The Legendary Mountain Tangkuban Perahu

Tangkuban perahu is one of the active volcanoes in Java island - in West Java to be exact. This is a very nice place for sightseeing tour with your family. You can watch an amazing large bubbling white crater called the Upah crater. Its fresh air and beautiful view make this place a perfect spot for a family picnic.



It's very easy to get to this place, from Bandung just take a public transportation or taxi which takes only 30 minutes journey. Or to be more comfortable you can rent a car, this way you can reach the top of mountain without much effort because there is a road leads to the top of this mountain unless of course if you're intend to do a hiking activity.

One thing that makes Mount Tangkuban perahu so popular not only in Bandung or West Java, but all over Indonesia is its remarkable legend that's been told through generations for hundreds of year and becomes one of the most popular legend in Indonesia.

It was told that in ancient time, a prince in kahyangan (nirvana) was cursed because he has done some mistakes to the Gods. The Gods sent him to the earth and transformed him into a dog. On earth, there was a beautiful princess named Dayang Sumbi. Dayang Sumbi loved to weave, one day when she was weaving one of her weaving tool slipped through the palace window and fell to the ground far below. She was calling her maids to helped her but no one showed up, feeling so disappointed she wasn't thingking so clearly. Suddenly she made an oath that she shouted out loud, "anybody who helped me carry my weaving tool back to me shall be rewarded, if she's a woman.. I shall take her as my sister, but if he's a man.. he shall have the honour to mary me" she shout. Unfortunately the dog shaped prince heard her voice, he then took the weaving tool and crried it back to the princess. Dayang Sumbi was shocked to see a male dog carrying her waiving tool, at first she was thingking to break the oath, but in order to avoid the Gods's anger her father insist her to mary the dog. That was also a lesson given by her father that an oath is not something to be played with, especially for a princess.

After the marriage, Dayang Sumbi and Tumang - the dog, chosed to live in a jungle far away from the kingdom. On one night, Tumang was transformed back to his real human shape. He then told Dayang Sumbi about his story, he said that before the curse is broken he only can transform into his real shape occasionally. From that day Dayang Sumbi wasn't so sad anymore and really treaded Tumang as a husband.

Several years went by and they had a son named Sangkuriang. One day Dayang Sumbi told Sangkuriang to hunt for a deer because she wanted to cook and eat deer liver that day. Sangkuriang then took Tumang on the hunting, but after wondering around for a long time in the jungle he couldn't a deer to hunt. Afraid to disappoint his mother, Sangkuriang then killed Tumang and took his liver to Dayang Sumbi. when Sangkuriang came back alone from the jungle bringing Tumang's liver to his mother, Dayang Sumbi felt a suspicious to his son. She then insist Sangkuriang to tell her what happened, when she found out that Sangkuriang killed his own father, Dayang Sumbi felt so angry and hit Sangkuriang until he felt down bleeding in his forehead. Dayang Sumbi then told Sangkuriang to go away and never come back to his mother anymore.

Many years passed by, now Sangkuriang had become a handsome young man who used to travel from one area to another. Someday in his journey, he met Dayang Sumbi but he didn't recognize his mother and Dayang Sumbi also didn't recognize Sangkuriang. It was said that because of some herbs in the jungle she used to drink, Dayang Sumbi has a long life and never grows old. So, when she met Sangkuriang she was still looks pretty, even more pretty than before. These mother and son then fell in love, Sangkuriang then proposed Dayang Sumbi to become his wife. feeling so lonely all these years, Dayang Sumbi accepted it but then she found a scar on Sangkuriang's forehead and asked him how he got that scar. Dayang Sumbi was very surprised facing the reality that actually the scar was made by her when she sent her son away, she realized that the man she was about to married with is actually her son. She told Sangkuriang about this and she intended to break their engagement, but Sangkuriang refuse it and he suspected Dayang SSumbi was just trying to make an excuse by making up a story.

