shops of Jalan Pagar Alam

Lampung's own dish is seruit: grilled or fried river fish mixed at the table with sambal, fresh vegetables and often tempoyak, fermented durian paste, eaten with rice and fingers at family-run Lampung restaurants. Pempek came from Palembang, and the shops on Jalan Pagar Alam sell banana keripik chips.

Seruit is a sharing plate, eaten with rice and fingers, and family-run Lampung restaurants serve it better than hotel kitchens.

Pempek came here from Palembang but the city has made it its own. These chewy fish and tapioca cakes arrive fried, with a thin, dark sauce of palm sugar, vinegar and chilli; ask for it pedas if you want heat. The same stalls sell kemplang, crisp fish crackers that come with a thicker version of the sauce.

For snacks to carry home, the strip of shops on Jalan ZA Pagar Alam is where locals go for keripik pisang, banana chips in a dozen flavours, plus pineapple and jackfruit chips. Many also sell ground Lampung robusta and kopi luwak.

Nasi Padang canteens are everywhere and are the reliable, quick lunch, with dishes laid out on plates in the window. In the evening, the warung along the bay road in Telukbetung grill whatever came off the boats that day.

Way Kambas elephants and the reefs off Pahawang

Bandar Lampung is a base for two different outings. Pahawang Island, west of the city, is about 90 minutes by road to Ketapang pier and a boat ride to clear reefs for snorkelling, while Way Kambas National Park in the east is known for its elephant conservation centre.

The city works best as a base for two very different outings. Pahawang Island, in the Pesawaran regency west of the city, is the favourite: drive about 90 minutes along the coast to the Ketapang pier, then take a boat out to the island and the reefs around Pahawang Kecil. The water is clear enough for snorkelling with gear rented on the pier, and homestays let you stay over. Weekends are packed with day-trippers from Bandar Lampung; a Tuesday or Wednesday is far calmer.

Way Kambas National Park, in East Lampung, protects Sumatran elephants and runs a sanctuary for the critically endangered Sumatran rhino. Count on two to three hours each way by road, so leave at first light. The elephant training centre is the usual focus; forest and river walks need a local guide and more time.

Further afield, Kiluan Bay in Tanggamus draws people for the pods of dolphins that boats go out to find in the early morning, and the Siger tower at Bakauheni marks Sumatra's southern tip if you arrive by ferry. Plan these for the drier months from June to September, when the sea and the dirt roads are kinder.