Indonesia, a kaleidoscope of peoples in the East Indies
Exploring Indonesia
Indonesia is a sprawling island nation in Southeast Asia. It was largely created from the former colony of Dutch East Indies. Comprising over 17,000 islands, which range from huge land masses such as Borneo and Sumatra, to many much smaller islands, some no bigger than uninhabited islets and outcrops in the tropical sea, Indonesia is home to close to 240 million people, an overwhelming number living on the densely populated island of Java. Despite its size, Indonesia shares land borders with only three nations: Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and East Timor. It also shares sea border with Singapore, the Philippines, Australia and the Indian territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country. Nevertheless it is an ancient land where older religions have arrived on its shores and germinated, allowing one to appreciate the ruins and monuments from past cultures. Today claiming Hindu and Buddhist faiths are severely outnumbered by the Muslim, which account for close to 90 percent of the population. A minuscule percentage within the hinterlands still observe indigenous beliefs and animistic traditions.
Of all the places within Indonesia, most visitors are best acquainted with Bali, which incidently has a predominantly Hindu population. Other destinations include Borobudur, Prambanan and Mount Bromo in Java, Lake Toba and Pulau Nias in Sumatra, and the smaller islands of Sumba, Flores and Komodo. What I like very much about Indonesia is its architecture. Each region seems to have its own architecture, and I hope to be able to showcase these differences in this website.
In this Indonesia Travel Guide, I want to take you on an armchair tour of the major travel destinations of this huge country. I hope you will enjoy reading about Indonesia as much as I have in assembling the information. To begin, please select any of the thumbnails above to visit a destination in Indonesia. If you are planning a visit there, I hope you find the travel information on this page to be helpful.
Indonesia Travel Information
Time Zone: Indonesia is spread over 3 time zones. Java, Sumatra and West/Central Kalimantan observe Western Indonesia Standard Time, 7 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Bali, Lombok, East/South Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and West Timor observe Central Indonesia Standard Time, are 8 hours ahead of GMT. Maluku and Irian Jaya, observe Eastern Indonesia Standard Time, 9 hours ahead of GMT.
Currency: rupiah
Language: Bahasa Indonesia is the official language.
International Dialing Code: 62
Population: 220 million
Religion: Muslim (87%), Protestant (6%), Catholic (3%), Hindu (2%), Buddhist (1%), Animist (1%)
Electricity: 220V 50Hz; some remove areas 110V.
Electrical Outlet: two-prong plugs. See details at http://www.kropla.com/electric.htm
Driving: On the left side of the road.
Becak, Yogyakarta
Lake Toba view
Indonesia Entry Points
By Air
The two major airports for foreign visitors to Indonesia are the Sukarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) in Jakarta and the Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) in Bali. In addition, a few Indonesian cities have air links to the cities in the neighbouring countries. These include Medan, Sumatra, with flights to Penang and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Pekanbaru, Sumatra, with flights to Malacca, Malaysia and Singapore; Padang, Sumatra, with flights to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore; Pontianak, West Kalimantan, with flights to Kuching, Malaysia; Tarakan, East Kalimantan, with flights to Tawau, Malaysia; Manado, North Sulawesi, with flights to Davao, Philippines; Kupang, West Timor, with flights to Darwin, Australia, and Dili, East Timor.
Indonesia Airport Tax:
International departures: Rp 17,000
Domestic departure: Rp 3,500
If you are traveling to Bali, Indonesia, you can click here for Bali Hotels and air tickets at Garuda Indonesia.
Entering Indonesia By Road
The only possible route into Indonesia by land, from a neighbouring country, is on the island of Borneo, where the Entikong-Tebedu crossing connects West Kalimantan with Sarawak, Malaysia. There are no visas upon arrival facilities at this crossing, so nationalities who do not qualify for visa-free entry will need to get their visas beforehand.
Entering Indonesia By Boat
There are ferry services connecting various ports in Indonesia with Malaysia and Singapore.
From Malaysia, ferry services are available between:
Penang and Belawan, the port for Medan, Sumatra.
Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur, with Dumai, in Riau, Sumatra and with Tanjung Balai Asahan, North Sumatra.
Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, with Dumai.
Malacca with Dumai and with Pekanbaru, Riau, Sumatra.