Because Sangkuriang kept insist to mary her, Dayang Sumbi then gave Sangkuriang several conditions. She said that she would mary him if Sangkuriang can build her a giant boat and a dam in just one night before the roosters crow. Dayang Sumbi thought that Sangkuriang would fail so she wouldn't have to mary her own son, but Dayang Sumbi was shocked to see that on midnight, due to the magical power he had, Sangkuriang was almost finished his job. Dayang Sumbi then running around waking up every rooster she could find and made them crow. Sangkuriang was so furious facing the reality that he failed to mary Dayang Sumbi, so furious that he kicked the giant far away. The giant boat then fell upside down and became a mountain called Tangkuban Perahu (Sundanese language means upside down boat), and the dam became the rivers flowing all around the mountain.

there are so many accomodations you can find in Bandung. Bandung is a nice place to stay, it's a modern city only the air is fresher than Jakarta. Or if you'd like to have even more fresh air, you can choose an accomodation in Lembang - a small town near the mountain. There are also some good restaurants in Lembang serving delicious Indonesian food that's worth to try.

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Way Kambas National Park

Way Kambas National Park is representative of lowland forest ecosystem consisting of freshwater swamp forests, grasslands, and coastal forests in Sumatra. Located in Lampung - Sumatra (close to Sunda strait), This natural reservation occupies about 130.000 hectares area, and the temperature in this place is pretty hot - around 28° - 37° C.



Plant species in this national park include api-api (Avicennia marina), Sonneratia (Sonneratia sp.), Palm (Nypa fruticans), absorbed (Melaleuca leucadendron), salam (Syzygium polyanthum), mire (Glochidion borneensis), ketapan (Terminalia cattapa), sea pine (Casuarina equisetifolia), pandan (Pandanus sp.), puspa (Schima wallichii), meranti (Shorea sp.), oil (Dipterocarpus gracilis), and ramin (Gonystylus bancanus).

Way Kambas National Park has 50 species of mammals such as Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis), Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus), Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), tapirs (Tapirus indicus), coyote (Cuon alpinus sumatrensis), gibbon (Hylobates syndactylus syndactylus); 406 bird species including forest ducks (Cairina scutulata), storks (Ciconia episcopus stormi and Leptoptilos javanicus), Crested Fireback (Lophura ignita), Bornean Peacock (Argusianus argus argus), Pecuk snake ( Anhinga melanogaster); and also various types of reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects.

Although there are so many species we can find here, but Way Kambas is best known for its elephant. That's because there is an elephant training centre here which was built in 1985. Until this moment this training centre is still operating and it has succeeded to train and tame about 290 elephants. These elephants are trained to be riding elephants, wood transporters, plowers, and attraction performers. In this facility, you can watch the animal tamers training wild elephants, and we can also watch the elephants playing soccer game, dancing, swimming, and many other attractions.

Beside the elephant training facility, this place is also attractive for people who love safari trip or camping. You can take a ground trip with jeeps or you can take the river to observe the animals and plants in Way Kambas. There is also a rhino captivity facility with laboratoriums and observer camps that you can visit.

It's quiet easy to get to this place, from Jakarta go to merak harbour then take a ferry to bakauheni harbour then take a bus to Labuan Meringgai and then take another bus to Way Kambas. It takes about 3 hours journey from Bakauheni harbour to Way Kambas.

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Kuta Beach - Bali Indonesia

Kuta is probably the most famous beach in Indonesia, in fact not only in Indonesia, this beach is also famous all over the world as a fantastic beach for tourist destination. Almost every travel agents, tourism books, and travelling sites all over the world include Kuta beach as one of the great destinations.


Kuta beach played an important role in Indonesia's tourism history, since it was the first successful tourist destination that was managed professionally in Indonesia. It was started when Danish traders opened a trading agency office in this area. The business connection built between the trading agency and the natives then grew rapidly.

In 1930 (before Indonesia's Independence - 1945), a married couple from California were very impressed by the natural beauty of Kuta beach. The news about the untouched natural beauty of the beach then spreaded and people were started to come to the beach. Kuta Beach Hotel was the first hotel built in this area, but it was stop operating after the japanese soldiers attacked the island of Bali. In 1960 many tourists from Australia had to make a transit in Bali before they continued their journey to Europe, this situation made Kuta gained back its popularity. Today, Kuta beach still attracts lots of visitors not only from Australia, but from all over the world.

