Indonesia Travel

Imagine yourself a little hairier and better with your toes and you’ve got Bukit Lawang’s main attraction: the orang-utan.

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The incredible shapes and colours of the fringing coral off the small island of Bunaken have earned it celebrity status among divers and snorkellers around the world. The marine biodiversity here is extraordinary, with more than 300 types of coral and 3000 species of fish. Drift along the reefs and enjoy the ultimate underwater epic. The 808-hectare island is part of the 75, 265-hectare Bunaken Manado Tua Marine National Park (Taman Laut Bunaken Manado Tua), which includes: Manado Tua (Old Manado), the dormant volcano that can be seen from Manado, and climbed in about four hours; Nain and Mantehage islands; and Pulau Siladen, which has some more accommodation options.

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Just across the Selat Dampak from Batam, the island of Bintan is twice as large and a mirror opposite. Where Batam is a creation of imported workers, Bintan has a local community of ethnic Hakka and Indo-Malays.

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Nowhere in Sumatra is the pace of development more rapid than on Batam. With the island’s proximity to Singapore, Batam is the labour-intensive production leg of the Singapore–Johor Baru industrial triangle. Land and labour are cheaper here than in Singapore and many electronics companies have established production plants in the industrial park of Mukakuning. Much like the factory towns outside of Hong Kong, Mukakuning employs and houses mainly young women from impoverished areas of Indonesia. Hardly anyone living in Batam is a native and half the population is under 30 years old.

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Manageably small yet offering plenty of contrasts, Maluku’s most prominent island is lush and gently mountainous, indented with two great hoops of bay. Close to Kota Ambon, the main town, villages merge into a long suburban ribbon but further out light sparkles brilliantly through alluring flower gardens and swaying tropical foliage. Religiously divided, the island was the epicentre of the 1999–2002 troubles. But recovery has been amazingly swift. Don’t be fooled by old reports of dangers or civil unrest: Ambon is back in business and is now the ideal hub for visiting some of Indonesia’s most delightful yet utterly undiscovered gems: the Lease, Banda and Kei Islands.

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Situated right on the equator, Pontianak lies astride the confluence of Sungai Landak and Sungai Kapuas. Some describe the city as bustling…which it is in the wee hours. By midday, though, Pontianak churns with road, river and human traffic in various degrees of haste, all contributing their part in the urban din. The city itself sprawls over a vast area, with bus terminals and ramshackle suburbs creating mini-communities. Like Banjarmasin it really needs to be seen from the canals and riverside boardwalks. Charter a boat or walk over the Kapuas bridge from Jl Gajah Mada for a sweeping view of the river and brilliant orange sunsets.

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Before the Americans struck oil, Pekanbaru was little more than a sleepy river port on Sungai Siak. Today it is Indonesia’s oil capital, with all the hustle and bustle of modern cities.

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The mainland departure point for Danau Toba, Parapat has everything a transiting tourist needs: transport, lodging and supplies.

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Papua’s mystique piques the imagination of the explorer, naturalist, anthropologist, politician and traveller in you. What about Papua (formerly known as Irian Jaya) would not intrigue? The diversity in lifestyle and culture of the indigenous people, who speak more than 250 languages, is matched only by Papua’s biodiversity and geography. The terrain covering half of New Guinea, the planet’s second-largest island, ranges from the misty peak of Puncak Jaya (5050m) – which features permanent snowfields and small glaciers – to the steamy island groups of Biak and Raja Ampat, just shy of the equator. Endemic wildlife gracing this vast expanse of jungle, mountain, swamp and sea include such weird and wonderful creatures as cassowaries, dugongs, showy cenderawasih (birds of paradise), egg-laying echidnas and tree-dwelling monitor lizards.

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Situated on a narrow isthmus, with a broad sweep of sand on either side and a thickly forested national park on the nearby headland, Pangandaran is Java’s premier beach resort. While it can never compete with Bali’s pristine white sands or party atmosphere, it is nevertheless an attractive, friendly and peaceful – or lively, if you’re here during Indonesia’s school holidays – spot to recuperate before pushing onto sights inland.

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Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, only came to prominence during the Japanese occupation in WWII. Situated in a rain shadow for most of the year, it’s one of the driest places in Indonesia. Generally the days are hot, and the nights are tolerably cool. Most travellers don’t detour to this part of Sulawesi unless they’re trekking in Lore Lindu National Park or heading on to Tanjung Karang.

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