Kukup, Johor with Tanjung Balai
Johor Bahru with Batam and Bintan
Tanjung Belungkor, Johor with Batam
Tawau, Sabah, with Nunukan and Tarakan
From Singapore, ferry services are available to:
Sekupang, Batu Ampar, Nongsa, Marina Teluk Senimba and Batam Centre on Batam Island
Bandar Bintan Telani Lagoi (Bintan Resorts), Bandar Sri Udana Lobam and Tanjung Pinang on Bintan Island
Tanjung Balai on Karimun Island.
Tanjung Batu on Kundur Island.
Kecak Dance, Bali
Indonesia Entry Requirements
Indonesia Visa
Nationals of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippine, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Chile, Morocco, Peru and Vietnam do not need a visa for visits not exceeding 30 days. There is no extension and they need to leave and return to further enjoy the visa-free status. Among the airports where visa-free entry is available are Jakarta (Soekarno Hatta), Bali (Ngurah Rai) and Medan (Polonia).
A visa-on-arrival is issued to nationals of Australia, Argentine, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, People's Republic of China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malawi, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States of America may obtain a visa upon arrival, for visits not exceeding 30 days. There is no extension for this visa, and visitors holding it need to leave and return with a new visa. Among the airports where one may obtain visa on arrival are Jakarta (Soekarno Hatta), Bali (Ngurah Rai) and Medan (Polonia). The visa on arrival fees are US$10.00 for a 7-day visa, and US$25 for a 30-day visa.
Indonesia Customs
Each adult visitor may import a maximum of 2 litres of alcoholic beverages, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 grammes of tobacco. Photographic equipment and computers must be declared. Import and export of Indonesian currency above Rp 500,000 is prohibited.
Indonesia Public Holidays
New Year Day: January 1
Lunar New Year (Tahun Baru Imlek): January/February
Nyepi (Hindu New Year): March/April, day after new moon
Good Friday: March/April, Friday preceding Easter
Ascension of Jesus: 40 days after Easter
Waisak Day: May (full moon), birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha
National Independence Day: 17 August
25 December: Christmas
Hijriyah (Islamic New Year): varies
Ma'ulud (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad): varies
Isra Mi'raj (Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad): varies
Idul Fitri (End of the Muslim fasting month): varies
Cities and Sights of the Solor and Alor Archipelagos
Alor
Gunung Ili Api
Lembata
Lewoleba
Pantar
Solor
Cities and Sights of Sumba
Lai Tarung
Pasunga
Sodan
Waikabubak
Waingapu
Cities and Sights of Roti, Savu and West Timor
Kupang
Ndao
Roti
Savu
Cities and Sights of Maluku
Amahusu
Ambon
Banda Besar
Bandaneira
Gunung Api
Gunung Sirimau
Halmahera
Hiri
Kao
Kepulauan Banda
Masohi
Morotai
Namalatu
Pombo
Sanglia Dol
Saparua
Tanimbar
Ternate
Tidore
Tual
Waai
Cities and Sights of Papua and West Papua
Agats
Biak
Jayapura
Manokwari
Sentani
Sorong
Timika
Wamena
Wasur National Park
Climate
Indonesia enjoys a tropical climate. Aside from its highlands, Indonesia experiences a uniform high temperature throughout the country. There is a dry season from April to October and a wet season from November to March. Best time to visit, especially for Bali and Java, is in the middle of the year, around June to August, when there is greater likelihood of getting blue skies.
When is the best time to visit Indonesia? The tables below provide you some guidance as you prepare for your trip.
Compare Hotel Room Rates
Find the lowest price of hotel rooms from different Hotel Booking websites. Our free Hotel Search Engine lets you compare room rates from different booking sites. Just key in your visiting City. You'd be glad to do your homework!
AsiaExplorers is researched and written by Timothy Tye. Reasonable care is taken to check and verify the accuracy of the content. AsiaExplorers disclaims responsibility for any inconvenience, mishap, injury or death resulting from following the tips and advice provided directly or indirectly by this website. All pages may be printed out for your own personal, non-commercial use. Photographs not credited to a third party belong to Timothy Tye and may not be reused in any form unless you are first given permission. Write in to inquire if interested. Third party photographs are governed by their respective licenses. The author is a Christian. Click here if you are interested to know more about his Christian beliefs. To contact AsiaExplorers, use the following email address:
