Travel Guide to Indonesia

General Information
Culture and History
Tours

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Where to Travel in Indonesia? How to visit Indonesia highlights places? What is the best place to visit in Indonesia? What is the best tour in Indonesia? What is the best trip idea to explore Indonesia destinations? How to get access to every Indonesia tourist destination? Is there easy to get access from one island to another island in Indonesia? What is the best tour idea to know Indonesia? What is the best tour program to discover the wonderful of Indonesia? Or how to combine the tour or package tour that effectively done to explore the most of the islands of Indonesia in limited time? When is the best time to visit Indonesia? Those are frequently asked by the people who really want to know, explore and discover Indonesia Destinations out of the other questions regarding the legal procedure to enter the country. Sometimes there is a question; “how far Indonesia from Bali?” or Does Indonesia belong to Bali? Therefore, They need to know that Indonesia has a huge archipelago of 17,508 islands that runs along the equator for 5,000km and the most well-known islands are Sumatra, Java, Bali, Kalimantan (formerly Borneo), Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), the Maluku Islands (or better known as Moluccas, the original Spice Islands) and Papua. And the capital city of Jakarta lies in the lowlands of West Java – the most populated island in the archipelago.

The Country is lying across a region of immense volcanic activity; therefore, Indonesia has some 400 volcanoes, with at least 70 that are still active. And the country shares land borders with Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, East Timor and Papua New Guinea, and maritime borders shares with Singapore, the Philippines and Australia.

Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populated country with approximately 260 million people and Java is the most populated Island of the region with approximately 60% of the population living on this Island.

While Indonesia is also a land of so many cultures, ethnic groups, customs and tribes, fauna and flora; it is like 100 separate countries united under one flag. It is the reason why you have to manage your trip to Indonesia to discover the wonders of the Archipelago by exploring the well-known island, interacting with the locals to understand the way of their life in the community, village or in an island wherever you want to come in.

Bali is “the world’s best island resort” with its enchanting culture, beaches, dynamic dances and music. The tropical paradise of Bali is arguably the jewel in Indonesia’s crown. This is home to the only large-scale Hindu society in South East Asia and the island has attracted tourists, artists, and adventurers for generations.

Because of her location and geology, Indonesia is blessed with the most diverse landscape, from fertile rice lands on Java and Bali to the luxuriant rain forests of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, and to the Savannah grasslands of the Nusa Tenggara islands, and to snow-capped peaks of West Papua. Indonesia still has many unexplored islands with grand mountain views, green rain forests to trek through, rolling waves to surf and deep blue pristine seas to dive, in where one can swim with dugongs, dolphins and large manta rays.

Indonesia’s wildlife ranges from the prehistoric giant Komodo lizard to the Orang Utan and the Java rhino, to the Sulawesi anoa dwarf buffalos, to birds with exquisite plumage like the cockatoo and the bird of paradise. This is also the habitat of the Rafflesia the world’s largest flower, wild orchids, an amazing variety of spices, and aromatic hardwood and a large variety of fruit trees. Underwater, scientists have found in North Sulawesi the prehistoric coelacanth fish, a “living fossil” fish, predating the dinosaurs living some 400 million years ago, while whales migrate yearly through these waters from the South Pole. Here are hundreds of species of colorful coral and tropical fish to admire.

Culturally, Indonesia fascinates with her rich diversity of ancient temples, music, ranging from the traditional to modern pop, dances, rituals and ways of life, changing from island to island, from region to region. Yet everywhere the visitor feels welcomed with that warm, gracious innate friendliness of the Indonesian people that is not easily forgotten.

Facilities-wise Indonesia’s hotels are second to none. In fact, many of our luxurious and unique hotels have constantly been listed as some of the best in the world, located on white sandy beaches, overlooking green river valleys, or situated in the heart of busy capital Jakarta. While Indonesia’s cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, or Makassar are a hive of activities for business and leisure and a paradise for shoppers, offering upscale boutiques selling top brand names, to local goods at road-side stalls. Here gourmets can treat themselves to the many regions’ delectable spicy cuisine or dine sumptuously at international restaurants. And for sheer relaxation, Indonesia Spas are second to none to reinvigorate both body and mind.

