Weh Island : The Most Western of Indonesia

Weh Island, on the northwestern of Sumatra Island It is a small volcanic island in Andaman Sea which was formed by separating from Sumatra after the last time volcano eruption in the Pleistocene era. Around Weh Island, there are several small islands, such as Rubiah Island, Seulako Island and Klah Island.

Weh Island is the most western island of Indonesia. That’s why, in its largest city, Sabang, there is the Sabang-Merauke Monument which has twins in Merauke, Papua. Both monuments build as a symbol of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia from west at Sabang (Aceh ) to east at  Merauke (Papua). In the north of the island, there is also the monument of 0 Km of Indonesia.

Island of Weh has a beautiful nature. The west side of Weh Island, there is a Forest Reserve and Marine Reserve. On the island of Weh, there are also many attractions, like Pantai Kasih (Love Beach), Pantai Sumur Tiga (ThreeWells Beach), Pantai Tapak Gajah (Tread Elephant Coast), Pantai Ujung Kareung (Reef Tip Beach) and Beach of Gapang. As a volcanic island, Pulau Weh also has hot springs, small volcano, and hot mud pools.

On the island of Weh, there are also waterfalls and Lake Aneuk Lot that not far from the town of Sabang. But the famous of island of Weh is its sea and beaches that are very excellent for snorkeling and diving.

Waters of  Weh Island has wealth of very fascinating marine and is one of the best dive sites in Indonesia. There are at least 19 point dive in the waters of Weh Island. The most famous is Rubiah Marine Park, located east of the Rubiah Island. 

Rubiah Marine Park located on the west of Sabang, about 23.5 km by road or about 7 km by sea, adjacent to the village of Iboih. Government of Indonesia set the waters around Rubiah Island (about 2.600 acres) as nature reserves. In this most famous dive site of Weh Island, you will find calm and clear seawaters. Moreover, a variety of tropical fish and colorful coral reefs, are also ready to welcome you to enjoy the beauty of Rubiah Marine Park. Gigantic clams, angel fish, school of parrot fish, lion fish, sea fans, and much more, are also waiting for you in this dive site of Weh Island. Also find the honeycomb morays, octopus and stingrays.

The wrecks of "Sophie Rickmers" is also an interesting dive site in Weh Island. Sophie Rickmers was a steam cargo ship made ​​in Germany in 1920, that the Dutch seized it on May 10, 1940 in the waters of Weh island. But then on that very day, the crews of  Sophie Rickmer sunk their own ship. Currently the boat 134 m long, covered by corals and bocome the home to giant groupers, giant morays and giant travellies.

In the south of Weh island, there is a dive site, Batee Meuduro. The distance is quite far away and isolated from other dive sites in Weh Island. But many divers said that Batee Meuduro is a top diving spot in Pulau Weh. Its shallow beach is covered by large table coral that becomes the home to lobsters, reef fishes and the baby sharks. At this top dive sites in Weh Island, you can encountered a lot of tunas, mackerels, barracudas, napoleon wrasse, manta rays and various of sharks.

Rubiah Marine Park, Sophie Rickmers ‘ wreck and Batee Meuduro are just 3 beautiful dive sites in Weh Island . There are still many more beautiful diving sites in Weh Island like Batee Dua Gapang, Batee Meuroron, Rubiah Utara (North Rubiah), Pantee Ideu, Batee Gla, Pantee Aneuk, Seuke or 'The Canyon', Pantee Peunateung, Sumur Tiga (Three Wells), Anoi Hitam and many more other dive sites.

How to reach Weh island ? You can use the ferry from the Malahayati harbour in Banda Aceh headed to Port Balohan in Weh Island (about 2 hours). From Balohan,  minibuses and taxis are available to take you to Sabang, the capital of Weh island.

In Weh Island, there is not any classified hotels, but Inns (locals called "losmen"). Although only inns,  they are always ready to serve you with good service and hopitality. The facilities are quite simple and adequate; the rooms have baths and some have fans and air conditioning. The losmens are also ready to serve you a  good meal. Want to try different culinary ? you can go to the numerous food stalls in the town of Sabang.

