Gili Trawangan

Gili Trawangan is the largest of three islands (Gili Islands) located in the northwest of Lombok. Trawangan is also the only dyke which height above sea level is significant. With a length of 3 km and width of 2 km. Gili Trawangan has facilities for tourists of the most diverse.

On Gili Trawangan, there were no motor vehicles. Commonly used means of transportation is bicycle. You can rent bicycles from the local community to the tourists and Cidomo (horse carriages which are common in Lombok).

Gili trawangan islands have superb feature, white sandy beaches in quieter settings, crystal clear water, spectacular coral reefs, unique culture and the best snorkeling and diving to be found in Lombok. Visitors from all over the world are attracted to the simple pleasures of sun, snorkeling, diving and beautiful beaches in Lombok, makes Lombok a perfect getaway for honeymooners, or vacation with families.

Gili Trawangan is also better known as "Party Island" because it is very suitable for those who want to throw a party at the time enjoying the holidays. The majority of resorts on the island, located east side.

Karimunjawa

Karimun Java is a coastal area which consists of 22 small islands, south of Java and island chain stretching in a northwesterly direction 83 km from Jepara, Central Java.

According to local stories, Karimun Java taken from the word "Kremun" meaning emerge and disappear (in Javanese). Sometimes visible, sometimes not.

According to another opinion, The name of Karimunjawa is taken from Javanese language 'Kremun saking tanah Jawi' addressed by one of Wali Songo (the Nine Saints who had introduced Islam in Java) to describe how far this mini archipelago from Java, to be exact from Semarang and Jepara.

The tribes lived in Karimunjawa are Java, Bugis Makassar, and Madura. Local community lived in Karimunjawa with their unique traditions and culture.

This mini archipelago became marine national park and it's very precise for those who love marine life. It can be seen from five species of flora ecosystem, those are; coral reef ecosystem, forest of mangrove, coastal forest, field-ponder and lowland forest. On the other side, there are many kinds of fauna, like long tail monkey, deer, and also aquatic fauna which is consisting of 242 decorative fish types and 133 kinds of aquatic biota.

For Souvenirs, in Karimunjawa you can find of souvenirs made by local society. Most of souvenirs are made from rareness wood, like Dewadaru wood, Setigi wood, and Kalimasada wood.

Derawan Island

Derawan Island is located in Derawan District, Berau regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Derawan Island is an island with sea-colored blue and green shades are stunning, soft sand, rows of coconut palms on the coast, with a small forest in the middle of the island that’s become the habitat of various species of plants, animals and natural beauty of the enchanting underwater. Make it as a dream island for divers.

To explore the island area you can use the shipor on foot. The Terrains at Derawan are varied-from walls and fringing reef to caverns. Big green turtles , whitetip leopard, napoleon wrasses, cuttle fish, spanish mackerel and batfishes, and ornamental reef fishes.

 

Many activities you can do here, especially for marine tourist activities such as snorkeling, fishing, diving, swimming and observe the big green turtles (chelonia mydas). You can also to dive with turtle on every dive at derawan, turtles are also found coming on land every night to procreate.

Weh

Weh Island is about 32 km from Banda Aceh, capital of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province. This Island mostly called as Sabang Island, is also known as the westernmost island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Around this island there are beaches with a natural charm that is so beautiful. Sabang (Weh Island) was a popular tourism destination in Indonesia.

Sabang is rich of events, attraction and unique cultures that it will fascinate anyone. Sabang is also rich in natural beauty, waves and sea garden, which is suitable for diving. Weh Island has the privilege of a variety tourist attraction to visit. There are Gapang beach and also Iboih beach. The green ocean color of Iboih featuring the beautiful scenery.

From Iboih beach will be obvious beauty panoramic of Rubiah Island which is about 150 meters. Rumbia Island most famous for its beautiful marine park. Rumbia Island is special because has a diversity of marine biota, such as plants, algae, coral reefs, fish, chicken feathers, and coconut crabs.

From some beaches on Weh Island, Gapang Beach is one of the beaches most visited by domestic tourist or foreign. Stretch of white sandy beaches that are still clean a typical of Gapang beach. From shore, try to feel the freshness of the sea breeze.