Convention centers are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, as many top international conferences and exhibitions are held in Jakarta, Bali to Manado, ranging from the Global Climate Change Conference in Bali to the World Ocean Conference in Manado, to trade and investment exhibitions and tourism trade shows in many provincial capital cities.

Jakarta, Bali, Medan, Padang, Bandung, Solo, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Makassar are connected by direct international flights, and many regular and low-cost carriers fly passengers to Indonesia’s towns or remote locations.

Indonesia Highlights Destinations

Bali, is renowned worldwide for its magnificent beaches, amazing rice terraces, picturesque temples, arts and crafts, and for the colorful Hindu-Buddhist culture of the Balinese people. For the deeply religious Balinese, every aspect of life is governed by ancient rituals, and shrines with offerings to the gods are seen everywhere throughout the island. Bali is both a paradise and a playground; home to a whole host of activities, adventures, stories and magical secrets just waiting to be explored. It is not only for sustenance of the body, but also for the mind and spirit. Bali is a heavenly destination for holidays.

The island of Lombok lies close by and its untouched charm often earns the description: “Like Bali 20 years ago”. Lombok is the most popular tourist destination in Nusa Tenggara. From the scenic bays of Sengiggi to Rinjani trekking, surfing in Kuta, snorkelling in the Gili Islands and scuba in Sekotong, there is something for everyone here. The island’s native inhabitants are the indigenous Sasak people.

They are culturally and linguistically related to the Balinese, but unlike the Hindu Balinese, the majority are Muslim. This change in culture is clearly recognizable when you are touchdown in Lombok, with many mosques and minarets all around. The call to prayer can often be heard, and Islamic traditions and holidays influence the island’s daily activities.

Other popular tourism Destinations is the island of Komodo, famous for the Komodo Dragon, the largest species of lizard on the planet. The main attraction of these islands is the Komodo National Park, declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and later as a Man and Biosphere Reserve. The park has also been listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature and features a variety of wildlife. The Komodo Dragon is the most famous inhabitant of the park. The dragon is a type of monitor lizard that can grow up to four meters in length and weights up to 100 kilograms, making it the world’s largest lizard. The park also features a number of rare birds’ species, deer and wild pigs.

Yogyakarta is the cultural hub of Indonesia and you will quickly get to understand why. Home to astonishing temples as Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia, also listed as UNESCO heritage site, and Prambanan, a complex of Hindus temples, with its carvings onto its walls, telling the Ramayana story. Besides its priceless architecture monuments, the atmosphere of Yogyakarta is partly due to the fact that the Sultan of Yogyakarta empowers its inhabitants, being supportive and attracting Indonesians from all over the archipelago, to experience the artistic and bustling life of the city. He’s a respected figure of Yogyakarta and still has an important impact on social life. Our Tour will take you to the Keraton, the Sultan’s Palace; you will also have a closer look to its surrounding, still very active named Taman Sari, to enjoy the traditional handcrafts and Javanese daily life.

Adventure-seekers often head for Kalimantan’s remote jungle interior to visit the world’s foremost orang-utan research and conservation centers, or explore Sumatra, with its teeming wildlife and abundance of tribal groups.

When is the best time to visit Indonesia?

So, being a tropical country, Indonesia is blessed with two seasons, namely dry and rainy season. Dry season usually occurs from April to October and the rest is rainy season. Sunshine is abundant except in rainy season when the sky tends to be cloudy. It is advisable to visit Indonesia during dry season.

And please assure that your visit does not coincide with holiday festivities such as Muslim holiday Eid (or Lebaran, like Indonesians are fond to say), because the traffic tends to be heavy especially in Java island. Unless you are interested in seeing the festivals up close and experiencing them, of course.

Indonesia’s climate can be hot and humid. So, we recommend bringing along sun blocks and moisturizers during dry season. But it is not necessarily bringing umbrellas during rainy season because they are abundant and can easily be bought even in small shops. You might need extra clothing though, and you can purchase them almost anywhere.

