Indonesia is a beautiful country in Southeast Asia that most people dream of visiting one day. That isn’t hard to comprehend when you look at the versatile landscapes and cultural grounds Indonesia possesses. Indonesia has more than 13,000 islands and not all villages on these islands are up to modern standards and it can be hard to reach out in case of emergency. So when you’re planning to travel around Indonesia, make sure to have a prepaid phone with enough phone credit so you can always reach people in case of emergency. You can make an online mobile recharge in one of the internet cafes before you go visit remote villages and islands. When you’re planning to travel around Indonesia, these are five things you should do to have a full Indonesian experience.
Visit the Gili Islands
White sandy beaches, unimaginably clear water and ultimate tranquility, that sums up the Indonesian Gili Islands. The Gili Islands are a group of three islands near the coast of Lombok. Gili Trawangan is the largest of the three and this is the only Gili Island where you can pay with a card instead of cash. Gili Air is the smallest Gili island, but also the most populated one. If you are looking for a real bounty island feeling you must visit Gili Meno. Gili Meno is the middle island, but it is the most quiet of the three islands. The most amazing thing about the Gili Islands is that there are no motorized vehicles. Everyone goes from one place to another by foot, with horse and carriage or by bike. You can get to the Gili Islands by boat.
Discover the reef
Indonesia has one of the most lively underwater worlds in the whole world. Because of its location near the Equator the water is tropically warm and it houses more than 600 kinds of coral and more than 3,000 species of fish, which makes it one of the most diverse reefs in the whole world. When you go diving in the sea around the Gili Islands you’ll swim among the sea turtles and the manta rays in Nusa Lembongan.
Hike around the volcanoes at sunrise
Indonesia had a lot of volcanoes, some are even still active! A must-see is the still active Bromo volcano. The view at sunrise is simply breathtaking. A hike to the Ijen volcano is also an experience that you can’t miss while in Indonesia. The Ijen volcano is the only volcano in the world where they collect brimstone. The heat of the brimstone creates a fluorescent light in the dark. Make sure you cover your nose and mouth while visiting the Ijen crater, because the sulfur gas around this crater is poisonous.
Visit temples
Indonesia has a lot of impressive Hindu and Buddhist temples, so when you visit Indonesia it is an absolute must that you visit at least one of these temples. Two of the most impressive temples in Indonesia are Borobudur and Prambanan. Of course there are many, many more amazing temples in Indonesia, but these two temples are especially impressive. Borobudur is the largest temple in Indonesia and is a Buddhist temple. The temple’s reliefs tell about Buddha and his beliefs and it was built with 55,000 m³ of stone. The relief carvings of Prambanan narrate stories of Vishnu’s incarnations, Hanuman the Monkey King, the Ramayana and other Hindu legends.
Surround yourself with monkeys
Indonesia houses various monkey forests, like the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal (near Ubud), the Alas Kedaton Monkey Forest (near Tabanan) and the Sangeh Monkey Forest (near Sangeh). These monkey forests are natural reserves, but also spiritual sanctuaries and houses of monkeys (of course). The monkeys that live here are Balinese long-tailed monkeys. These monkeys can be very bold and before you know it, there is one monkey on your shoulder and one monkey checking your bag. So be cautious of your stuff and don’t be surprised when you have suddenly got a monkey on your back.
These five things to do in Indonesia are just to name a few of the many things Indonesia has to offer. The country allows you to really explore nature and visit spiritual places that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.