Bintan

Bintan is the largest island in the Riau Archipelago with 1,140 square kilometers of area, which comprises almost 3,000 large and small islands. The islands stretch from the Straits of Malacca all the way to the South China Sea. Bintan island has a population of about 200.000, and like the rest of Riau this is a true mix of cultures like Malay, Bugis, and Chinese. Bintan is very close to the equator and have a tropical climate throughout the year, with temperatures ranging from 21° to 32°.

Bintan Island nestled amidst mangrove swamps. Most of the tourism is concentrated on the north coast around Lagoi, while the east coast is still unspoiled and worth a visit. In a not so distant past Bintan was completely covered with tropical rain forest. This is now all gone, except a small forest that covers the highest mountain on the island, Bintan Besar.

Bintan Besar is the remnants of an old volcano, and at an elevation of 376 m, is the highest point on the Riau Archipelago. It is also the only place where one can get to see the vestiges of the tropical rain forests.

Tanjung Pinang is the main port town on the Island. The town of Tanjung Pinang is the capital of this province, located on the south western shore of Bintan. The town has a Museum located on Katamso Street, which is open to the public. Another popular tourist attraction here is the Sungai Ular (Snake River) Buddhist Temple, opposite the harbor in Tanjung Pinang and the most popular beach on the east coast of Bintan Island is the Trikora Beach. The sand is white, the water is spotless, and it is a great place to relax in

.

The Island is also a well-known with watersports, like snorkeling, diving, scuba-diving, fishing, and swimming. Bintan island has become a popular tourist destination due to its close vicinity to Singapore. Here we can get accommodation of all standards, and it is still possible to find a peaceful spot on Bintan far from other tourists.

Nias Island

Nias Island lies about 125 km of west Sumatra Island on the Indian Ocean. It is part of North Sumatra Province. The water surround the island is great for sea activities, such as surfing and scuba diving. The people also have curious culture, which will enrich visitor's heart. The island has some prehistoric remains, which built on megalithic Stone Age, and considered came from the oldest megalithic culture in Indonesia.

The local call their land as Tano Niha or "land of the People", while the people calls them selves as Ono Noha. Ethnically, the Niasers are involved in to the Ptoto-Malay ethnic who once ever get with the Asian Proto-mongoloid world. Niasers speak a kind of language related to Malagasy. Because of the similarity in languages, custom, body size of the Niasers with the Bataks on Sumatra mainland, it is possible that the Niasers have derived from the Bataks.

Surfers will call this island "Paradise on Earth". Together with its beautiful white sandy beach, Lagundri Bay challenge surfers with spectacular waves. In the high season, the waves told to be as high as 3.5 meters. The waves of Sorake Beach on Lagundri Bay have ranked to be within the best ten waves of the world. It is true if some surfers referred of Sorake Beach waves as "the most notorious right-band reef breaks". There are events held for surfers, including the World Professionals Qualifying Series. Surfers are better being ready when your heart cannot leave this island after a visit.

Enormous breakers pummel of Nias Island attracting the best surfers in the world to Lagundri Beach. The unforgiving power attacking the shore seems to have bred the same qualities in the people, whose militaristic culture has fascinated anthropologists for decades. This island lies off West Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. Bawomataluo and Hilisimae villages are curious places to visit, where visitors can see performances of traditional war dances and thrilling high- jump sports, i.e. people making dangerous leaps over 2 meter-high stones. Typical scenes are dancers clad in traditional costumes with bird feathers on their heads, a hall for the Chief-of Tribe built on wooden logs with stone chairs weighing up to 18 tons. There are daily flights from Medan to Nias Island.

To reach this place, there is weekly ship from Jakarta (the capital city of Indonesia) to Gunung Sitoli; There are Ferries from Sibolga to Gunung Sitoli, Teluk Dalam, or Lahewa every day; Before the crisis hit Indonesia, there is daily flight from Medan to Gunung Sitoli, however it is less frequent nowadays. Gunung Sitoli is the capital city of Nias and it is the center of administration and business affairs of regency. There are several travel agencies hotels, public busses and rental cars to support tourism here. There are also some government and private banks available.

Source : http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/north-sumatra/nias_island.html

Lombok Island

LOMBOK : BRIEF HISTORY

Lombok is noticeably different than its close neighbour, Bali. The northern part of the island is mountainous and lush with tall tress and shrubs. The south, on the other hand is arid and covered by savannas. Large Asian mammals are absent and replaced instead by marsupials, lizards, cockatoos and parrots. The difference becomes more pronounced as one moves further east, where dry seasons are more prolonged and corn and sago are the staple food, instead of rice.

