There was much to explore and enjoy in the Dutch East Indies for tourist travellers. Already in the early nineteenth century, when tourism was as yet non-existent, (proto-tourist) travellers visited a range of attractions, including the famous Botanical Gardens in Buitenzorg (present-day Bogor). In earlier times, the flora and fauna of the Dutch East Indies had mainly been the research object of scientists, but from 1850 the Indies landscape became the preferred attraction of tourists. The beauty of Indies nature was unrivalled, many agreed. Tourists gazed in fascination at the pristine jungles, the mirror-like lakes and rumbling volcanoes, and had themselves conveyed through the landscape, preferably from a mountain top or another high-altitude spot. Less adventurous visitors who wanted to enjoy nature went to the botanical gardens or the zoo.

There was also plenty for the tourist traveller to enjoy in the ‘culture’ department. Tourists simply had to sample a rijsttafel and the exotic fruits. Visits to temple complexes like the Borobudur and Prambanan were on many a traveller's to-do list, just as they are today. Visiting the kraton, the Sultan’s palace, attending a tiger fight or a deer hunt were also part of the tourist experience. As the tourist industry expanded, some travellers developed a need to venture off the beaten track and visit places that we now associate with dark tourism.