Introducing Indonesia
Adventure looms large in this vast and steamy archipelago, where the best of Southeast Asia’s spicy melange simmers tantalisingly. Heady scents, vivid colours, dramatic vistas and diverse cultures spin and multiply to the point of exhaustion, their potent brew leaving your senses reeling.
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Rippling across the equator for nearly 5000km, Indonesia encompasses more than 17,000 islands, two-thirds of which are inhabited and richly layered with character. On Sulawesi, the elaborate funeral ceremonies and timeless traditions of Tana Toraja are light years from the surfing culture of Lombok. But so too are the mighty saddle-backed Batak mansions of Danua Toba and the volcanic lakes of Sumatra from the mummies and deeply etched gorges of Papua’s Baliem Valley. The resorts and restaurants of Bali pamper precocious style cats, while at the same moment threadbare backpackers are adopted by homestays in Kalimantan.
Indonesia’s cities are in a constant state of urban evolution, where dense populations, technology and construction live in hectic symbiosis. But most of the archipelago’s territory remains unexplored, concealing a wealth of cultures and a myriad of landscapes. Oceanic rice fields and ancient sultanates in Java are humbled by haunting volcanic cones. Maluku’s alabaster beaches and desert islands remain pristine while the tourist trail heads elsewhere. The jungles of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua are zoological wonders, revealing impish monkeys, stoic sun bears, leopards, orang-utans and remarkable marsupials.
And then there are the micromoments, equally exquisite but entirely unexpected; impromptu English lessons with school children, instant friendships in crammed bemos, lending an ear to your becak rider… In Indonesia there is plenty of cause to pause, except when dodging hurtling traffic – but that’s all part of the adventure.
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Travel Alert: High level terrorism-related warnings have been issued by Western governments concerning travel in Indonesia. Travellers are advised to check their local consular information and monitor the situation in Indonesia closely before making travel plans. Check out Safe Travel for current government warnings. Travellers should also be cautious when drinking locally sourced alcohol; see the Health & Safety pages for details.
Last updated: Mar 5, 2010
Tips & articles
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Indonesia: travel books to read before you go
24 August 2010
This excerpt from Lonely Planet’s Indonesia guide provides a selection of travel literature to get you in the mood for...
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Top 5 tips for travel during Ramadan
9 August 2010
Ramadan Mubarak! With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan about to start, now’s a good time to learn to say...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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Yogya for 6 weeks
by harimau9 0 replies, last post 02 September 2010
In what was a very sudden change to my Indonesia trip plans today I have been offered an internship in Yogyakarta for 6 weeks in January…
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2 questions - good agent in Yogya and rental place in Kuta Bali
by marfus 4 replies, last post 01 September 2010
Hello all, I would have last questions before we head off to Indonesia: 1) can you pls suggest a reliable agent in Yogya to use, if…
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Gems & settings - Bangkok or Chanthaburi?
by longsunrise 7 replies, last post 01 September 2010
Hi, I'm planning to go travel around SEA in a couple of months and I'm thinking about picking up some colored stones and get some loose…
Indonesia
Our Top Picks For Indonesia
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1 Kelimutu
Multihued crater lakes set atop an ancient volcano
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2 Sumba
Fascinating and isolated island with unique tribal traditions and a rich weaving heritage
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3 Pulau Weh
Undisturbed beaches, visiting whale sharks and sublime diving
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4 Danau Toba
Gracious Batak hospitality and Southeast Asia’s largest volcanic lake
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5 Banda Islands
Sublime snorkelling and pristine coral gardens in history’s fabled Spice Islands
Fast Facts about Indonesia
- Currency:
what's the Indonesian rupiah worth today?
- Population:
240 million
- Head of state:
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
- Border countries:
- Number of islands:
17,508
- Number of active volcanoes:
129
- Number of airports:
683
- Guinness World Records:
largest scuba diving lesson (2465 participants); most people scuba diving simultaneously (2486 divers)
- Sembako:
Indonesia’s nine essential culinary ingredients – rice, sugar, eggs, meat, flour, corn, fuel, cooking oil and salt
Related Groups
Our favourite Indonesia Blogs (beta)
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Anatomy of a debauched room
Blog: I don't wash my hair - 1 September 2010
For the past 11 days, I've been camped out in Jogja's premiere resort establishment, The Kroto Hotel. I'm not sure how best to describe this place, so let me just try this: "Kroto" is the Javanese word for the larvae and pupae that is collected from ants and then smashed into fishing bait. The English equivalent of this name might be "Dead Fly Hotel" or "Gutted Worm on a Hook Inn."The Kroto Hotel is aptly named.
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Slik Insults: Lost in Translation
Blog: Travels with a Nine Year Old - 1 September 2010
As a language, Bahasa Indonesia, the lingua franca of Indonesia’s many different peoples, is famously easy to learn. It is not tonal, has sweet FA by way of grammar and syntax, a generally regular stress pattern and a word order and pronunciation not wildly dissimilar to English. So, having bought a dictionary in Makassar, I [...]
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Love on the Road – A Lonely Planet Blogsherpa Carnival
Blog: Vagobond.com - 1 September 2010
Some say the road is lonely, but for many (me included) the road can lead to love. Check out the latest Lonely Planet Blogsherpa Blog Carnival "Love on the Road"
