February
Indonesia
Surrounded by sea along the Equator, Indonesia is a rare beauty with its archipelagos and various island jewels emerging from tropical waters. Definitely, a visit to Indonesia will bring along a big adventure. Being the third most populous country of the world, Indonesia offers an incredible heritage with its people, its cultures and its geography.
Visitors will surely enjoy strolling along the untouched white sand coasts framed by striking volcanic mountains that rise over the verdant rain forests. Waiting for you under the waves, are ever changing seascapes of marine life such as big moon fish, tropical giant fish trails, porpoises, sea turtles and corals.
Bali, the post card of paradise: Stunning scenery, empathetic people in their traditional wear and a legendary sunset! The “living dragons” of Komodo Island are as astonishing as architectural treasures that cover the 5 kilometres (3 miles) of the Borobudur’s Buddhist relief panels. Adventure seekers shall head for the interiors of the rainforests off Kalimantan or for Sumatra, with its lush wildlife and its variety of ethnic groups.
Gili Islands
At the end of the northeast point of Lombok, three irresistibly charming islands appear. Gili Islands are waiting for you with their deep water coral reefs, their seafront bungalows, their miles long white sand beaches and their matchless serenity. If all these mean over-calm to you, it will be rather easy to join parties for all night entertainment.
Istiqlal Mosque
The Istiqlal Mosque located at Jakarta, on the northeast coast of Java, is a modern mosque, one of the largest of the world.
Forest travel
The Indonesian rainforests offer outermost and untouched forest travel via, Irian Jaya, Kalimantan and Sumatra. The best travel tips would be Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, the distant and beautiful peninsula at Sumatra and the Muller Mountain at Kalimantan.
Meet the orang-utans
Visit the rehabilitation centres at Sumatra and Kalimantan, where they strive to save orphaned, wounded and captive orang-utans. Support them and help returning the orang-utans to their natural habitats.
Prambanan Temple Compound
The Prambanan Temples is the biggest temple compound located at the Indonesian Island of Java. It was built at 900 years CE. A little while after completion, the region was abandoned probably because of the volcanic eruption of the close-by Merapi Mountain. The temples were reconstructed in 1953 and as of today the compound is one of the largest Hindu temples of the world. There are 224 temples in total, but the region takes shape with the spectacular figures of three main temples: the Brahma Temple, the Vishnu Temple and the Shiva Temple. Based on the Hindu epic, the Ramayana Ballet is exhibited at the open air theatre, from May to October.
Pulau Bunaken
The coastline of Indonesia is famous for spanning 15% of the world’s coral reefs. The Bunaken National Marine Park and the Lembeh Strait, both at northern Sulawesi, are perfect. 300 astounding kinds of coral and 3000 sorts of fish are waiting for you.
Puppet Performances
The puppet performances are staged at Java and impersonate the traditional wayang golak and wayang kulit puppets based on well-recognised legends; sometimes the performances last all night.
Pura Besakih
You should not miss Bali’s Pura Besakih temple, dating to the 10th century, rising on the volcanic slopes of Gunung Agung. It’s a colossal compound that boasts more than 30 temples and it is used for big, magnificent ceremonies on festive days.
Samosir
Samosir, an inhabited island on the Lake Toba, Sumatra, historically was a super volcano at a surface elevation of 900 metres (3,000 feet). This island is the home of the Bataks, an ethnic people that retain most of their traditions.
Look for Komodo
Hire a boat to the Komodo Island, and explore the Rinca islands looking for the Komodo Dragon, the largest lizard on earth. However, do not get too near as their bites may cause fatal consequences.
Sulawesi
The beautiful Sulawesi (www.north-sulawesi.org) is a place with tall mountains, misty valleys and lakes. At the South, there is the Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park with its thousands of exotic butterflies and waterfalls. Furthermore, geysers and thermal springs await you at Lahendong and Leilem.
Sri Sultan Palace
Don’t miss the opportunity of visiting the Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono Palace at Yogyakarta, a masterpiece of Javan architecture and still the residence of the sultan and his family.
