Indonesia Travel Guide

If you’re in South Sulawesi, there is another place you may visit near Tanjung Bira that is also the perfect place for paradise getaway. It gives comfort and relaxing holiday since not many tourist visits this place but you don’t have to doubt its beauties because it has just exactly the criteria for tropical paradise. The island is called as Selayar. It can be reach both by plane from Makassar or boat from Bira Harbor. If you prefer for plane, you should pay for about $ 25 one way. It’s scheduled only twice a week so you need to book long before you arrive otherwise you won’t get the ticket. It takes less than one hour if you go with plane. But if you’d like to take the boat, at first you need to reach Bira which takes 5-6 hours from Makassar by bus or other public transportation. The ferry is scheduled twice a day which leaves at 10 AM and 3 PM. It only costs $ 4 – $ 5 one way so it’s considerably very cheap. It needs about two hours before you arrive in Selayar. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Mentawai Island is on the west of Padang province. The beaches of this island are very famous around the world as a surfing paradise with the most beautiful panorama as an extra plus. Mentawai Island has shoreline 758 kilometers. The most interesting of Mentawai Island is the wave. It is very roughly amazing wave for surfing. The wave was found by Australian surfers who found it when they visited this island in 90th. Then they announced it into the world, even they build some resorts to serve the foreign tourist who interested in surfing. It becomes the starting point of Mentawai Island as The World Surfing Paradise.

Geographically, Mentawai Island directly facing Indian Ocean has consistent wave year-round. Usually on April-August is the best time for surfing because the wave can reach till six meters high. It’s the favourite ekstreme wave for the surfer. It is also the same time with summer holiday in Europe. So, that is why the most tourists are from Europe on that months. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Sawah Lunto Sijunjung besides known as producer of Coal mines in Indonesia, also known as a tourist destination in West Sumatra. Located at north-east and about 4 KM drive from Padang, Dusun Tanggalo, Desa Air hangat, Kecamatan Sijunjung, Kabupaten Sawah Lunto Sijunjung, West Sumatera, through narrow, winding road with tropical forest viewed at left and right sides, seems like ready to challange the travelers who want to explore this karst mountains.

One of the caves known better by many climber lovers in list of West Sumatra caves is Loguang Cave (Ngalau Loguang). “Loguang” which means great or large, is one of the many limestone caves located in Sawah Lunto [Read the rest of this entry...]

Sijunjung has plenty of interesting sights to visit alongs Muaro – Silokek – Durian Gadang (Musiduga). Sijunjung, formerly called Sawahlunto Sijunjung, is one of districts that is located in the province of West Sumatra, Indonesia. The capital was in Muaro Sijunjung. Before year 2004 Sijunjung was the third largest district in West Sumatra, but then the government separated it into 2 districts, Dharmasraya and Sijunjung.

Sijunjung population (2004) approximately 178,204 inhabitants, most as trader or civil servants, the rest are farmers. Since has located in mountains, Sijunjung has many potential of natural resources and tourism that can be developed. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Located at the southern tip of Sumatra, Lampung is one of the connection rute between Java and Sumatra. With geographical location, natural resources and unique cultures, Lampung many offer tourist attractions, both natural and cultural.

Natural beauty of the Bay of Lampung, Krakatau archipelago in the middle of the ocean, Way Kambas National Park, Bukit Barisan National Park and other tourist objects scattered, should be an attractive place to be visited.

Lampung in A Glance
Geographically, Lampung located between 3 45 ‘  up to 6 45′  South latitude and 103 40 ‘  to 105 40′  East longitude. In the north, borders with South Sumatra and Bengkulu, in the South borders with Selat Sunda, in the East borders with Java Sea and in the West by the Indonesian Ocean.

From 9 provinces located in Sumatra, Lampung position is in the Southernmost of Sumatra, with wide area  (land) 35,376.5 km2, including 54 small islands located in 2 large bays, Lampung bay (Teluk Lampung) and Watermelon Bay (Teluk Semangka).  The population numbered -/+ 7 million inhabitants, 80% came from outside of Lampung. Population growth 2.67% per year.

Following are the names of districts in the capital of Lampung, wide area and population :
1. Bandar Lampung , the capital of Lampung with total wide area 169 km2 and  population 636,706 inhabitants.