At around the time Islam first came to these islands in the 16 th century, four Hindu Kingdoms co-existed in apparent peace in what is now West Nusa Tenggara. Lombok experienced strong Balinese influences, but has retained a unique identity. The indigenous people of Lombok, the Sasaks, are predominantly Moslem and have a strong, distinguished tradition, as do the people of neighbouring Sumbawa.

Soft, white sand, virgin beaches are typical in Lombok, where the motto is 'You can see Bali from Lombok, but not Lombok from Bali'. Famous for its ikat hand-woven textiles, the islands has exceptional charm and is relatively undiscovered, except for the town of Sengigi, which is becoming a major resort area.

Regular shuttle flights from Bali and Sumbawa as well as ferries, provide excellent transportation link between the island of the province as well as the rest of the country.

LOMBOK : PLACES OF INTEREST

Mataram dan Cakranegara

Mataram dan Cakranegara is the capital of the province, which has in the past decades joined with Ampenan, the port, and Cakranegara to become the province's biggest urban complex. At th beginning of the 18th century, Mataram was the residence of the crown prince of Karang Asem, a kingdom in southern Bali. The ruler had his seat in Cakranegara. The royal palace no longer exists, but many of the old temples and pleasure gardens are still there.

Narmada

Taman Narmada, 11 kilometers east of Mataram, was built in 1727 by King Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Karang Asem as both a pleasure garden and place to worship Shiva. Its big pool is said to represent Segara Anakan, the crater lake on the vulacano Rinjani, where they used to make offerings by throwing valuables into the water. As the king became too old to make the pilgrimage up the 3,726 meter high mountain, he had Narmada constructed to represent the mountain and the lake. Near the pond is a place of worship and a spring whose water is believed to give dedicated pilgrims eternal youth.

Pura Lingsar

This may be the only Hindu shrine in the world where both Hindus and Moslems come o worship. About 7 kilometers west Narmada, it was built in 1714 and rebuild in 1878 to symbolize harmony in unity between Hindu Balinese and Moslem Sasak population of the area, especially those who adhere to Lombok's unique Wektu Telu school of Islam. The Balinese temple is built on higher ground, behind the Moslem section of the compound. In the lower yard is a spring near which pilgrims stage a mock battle between Hindus and Moslems, hurling rice cakes at each other.

Pura Agung Gunung Sari

This great temple on a hill at Gunung Sari, about four kilometers from Mataram, was the site of the infamous Puputan battle, fought on November 22, 1894, between Lombok's last Balinese ruler, Anak Agung Nengah and followers, and the Dutch troops under General Van der Vetter's command.

Sengkol, Pujut and Rambitan

Time seems to have frozen in these three villages in southern Lombok on the road from the capital to Kuta Beach. All the houses and barn are built in the age-old traditional style, and life continues daily here as it has for centuries.

Sukarare

This is a village of traditional weavers south of Cakranegara, Lombok known for its brightly patterned songket cloth. The techniques, patterns and motifs have been handed down through the generations.

Batu Bolong Beach

Located 9 kilometers from downtown Mataram, this beach has a huge rock with a hole in it. A hindu temple lies on top overlooking the Lombok Strait to majestic Mount Agung Bali. After sunbathing, relaxing and flocking on this beautiful beach front, stay till the end of the day to watch one of the most stunning sunsets you have ever seen when the sun slowly begins to disappear behind Mount Agung.

Taman Mayura

The Taman Mayura Park as all that remains of the Karang Asem kingdom of Bali, whose king Anak Agung Ngurah, built it in 1744. In the middle of a large pond is a structure called Balai Kambang, which once functioned as a legal court of justice and a hall for important meetings. Curiously, its architecture shows both Hindu and Islamic influences, adorned with stone statue in the form of a Moslem hajji.

Pura Meru

Another relic of the Karang Asem kingdom is the Meru temple at Cakranegara, close to Mataram. The temple was built in 1790 as a symbol of Hindu unity on Lombok island. Several engaging structures are found in this complex.