Kuta beach covered by soft white sand. This beach is a very ideal place for any kinds of beach activities like sunbathing, swimming, or surfing. Its location which is on a basin makes the waves on this beach is not as hard as any other beaches located on the south which directly face the Indonesian ocean. It makes Kuta beach as an ideal place for tourists who would like to learn how to surf, you can many surfing instructors in this beach. But the main attraction in this beautiful beach is the sunset, in the afternoon the beach will become more crowded by the people who want to enjoy the sunset which is a remarkable scenery.

Beside the beach, Kuta area is also known as the part of Bali that never sleeps and a good place to hang out. You can find so many shops, restaurants, hotels, clubs, cafes, souvenirs on the sideroads of Kuta all the way to the next village - Legian and Seminyak.

So many hotels and resorts you can rent here with price range from $15 - $400 / night. Kuta beach is very easy to reach since it is located only 30 minutes from the international airport in Denpasar - the capital of Bali Indonesia.

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Sanur Beach - Bali Indonesia

This beach is considered to be the second best beach in Bali after the famous Kuta Beach. Sanur beach is located in Denpasar - the capital of Bali province at sanur village on the south of Bali island which is the edge of the Indonesian ocean.


Sanur beach was introduced for the first time as a tourist attraction by a Belgium painter AJ. Le Mayeur who live in sanur with his native wife Ni Polok, he introduced this beach by making a painting exhibition in Sanur.

like Kuta beach, this beach is also covered by white sand. The sun is very hot in this area makes it a perfect place for sunbathing. in the afternoon when the sea water ebb, many tourists use this moment for canoeing. From this beach you can see the cluster of Nusa Penida Island on the southeast across the ocean, and on the east you can see the view of Bali island south beach with its mountains.

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Bali Indonesia, Island of The Gods

Bali is the number one tourist destination in Indonesia and one of the best in the world. Every day, this island attracts millions of tourist from all over the world to enjoy the beauty of this tropical heaven. This island is very famous as a holiday destination for the people around the world especially for those who love to travel abroad, sometimes its popularity even exceeding the popularity of the country - Indonesia. I've met some people who don't know that Bali is really a part of Indonesia and it's one of the Indonesia's provinces.


Bali Indonesia is located between Java and Lombok island. It's very easy to reach from abroad or from any other part of Indonesia since it has an international airport in its capital - Denpasar. Bali Indonesia is 5.561 km2 wide, and occupied by 4.500.000 people with ethnic - Balinese as a majority (89%). other ethnics that live in this island are Javanese (7%), Baliaga (1%) and Madura people (1%). Although Indonesia is a country with moslem majority, but in Bali Indonesia Hindu is the majority religion (92.3%) and Islam is the second big religion in Bali Indonesia. But eventhough it has several ethnic groups and different religons with Balinese and Hindunese as majorities, the people in Bali are very tolerant, almost there is no friction between these ethnic groups or between religions in Bali Indonesia.

Balinese are the people who hold their religion and culture so strongly and they implement it in their everyday lives. They have Pura (worship place) in every house and often make religious ceremonies in some occasions. They are also known as friendly people and hard workers, These aspects are could be the reason why the tourists love this island and willing to stay long or make them coming back after their last visit to Bali Indonesia.

As the main tourist destination in Indonesia, Bali has everything. Bali Indonesia has hundreds of natural touris attractions such as beaches, mountains, lakes, forests and others. It also has many historical attractions, religious places, cultural attractions, art shows, etc. Beside that Bali Indonesia also has great tourist facilities and infra structure that support tourism activity in this island.

I shall provide more information about tourist attractions in Bali in my other posts. And if you wish to visit Bali Indonesia, please go to Bali travel tips page in my previous post.