2. South Lampung (Lampung Selatan), capital city Kalianda with wide area 3,555 km2 and population 741,576 inhabitants

3. Central Lampung (Lampung Tengah), capital city Gunung Sugih, Bandar Jaya is another city in this districs. Total area 47,329 km2 with population 755,390 inhabitants.

4. Tanggamus, with Kota Agung as the capital city, other cities are Pringsewu, Talangpadang. Total wide area  3,100 km2 with population 100,028 inhabitants.

5. West Lampung (Lampung Barat) with Liwa as the capital, other cities are Sumberjaya and Krui, 4,939 km2 wide area, population 309,050 inhabitants

6. Metro City with total area 183 km2 and population 163,046 inhabitants

7. East Lampung (Lampung Timur), Sukadana as the capital, other cities are Way Jepara and Labuhan Maringgai, with total area 4,275 km2 and a population of 681,696 inhabitants

8. North Lampung (Lampung Utara) and Kotabumi as the capital city, other cities is Bukit Kemuning, wide area  2,726 km2 and population 50,279 inhabitants

9. MENGGALA, Tulangbawang as the capital, other city is Unit 2 with wide area 7,771 km2, population 492,045 inhabitants.

10. Way Kanan with Blambangan Umpu capital, other cities are Kasui and Baradatu, wide area 3,928 km2 and  population 351,182 inhabitants

With a variety of natural resources like beaches with its islands, variety of flora and fauna forests, beautiful  mountain, lakes, unspoiled rivers and unique traditional cultural art, will give a special attraction for tourists visiting to Lampung.

Topography / Geology
Lampung topography contains several kind of plain land, such as hilly land to mountainous. This area includes the spines of the Bukit Barisan, in the west coast of Lampung. This area of vegetation due to these conditions is generally covered by primary and secondary forests are verdant all year round.

The second kind of plain is low hills with narrow plains,  altitude  300-500 m above sea level, lies in the western part of South Lampung. This area is a producer of coffee and clove and crops. Another regional plains with elevation 25-75 m above sea level is in Eastern of Lampung restrict other groups on the East Coast that includes a marshy area (flat marshes) tidal elevation 0.5 – 1 m above sea level.

Several watersheds area (DAS) are Way Tulang Bawang, Way Seputih, Way Semangka, Way Sekampung, Way Jepara, Way Rarem, Way Belu and others. This rivers are used for irrigation and water transportation. The main transportation river are Way Mesuji and Way Tulang Bawang (Way = river).

Sumatera Island

Sumatera is the third biggest island in the Indonesia archipelago. The massive Bukit Barisan mountai range which runs almost the entire lenght of the island make up Sumatera’s diverse lanscape of dense tropical forest, rugged coastlines, wide sandy beaches, deep gorges and steamy swamps.  Large of them are protected reserves, such as the Great Bukit Barisan Forest Reserve in North Sumatera.

Sumatera Provinces

NAD (Nanggroe Aceh Darusalam) is Sumatera’s and Indonesia’s nothernmost and westernmost province. Since the arrival of Islam in the 13th century, Aceh has become a predominantly moeslim region. The Saman Dance for examples, incorporates religious chants with the dynamic movements performed in unison. The fast-paced dance expresses the praise for the Almighty. The body movements require tremendous personal discipline and full concentration from all members of troupe.

In the capital of Banda Aceh, the most striking feature is the black-domed Grand Baiturrachman Mosque with its white marble interior. It is one of the few buildings that miraculously remained erect after a natural disaster struck part of the province at the end of 2004.

On December 26, 2004, Aceh was hit by the worst tsunami and earthquake the world has ever seen with Banda Aceh and areas along the northwestern coast of Sumatera being the worse hit. Since then, the people have picked up the pieces and slowly rebuild their lives, showing the resilience the Acehnese are famous for.

One of the region’s riches is its wild life, largely concentrated and protected in Mount Leuser National Park. The reserve is home to a variety of primates, such as gibbons and orangutans, the Sumatran rinocheros, tigers and elephants.

Whether sea or river, Aceh offers some of the most exciting water adventures. White water rafting down the rapids and bends of Krueng Tripa and the River Alas is an experience that will have you soaking wet and breathless.

