Indonesia – the largest archipelago in the world

Indonesia is the sleeping giant of Southeast Asia. With 18,110 islands, 6,000 of them inhabited, it is the largest archipelago in the world. With well over 230 million people, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world — after China, India and the USA — and by far the largest in Southeast Asia. Indonesia also has the largest Muslim population in the world.

Indonesia Map

Cities

• Jakarta – the perennially congested capital which is also the largest city of the country
• Bandung – university town in the cooler highlands of Java
• Banjarmasin – the largest town on Kalimantan
• Manado – Christian town at the northeastern tip of Sulawesi, famous for diving
• Medan – the main city of Sumatra
• Semarang – the capital of Central Java, with a blend of Javanese, Chinese, and Dutch influences
• Surabaya – Indonesia’s second largest city
• Ujung Pandang (Makassar) – the gateway to Sulawesi
• Yogyakarta – Java’s cultural hub and the access point to the mighty temples of Prambanan and Borobudur
• Jayapura – the capital of Papua and a gateway to the highlands

Other Places

• Anyer – Beach in Banten province, near Mt. Krakatau, Lesung Cape, and Ujung Kulon National Park.
• Baliem Valley – the home of the famous penis-gourded Dani warriors. Located in Papua province.
• Borobudur – A largest Buddhist temple in the world. Located in Central Java province. This is the place which is Indonesia’s most visited site.
• Bunaken – One of the best scuba diving destinations in Indonesia, if not the world. Located in North Sulawesi province.
• Komodo National Park – The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar. Komodo is the biggest reptile in the world, which only be found in this national park. Located in Flores island, East Nusa Tenggara province.
• Lake Toba – The largest volcanic lake in the world. There is a large island in it, Samosir island. Located on North Sumatra province.
• Mount Bromo – Some of the scariest volcanic scenery on the planet. One of the best locations in the world to see sunrise. Located in East Java province.
• Prambanan – A collection of massive Hindu temples built by the 10th century Mataram Kingdom, in Central Java province.
• Tana Toraja – Highland area of South Sulawesi province famed for their extraordinary funeral rites.

Visa-Free Entry

Nationals of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, Hong Kong, Macao, Chile, Morocco, Peru, and Vietnam are given visa-free entry facility for maximum of 30 days. They cannot extend their stay and cannot convert their visa-free status to any other visa status.

Visa-free entries are only permitted via the following ports of entry:

• Airports: Juanda (Surabaya, East Java), Adi Sumarno (Solo, Central Java), El Tari (Kupang, West Timor), Hang Nadim (Batam, Riau Islands), Hasanuddin (Makasar, South Sulawesi), Husein Sastranegara (Bandung, West Java), Ngurah Rai (Denpasar, Bali), Polonia (Medan, North Sumatra), Sam Ratulangi (Manado, North Sulawesi), Selaparang (Mataram, Lombok), Sepinggan (Balikpapan, East Kalimantan), Soekarno Hatta (Jakarta), Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II (Palembang, South Sumatera), Sultan Syarif Kasim II or Simpang Tiga (Pekanbaru, Riau), Supadio (Pontianak, West Kalimantan) and Minangkabau International Airport (Padang, West Sumatera).

• Seaports: Bandar Seri Udana Lobam (Batam, Riau Islands), Belawan (Medan, North Sumatra), Bitung (Manado, North Sumatra), Lembar (Mataram, Lombok), Nongsa Terminal Bahari (Batam, Riau Islands), Sekupang (Batam, Riau Islands), Sri Bayintan (Tanjung Pinang, Bintan, Riau Islands), Tanjung Balai Karimun (Karimun, Riau Islands), Tanjung Perak (Surabaya, East Java), Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Bandar Bintan Telani Lagoi (Bintan, Riau Islands), Batu Ampar (Batam, Riau Islands), Benoa (Bali), Dumai (Riau), Lhokseumawe (North Sumatra), Marina Teluk Senimba (Batam, Riau Islands), Padang Bai (Bali), Selat Kijang (Bintan, Riau Islands), Tanjung Mas (Semarang, Central Java), Tanjung Pinang (Bintan, Riau Islands) and Tenau (Kupang, West Timor).

• Land crossing: Entikong (West Kalimantan-Sarawak border).

There are so many places in Indonesia to visit and explore.
How many days should I spend here? I am not a real big fan of beach, ocean, or stuffs like that.
However, I do not mind to try new water games like scuba  

~ by Angela HUYNH on June 30, 2009.