|
|
Indonesia Tours and Travel Information
The
Indonesian archipelago spreads over 5200km between the Asian
mainland and Australia, all of it within the tropics, and
comprises between 13,000 and 17,000 islands. Its ethnic,
cultural and linguistic diversity is correspondingly great –
around 500 languages and dialects are spoken by its 200
million people, whose fascinating customs and lifestyles are
a major attraction. And while travelling around Indonesia is
often arduous and occasionally dangerous – to the extent
that many tourists have been put off coming to the
archipelago because of the country's recent negative press –
those who do visit will experience a dynamic, colorful
country with a huge range of sights and experiences that
cannot be matched in South east Asia.
Because Indonesia encompasses
such a diversity of cultures, it can be very difficult to
decide where to go. There is a well-worn overland travellers'
route across the archipelago, however, which begins by
taking a boat from Penang in Malaysia to Medan on Sumatra's
northeast coast. From here, the classic itinerary runs to
the orang-utan sanctuary at Bukit Lawang, the hill resort of
Berastagi, the lakeside resorts of Danau Toba and the
surfers' mecca of Pulau Nias. Further south, the area around
Bukittinggi appeals because of its flamboyant Minangkabau
architecture and dances. Many travellers then hurtle through
the southern half of Sumatra in their headlong rush to Java,
probably bypassing the exhaustingly overpopulated capital
Jakarta, but perhaps pausing at the relaxed beach resort of
Pangandaran in West Java. Next stop is always the ancient
capital of Yogyakarta, a cultural centre that hosts daily
performances of traditional dance and music and offers batik
courses for curious travellers. Yogya also makes a good base
for exploring the huge Borobudur (Buddhist) and Prambanan
(Hindu) temples. Java's biggest natural attractions are its
volcanoes: the Dieng Plateau, with its coloured lakes and
ancient Hindu temples and, most famously, Gunung Bromo,
where most travellers brave a sunrise climb to the summit.
Just across the water from
East Java sits Bali, the long-time jewel in the crown of
Indonesian tourism, a tiny island of elegant temples,
verdant landscape and fine surf. The biggest resorts are the
party towns of Kuta and adjacent Legian, with the more
subdued beaches at Lovina and Candi Dasa appealing to
travellers not hell-bent on nightlife. Most visitors also
spend time in Bali's cultural centre of Ubud, whose
lifeblood continues to be painting, carving, dancing and
music-making. The islands east of Bali – collectively known
as Nusa Tenggara – are now attracting bigger crowds,
particularly neighbouring Lombok, with its beautiful beaches
and temples. East again, the chance of seeing the world's
largest lizards, the Komodo dragons, draws travellers to
Komodo and Rinca, and then it's an easy hop across to
Flores, which has great surfing and the unforgettable
coloured crater lakes of Kelimutu. South of Flores, Sumba is
famous for its intricate fabrics, grand funeral ceremonies
and extraordinary annual ritual war, the pasola.
North of Flores, Sulawesi is
renowned for the intriguing culture of the highland Torajans,
whose idiosyncratic architecture and impressively ghoulish
burial rituals are astonishing. West of Sulawesi, the island
of Borneo is divided into the East Malaysian districts of
Sabah and Sarawak, the independent kingdom of Brunei, and
the Indonesian state of Kalimantan. For the overland
traveller short on time, there's not much here that can't be
experienced more rewardingly across the border in Sarawak,
but there are opportunities for river travel in remote
jungle.
|
|
