Indonesia: The Rough Guide (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Published in Rough Guides1 striking new design this edition includes a full-colour section at
the front of the guide featuring the authors1 selected highlights of the
country. Throughout there1s in-depth coverage of all the sights from Bali1s
stunning white beaches and temples to the enigmatic ruins of Java and the
jungles of Sumatra. There are first-hand recommendations of the best places
to surf, dive and trek and comprehensive listings of the best-value
accommodation and eateries for all budgets. A detailed contexts section
provides the reader with informed background on Indonesia1s history,
religions and music. The latest security information is included throughout.

Java, with the country's largest cities, industries and highest concentration of people - over sixty percent of the population live here - is the epicentre of modern Indonesia, but also a place of great beauty, its lush volcanic landscape harbouring stately old settlements and splendid temples. Towards the western end of the island is Jakarta, the country's capital and the home of over ten million of its people. Overgrown, inefficient and polluted, it does, though, contain some of Indonesia's finest museums - including the massive and comprehensive National Museum - as well as a delightful colonial quarter. Outside Jakarta, West Java features upmarket beach resorts giving access to the infamous Krakatau volcano; rolling tea plantations around the Puncak Pass; the cultural centre of Bandung, where dramatic ram fights take place to the sound of Sundanese flutes and drums; and the popular coastal haven of Pangandaran. Moving across the island, Central Java is the heartland of ethnic Javanese art, education and language. Surakarta and Yogyakarta (more often known as Solo and Yogya) are the ancient capital cities of Central Java's royal families - both fabulously evocative, and steeped in a refined and elaborate culture. The province also boasts the finest classical ruins in the archipelago, from the huge Borobodur (Buddhist) and Prambanan (Hindu) temples, to the enigmatic ruins of the Dieng plateau. Most tourists head to East Java for the awesome volcanic scenery around smoking Gunung Bromo, while the marvellous rolling uplands of the Ijen Plateau and the idiosyncratic backwater of Pulau Madura are luring increasing numbers of visitors. Whilst nothing could entice most people to the monster metropolis of Surabaya, the nearby university city of Malang is a cool, attractive alternative for exploring the area.

The sixth largest island in the world, over 1800km long, Sumatra has everything in abundance and nothing in miniature: its mountain ranges, lakes and national parks are vast, its cities overwhelming, its roads long and arduous, and it even plays host to a couple of the largest flowers in the world. While there is little appeal to Medan, the main city of the island, the rest of the province of North Sumatra is becoming a poplar tourist destination, thanks to attractions such as the wonderful orang-utan sanctuary at Bukit Lawang, the resorts of Danau Toba (home to the Toba Batak people, whose reputation for aggression and occasional cannibalism kept explorers at bay for centuries), the surfers' mecca of Nias and the chilly little hill resort of Berastagi. Aceh, the fiercely Islamic (by Indonesian standards) autonomous province to the north, features the Gunung Leuser national park - the largest park in Southeast Asia, with such exotic inhabitants as the clouded leopard, marbled cat and sun bear - and a number of exquisite paradise islands, including Pulau Weh, the northernmost island in Indonesia. Further south, the area around Bukittinggi is best known as the homeland of the Minangkabau people, with their distinctive matrilineal culture, flamboyant architecture and dances, colourful costume and unique cuisine. Danau Maninjau is developing as a laid-back resort, and many people use the west coast port of Padang as a jumping-off point to the richly forested Mentawai Islands, where the inhabitants still maintain their subsistence economy, living in communal longhouses in intimate harmony with the natural world. However, many travellers hurtle through the southern half of Sumatra in their headlong rush to Yogyakarta, and miss the highlights of the Kerinci-Seblat national park, with Sumatra's highest mountain and brilliant trekking; the strange megaliths of the upland Pagaralam area; the remote and idyllic coast around Krui; and the mountains of the South Bukit Barisan national park, which shelter rhinos and tigers - although a few visitors do make it to the remarkable elephant training school in the Way Kambas national park. Over to the east of Sumatra, the extensive, scattered Riau Islands are an economical route into Indonesia from Singapore and, for adventurers with time to spare, the lovely Lingga Islands to the south are attractive possibilities, as are sleepy, undeveloped Pulau Bangka and Pulau Belitung, off the southeast coast.

Just east of Java, the Hindu island of Bali, the longtime jewel in the crown of Indonesian tourism, continues to draw over a million visitors each year to its shores. While some of the island is undeniably concrete jungle, its appeal is still very evident - in pristine beaches, elegant temples studding the fabulous verdant landscape of the interior, and some of the loveliest hotels in Indonesia. Bali has facilities for every pocket, plus beautiful art, dance, music and textiles and colourful religious festivals. The most popular areas are the hectic and happening coastal resorts of Kuta and Legian in the south, Lovina in the north, where you can snorkel, dive and dolphin-watch from the black-sand beach, and the cultural centre of Ubud, where painting, carving, dancing and music-making is the lifeblood of the area. Further afield, the central volcanoes provide great hiking away from the crowds, whilst the main temple and spiritual heart of the island, Besakih, is firmly on the tourist trail but dramatically located on the slopes of Gunung Agung, Bali's highest mountain.

The up-and-coming region for visitors are the arcs of islands which comprise Nusa Tenggara. The beautiful beaches and temples of Lombok have provided an overflow for Bali for over a decade, but visitors who brave an erratic ferry service are discovering the delights of remote and intriguing islands such as divided Timor, and Sumba, where intricate fabrics are produced and grand funeral ceremonies punctuate the religious calendar. Nusa Tenggara's main attraction is its immense variety: neighbouring islands can be as different as if they were on separate continents. Star attractions, in addition to great surfing, include the coloured crater lakes of Keli Mutu on Flores and the world's largest lizards - Komodo dragons. However, Nusa Tenggara's most lasting impression comes from the traditional animist lifestyles of its peoples, and festivals such as the pasola, where hundreds of brightly dressed horsemen attack each other with spears in a wild and exuberant ritual battle.

Kalimantan is Indonesia's lion share of the island of Borneo, and, though the romance associated with the name is often confounded by the effects of natural and man-made calamities, there are still some wild corners left to explore. The pick of these are at Tanjung Puting, a southwestern fragment of protected riverine forest offering guaranteed close contact with orang-utans; the Bentuang Karimun national park on the border with Sarawak, where a vast area of rainforest remains virtually untouched; the Gunung Palung Reserve, home to a large population of proboscis monkeys; and - much harder to reach - traditional Dayak villages in Kalimantan's unspoilt central mountains and jungles. There's also the chance to make some monumental river journeys by following either the western Kapuas or eastern Mahakam upstream to the centre of the island, where the truly hardy can hike between the sources and follow the opposite flow down to the far coast. Kalimantan's cities are generally functional, purpose-built places, though the Muslim port of Banjarmasin, complete with floating markets and nearby diamond mines, has at least some character.

The geography of Sulawesi has divided the island into three areas which, despite recent road-building, remain distinct. The southern third is split between the coastal Bugis - famous seafarers and infamous pirates, with a lively history and excellent shipbuilding skills - and highland Torajans, one of Indonesia's most self-confident and outgoing ethnic groups. Central Sulawesi's attractions range from the easy scenery of the Togian...