Welcome to Indonesia! Bali, Sumatra, Java, Lombok... Who has not dreamed of the simple evocation of these destinations, of adventures, of magical and fascinating places, of wild animals to contemplate, orangutans, dragons, tigers, to share for a moment the culture of ethnic groups so far from ours. These places that stimulate our imagination and that once there, never cease to amaze us, are very real, but you will have to take the crossing roads. From grandiose landscapes, misty mountains, lush jungles, immense beaches, in cultural and religious melting pot, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, animism... The archipelago is multiple, diverse and mysterious
Indonesia is made up of 17,000 islands, sometimes huge and densely populated like Java, often tiny, forgotten and deserted. Only 6,000 of them are inhabited. And then the sea, or rather the seas, omnipresent. From one end to the other, you will have to travel no less than 5,000 km and digest three time zones, from the western tip of Sumatra to the far reaches of Papua, the other end of the archipelago.
Moving from one island to another sometimes feels like a change of country; crossing the small strait separating Banyuwangi from Gilimanuk is a change of world.
The fourth most populous nation in the world with 253 million inhabitants, is an old country with an eventful history. In turn, conquerors, migrants and religious have left important traces in addition to those of the natives who have lived there since time immemorial. Volcanoes, seas and elements have shaped the geography of the archipelago. Today, it is excavators and palm plantations that are changing the landscape. Skyscrapers, shopping malls and major highways are also contributing to the country's transformation.
But if Indonesia is a country with a great history, it is also a young, rich, democratically new nation. The vast majority of its population is under twenty years of age and thirsty for change. In the last presidential elections, the people elected a reformist and modern President. A serious hope for the country to put an end to corruption. This victory gave ideas to other populations bordering the region. The archipelago is for many the new "far-east", and the large multinationals, as in the era of the gold rush, are rushing with delicacies into this new market. Tourism is developing at a rapid pace, sometimes unfortunately to the detriment of ecology as is the case in Bali, but often for the good and development of areas that were previously difficult to access. We think of the Probe Islands, Sulewesi, Flores. Some people cry wolf and see it as the end of a virginity that has been preserved until now. Others, on the contrary, hope to be able to discover hidden wonders more easily and to allow some peoples to gain a little comfort. There is so much to see and share in this immense country that it will take you more than one trip to get around it. So let's start with Java, where we arrive in Jakarta, and Lombok, often compared to Bali, its prestigious neighbour, which is often the subject of a separate trip
Java, culture and culture
The life lived by Dutch settlers in Java has always fascinated people. It was a heavenly life on a land blessed by the gods. Today, the remains of this Dutch "Belle Époque" are scattered throughout the country. The island extends from east to west for 1,000 kilometres. However, the distribution of the population is not uniform. Java is the head of Indonesia with its capital, Jakarta, and its intellectual elites monopolizing key positions. It is also the mouth and stomach of Indonesia that plunder the overseas islands to survive the evil that gnaws at it: overpopulation. Jakarta, the "big durian", is a city that is difficult to grasp but so fascinating for real urbanites.
Yogyakarta is the "highlight" of the trip for most visitors. Everything is refined: the majesty of the volcanoes, the nobility of the characters, the delicacy of the gestures and postures. It is undoubtedly the best place to stay to visit the surroundings, especially the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan (World Heritage Site), which stand out for their thousand-year-old architecture and impose the finesse of their sculptures.
History has seen all the epic and historical dramas played out here... Caught between the formidable Mount Merapi and the Indian Ocean, home of Loro Kidul, the Queen of the South Seas, it is Indonesia's most active cultural centre. The city has kept its human dimensions and has the old-fashioned scent of the old capitals, which seem to be sleeping, but which are bubbling and dreaming of reclaiming their past glory
In the surrounding area, the Borobudur Buddhist temple, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, is considered one of the most impressive in Asia, along with Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Bagan in Burma. The village next to the temple has a few hotels and warungs as well as a bus station for the countless buses and coaches. Two other small temples nearby (1.5 km) can also be visited: Candi Mendut and Pawon. The surroundings are superb, with rice fields and coconut palms that extend as far as the eye can see to the foot of the volcanoes. The Merapi volcano, with its greyish white cone, is breathtaking.... Finally, after admiring the sunrise on Mount Bromo, in the east of the island, it will be time to reach Lombok
Lombok, long live idleness!
Lombok is often compared to Bali, its prestigious neighbour, but Lombok's landscapes - jungle and scrubland, coral islets and huge sandy beaches - are no match for those of Bali. Lombok is very conservative, so don't make any mistakes and be very respectful of the traditions of the island's inhabitants. And nature lovers will then be thrilled by the beauty of Mount Rinjani and the southern coast. The island combines both the luxuriance of Bali and the aridity of Sumbawa. It also has a booming tourist site: the Gili, in the northwest. Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. Located in the northwest, about twenty kilometres from Senggigi, these three coral islands, dotted with coconut palms and dream bungalows, have become in a few years a must for anyone visiting Nusa Tenggara. So much so that now many travellers are bypassing Lombok to go directly to the Gili; it's because here, you really feel like you're on an island, with the charm that it represents; and the three islands are different enough from each other to satisfy a vast clientele
Finally, while many tourists come to Lombok exclusively to relax at the beach or pool, the island is full of opportunities. Among the activities and excursions, let us mention: the Sedang Gile waterfall in the north, the villages of Tete Batu, which offer a magnificent panorama of rice fields, and Sapit, in the east of the island, are also very charming. In Pusuk, there are also beautiful rice fields and a beautiful monkey forest. The Indonesian adventure in all its splendour.
Smart info
When? When? The best time to go to Indonesia is in the summer, from June to September. It rains less, and all activities are possible (especially volcano climbing), we enjoy better landscapes that are not lost in the fog... The negative side: the beaches taken over. However, you should be aware that you can visit Indonesia all year round. The rains last only a few hours and temperatures remain high.
Getting there. It costs on average 800 € for a return flight from Paris to Jakarta.
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