Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is located in Southeast Asia. Indonesia as a Tourist Destination is a must visit for all.Travel Indonesia shall be giving you useful insights about travel places in Indonesia. Whether you are looking for hotels, cuisines, shopping , tourist attractions or travel tips, we have them all here in one page.
Indonesia covers more than 17,000 islands, of which only 6000 are inhabited and richly layered with character. The islands are surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans. The Indonesian waters are the best sites for snorkeling, deep diving, scuba diving and reef exploration. Indonesia as a Tourist Destination is a must visit for all.
This island nation is divided into five groups: The island of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya, along with the small islands in-between. Jakarta is the main gateway to Indonesia. It is a contrast of modern western architecture as well as traditional Indonesian culture. It has rapidly grown into a metropolitan city that reflects the social, economic, political and industrial development. In recent years, Jakarta has expanded its facilities for visitors from the world with multi-star luxury hotels, fine restaurants, exciting nightlife and modern shopping centers as well as tourist attractions such as Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, restored colonial period buildings, marine resorts in the Bay of Jakarta and an extensive beach recreation complex.
When to visit Indonesia
The best time to visit Indonesia is during the dry season of April and October. The humidity is relatively less and the weather is pleasant at this time of the year.
How to visit Indonesia
When you decide to visit Destination Indonesia, it is best to reach by flights. Jakarta International Airport in Indonesia receives flights from various world destinations and it is the country’s best airport. British Airways, Lufthansa Airlines, Emirates Airlines and other domestic Indonesian airlines flies in and out of the busy Jakarta airport.
Hotels and Accommodations in Indonesia
There are many luxurious hotels and resorts in Indonesia. You will have a super time staying in this 5-star hotels and resorts.
- Alila Manggis Hotel in Bali
- Aston Bali Resort & Spa in Bali
- Amankila Resort in Bali
- Amanwana Resort Moyo Island in Bali
- Aryaduta Suites Semanggi in Jakarta
- Borobudur Hotel in Jakarta
- Dharmawangsa Hotel in Jakarta
- Grand Hyatt Hotel in Jakarta
- Melia Purosani Hotel in Yogyakarta
- The Cangkringan Spa & Villas Hotel in Yogyakarta
Some of the budget hotels in Indonesia are:
- Abian Biu in Bali
- Green Garden Beach Resort & Spa in Bali
- Josephine Guest House in Jakarta
- Tamara Guestouse in Jakarta
- Dusun Jogja Village Inn in Yogyakarta
- Melia Purosani in Yogyakarta
Cuisines of Indonesia
The Indonesian cuisine displays the tremendous ethnic influence just like Indonesia's culture. Rice is the staple diet of Indonesia along with corn, cassava, sago and sweet potatoes. Seafood is also the daily diet of people in Indonesia, such as lobsters, prawns, oysters and squid, shrimps, crab, etc. Some of the popular delicacies are: Satay Ayam, Kari Ikan, Satay Sauce, Semur Daging, Rendang and Sambal.
Shopping in Indonesia
While visiting a new place, it is important that you collect souvenirs that remind you of that place. Bali is the best place to shop in Indonesia as all kinds of items are readily available. This is an excellent place to buy an incredible variety of souvenirs, clothes, arts and crafts, batik, oven baskets, paintings, small daggers, silver work and bamboo articles and wood carvings. Although the availability and range of goods here is excellent, but may not be the cheapest place to buy items. You can bargain for the price of commodities.
Tourist Attractions in Indonesia
There are many places to see in Indonesia. Some of the best tourist destinations in Indonesia are given below.
Forests on Sumatra and Java are popular tourists destinations. Indonesia has one of the longest coastlines in the world with a number of
beaches and island resorts, such as those in southern Bali, Lombok, Bintan and Nias Island. The most well-preserved beaches in Indonesia are those in more isolated and less developed areas such as Karimunjawa, the Banda Islands and the Togian Islands.
Hiking and camping are the adventure activities in Indonesia. These pleasure walks will give you excellent views of the natural beauty in Indonesia. In some of the mountains, you can enjoy rafting due to ridge rivers. You can explore the
volcanic mountains. Though volcanic mountains can be dangerous, they have become major tourist destinations. Popular active volcanoes are the Mount Bromo in the East Java province, the upturned boat shaped Tangkuban Perahu on the outskirts of Bandung, the most active volcano Mount Merapi in Java and the Krakatau. Puncak Jaya in the Lorentz National Park, the highest mountain in Indonesia, offers the opportunity of
rock climbing. You will be pleased to see the landscape of Lake Toba close to Medan in North Sumatra.
Nightlife of Indonesia is popular among the tourists, especially in the big cities, such as Jakarta, Bandung, Manado, Medan, Denpasar and Surabaya.
The Bogor Botanic Gardens are located 60 km south of Jakarta in Bogor, Indonesia. The gardens are spread more than 80 hectares and contain more than 15,000 species of trees and plants located among streams and lotus ponds. There are around 400 kinds of exceptional palms to be found along the extensive lawns and avenues, helping the gardens create a refuge for more than 50 different varieties of birds and bats in the trees.
The
Hindu temple of Besakih in Bali is known as “The Mother Temple of Bali”. It is the biggest and holiest of all the shrines in Bali.
The
Ujung Kulon Wildlife Reserve is famous for the one-horned Java rhinoceros. This reserve is the only remaining lowland forest site in Java.
Borobudur temple in Yogyakarta is the world's largest Buddhist monument. This temple has 1460 relief panels and 504 Buddha effigies. Millions of people throng to this temple and is regarded as one of the World Heritages. All relief panels in Borobudur temple reflect Buddha's teachings. Yogyakarta has many historic buildings and monuments. You can also vist the Hindu temple by the name
Prambanana temple. You can have a look at the
Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono's palace, known in Indonesian as Kraton Ngayogyakarta.
The biggest national park in Indonesia is the
Gunung Leuser National Park in the north of Sumatra island. This park along with
Kerinci Seblat National Park and
Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, is named Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra. Other national parks are
Lorentz National Park in Papua,
Komodo National Park in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Many native species such as Sumatran elephants, Sumatran tigers, Sumatran rhinoceros, Javan rhinoceros and Orangutans are listed as endangered species. The world’s largest flower, rafflesia arnoldi, and the tallest flower, titan arum, can be found in Sumatra.
Last but not the least, the
beaches in Indonesia. What is Indonesia without the beautiful beaches. You can visit the breath-taking Sanur Beach, Pasir Putih Beach, Legian Beach, Jimbaran Beach in Bali, Indonesia. You can enjoy parasailing, snorkeling, surfing, canoeing, jet-skiing, windsurfing, sailing swimming and touring on glass-bottom boats.
Travel Tips for Indonesia
- Public displays of affection between men and women is not appreciated and kissing in public will attract unwanted attention.
- Female should be dressed in decent clothes. Muslim customs, especially those concerning female clothes, should be observed.
- Jakarta is the only city in Indonesia with an established conventional bus service and it has a comprehensive network. Elsewhere bemos are the main way to travel around. Bemos and opelets are communal minibuses and fares should be negotiated in advance. Motorcycles and bicycles can be hired. To ride a motorcycle, you will need an International Driving Permit and a helmet should be worn.
- Prohibited Imports include cordless telephones, Chinese medicines or printings, pornography and non-prescription drugs.
- There are metered taxis in Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Solo, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Bali and Lampung. Hire cars are also available and rates differ form area to area and it is best to ask the transportation desk of your hotel for information concerning rates and distances.