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Indonesia Travel Tips

Interested to explore Indonesian beauty ? so pack those bags and book a ticket but please take a little time to read these useful travel tips to make your journey more enjoyable in Indonesia.

Travel tips for a specific area or a place you've never been to is a very important thing to look at before you make your journey, that's because every place or country in this world including Indonesia has its own characteristic, legal rules, cultures and habits. Good travel tips can really help you to understand those important things and make you prepare your journey better.

Here are some useful travel tips if you wish to spend your holiday in Indonesia :

* The best time for visiting Indonesia is between May and October during the dry season.
* Indonesia has two seasons, the dry season from June-October and the rainy season from
November-March. The general maximum temperature is 33°C (62°F) and the general
minimum temperature is 21°C (41°F) while the humidity is high at all times.
* The people use Bahasa Indonesia as their national language to communicate, it's a very easy
language to learn if you wish, but in some tourist areas English is commonly spoken.
* You can find all kinds of hotel in Indonesia from budget hotels to expensive five star hotels.
Usually in these hotels 10% service tax is added with the bill, while at the restaurants service
tax tips are given
* Banking hours are from 8.00 am to 12.00 noon Monday-Friday an 8.00 am to 11.00 on
Saturday. But the banks in hotels usually have longer banking hours.
* US Dollars and other major currencies in banknotes or travelers checks are easily
exchangeable in banks or authorized moneychangers. But be sure you always carry Rupiahs in
cash especially in outer province or small towns as you can't always find ATM machine or use
credit cards or exchange currencies in these places easily, but be sure you put your money in
safe place because pick pocketing is a common crime in this country.
* Office hours are vary, but most of them open from 8.00 am to 4.30 pm from Monday-Friday
Some close on Saturday and some open until 1.00 pm and close on Sunday.
* Dress is normally casual and it's advisable to use light clothing due to hot weather. Trousers or
slacks and shirts are considered appropriate, but jacket and tie are considered to be a very
formal dress for only formal occasions or when making office calls. It's recommended to use
sweater or jacket if you'd like to travel to mountain areas.
* Visas are required except for the nationals of 48 countries : Argentina, Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Hongkong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan Kuwait
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Monaco,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, UAE, USA, Venezuela, Yugoslavia
and Taiwanese holding MFA/M Passports. The Visa requirement is also waived for other
nationals from friendly countries or attending conference which has received official approval.
Visa free entry is for maximum of 60 days and is not extendable. Possession of passport is a
must to all visitors to Indonesia valid for at least six months with proof of onward passage
either return or through tickets.
* Customs allow a maximum entry of one liter of alcoholic beverages, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars
or 100 grams of tobacco and a reasonable amount of perfume per adult. Cameras, Video
cameras, portable radios, cassette recorders, binoculars and sport equipments are admitted
provided they're taken out on departure, they must be declared to customs.
Prohibited are firearms, narcotics, drugs, pornography, Chinese printing and medicines,
transceivers and cordless telephones. Films, pre-recorded video tapes and laser discs must be
screened.
There's no restriction on import or export of foreign currencies and travelers checks, but the
import and export of Indonesian currencies exceeding 5 million Rupiah is prohibited. Airport
authority levies an airport tax of Rp 50.000,- for travelers on international routes and Rp
11.000,- for domestic routes.
* For transportation there are metered taxis everywhere with vary costs and hire cars also
available with differ rates. Other forms of transportation are bajaj (like in India) for two
passengers, small buses with regular routes, the man driven pedicab called becak, buses
(usually very crowded), trains (only in Java and Sumatra).
* Most hotels in big cities use 220 volts 50 cycles and a two pronged plug. However some hotels
in the provinces may still be using 110 volts, you better check first before using it.
* There are lots of supermarkets with fix prices and also small shops and traditional markets
where you can bargain.
* The Indonesian staple food is rice steamed boiled or fried. Some accompanying dishes can be
pepper hot or extremely spicy with red or green chili so you better ask before ordering. You
can find many American, European or Asian restaurants everywhere. Pork is forbidden for
moslems and beef for Balinese Hindus but they are available in many markets and restaurants.
* The Indonesian consider the right hand as a good hand, they use it to eat or to give or receive
something from other person. Crooking your finger to call someone is considered impolite.
Handshaking is customary both for men and women on introduction and greetings and smiling
is a national characteristic.
* Proper decorum should especially be observed when visiting holy places or worship since
Indonesians are very polite people.
* A large portion of the population of Indonesia smokes, so it's pretty difficult for travelers who
don't smoke.
* Last but not least, it would be better if you have a travel insurance. Having a travel insurance can guarantee that your holiday would not end up as a disaster, so better prepare yourself before bad things come.

