Getting Around | Tourist Office | Entertainment | Things to do and seeTop Things To Do Indonesia
• Surf from Bali, Flores, Java, Lombok, Sumatra, Sumba and Sumbawa. Some well-known surfing beaches, such as Ulu Watu on Bali, tend to get overcrowded, but organised trips to isolated areas are widely available.
• Dive off the coastline, reputed to contain 15% of the world's coral reefs (website: www.underwaterindonesia.com).
• Probe caves on Java, including Luweng Jaran, stretching over 20km (125 miles) beneath the Gunung Seuw mountain range; Gua Barat, which has the longest underground river system in the southern hemisphere; and Gombong, whose stone towers rise spectacularly to some 40m (132ft) above sea level.
• Take a tour up the great Mahakam River in Kalimantan, Borneo, which is dissected by a network of rivers running from the mountainous interior to the coasts. Starting from the port city Samarinda, such tours continue deep into the upper jungle reaches, where tribal communities have largely preserved their traditions (website: www.visitborneo.com).
• Trek up an active volcano: on Java island, hike Krakatoa, Mount Bromo (the most visited of Indonesia's volcanoes) and Kawah Ijen (website: www.central-java-tourism.com). Those preferring dormant volcanoes may head to Gunung Agung in Bali, Gunung Rinjani on Lombok island (website: www.lomboksumbawa.com), and Keli Mutu on Nusa Tenggara Barat (website: www.ntb.go.id).
• Jungle trek through the Indonesian rainforest; Irian Jaya, Kalimantan and Sumatra offer the most remote and untouched terrain. The best trails include trips to Bukit Barisan National Park, a remote and beautiful peninsula in Sumatra and the Muller Mountain in Kalimantan.
• Take an eco-tour (website: www.indecon.or.id). Help preserve the coral reef in the Tukangbeshi archipelago near Sulawesi, by helping to collect scientific data.
• Cure any ills at the Holy Springs of Tampaksiring on Bali (website: www.balitourismauthority.net).
Top Things To See
• See the modern Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Java – it is one of the largest in the world (website: www.jakarta-tourism.go.id).
• Witness puppet shows staged throughout Java, in which traditional wayang golak and wayang kulit marionettes act out stories based on well-known legends; performances can sometimes last all night.
• Visit the Prambanan temple complex, built in honour of the Hindu gods Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Do not miss Borobudur, probably the largest Buddhist sanctuary in the world, which contains more than 5km (3 miles) of relief carvings (website: www.central-java-tourism.com).
• Wallow in the beauty of Sulawesi, unofficially known as 'Orchid Island'. Sulawesi is a land of high mountains, misty valleys and lakes. In the south is Bantimurung Nature Reserve, which has thousands of exotic butterflies. The island has geysers and hot springs at Karumengan, Kinilow, Lahendong, Leilem and Makule (website: www.north-sulawesi.org).
• Go to Torajaland , known as the 'Land of the Heavenly Kings', on Sulawesi, and note the inhabitants' richly ornamented houses and custom of burying the dead in vertical cliffside tombs.
• Be surprised to see an inhabited island in the middle of Lake Toba, which was once a volcanic crater, 900m (3,000ft) above sea level in Sumatra.
• Luxuriate on the beach and soak up the scene as well as the sea water on Bali or Sumatra.
• Admire the chain of volcanic mountains on Bali, stretching from east to west across the island, dominated by the mighty Gunung Agung (Holy Mountain), whose conical peak soars more than 3,170m (10,400ft) into the sky (website: www.balitourismauthority.net).
• Travel to the Sea Temple of Tanah Lot on the west coast (a short drive from Kediri), one of the most breathtaking sights of Bali.
• Do not miss Bali's Pura Besakih, a temple that dates back originally to the 10th century and stands high on the volcanic slopes of Gunung Agung. Nowadays, it is a massive complex of more than 30 temples, and the setting for great ceremonial splendour on festival days.
This page was created on Tue, 2 Jan 2007 15:31:06 +0000
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