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Introducing Indonesia
Travel Alert: A recent earthquake in western Indonesia has destroyed buildings and caused major disruptions to Padang and surrounds. Travellers should check the BBC for news updates, as well as Safe Travel for updated government warnings. Travellers should also check for warnings concerning Jakarta, where recent bombings have the city on high alert.
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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.
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.
Last updated: Nov 26, 2009
Tips & articles
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Spa aaaah: Bali’s best spas and chill-out spots
24 November 2009
Whether it’s a total wind-down for the mind, body and spirit, or simply the desire for some quick-fix...
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World’s worst sleepless nights
8 September 2009
Travellers learn to grab forty winks in some pretty taxing situations: overnight bus trips, hostel rooms...
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Let it rain: enjoying Southeast Asia’s wet season
27 July 2009
It’s the rainy season in Southeast Asia. Don’t worry, it probably won’t rain all the time...
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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The multicoloured lakes of Kelimutu
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 18 December 2009
Taxis don’t really exist in this part of Indonesia, which is how I found myself tearing up the side of a mountain on the back of a motorbike at 4am in pitch blackness, without a helmet, pointlessly racing three other motorbikes carrying similarly terrified foreigners round tight bends, and regularly having to slam on the [...]
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Bali, Indonesia
Blog: Patrick and Katrina do the Globe - 17 December 2009
Getting from the airport to town in a new destination is always an interesting exercise.
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Apply placenta extract daily to hyponotized insomniac
Blog: I don't wash my hair - 17 December 2009
Brace yourself for this disarming development: My leg wound got infected.