I hope these travel tips could really help you during your trip to this beautiful and exotic country Indonesia, bon voyage.

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Bali Travel Tips

Bali Indonesia is considered to be one of the most exotic islands in the world. everyday, especially in peak seasons millions of tourists from all over the world come to this tropical paradise to surf the beauty of this island.

If you love to travel, no doubt this island is the right place to visit. But before you pack your luggage, please spend a little time to read this Bali travel tips before you take off to ensure your amenities during your journey.

* Money. Rupiah is the basic unit of money, foreign currency wheter in banknotes or traveller's checks can be exchanged easily at major banks or authorised moneychangers available all across this island. It's recommended that you exchange the currency at the moneychangers as it usually has better exchange rates than the banks. Moneychangers are stay open longer transactions are quicker. Indonesian Rupiah is devided by denominations of Rp 25, Rp 50, Rp 100 and Rp 500 which are available in the form of coins, and Rp 1.000, Rp 2.000, Rp 5.000, Rp 10.000, Rp 20.000, Rp 50.000 and Rp 100.000 which are available in the form of bills. To travel around Bali Indonesia, make sure you carry a handful of Rp 100 and Rp 500 coins especially if you wish to travel to the corners of this island where you're going to need them. Don't exchange large sum of money, because , due to the volatility of the rupiah, most mid-range hotels, all top-end hotels and restaurants, and some tourist attractions, car rental agencies and tour companies list their prices in US dollar. The postal service in Bali has a type of postal traveller's check called cek pos. You can exchange your cash for these checks at a main post office and use them throughout Indonesia as traveller's checks or cash them at any post office. However, these traveller's checks cannot be accepted by individuals.

* Credit Cards. You can use credit card in almost every shop in Bali, large or small, with with a 3-5 percent added to the bill. Cash advance can be obtained in all major tourist resorts. ATM are available all over the island and most of them are also connected to international banking networks,so it is possible to look for machines that are affiliated with your own ATM network. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are accepted by most of the bigger businesses. The amount signed for is in rupiah and the bill is then converted to your domestic currency.

* Security. Don't bring too many cash especialy when you're travelling to some remote areas without a guide. US dollars are the most negotiable currency, particularly in remote areas. It would be a practical way to change as much as you can and feel safe carrying before heading into more remote regions.
Please be careful with your belonging, leave your important documents in your hotel and you can wander around with the copies. Once again don't bring too many cash, as picking pocket is the most comon crime in every region in Indonesia.

* Health. You will be asked for an international health certificate if you enter Bali Indonesia from an area infected with smallpox, cholera and yellow fever. It is advisable to take typhoid and paratyphoid vaccinations if you intend to stay in Bali for a long time, and to reduce the risk of hepatitis it's also advisable that you take a gamma-globulin injections. don't be too worry about the famous "Bali Belly" as the simptoms can be stopped by taking Lomotil and Imodium.At the first sign of sickness (diarrhoea and cramps), drink strong, hot tea and avoid all fruits and spicy food. a medicine named Norit which is a charcoal tablet, will help alleviate the cramping. If a fever occurs with the above symptoms, go to a doctor for a course of antibiotics. Be sure to rehydrate yourself by taking mineral replacements salts such as Oralite and drinking as much liquids as possible.
Protect yourself from dengue fever which is today become a major threat in Bali by wearing long sleeves and trousers or use insect repellent to keep the Aedes mosquitoes at bay. Don't forget to bring along sunscreen and sunblock as the Bali sun is very harsh, and you may also need a wide brimmed straw hat that useful around noon when the sun is intense, remember bali lies very close to the equator so the sunlight is pretty hot.
For your own convinience, check your teeth health before you go to Bali Indonesia and make sure there's nothing wrong with them, because dentist is a very hard thing to find in Bali.while shopping or just walking around, it's acceptable to wear shorts or singlets, but when visitting friends or older people, calling on government offices, or visiting places of worship, it is advisable to wear trousers for men and dresses for women. When your visitting a Balinese Pura or Temple or any other holy places, there are certain dressing codes and attitudes that you must follow. Usually most of these places require you to wear Balinese sarong which are usualy available in these places.