Under the sea is an ideal environment for snorkeling and scuba diving (with 25m visibility), such as around Pulau Weh (Weh island) off the nothernmost tip of Sumatera, and Rubiah Sea Garden.

From Ancient Relies to Bright-colored Primates

The Bataks

The Bohorok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center at Bukit Lawang near Medan is also worth a visit when in North Sumatera, to see these orange-haired apes up close.

The Bataks inhabit the highland of North Sumatera. Apart from their musical abilities, the Bataks are famed for their ulos, a cloth with significant traditional value. Ancient Batak Stone burial urns, carved sarcophagi and traditional houses are still found on Samosir Island on Lake Toba, homeland of the Toba Batak. The 1,700Km2 lake is situated 906m above sea level. This lake is the largest in Southeast Asia and the deepest in the world (450m).

Valley of Beauty

The cool highlands of West Sumatera is one of the most picturesque regions in Sumatera. It offers spectacular view of volcanoes, fertile valleys and canyons, such as the Anai Valley, Sianok and Harau Canyons. The latter is a nature reserve famous for the rare giant, flowering plant, Rafflesia.

Jam Gadang, Sianok Canyon, Mentawai Island

West Sumatera is land of the Minangkabau people, known for their beautiful hand-woven songkets and richly decorated horn-roofed longhouses or called Rumah Gadang.

Bukittinggi is a cool highland town with stunning view of two volcanoes, Mount Merapi and Mount Singgalang. 63Km away, is Lake Maninjau, a huge and beautiful crater lake with complete recreational facilities.

About 10-hours drive from Padang – the province capital – we’ll reach the largest park in Sumatera, Kerinci Seblat National Park, includes its active volcano, Mount Kerinci (3805 m) and several high-altitude lakes. The park contains areas of lowland ranforest home to rhinoceros, tigers, clouded leopards, elephants and wide variety of bird species. East of the mountain, is a botanists’ heaven, a high-altitude freshwater marsh known as Lake Bentu.

On Mentawai Island, people live in comparative isolation and still hold on to centuries old animistic beliefs. Mentawai Island is a chain of islands off the western coast of Sumatera, surrounded by beautiful cotal reefs that are ideal for diving.  Around Pieh Island, a 40m vertical wall rises from a sandy slope and is frequented by a rich variety of fish and other marine animals.

A Legacy of Great, Ancient Malay Kingdoms

Siak Sri Indrapura Palace

Approximately 2.5 hours from Pekanbaru, the 19th century Sultan’s palace still stands in the village of Siak Sri Indrapura, on the banks of Siak River. Teh Asserayah Palace’s architecture incorporates Moorish, European, Indian and traditional Malay designs. Muara Takus, about 200 KM from Pekanbaru, is the site of an ancient Buddhist temple believed to have been built between 7th-9th century AD.

Majestic Rocks and Volcano

Rafflesia

Bangka-Belitung offers not only a uniquely breathtaking coastal scenery. Its is a gourmet’s paradise for seafoodlovers. In Belitung, giant granite rocks rise out of pristine blue waters just off the white sandy beaches.

Rich and fertile, oil refineries and vast rubber, oil palm and coffee plantations dot the region. In Bengkulu, the 17th century British stronghold, Fort Marlborough has been carefully restored. The giant rafflesia flower at Dendam Tak Sudah Botanical Gardens was named in honor of Sir Stamford Raffles, Bengkulu’s lieutenant governor from 1818 to 1823.

97 KM across Lampung Bay, South Sumatera, the volcano Krakatau lay dormant. The island volcano erupted in 1883 in an explosion that could be felt half way across the world.

Padang, meaning field, with a population of over 700,000 people is in Western Sumatra on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Padang is the Regional capital of West Sumatra, the 3rd largest city in Sumatra. Originally a port for traders of gold, spices and timber. With a lot of trade with China many Chinese immigrated to Padang so the town has an amazing China Town with many restaurants and spice shops.

