Indonesia – The Vibrant Archipelago of 17000 Islands

The country of Indonesia has many reasons to bring you back frequently in its top seasons.

Rich scents, glowing cities, relaxing and thrilling islands, spectacular panoramas, and assorted cultures pull and leave you only after the being tired that make you reap the maximum fun. However, this list of exciting activities and captivating sightseeing are too many that even a fortnight’s time is not enough to explore it at its fullest. This means that even today, most of the archipelago’s land is unexplored, for visitors at a time, cannot explore everything in one go leaving an opportunity to come back again for what was not discovered.

Tourist Attractions in Indonesia

Bali

This is the ideal holiday island for the people of all ages and keeps offering something new all the time. Blessed with lush natural resources, welcoming people, and ever-nice climate; tourists come here all the year round. Here, we visited its lively beach, the sanctuary of Besakih, the cave temple named Goa Gajah, and the mountain resort of Bedugul.

Besakih is the biggest holy mother temple of Bali on the slopes of ‘Gunung Agung’ or Mount Holy. The temple is dedicated to the trinity Hindu deities – Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva standing in the courtyard decorated with flowers. Around this shrine are the 18 different sanctuaries.

The Goa Gajah cave temple of the 11th century contains a two demon-headed idol at its entrance and a statue of Lord Ganesha who is elephant-headed inside. There are other six excavated statues of nymphs handling water spurts. Overall, a worth visiting place.

Bedugul is a wonderful mountain resort offering a famous golf course and Ulun Danu that is a beautiful temple seeming to emerge from the lake. In the area, expect boat riding, water skiing, and parasailing.

Jakarta

This is the capital city of the Republic of Indonesia that provides all means to travel to other tourist destinations in Indonesia. It holds the largest and most modern airport of Indonesia. Here, we visited the theme park of Taman Mini, the Monas, and the Ragunan zoo.

Taman Mini is a beautiful theme park depicting the diverse cultural and artistic traditions of the country along with the 27 provinces symbolized in its pavilion. Do visit the botanical gardens, aquarium, bird’s park, Komodo Dragon museum exhibiting rare animals’ specimens, stamp exhibit, the aerial tramway, telecommunications display, garden of the medicinal plants, IMAX movie theatre that present the country on the huge screen, and amusement rides. It’s quite huge as it would take a week to explore it fully. It seems that if you visit this park fully, you might be left with the feeling to not to explore the rest of Indonesia. Open from morning 9 to evening 4, catch a bus labeled ‘Mini Indonesia’ from the Terminal Kampung Rambutan to reach here.

The National Monument or ‘Monas’ is a tall obelisk crowned with a golden flame that was erected during the reign of the first President, Sukarno. It can be seen from any corner of the city and once can consider it as a meeting point if lost. Take the elevator to its top at 132 m to be in an observation desk. Do not miss to visit the small museum at the base to view the historical relics.

The Ragunan Zoo is in South Jakarta that takes about 30 minutes in taxi from the city centre. Offering various species of animals, some of the endangered wildlife seen here are the komodo dragon, the orang utan, the Sumatran tiger, and the cendrawasih bird. Explore the zoo on its long cool walkway. If you are hungry, the small food stalls and informal restaurants are quite a good option here.

The Museum of Indonesia and its nearby Pancasila Flame monument are worth visiting. The museum is a three-storey building that represents the association between God and man, men and fellow men, and man and the environment according to the dogma of Tri Hita Karana. The first floor offers various traditional costumes, while on the second floor; there are specimens of arts and crafts across the country with a stage of puppet shows. Its third floor holds a huge tree of copper symbolizing life. The flame monument represents the five principles of the nation’s philosophy.

The Skylift terminal besides the museum offers a bird’s eye view of the Indonesian Archipelago’s model along with its islands and straits in a ground pool.

The House of Worship located close to the shops and the Jakarta, Lampung; this is the set of pavilions offering various religions’ shrines to mark religious harmony. Expect a Mosque, a Protestant and a Roman Catholic Church, a Buddhist and a Hindu Balinese Temple, a meditation Hall, and a model of the famous Borobudur shrine.

Yogyakarta/Jogja

This is another key tour destination on the Java Island. A city with spectacular historical and cultural legacy, 1000 years old temples, natural beaches, and a beautiful cultural panorama attracts tourists from far and wide.

Borobudur Temple has obtained its name from the Sanskrit words Vihara Buddha Uhr meaning Buddhist Monastery on the Hill. Built in the 8th century and located at 42 km accessible by a rental car or taxi, it is perched on a hill dominating the green fields and remote hills. Made from grey andesite stone, it emerges in seven terraces with the topmost being the smallest one. The top is the Great Stupa at 40 m and the walls are carved in bas-relief.

The Taman Sari Water Castle is at a ten minutes walk from the Sultan’s Palace. Built in 1757 exhibiting a fusion of Javanese and Portuguese architecture, it was a stunning water-park in the olden days where the area around the park in east referred to as the Kampung Segaran (man made ocean) was full of water.

The Merapi Volcano is an active one located in calm dense forest and offers a mesmerizing view of the valley, pines, and wild grass.

Best Time to Visit

Dry season – between May and September

Accommodations

In Jakarta, the international chains are Hilton and Regent and Hyatt; whereas, the local chains are Sahid, Shangri-La, Hotel Indonesia International, and Mandarin Oriental. Comparatively cheap options are the guesthouses.