* Dressing. Most of Indonesian people including Balinese believe that correct attire is the basic sign of showing respect to others.

* Weather. weather is generally calm for most of the year. Daytime temperatures are in the 80's (Fahrenheit) throughout the year with the rains traditionally falling between November and April.Bali is spared a monsoonal season and rains, when they do come, generally last only several hours, lowering the temperatures slightly and making for greener scenery all around.

* Shopping. In small shops you can bargain before buying things, except on price tagged goods. When you meet souvenirs or goods offerings in the street just ignore them and give a polite rejection, they usually sell low quality goods.

* Attitudes. Touching grow people's head is a taboo and can be consider as an offensive act to Balinese Hindus, don't enter temples during menstruation because it's highly forbidden by the Hindus. Don't use your left hand for shaking or handing over things to someone, it's consider to be a very impolite thing to do.

* Last but not least, it would be better if you have a travel insurance. Having a travel insurance can guarantee that your holiday would not end up as a disaster, so better prepare yourself before bad things come.

I hope you found these Bali travel tips useful for your journey, and to see another general tips of travelling to Indonesia that are not mention here in Bali travel tips post,please read my previous post Indonesia Travel Tips, you can find informations about customs, passport and visas, legal rules etc. Have a nice trip.

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Losari Beach

Losari is a unique beach, it's located in the heart of a big city - Makasar in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The most unique point of this beach is you can watch both sunset and sunrise in the same place you're standing, its position which lies from north to south makes you possible to do that.



Although it is located in a big city, the environment of Losari beach is quite preserved. The beach looks very clean and tidy, so it creates such unique beautiful scenery of natural beauty in a big city.

The beach which extends as far as 4 km can be easily reached through the main road. Across the road from Losari Beach you can find lots of accomodations with various classes and facilities. You can also find many good restaurants offering traditional foods of South Sulawesi, or you can try Makasar's snacks available across the beach's edge.

The best time for travellers to enjoy the beauty of Losari beach is between 15.00 pm - 21.00 pm. Many tourists come to this beach just to sit and enjoy the beauty of this clean beach and watch the sunset or to jog along the beach.

* If you wish to visit Indonesia please go to Indonesia travel tips page

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Banda Sea Garden, a Piece of Heaven

There is not much tourism promotion or comprehensive information about this tourist destination. But it still cannot wipe the beauty of this natural paradise.




Banda sea garden located around Banda island in the middle of Banda sea between Maluku and Papua island - Indonesia. Banda is a tropical island that has an untouchable natural beauty which is hard to discribed with any words, but the main attraction of this tourist destination is lying under the sea in a place called Banda sea garden.

According to the people that have experienced to dive in this spot, it is said that Banda sea garden is one of the best diving spot in the world. It is not surprising since in this diver's paradise you can find about 400 species of sea biota that you won't be able to find in any other part of the world. Even the Caribean sea which attracts divers from all over the world only have no more than 20 species of sea biota.

Banda has 52 diving spots, it shows that this sea garden consist a large area and therefore the sea biotas are also vary. the water is so clean so that the tourists can enjoy the underwater beauty from a boat.