Kuta Beach

Also known as Putri Nyale Beach, Kuta, on the south coast of central Lombok, is one of the most scenic and unspoiled beaches in this part of Indonesia. From Kuta to Tanjung Aan, 5 kilometers away, stretches an unbroken expanse of clean white sand lapped by waves of the Indian Ocean. Kuta is safe for bathing and swimming. Further to the west are surfer's and windsurfer's beaches. Each year, on 19th day of the tenth month of Sasak lunar calendar, Kuta Beach is the site of great festivities. Fisherman sail out to sea while young men and women gather along the beach to join in the merrymaking, tease each other and perhaps meet to build a more lasting relationship.

Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan

Gili, in Sasak means 'island'. These three are clustered together just off the northwest coast of Lombok. Coral gardens abound in clear waters around the islands. Gili Air, the nearest island, can be reached in 10 to 15 minutes by outrigger boat from Bangsal harbor, near Pamenang.

Sengigi Beach

Sengigi, north of Bangsal, is one of the most scenic and popular beaches on the island of Lombok. Excellent snorkeling and good accommodation facilities.

Mount Rinjani

Mount Rinjani, a 3,726 meter active volcano is one of the tallest mountains of Indonesia. In the basin of the volcano's huge caldera lies the sikleshapped crater lake, Segara Anakan, surrounded by steep walls. The mountain is popular with hikers. Sembalun Bumbung and Sembalun Lawang are to traditional Sasak villages on the slopes of Rinjani.

Source : http://baliwww.com/lombok/

Bali Island

Bali, a tropical island in the Indonesian archipelago, is so picturesque and immaculate it could almost be a painted backdrop. It has rice paddies tripping down hillsides like giant steps, volcanoes soaring up through the clouds, dense tropical jungle, long sandy beaches, warm blue water, crashing surf and friendly people who don't just have a culture but actually live it. In Bali spirits come out to play in the moonlight, every night is a festival and even a funeral is an opportunity to have a good time.

Bali Island, the perfect holiday destination for all ages offers something for everyone. This tropical paradise has a unique blend of modern tourist facilities combined with wonderful shopping and a rich past and heritage. The Balinese people are proud of having preserved their unique Hindu culture against the advance of Islam, the dominant religion throughout Indonesia. This is still reflected in day to day life and can be seen in the numerous ceremonies, Balinese festivals and magnificent temples and palaces. Some of the best surfing beaches in the world can be found on the western side of the island whilst conversely the eastern side is a wonderful haven for families, with beautiful white sand beaches and gentle seas.

Bali Island is a shopper's paradise particularly for casual and tailored clothing, locally made jewellery, handicrafts, antiques and artifacts. Leather ware is one of the unexpected local bargains with everything from handbags through to tailor made leather jackets and coats, all at unbelievable prices. In fact, prices are so inexpensive, you're sure to need more room in your suitcase! Try bargaining at the street markets of Kuta, Sanur of Nusa Dua or fixed price shopping at a Denpasar department store. Bali has it all.

For those that want to stay wet, Bali Island has world class scuba diving, snorkelling and wonderful day trips out to Nusa Penida for beach sports and coral viewing.

When the sun sets, the choices are still hard to make - a quiet romantic moon lit dinner or watch the spectacular Balinese Fire Dance or Kecak Dance. For those that want to party, Bali Island has it all with bars, discos and nightclubs.

As a truly international destination attracting visitors from all over the world, restaurants in Bali are extremely cosmopolitan yet inexpensive. Experience not only local delicacies like Nasi Goreng and Sate Campur but also Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese, Italian/European Greek, Moroccan and even Mexican cuisine. We must not forget Bali's wonderful seafood - local lobster at such prices that you will want to keep coming back for more.

For those more culturally inclined, Bali can offer the peace and tranquility of Ubud high in the hills; the spectacular Mother Temple at Besakih; the ancient capital of Bali, Singaraja and the floating palace at Ujung near the pretty beach area of Candi Dasa. The Scenery is nothing less than spectacular. Jungle, picturesque hillside rice terraces and the awesome magnificence of Kintamani Volcano.

The more active, wanting a break from the idyllic beaches, can experience wonderful golf courses in the mountains at Bedugul and beachside at Nusa Dua, the thrill of white water rafting or kayaking down the beautiful Ayung River; mountain cycling amid scenery you will never forget and organized rice paddy and jungle treks to see the side of Bali most tourists never encounter.

Bali Island, a truly international destination, offers every standard of accommodation ranging from charming yet modest bungalow style hotels in lush tropical gardens for the budget minded through to arguably amongst the most exclusive and sophisticated hotels in the world!

Source : http://www.all-bali.com/