Have a nice vacation in island of Weh .. :>)

Bali – Indonesia

Bali is a tropical island on Indonesian archipelago. Lies between Java to the west and Lombok island in the east. It is often referred to as paradise island and correctly so.

With sandy beaches and pounding surf, tropical jungles and exotic wildlife, green hills and yellow paddy terraces, active volcanoes and mystical mist, religious life and solemn ceremony, daily life and culture, Bali has been the favorite destination for locals and international tourists for ages.

Bali is fulfilled with magnificent beaches, breathtaking sceneries, marvellous trinkets and interesting culture. It is an ideal destination for those who want to escape from daily activities, enjoy a honeymoon, or even, have a great time with family and friends.

Beside sightseeing, Bali also provides a lot of fun and activities for tourists, such as snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, hiking, and golf.

The most crowded resort in Bali is in the southern of the island. And the most famous tourist destination is Kuta. Kuta is a beach with eight kilometers golden sand and has lot of nice accommodation and best shopping and lively nightlife. The waves are good enough for surfing. Not far to the north, that's Seminyak Beach. Seminyak beach is quieter than Kuta, so it felt more peaceful.

Sanur Beach is also a well-known tourist destination. It is quiter than Kuta. The waves were pretty quiet, then Sanur beach can not be used to surf. But not far off Sanur Beach, there are some diving and snorkelling locations with friendly conditions, so they can be used by divers of all levels of expertise. The opposite of Kuta which is known as Sunset Beach, Sanur is known as the Sunrise Beach.

And in the northern of Bali, there is Lovina Beach which is not far from city of Singaraja. Lovina is a beautiful beach and full of peace. If you are lucky, you will see the dolphins swimming not far from the beach.

For the surf-lovers, there are plenty great sites for surfing in Bali, especially along Bali’s southwest coast and peninsula. Amed, Balangan, Canggu, Dreamland, Jimbaran, Keramas, Kuta, Legian, Padang-Padang, Seminyak, Tanah Lot and Uluwatu, are just some of the surf spots in Bali. There are other surf spots with each level of difficulty and uniqueness.

Bali also has beautiful underwater world. For the lovers of diving and snorkeling, the diving places like, Secret Bay, Menjangan Island, Tulamben, Amed, Padang Bai, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Manta Point in Nusa Penida, will provide exceptional diving sensation for them. Besides these places, there are many others diving spots in Bali.

For those who like climbing a mountain, then the mountain Batur is the most popular choice for climbers. In addition, there are Mount Agung that you have to be really fit if you want to climb it.

Bali’s major cultural destination is Ubud. Here, traditional dances are staged every night and lot of organic cafés and arts-and-crafts galleries along the streets are decorated with beautiful ethnic ornaments.

And for shopping lovers .. well, you can find a lot of shopping centers in Bali. Art market and art galleries are very easy to find. They provide a wide range of souvenirs and clothing. You can also find art galleries that sell a variety of gold and silver jewelry with high quality art. A tip for shopping, you should be able to bargain for a fair price.

Nusa Tenggara Islands – Indonesia

Nusa Tenggara Islands stretches to the east, from the island of Bali up to the north of Australia. Comprises more than 2000 islands and is divided into two provinces, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara.

There are some fairly large islands like Lombok and Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara and the island of Sumba, Flores and Timor in East Nusa Tenggara. The rest are small islands scattered among the major islands.

Maybe the strands of Nusa Tenggara Islands are the most diverse and very interesting to be explored from this country, Indonesia. Starting from the diversity of religions in which the island of Bali is dominated by the Hindu, then Islam in Lombok and Sumbawa and Flores with the majority of Catholics, and Timor, Alor and Solor with the Protestant as majority. And there are also tribes that still hold animistic rituals and traditions of their tribe. And all living side by side in peace and kinship.

So does with language, which almost every island has a native language. And usually it was still divided into several dialects. However, they have a unifying language is Indonesian.

In addition, Nusa Tenggara also displays natural variation which is quite interesting. From the slopes of a volcano that green and fertile rice fields on the island of Lombok to the dry and arid hills on the island of Sumba and Komodo.

Nusa Tenggara Islands have many attractive tourism spots. Say that you are a diving lover, then the waters of three “Gili” in the northwest of Lombok will present spectaculer diving spot for you. In addition, there are also very exotic  diving spots that scattered on the island of Alor, Komodo, Moyo and other else.

