Tag Archives: Indonesia

Teeming with wildlife, a trekking haven, a larger than life lake, and rad waves are just a few ways to describe spectacular Sumatra. Sumatra is the largest island of the Indonesian archipelago, and the 6th largest in the entire world. It’s is monster of an island to tackle, and considering …

Seldom is a highly destructive event commemorated, but in Indonesia, the Krakatoa Festival in Lampung, Sumatra is exactly that. The Krakatoa (misspelled by the British from “Krakatua”) was a massive volcano found in the Sunda Strait, between the Java and Sumatran islands of Indonesia. It violently blew off its top …

When authority speaks, we ought to listen. This year, the heavyweights of the travel industry have spoken; taken their pick (and road-tested) superlative – best, fairest, cheapest – destinations for 2013. Their choices definitely vary, but they arrived at a common conclusion despite differences in criteria: Southeast Asia just won’t …

Southeast Asia is world-renowned for everything exotic: From its curry-based cuisine flaring hot with spices to unusual spiky and olfactory-offensive fruits like “durian,” the region has a fair share of them all. Throw in a sprinkling of festivals that defy even a semblance of normalcy, and you have one destination …

Unlike the country itself, Indonesia’s public holidays are not as diverse: Most are centered around the celebration of Islamic festivals since the people are predominantly Muslim. Indonesians enjoy “cuti bersama” or long weekends that have been instituted to encourage domestic travel. The Coordinating Minister for the People’s Welfare has not …

Diversity is spelled I-N-D-O-N-E-S-I-A. In terms of island count, Indonesia is made up of a staggering 17,508 islands, although some estimates put it at 20,000. There are at least 300 distinct ethnic groups speaking 742 languages and dialects spread out over 5,000 kilometers of mostly under-touristed territory straddling the equator. …

There are only 12 countries whose citizens are exempt from acquiring visas for purposes of tourism, socio-cultural exchange, exhibition and business. These countries are mostly Southeast Asian neighbors and regions with special diplomatic relations. The following countries given Free Visa for Short Visit are the following: Brunei Darussalam Chile Ecuador …

Like the rest of its Southeast Asian neighbors, Indonesia observes national holidays to commemorate major religious festivals and nationalistic events. Since Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, most of the Indonesian holidays listed below are major Islamic festivals and are designated “tanggal merah” or red dates. The Indonesian equivalent of long weekends …