The best time to visit Banda sea garden is during March-April or September-October every year. During these months Banda sea is so calm so that you can even see the fishes swimming on the surface of the sea water and sometimes during these months you can see wales are entering the Banda gulf creating such an unforgetable view for the visitors. It was so true that some people said that visitting this island is like being cast away in paradise.

* If you wish to visit Indonesia please go to Indonesia travel tips page

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Thousand Island

Thousand Island or Pulau Seribu consisting of almost 128 small islands. These pretty islands are located in the bay of Jakarta in the Java sea and can be reached in about 1-2 hours boat ride from the bay of Jakarta - the capital of Indonesia, so it's very easy to get there. From 128 islands, the local government chosen some islands to be developed for tourism, some of them are Ayer island, Kotok island, Pelangi island, Bidadari island, Matahari / Macan Besar island, Pantara island, Bira island, Sepa island and Putri island.




With so many coral reefs surrounding this island as a home for many species of fishes and other sea biotas make Thousand island become a perfect spot for diving, snorkelling and fishing. You can find many diving and sailing facilities in some of the islands here.

Here I will try to give descriptions about some of the best islands in Pulau Seribu :

Ayer Island
In the past this island used as a private resort for the Kings of Thousand Island and in the modern history this island also used by Indonesia's first president as a private recreational place. This island is also called "The pearl of the Thousand Island" because of its beauty compared to the other islands in Thousand Island. Ayer has a very beautiful beach with surrounding coconut trees makes it a perfect place for relaxing and sunbathing. You can find almost any kind of tourist facilities in this island, floating cottages, bungalows, water sport facilities, and even entertainment spots like night clubs.

Kotok Island
This island can be reached from Jakarta in about 90 minutes. It's a real peaceful tropical hideaway with its untouched beauty. Taking a break in the cozy cottages tucked amongst the foliage, you can only hear the wind in the trees, birdsong and the slapping waves. Kotok island is also a good spot for snorkelling and diving.

Pelangi Island
Pelangi island or "Rainbow island" is located about 70 km from the Jakarta bay. This island is covered by lush palm and pine trees with its sandy beach in the middle of clean blue water. Pelangi island is a perfect place for those who love to enjoy beach, sand, sea and the sun.

Bidadari Island
Bidadari island or "Island of Angel" is the nearest island from Jakarta, it's only about 15 km away and can be reached in about 20 minutes with a speedboat. Here you can stay in beautiful cottages whis is built among trees giving you the chance to blend with the nature. Many tour operators selling the package of Bidadari island tour including its surrounding islands such as Kahyangan island, Kelor Island and Onrust Island where there is a historical site which is the remain of the Dutch's East Indies Company from the 17th century.

Macan Besar Island
Here you can find Matahari Island Resort, it's a beautiful tropical resort with good quality sand. This resort is surrounded by beaches but the most ideal spot for beach activities are the southern and western part. The marine life is also well developed, the water is clear and the natural habitat of tropical fishes and coral are also well preserved.

West and East Pantara Island
These islands have so many good accomodations for tourists like beautiful cottages, hotels, convention hall, Japanese, chinese and Indonesian restaurants, fresh water swimming pool, snack counters, souvenir shops, a disco, tennis courts, diving and other marine sports rental shop.

Bira Island
A very nice place to spend your vacation with your family. Bira Island has a crystal clear water, white sand beach with fresh air blowing everywhere. You can do lots of activities here since there are so many tourist facilities available here such as luxury cottages, bicycle rent, jetsky rents, extra large swimming pool, club house, children playground, fishing spots with traditional and modern fishing boats, and there is also a 9-hole golf course for you who like this sport.

Sepa Island
This island has a very beautiful landscape environment which is fascinatingly combined with luxuries traditional style cottages built around this island. This pretty island with many tourist facilities is located about 90 minutes away from Jakarta bay.

Putri Island
Putri Island or "Princess Island" is known for its clear water and good coral. Putri Island is one of the best spot for snorkelling and diving in Thousand Island. This island is located about 70 km from Jakarta bay.

* If you wish to visit Indonesia please go to Indonesia travel tips page

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