For the lovers of surfing, then do not worry because of the south coasts of the islands have good waves for surfing. Pantai Kuta and Senggigi beach in Lombok, Nihiwatu Beach in Sumba, Nemberalla Beach in Rote are just few of the beaches that will challenge the surfers to play with its waves.

And for the explorers, you can climb the third highest mountain in Indonesia, Mount Rinjani in Lombok Island. You can enjoy the beautiful and peaceful atmosphere at Segara Anak, a lake not far from the crater of Mount Rinjani. Or you can climb Mount Kelimutu on Flores Island. At the peak you will
find 3 different colored crater lake, also known as Lake Thr
ee Colors.

There are many other attraction of Nusa Tenggara as traditional whaling in Lamalera, a giant prehistoric lizards - the Komodo dragon and "Homo floresiensis" the dwarf and known as "The Hobbit" would be very interesting for those lovers of archeology and paleontology.

Nusa Tenggara islands will provide something new to you.

Maluku Islands – Indonesia

Maluku Islands, also known as Mollucas or Molluken, an archipelago that lies between Sulawesi Island and Papua Island. Consists of approximately 2896 large and small islands and 2030 of them have not been named and there are hundreds of uninhabited islands. Administratively, the island is divided into two provinces, North Maluku and Maluku.

Maluku Islands is endowed with the richness of spices. In the past, Europeans recognized Maluku Islands as “Spices Islands”. And this was the main cause for Europeans to come and to dominate this area. Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and English competed to monopolize the spices trade from these islands. Later, Japanese occupied this islands during World War II.

The relics of the colonial primarily is fortress. There are so many fortress which had been established in the islands. Even some islands have more than one fortress, like the island of Neira.  There are 2 famous fortress, Fort Belgica and Fort Nassau. Fort Nassau was built in 1609 and Fort Belgica in 1611. Both were built by the VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie / East Indies Trading Company) to control the trade of spices, especially nutmeg, in Neira Island. In addition, as a defense against local communities who oppose the monopoly of the spice trade.

There is also a Fort Victoria in the city of Ambon and Fort Amsterdam is located 42 km from the city of Ambon.

Almost all of the VOC fortress came from the fortress of the Portuguese or the Spanish who then expanded and reinforced by the VOC. And its function is to control the spice trade and defense against local communities who oppose the monopoly of the spice trade .

In addition, there are also many heritage buildings from the empire that once ruled in the Maluku islands, such as Ternate Sultanate, Tidore Sultanate and Bacan Sultanate.

Each still has the sultan and the palace that stands today. However, the function of the current sultan is the successor of the sultanate culture and they do not have any more political power because they are now incorporated in Indonesia Repubilk.

Therefore, sometimes they do not live in his kingdom, for example, the 21th Sultan of Bacan is a computer specialist who lives in Ohio, USA. Actually, there are still Sultanate Jailolo, however its history is still in traced.

Nowadays, the rest of their heritages, especially fortresses dan palaces,  become a wealth of history in the Maluku Islands.

Maluku is also endowed with beautiful nature. There are many islands that have beautiful beaches. In addition, there are many fascinating underwater world and become a popular dive site.

Ora Beach on the Island of Seram, Central Maluku, is one of the beaches that worth to visit. There is a resort that provides 6 wooden cottage with a thatched roof. The  background is the hills of the National Park Manusela. Imagine, a combination of wooden cottages on the clear turquoise waters and green hills of Manusela that makes Ora Beach scenery is so fantastic. Also the underwater world so fascinating and a good dive sites.

Ora beach is just one of the beautiful beaches in the Maluku Islands. There are many more beautiful beaches are stunning.

If you love the history of World War II, then visit the Island of Morotai. Morotai is an island that became the basis for the Japanese Army's defense against the Allied attack. Then, after the Japanese left the island, the Supreme Commander for the West Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur, find that the island is very strategic to be a military base to reclaim the Philippines from the Japanese.

So then, there were  built several airfields and a large hospital with a capacity of 1900 beds. There is also a naval base. At some point, Morotai became the basis for the 60,000 allied troops.

