INDONESIA'S HIGHLIGHTS
Jakarta
The capital city of the world's fourth most-populous nation began life in the 14th century as a simple spice trading harbour under the Hindu Pajajaran kingdom. The Dutch annexed it in 1618, and renamed it Batavia. Enriched by the spice trade, it grew as sophisticated as any city in Europe. With independence in 1945, the city has mushroomed into Indonesia's one true metropolis. It is now home to over 15 million people, and while it verges on the chaotic, visitors will find of interest its fine museums, colonial architecture, magnificent performing arts and rich intellectual life.
Yogyakarta
Emerging from the shadow of an increasingly touristic Bali, laid-back Yogyakarta is coming into its own as a tourist destination for Java, and a fascinating counterpoint to the aesthetic charms of Bali. Visitors come for its traditional attractions - majestic temples and palaces, such as the Keraton (Sultan's Palace), a 250-year-old palace complex that stands at the heart of the city, traditional crafts and performing arts. Behind the Keraton stand the ruins of the opulent and architecturally ingenious royal pleasure garden called Taman Sari, with its large artificial lake, underground and underwater passageways, meditation retreats, a series of sunken bathing pools, and an imposing mansion of European design.
Prambanan
East of Yogyakarta is Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia and for many the finest monument in Java. Completed around 856 AD, it was deserted within a few years and fell to ruin, but has been restored. One of the most romantic ways to view it is by moonlight, during an open air performance of the Ramayana, which is staged on moonlit nights between May and October.
Borobudur
About 40 km northwest of Yogyakarta stands Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist monument. Seen from the air, Borobudur forms a mandala, or geometric aid for meditation. Seen from a distance on the ground, it is a stupa, a model of the cosmos in three vertical parts: a square base supporting a hemispheric body and a crowning spire. Built from around 788 AD, it lay buried in volcanic silt until it was rediscovered in 1814. It was restored in the 1970s and is truly a sight to behold.
Ujung Kulon National Park
Located on the south-west tip of Java, Ujung Kulon is a 420-sq km reserve that is the last refuge for the shy and rarely-sighted Javan rhino. The park has other fascinating animals including leopards, macaques, leaf monkeys, mouse deer, crocodiles and wild oxen. Much of the area is dense lowland rainforest with beaches in the north and south.
Sumatra
Sumatra continues to suggest the exotic, whether it be the independent people of Aceh and the tribal clans of the Batak, or the Sumatran tiger and not-yet-extinct volcanoes. Situated at the western rim in the archipelago, it is a travel haven for nature lovers, with its pristine environment, white water rafting, unspoiled beaches, elephants and orang-utan. Then there is also Asia's largest lake, Danau Toba, the infamous Krakatau volcano, impressive architecture, graceful mosques and Stone Age cultures.
Bali
Situated almost smack in the middle of the archipelago, beautiful Bali is a masterpiece of nature, formed by an east-to-west range of volcanoes and dominated by two towering peaks, Batur and Agung.
The thousands which arrive daily come not only for its stunning beaches and lush landscapes, but also its exquisite arts and spirituality, embodied in its thousands of temples. Veteran travellers say that Bali has been defiled by too much tourism but the millions who come find it far from spoiled.
Lombok
Like Bali, Lombok is dominated by a towering volcanic range, with 3,800-metre Gunung Rinjani the second-highest peak in Indonesia, at its centre. The oldest and holiest of the Balinese temples in Lombok, Pura Suranadi, is a complex of three temples founded by a Balinese priest. Off the northwest coast are the Gili islands where the snorkelling is superb. Along Lombok's southern coast is a string of white sand beaches (Kuta, Selong Blanak, Tanjong Aan), all washed by turquoise waters.
Komodo
In Nusa Tenggara - the Lesser Sundas islands between Sumbawa and Flores - lies Komodo with its national park, home of the world's largest reptile, Varanus komodoensis, the Komodo dragon. This giant monitor lizard (called ora by the locals) is one of the world's oldest species, a close relative of the dinosaurs that roamed the earth 100 million years ago. The park is primarily the home of 2,500 protected carnivorous monitors. The highlight of a visit to the national park is seeing the dragons in their natural habitat. In a reverse scenario to zoos, tourists stay fenced in while the dragons roam freely.
Kalimantan
Kalimantan is Indonesia's name for its two-thirds of Borneo, the world's third-largest island. The centre of Kalimantan is made up of mountain ranges. Great rivers cascade down from the highlands, and are often navigable for hundreds of kilometres, serving as crucial channels of communication between the communities of the coast and the interior. They also attract tourists who want to travel deep into jungle regions to visit the Dayak tribes, once headhunters who still dwell in communal houses.
Sulawesi
Primarily known as the home of two flamboyant ethnic groups - the highland Torajans and the seafaring Bugis - the oddly shaped island of Sulawesi offers a startling array of landscapes, as well as a fascinating range of indigenous fauna. A neolithic settlement, cave stencils, and other artefacts reveal mankind's long presence on the island. For two millennia, it was a key stop on international trading routes. Today, its population of over 13 million is diverse, made up of people who speak more than 40 languages.
West Papua (Irian Jaya)
Headhunters and cannibals, penis sheaths and grass skirts, poisonous birds and water-spitting fish: Irian Jaya, the western half of New Guinea, the second-largest island in the world is fascinating, diverse and remote. As one of the world's last great wildernesses, this territory offers great promise to explorers but advance planning is essential. The fertile Baliem Valley, home to the Dani, Lani and Yali tribes, unknown to the Western world until 1941.
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