Mount Krakatau

For travelers who love extreme places and challenging adventure, this volcano is the right place to visit. Krakatau is one of the most active volcanoes located on Sunda strait between Java and Sumatra island. It's very easy to get there since it's located not very far from Jakarta - the capital of Indonesia. From Jakarta you can take a bus to Merak harbor on the western side of Java island then take a ferry to Bakauheni port in Sumatra, from there you should continue your journey to Canti. Canti is the nearest port to Krakatau built and used by fishermen, here you can charter a fisherman ship to take you to Krakatau bay which will take about 4 hours journey. There's no accommodation in this area but you can build a camp in a valley about 50 m from the beach.


Along the way you will see extraordinary dramatic and mysterious view of the mountain. this mountain is always covered by mystery just like the story of its first time occurrence which was full of surprise.

The story began from the eruption of Krakatau mountain on august 27th 1883. The history said that it was a tremendous eruption which shook the world. Its larva sprayed about 80 km height while the dust floated around the earth for years. During the time, the people in North America and Europe saw blue sunlight and orange moon. The eruption caused 40 m tide wave that wiped the beaches on Lampung bay and the west bay of Banten area. The victims of this disaster was said about 36.000 deaths. The sound of Krakatau explosion was said to be heard from Singapore and Australia. It also caused earthquake not only in Java and Sumatra but also in Southern Australia, Srilanka and Phillipine. After the eruption the mountain was destroyed and then formed three small islands : Sertung island, Panjang island and Krakatau Besar island.

40 years later in 1927 the fishermen was surprised by the black smoke on the sea surface on the middle of the three islands. A year later a new volcano emerged from the sea right on the spot where the fishermen saw the black smoke. The people named this new volcano "Anak Krakatau" or "The Child Of Krakatau". Everyday this mountain grows about 1 cm and it never stops erupting. It's very beautiful to see the eruption from Sebesi island which is about 8 miles away from Anak Krakatau, it's like seeing a fire work in new years eve.

Climbing Krakatau mountain could be a memory that you won't easily forget, now this mountain has two peaks ; Rakata besar (813 m) and Anak Krakatau (280 m). Not so many flora you can find in this mountain, you can only see pine and coconut trees grow in this mountain. the fauna are also very few, here you can only find a few kinds of species like biawak (Varanus salvator), green turtle (Cholonia midas), Phyton, big bat (Pteropus vampirus) Raja udang bird (Alcedo atthis), a few kinds of lizard and butterflies.

You can only climb to the spine of the mountain which is the end of the permitted safe area. Here is the area of hot black sand and the wind is very strong in this area. Truly an unforgettable experience.

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

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Nias, Exotic Island and Surfers Paradise

Nias is an exotic island located to the west of Sumatra. It has beautiful scenery with tropical forest, mountain and a clean beach view.


But the most prominent about Nias is the customs and ancient traditions which still strongly held from hundreds of generation by the natives. It's shown clearly as we enter their villages, we can see their traditional wooden houses and typical traditional society's way of life. We can also find rock formations which are the heritage of the megalithic era.

From all the villages in Nias, the most special is the one on the south of the island called Bawamataluo Village. Entering this village you'll feel like going through a time machine that takes you to the megalith era. compared to other villages in Nias, Bawomataluo is the one that preserves the genuity of their ancient traditions and this is the only villae that has the most famous attraction in Nias called "hombo batu" or stone jumping.

Hombo batu is a tradition that's been held by the people from many centuries. In the past, hombo batu is a way to train and test ancient warriors and young people in order to prepare themselves for a tribal war, but today hombo batu is held just for sport or tourist attraction. It's a little like high jump in athletic only they don't use pole and matras and the jumping technique is a bit unique. these young "warriors" must jump over a 2 meters high formation of stone shaped like a monument. The jumper runs from about 15 m away approaching the stone and then jump, while in the air before stepping his feet on the ground he will turn his body so that when he land on his feet he shall face the stone again.

Beside this attraction, you can also watch so many prehistorical artifacts from the megalithic era that some of them are still being used by the villagers in their rituals and traditional events.

As for those whose not very interested in local customs, just take your surfing board and go straight to the shore. Nias is one of the best spot to surf in Indonesia, there are several spots that you can choose to surf, some of the most famous spots for surfing are Lagundri bay and Sibaranun island. Here you will find 7-9 seconds tubes and waves that operates from 2-15 feet.

To get to Nias you can take a plane from Medan-the capital of North Sumatra straight to Nias. Nias is a perfect place if you want a complete tour with educational, cultural, attraction, sightseeing, and action packages all in one. Nias is an exotic island and surfers paradise.

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

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Lake Toba

With 100 Km long and 30 Km wide Lake Toba is the biggest lake in South East Asia. This lake is formed as the cause of the eruption of Mount Toba which is consider to be one of the biggest eruption throughout the history of the world. This lake is located in North Sumatra - Indonesia and has become the favorite tourist destination in this province for many years.



The eruption was not only formed lake Toba, it also formed an island in the middle of the lake called Samosir. This beautiful fertile island is occupied by the natives called the Batak people who still maintain their traditional way of life.Visiting this place you will find a beautiful scenery, amazingly fresh air and of course friendly natives.

While for you action seekers, this place has a wonderful spot for paragliding and there is also a mountain bike track on Samosir Island, sometimes the local government held paragliding or mountain bike championship whether it is held in local scoop or International.

As for the accommodation you don’t have to worry, there so many hotels around the lake and if you want something with a natural touch you can stay on wooden cottages on Samosir.To get to this place take a plane to Medan (the capital of North Sumatra) and then you can continue through the land, if you charter a taxi the journey is approximately 4 hours from Medan to Lake Toba, but if you take a bus it would take about 6 hours.

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

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Mentawai Islands

Here is one of the best spot for wave riders in Indonesia and probably in the world. Warm water, incredible scenery, and perfect waves make this Island a paradise for surfers. It offers various waves such as E-Bay, Nipussi, Pit Stops, Bankvaults, Kanduis, Scarecrows, Telescopes, Iceland, Bintangs, Lances Left, Hollow Trees, Maccaroni's, KFC’s, and Thunders.


Mentawai is actually a group of islands consist of 4 main islands Siberut, Sipura, North Pagai and South Pagai, these main islands surrounded by many small islands and coral reefs. It’s located about 150 km on the west coast of Sumatra Island – Indonesia, The position of these islands makes them an outstanding location for surfing. Siberut is the biggest island among the others, many surfers choose this island as a place to stay during their surfing days.

Mentawai Islands are covered by rain forest occupied by the natives called the Mentawai people who maintain their tradition with primitive way of living, it’s one of the most enthralling and best-preserved indigenous cultures of the world.

To get to Mentawai first you should take a plane to Padang (the capital of West Sumatra, from here the only way to get to Mentawai is to take a boat which will take about 10 hours journey.

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

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