Today, the remains of military bases that can still be found even though most of them have been damaged and destroyed.

In 1974, an ex Japanese Army of World War II, called Teruo Nakamura,  was found still hiding in the forest Morotai. He does not know that the war ended a long time ago.

Maluku Island has been granted with natural beauty, both above as below the sea and of course, this islands attracts divers, sailors and cruise ships from around the world. People say that its beauty can only be matched by Raja Ampat, Papua, which also has an ultimate underwater adventures.

One of the most popular destinations for divers is Banda Islands. Divers, both experts and beginner, will find an amazing diving experinces here. This diving spots have vary the shallow lagoon between Bandaneira and Gunung Api, to the vertical walls of Hatta Island. And some of the globe's most pristine, biologically diverse coral reefs also can be found here.
Besides banda islands, and the islands of Ambon Islands Saparua also has several dive sites with a high rating. You will find everything from sharks, large turtles, schools of Napoleon Wrasse, giant groupers, dogtooth tuna, rays mobula, redtooth triggerfish, various species of whales, spinner dolphins, large lobsters and also endemic Ambon scorpionfish.

Come to Maluku Islands, the best kept secret in Eastern Indonesia.

Bangka - Belitung and Riau Islands – Indonesia

On the east coast of Sumatra, there are thousands of large and small islands. Two of the largest is the island of Bangka and Belitung. In the past, both of them are part of South Sumatra Province. However, in 2000, they became the new provinces namely, Bangka-Belitung province.

Other islands which are smaller, formerly part of the province of Riau. And in 2002 became the Province of Riau Islands.

Since the Dutch colonial era, Bangka and Belitung was famous for their mining products, such as granite, quartz, kaolin, bauxite and especially tin, both black and white. And nowadays,  Bangka-Belitung become more popular for their natural beauty, especially  the beaches.

One of the very popular tourist destination is Island of Lengkuas. It is one of hundreds of small islands in the waters of the Island of Belitung. Its main attraction is an old lighthouse which was built by the Dutch Colonial Government in 1882 and is still in use today.

Its beauty beaches are decorated by many unique granite, white sand and clear sea water.

The island is quite clean as uninhabited, except for the lighthouse attendant. And can be visited within 45 minutes boating from Tanjung Binga in Belitung Island. Few tips, prepare enough food and drinks for the trip.

There's more beauty beaches, Beach of Parai Tenggiri and Matras Beach. Both of them are on the Island of Bangka and are favorite tourist destination. Matras Beach is a beautiful beach with fine white sand. While on the Parai Tenggiri Beach, its white sand beach adorned by many large natural granite stone with varying shapes .

Riau Archipelago is blessed with a lot of potential attractions, beautiful beaches and cultural attractions. Consisting of 2048 islands, of which 40% of them have not been named and uninhabited. 95% of its territory (about 251.810,71 km²) is the sea and only 5% of which is land.

The capital is Tanjung Pinang which is located on Bintan Island, the largest island in this archipelago. In the past, this city was the capital of the Sultanate of Malacca and later the Sultanate of Johor. It is currently one of Indonesia's economic development area

With thousands of islands, Riau Islands has a lot of natural beautiful beaches and diving spots, such as  Trikora Beach, on the east side of Bintan Island, about 50 miles south of Tanjung Pinang. Also there is Pasir Panjang, on the north side of Island of Rupat. Natural and beautiful beaches can also be found on Terkulai Island, north-west of Tanjung Pinang and Soreh Island, south-west of Tanjung Pinang, each about 1 hour boating.

One of the beach which is also popular is Nongsa in Batam Island. Here,  a number of resorts and golf courses of international standards are ready for domestic and international travelers. From here, we can also see the night sky with light in Singapore. It’s so romantic..

Batam city is also one of the icons of tourism in the Riau Islands. Lots of tourists, especially from Singapore, come here for a vacation with family. The distance is only 20 km or 20 minutes away by ferry from Singapore, making it a favorite place for a vacation destination. In addition, duty-free shops and a variety of seafood, the main attraction that makes travelers want to go back to Batam.

