The Road To Bali, Borneo and Beyond
Here are 15 reasons to visit Indonesia, home to more than 17,500 islands, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Sumatra and Papua.
1. Jakarta
Indonesia’s sprawling capital, home to 10 million people, is a melting pot of cultures. So many cultures have passed through Jakarta over the past 300 years, that it has acquired a world-class collection of old sailing ships. The ships are in an area known as Sunda Kelapa, the old Dutch port. In addition to a variety of well-preserved colonial vessels, it also has several examples of native Buginese ships.
With Dutch rule expanding across the Indonesian archipelago during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the importance of Batavia (Jakarta) increased. To maintain control and maximize tax revenue, the Dutch required nearly all exports from anywhere in the region to pass through the city, which established an overwhelming political and economic dominance that Jakarta retains today.
“The old town of Batavia will transport you to Indonesia’s Dutch colonial past while the fashionable Menteng district is a hive of live music venues, exclusive restaurants and hip hotels,” he added. “World-renowned restaurants, bars and nightclubs perch on top of towering skyscrapers, while shoppers can choose from dozens of gargantuan shopping malls.”
2. Komodo
The world’s largest lizards exist on just five Indonesian islands – Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Padar. They are truly fearsome, weighing up to 150lbs and possessing toxic bites, allowing them to hunt and kill far bigger animals – even humans.
Komodo is a small island of 280 square kilometers. It is located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores. The Island has about 800 human inhabitants and double that number of dragons. Most of the other islands where the dragons live have no permanent human population.
Visitors to this area also should see the island of Rinca, which is just south and east of Komodo. It’s also part of Komodo National Park, but offers a slightly different landscape and good dragon populations. Rinca is just a short boat ride from Komodo island and is even closer to the island of Flores. Visitors must pay a park entrance fee of 50,000 rupiah and the camera tax is an additional 25,000 rupiah.
3. Sumatra
Sumatra is a wild and beautiful island for adventure. Visitors can surf outrageous waves an the western side of the island, explore volcanoes, or search for endangered species, including tigers, orangutans and more.
Also known as Sumatera locally, Sumatra straddles the equator. It is heavily forested and rich with rare wildlife. Numerous large reserves and preservation areas have been set aside, which makes the island ideal for ecotourism.
The mountains in the west and the swampy plains in the east define Sumatra’s landscape. The backbone of the island is the volcanic Barisan Mountain chain, which runs the entire length of the island from north to south. The volcanic activity of this region produces fertile land and beautiful scenery, including the region around Lake Toba.
4. Diving
Nowhere in the world offers better diving than the Coral Triangle, an area of the Pacific Ocean that includes the waters around Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands. One of the best ways to explore it is on a liveaboard boat around the Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia’s West Papua province. Divers will find 75 percent of all the world’s know coral species, and up to 2,000 species of reef fish.
5. Java
Java is the heart of Indonesia. It is the historical center of Buddhist and Hindu culture and home to the nation’s sprawling capital city–Jakarta. With more than 100 million people, Java (locals say JAH-wah) is the most populated island in the world. It is the thirteenth largest island on earth in terms of land size.
About 60 percent of all Indonesians live on Java, while the island only holds about 7 percent of the country’s land area. Java stretches from Bali to Sumatra, and it is framed by the Indian Ocean on its southern coast and the Java Sea to its north. Java has 38 volcanoes, including the very active Mt. Merapi.
It might be the most populous island in the world, but Java has plenty of places to escape the crowds. There are 12 national parks to explore – including Unesco-listed Ujung Kulon – and volcanoes – including Bromo and Merapi – to hike up.
The landscape of Bromo-Tengger is spectacular. The park is situated around a group of volcanoes that rise up thousands of feet from sea level. At 11,974 feet above sea level, Semeru is Java’s highest mountain. It erupts frequently.
Java is home to the world’s largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur, with its intricate lattice stupas set among paddy fields.
6. Bali
Bali is one of the most famous islands in the world — for good reason. The culture is a living demonstration of simplicity, elegance and harmony.