Indonesia Tours

Whenever you are planning to visit Indonesia or doing some trips to explore Indonesia Islands and best Destinations, discover the Tribes and Cultures or even doing some adventure tours such Mountain Climbing, Cycling through the rice fields or jungle trekking, we offer visitors the option of traveling on traditional city tours and excursions or on our ‘Explore' alternatives. Explore tours and excursions are for guests who wish to experience a city and the surrounding attractions in a more unusual way and with a more adventurous spirit. Our definition of ‘Explore' is the arrangement of visits to some of the highlights at each destination by traveling in unconventional ways such as on foot, by bicycle, by horse- or oxcarts. Besides visiting cultural sights, guests on explore tours and excursions divert from the beaten tourist paths and experience Indonesia in-depth with a focus on people and local life.

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Indonesian Culture

Living on more than 17,000 islands, the Indonesian nation today counts some 260 million population comprising more than 200 ethnic groups. After Independence in 1945 inter-marriages among people of different ethnic groups have welded the population into a more cohesive Indonesian nation. Indonesia fascinates with her rich diversity of ancient temples, music, ranging from the traditional to modern pop, dances, rituals and ways of life, changing from island to island, from region to region. Yet everywhere the visitor feels welcomed with that warm, gracious innate friendliness of the Indonesian people that is not easily forgotten.

Indonesian Language

Bahasa Indonesia is the national and official language in the entire country. It is the language of official communication, taught in schools and spoken on television. Most Indonesians today speak at least two languages or more, Bahasa Indonesia and their local language, of which Indonesia counts more than 300 regional languages.

Bahasa Indonesia is based on the high Malay language as spoken and written in the Riau Islands, as in the early 19th. century, Malay was the lingua franca throughout the then Dutch East Indies, the language spoken in trade transactions. The more democratic Malay language was preferred by nationalistic youth above the Javanese language, despite the fact that Javanese is more sophisticated and at the time spoken by the majority population, Yet, Javanese is feudal as it has different levels of language depending on one’s status and the status of the person spoken to. The Youth Pledge of 1928, therefore, vowed to build one Indonesian country, one nation, speaking one language: Bahasa Indonesia.

Since then, Bahasa Indonesia has developed rapidly incorporating Javanese terms, Jakarta dialect, as well as many English and Arabic words into its vocabulary.

Bahasa Indonesia use Latin alphabets but some parts of Indonesia have their own scripts, too. Bahasa Indonesia is rather easy to learn and once you get the hang of it, you’ll find out that its actually quite simple. You can try some simple Indonesian phrases, to get you started.

Fact: there are 583 languages and dialects spoken by the different ethnic groups in Indonesia. Imagine a school of 583 students who each speaks different languages or dialects. Confusion will be an understatement. Therefore, its very fortunate that every single ethnic group embraces Bahasa Indonesia as the national language.

Indonesian History

Ever since prehistoric times the Indonesian archipelago has been inhabited. Java Man or pithecanthropus erectus (upright ape-man) is the oldest known inhabitant here, having lived over a million years ago. Other more recent prehistoric species include the still disputed homo Floresiensis or the Flores hobbits, dwarf people, who have also made these islands their home.

Historically, Chinese chronicles mention that trade between India, China and these islands was already thriving since the first century AD. The powerful maritime empire of Sriwijaya with capital around Palembang in southern Sumatra, was the center for Buddhism learning and was known for its wealth. It held sway over the Sumatra seas and the Malacca Straits from the 7th to the 13th. century. In the 8th -9th century, the Sailendra Dynasty of the Mataram kingdom in Central Java built the magnificent Buddhist Borobudur temple in Central Java, this was followed by the construction of the elegant Hindu Prambanan Temple built by the Civaistic king Rakai Pikatan of the Sanjaya line.

From 1294 to the 15th century the powerful Majapahit Kingdom in East Java held suzerainty over a large part of this archipelago. Meanwhile, small and large sultanates thrived on many islands of the archipelago, from Sumatra to Java and Bali, to Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Ternate and the Moluccas.

In the 13th century, Islam entered Indonesia through the trade route by way of India, and today, Islam is the religion of the majority of the population.