And if you are history lovers, then you can come to Penyengat Island. The island is small with a size of 2500m x 750m. And tourists can get around the island in just a short walk away. However, although only a small island, the island of Penyengat is a place that has a lot of history.Formerly, this island named Island of Penyengat Inderapura and was the capital of Sultanate of Johor-Riau in 18th century. That is why, you will find many old buildings, which is a relic of the Johor-Riau Sultanate, such as the Great Mosque Sultan Riau, the Sultan and his family cemetery, Sultanate Palace, Fortress and many more. Today, the island of Penyengat is proposed to UNESCO as World Heritage Site.

Papua Island, Indonesia

Irian island, shaped like a bird. That's what mom taught me when I was a kid. Island of Papua, formerly known as Irian Island, is the second largest island in the world. The island is controlled by the two countries, on the west by the Republic of Indonesia and on the east by Papua New Guinea.
In the territory of the Republic of Indonesia, Papua Island was divided into two provinces, Province of Papua with Jayapura as capital and Province of West Papua with Manokwari as capital.

In the south of the island (territory of Indonesia),  there is Merauke, the most eastern city in Indonesia and directly adjacent to Papua New Guinea. This is the opposite of Sabang on Weh Island, Aceh, which is the most western city in Indonesia. At District Sota, east of the town of Merauke, there is a monument that is the twin of the monument located in Sabang, Sabang-Merauke Monument. This monument was built as a symbol of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia from Sabang (Aceh) to Merauke (Papua).

Exotic but mysterious, that's a glimpse of the island of Papua. The island has lots of beauty. Dense forests, swamps, large rivers and high mountains, dominated much of the surface of the island of Papua. Beautiful beaches, clear sea water and amazing underwater world also encountered a lot in there.
All combined with the exoticism of a variety of animals and plants, as well as indigenous and and their culture.
If you are traveling to Papua Island, then certainly lots of new, unique, exotic and unforgettable experiences, will be a wonderful memory for you.

A unique phenomenon in this island. Papua island, which is located on the equator, has mountains with snowy peaks. This is because the height of these mountains ranges over 4000m above sea level. Puncak Jaya is the highest mountain. In 1936, an estimated altitude 5030m but currently only 4884m. Unfortunately, the snowy peaks that are the legacy of the world, slowly begin to disappear because of global warming.
Climb the mountains will provide a very challenging experience, it is necessary special preparation and approval of the authorities.
Additionally, this mountain is very interesting for researchers of geology, because at an altitude of 4800 m above sea level, can be found fossils of marine animals, such as shellfish. Research shows that millions of years ago, the mountains located on the seabed.

If you are lovers of diving, the dive sites on the island of Papua will certainly make you stunned and amazed. This may occur because the waters of New Guinea still be said to be pure and clean, so that the sea creatures and coral reefs can live and thrive.
The most famous is the Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua.The waters of Raja Ampat is an underwater paradise that has 75% of coral species in the world, 1427 species of reef fish, 700 species of molluscs, 540 species of hard corals and there are also 15 species of endemic fish. An amazing diversity, isn’t it? Besides Raja Ampat Islands, Bay of Cendrewasih, Biak Island and Bay of Triton are also famous for their beautiful underwater world.

On the island of Papua, there are also the largest National Park in South East Asia, the Lorentz National Park, which covers more than 9.652 square miles. Lorentz National Park is also famous because it is representative of the complete ecosystem for biodiversity in the Asia Pacific region and also one of the three regions of the world that have glaciers in the tropics.

Its territory stretched from the top of a snowy mountain (5,030m asl) to the coastal waters with mangrove forests and borders the Arafura Sea waters and has an amazing ecological spectrum, from the area of alpine vegetation, sub-alpine, montane, sub-montane, lowland , and wetlands.
The National Park is also home to 630 species of birds (± 70% of the bird in Papua) and 123 species of mammals.
Lorentz National Park also has an amazing cultural diversity. The Tribe of Nduga, Dani Barat, Amungme, Sempan and Asmat are the native of this area. Their cultures were estimated to be 30,000 years old.
There's even a possibility that there's more people living in the remote wilderness that has not made contact with modern humans.

Papua, an island that offers richness and stunning natural beauty. It is suitable for those who love nature and adventure. Despite the simplicity, but the comfort of your vacation remains a major thing for the perpetrators of tourism on Papua Island. Enjoy Papua ..