The island offers everything from luxurious spas to the simple beach life. You can spend the morning on the beach and the afternoon near the top of a cloud-covered and chilly volcano. Choose world-class golf or world-class arts. You can find it all on the island of Bali.
Bali is the gateway to Indonesia for millions of tourists each year. The Balinese people value spirituality, the arts and overall harmony. The Hindu religion, its beautiful forms of worship, and the simple elegance of the Balinese people represent one of the most beautiful cultures in the world. The exotic arts, ancient temples, and thousands of smiles will delight any visitor to this island paradise. Surf, golf, snorkel and more on Bali.
7. Lombok
Lombok is often compared to Bali. The neighboring islands have many similarities and many differences. They are only about 20 miles apart. Both islands have Hindu and Muslim influences, but in opposite proportions. Both islands have beautiful highlands and white sandy beaches, but Lombok is quieter and dryer than Bali.
Until 1987, few visitors made the trip. Today, Lombok is growing in popularity among international tourists.
Tourism is already the second-largest industry on Lombok. Mount Rinjani, beautiful coastlines, coral reefs, and stunning waterfalls highlight the list of popular destinations on Lombok.
The island’s topography is dominated by Mount Rinjani, a massive volcano that rises 12,200 feet out of the ocean. It is the second-largest volcano in Indonesia and it often is shrouded in clouds. The most recent eruption of Rinjani was in 1994. The volcano, and its sacred crater lake, is protected by Rinjani National Park, which was established in 1997. The towering volcano collects a great deal of rainfall, which tumbles down the mountain through a series of cold and cascading waterfalls below.
8. Kalimantan
Borneo is the third-largest island in the world. Three countries share boundaries on this large island, including Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. Indonesia governs the southern two-thirds of Borneo, while Malaysia and Brunei control smaller northern and western sections of the large island.
Indonesia calls its part of Borneo Kalimantan, which is divided into four provinces:
- Central Kalimantan;
- East Kalimantan;
- South Kalimantan; and
- West Kalimantan.
Borneo is home to the world’s most dense and remote rainforests, as well as about 12 million people, 75 percent of whom live in Indonesia’s Kalimantan region. Given the harsh nature of Kalimantan’s interior and lowlands, most settlements are along the rivers and coasts.
Kalimantan is an adventure paradise. Borneo is dominated by a tall mountain range in the center of the island. Borneo’s highest point is Mount Kinabalu in Sabah (Malaysia), which reaches a stunning elevation of 13,300 feet above sea level.
The drainage of rainfall from these highlands flows and collects in areas below that are continuously drenched from rainfall. The result is a harsh island that is difficult to navigate by land. Riverboats, airplanes, and helicopters are required to navigate the island. The largest rivers are the Barito, Kahayan, Kapuas, and Mahakam. Be sure to visit Camp Leakey to see the orangutans and world-renowned conservationist Birute Galdikas.
9. Papua
apua is the western half of New Guinea, which is the second-largest island in the world. It stretches from warm equatorial sands to icy glacial peaks. Indonesia shares the island with the country of Papua New Guinea, which controls the eastern half of the island. It was formerly referred to as Irian Jaya.
Papua features abundant natural resources, including the second-largest tract of rainforest in the world. About 75 percent of Papua is covered by forests, which contain more than 2,500 species of orchids and 600 species of birds. Papua is also rich in culture, with as many as 800 different languages spoken among the various tribes and ethnic groups. Papua also is famous for its various art forms and its unusual flora and fauna.
Puncak Jaya, is the tallest mountain between the Himalayas and the Andes.
There are 123 mammalian species and 630 species of bird, including many that are endemic to the region. But much of the park remains unexplored – so scientists believe more are waiting to be discovered.
10. Yogyakarta
Java’s second city, Yogyakarta, is the cultural and spiritual hub with all-night shadow-puppet performances, concerts and art exhibitions. It is also the best base for exploring the aforementioned Borobudur and the vast Hindu temple complex of Prambanan, with its temples dedicated to Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma and hundreds of surrounding shrines.
Read The Full Story About Indonesia Destination’s
Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation in the world with more than 267 million people. The country has more than 17,500 islands, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Lombok, Sumatra and Sulawesi. Learn where to go, what do and what to say.