Off the coast from Padang are many beautiful islands which can be visited for snorkeling, fishing or just relaxing on the white sandy beaches. A ferry can be caught to the island of Cubadak or Pulau Cubadak or to the Mentawai Islands including Siberut Island. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Indonesia : Gem of the Equator

Gem Of Equator

Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, consisting of more than 17,000 islands. Spread across 5,120 km of ocean and positioned between Asia and Australia, this country is as wide as the European continent. Four-fifths of the area is sea, with the major islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua.

Unity in Diversity
As the world’s 14th largest nation, Indonesia’s population totals over 200 million, comparising 250-300 ethnic groups that have their own language and dialects bute are united with Bahasa Indonesia, the national language spoken throughtout the archipelago.

The majority of Indonesians are Islam, with Christians, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists and followers of Confucianism making up the rest. Since 2001 the Chinese culture has experienced a welcomed revival that served to enrich the country’s cultural diversity.

The Nature
Indonesia’s flora and fauna is diversely rich as its land and people. Asian mammals in the west, Australians marsupial species and birds in the east and the endemic species are in the middle of archipelago.

Orangutans, tigers, one horned rhinos, elephant, dugongs, anoas, komodo dragons are the pride of  Indonesia. The seas around archipelago also hold the country’s treasures, a rich marine environment that holds a myriad of species, from fish, corals and marine mammals. National parks around the archipelago serve to preserve this rich natural heritage.

Rules and Regulations
Immigration
All travellers to Indonesia must be in possession of passport valid for at least six months from date of arrival and have proof (tickets) of onward or return passage.

Immigration authorities provide Free Tourist Visas for a period of 30 days to nationals from 11 countries  only on the basis of reciprocity. These countries are Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darusalam, the Philipines, Hongkong SAR, Macao SAR, Chile, Marocco, Peru and Vietnam.

Moreover, Visa On Arrival has been given to nationals from 36 countries. There are : Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Libya, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Panama, People’s Republic of China, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Visa Of Arrival (VOA) is valid  for 30 days and may be extended under the permission of Indonesian Immigration with the condition as follows :

• natural disaster occurs in the place visited by tourist;
• the traveler is taken ill or meets with an accident during their visit.

Other nationals must apply for visa at Indonesia Embassies or Consulates in their home country. Visa cannot be replaced with any other forms of immigration letters.

Entry ports where Visa On Arrival may be issued are (Airports) :

• Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta
• Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali
• Polonia Airport in Medan
• Sultan Syarif Kasim Airport in Pekanbaru
• Minang Kabau Airport in Padang
• Juanda Airport in Surabaya
• Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado.

Seaports :

Indonesia Beach

Batam, The Sekupang, Batuampar, Nongsa and Marina,Teluk Senimba, Bandar Bintan, Talani Lagoi and Bandar Sri Udana Labon in the Riau archipelago, Sri Bintan Pura in Tanjung Pinang, Belawan and Sibolga in North Sumatra, Yos Sudarso in Ambon, Tanjung Perak in Surabaya,Teluk Bayur of Padang,Tanjung Priok in Jakarta, Padang Bai and Benoa in Bali, the port of Jayapura, Bitung in Manado,Tanjung Balai Karimun,Tanjung Mas in Central Java, Tenau and Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara, Pare-pare and Soekarno-Hatta port in South Sulawesi.

ClimateCustoms
Customs allow on entry a maximum of 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 100 grams of tobacco and a reasonable amount of perfume per adult. One litre of alcoholic beverage may be brought in per person 18 years of age or over. Goods up to the value of U.S.$1,000 per person may be brought in as gifts. Cameras, video cameras, portable radios, cassette recorders, binoculars and sport equipments are admitted. They must be declared to Customs.
Prohibited are firearms, narcotic drugs, pornography, transceivers and cordless telephones. Chinese traditional medicines must be registered by Depkes RI. Films, pre-recorded video tapes and laser disks must be screened by the Censor Board. There is no restriction import or export of foreign and travelers cheques. However, the import and export of Indonesian currency exceeding Rp100 million is prohibited.

Climate-wise, Indonesia is distinctly Tropical. Tropical climate varying from area to area. The eastern monsoon brings the driest weather (June to September), while the western monsoon brings the main rains (December to March). Rainstorms occur all year. Temperatures range from 21°C (70°F) to 33°C (90°F). Higher regions are cooler.