Throughout history, traders have brought the world’s large religions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam to this archipelago, deeply influencing this country’s culture and way of life. Yet Indonesia was never conquered by India nor China, until Europeans came and colonized these islands.

Marco Polo was the first European to set foot on Sumatra. Later, in search for the Spice Islands the Portuguese and Spaniards arrived in these islands sailing around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa. In 1596 the first Dutch vessels anchored at the shores of West Java after a long voyage.? Over the next three centuries, the Dutch gradually colonized this archipelago until it became known as the Dutch East Indies.

But revolt against the colonizers soon built up throughout the country. The Indonesian youth, in their Youth Pledge of 1928 vowed together to build “One Country, One Nation and One Language: Indonesia”, regardless of race, religion, language or ethnic background in the territory then known as the Dutch East Indies.

Finally, on 17 August 1945, after the defeat of the Japanese in the Second World War, the Indonesian people declared their Independence through their leaders Soekarno and Hatta. Freedom however was not easily granted. Only after years of bloody fighting did the Dutch government finally relent, officially recognizing Indonesia’s Independence in 1950.

Jakarta, located on the north coast of western Java is the capital of the Republic of Indonesia. It is the seat of government, and center of business and finance. A large, modern metropolitan city with a population of 9 million people, Jakarta is a melting pot of all different ethnic groups in the archipelago.

Today, after six decades of freedom, Indonesia has become the third largest democracy in the world. Despite facing today’s global financial crisis, the country has managed to show positive economic growth, and is internationally respected for her moderate, tolerant yet religious stance in today’s global conflict among civilizations.

Flora and Fauna in Indonesia

Indonesia’s moderate climate throughout the year, its fertile soil brought about by lava, and its minerals found on land and in the sea caused by volcanic eruptions, have made this the ideal habitat for a large number of unique and endemic flora and fauna. Indonesia has among the most diverse variety of species of animal life on land and in the seas found anywhere in the world.

Indonesia’s flora and fauna are divided by the Wallace Line that runs between Bali and Lombok, continuing north between Kalimantan and Sulawesi. West of the Line, vegetation and wildlife are Asian in nature, whereas east of the Line, these resemble those of Australia.

Vegetation found in different parts of the archipelago varies according to rainfall, soil and altitude. On the wetter islands, on Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Papua, ancient rainforests cover large areas. These forests are rich in valuable hardwood, aromatic and spice trees, as well as exotic fruit trees. Lately, however, through illegal logging and human settlements, large tracts of forests have been decimated leaving infertile land that cause flooding and erosions.

On the islands east of Bali known as the Nusa tenggara islands (or once known as the Small Sunda Islands), there are savannahs, while on other mountain tops such as in the Mt. Gede National Park only 100 kms from Jakarta, one finds edelweiss, more reminiscent of Switzerland.

Discover-information Indonesia’s wildlife varies from the Java mouse deer (or kancil) and the one-horned rhino to the Sumatran and Kalimantan Orang Utan, the Sulawesi Anoa (a small water buffalo), the prehistoric giant Komodo lizard to the exotic Bird of Paradise in Papua.

How about flora? Here in Indonesia, you can find Raflesia Arnoldi in Bengkulu, one of the giant and unique flowers in the world.

To preserve these unique flora and fauna Indonesia has designated 44 national parks throughout the archipelago, covering both land and sea, a large number of protected reserves offering ecotourism opportunities, as well as botanic gardens and zoos.

Indonesian Climate

Being a tropical country, Indonesia is blessed with two seasons, namely dry and rainy. Dry usually occurs from June to September and the rest is rainy season. Sunshine is abundant except in rainy season when the sky tends to be cloudy. It is advisable to visit Indonesia during dry season.

Make sure that your visit does not coincide with holiday festivities such as Muslim holiday Eid (or Lebaran, like Indonesians are fond to say), because the traffic tends to be heavy especially in Java island. Unless you are interested in seeing the festivals up close and experiencing them, of course.

Indonesia’s climate can be hot and humid, so bringing along sunblock’s and moisturizers during dry season is recommended. No need to bring umbrellas during rainy season because they are abundant and can easily be bought even in small shops. You might need extra clothing though, and you can purchase them almost anywhere.