Surf
There are very good surfing areas at Bali, Flores, Java, Lombok, Sumba and Sumbawa at Sumatra. Bali’s well known surfing coasts like Ulu Batu, in spite of tending to be over crowded, may offer a beautiful experience for surfers, but organised surfing trips to reserved areas are also popular.
Tanah Lot
You can witness one of the most breath-taking sceneries of Bali, at Tanah Lot’s sea temple on the West coast (a short driving distance by car from Kediri).
Torajaland
Visit Torajaland at Sulawesi, also known as the “Land of Heavenly Kings” and see the natives’ houses with the form of water buffalo horns and note their interesting burial rites where the deceased are buried upright.
Mahakam River Cruise
At Borneo, Kalimantan, cruise along the magnificent Mahakam River, originating from the innards of the highlands and reaching the coast branched as a river delta. The cruises start from the port city Samarinda and continue up to the jungles where the ethnic communities retain most of their traditions.
Tsunami Museum
This museum is located at Aceh, a city which was devastated by the 2004 tsunami, and is both an educational centre and an emergency disaster shelter in case the area is ever hit by a tsunami again.
Ujong Kulon National Park
In the Ujong Kulon National Park at the southeast point of Java, with a canoe built from a tree trunk, discover the untouched wildlife and try to find and observe the critically endangered Javan Rhinoceros.
The Volcanoes
Wouldn’t you like to climb up an active volcano? You can participate in a tough hike to Mount Bromo (the most visited volcano of Indonesia) and the Kawah Ijen crater lake at the Java island. Go on a boat cruise to observe Krakatoa, in between Java and Sumatra. Favourites among the dormant volcanoes are, Gunung Agung at Bali, Gunung Rinjani at the Lombok island and with its multi-coloured lakes, Keli Mutu at Nusa Tenggara Barat.
Shopping at Indonesia
Batiks, ikat fabrics, carved woodworks and sculpture, silverware, woven baskets and hats, bamboo products, krises (small daggers), paintings and braided clothing are among the favourite products. You may have to barter to be able to shop at small shops and stores.
Nightlife at Indonesia
At the Jakarta night clubs, you can view international singers and groups. At Jakarta, there are numerous movie theatres and some English and subtitled movies are screened.
Dancing is considered as an art form and is encouraged by early childhood. The roots of Indonesian dances are based on ancient legends and on tales extracted from religious epics. Among the dances are Legong, a slow and graceful dance of celestial fairies; Baris, fast dance rhythms loudly representing the actions of men going to war; Jauk, an absorbing solo dance performed by a masked and richly costumed devil figure. A dance known as the most sweeping is the Kecak (Monkey Dance) requiring a minimum of 100 light-footed performers. Especially in Bali, larger hotels organise dance performances accompanied by the matchless Indonesia Potpourri Orchestra. All the year round, numerous moon festivals are held, and tourists watch these at local venues. Indonesian puppet theatres are globally famous, and performances for visitors are staged at many locations.
Jakarta
Indonesia’s large and foggy capital is both disappointing and charming, exciting and enchanting. Very few Asian locations are as absorbing and satisfying as Jakarta. Still the city is the throbbing heart of Indonesia, an archipelago heaven. Visitors ready to be released from the irritating urban life can expect a large number of rewards.
The historical town old Batavia (Kota) arouses a feeling of time shift and moves you to the colonial roots of the city. In exactly this context, a series of perfect museums will assist you in interpreting this rich history.
Jakarta is a city of extreme contrasts. At one side of the intoxicating Asian city of Jakarta, spices are sold at under-sail schooners; a timeless scenery for centuries. Only a few streets away, new skyscrapers of glass and steel construction rise over a skyline beyond recognition.
Jakarta, at the same time, is the place where the big Indonesian identity has been shaped and kneaded by the endless interaction of ethnicities and cultures of the whole archipelago region. After having spent a few days in the buzz of this defiant, reckless and hectic city that has changed entirely since its liberation from colonialism, it will be rather difficult not to be captivated by its tangible energy.