Subscribe/unsubscribe to Newsletter

Submit your email address

Indonesia is the largest archipelago and the fourth most populous country in the world. Consisting of five main islands (Sumatra, Jawa, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua) with 33 provinces, 30 smaller archipelagos, it has a total of 17,508 islands of which about 6,000 are inhabited. It stretches 5,150 km between the Australian and Asian continental main-lands and divides the Pacific and Indian Oceans at the Equator.  

 

The name Indonesia is composed of two Greek words: "Indos" which means Indian and "nesos" meaning islands. The capital city of Indonesia is Jakarta.

 

 

Climatewise, Indonesia is distinctly tropical. The east monsoon from June to September brings dry weather while the west monsoon from December to March is moisture-laden bringing rain. The transitional period between these two are interposed by occasional rain-showers, but even in the midst of the west monsoon season, temperatures range from 21 degrees C (70 F) to 33 degrees C. (90 F) except at higher altitudes which are much cooler. Heaviest rainfalls are recorded in December and January. Humidity is between 60-100 %.

 

 

There are more 583 languages and dialects spoken in the archipelago.There normally belong to the 350 different ethnic groups of the population. Bahasa Indonesia is the national language, written in Roman script and based on European orthography. In all tourist destination areas English is the number one foreign languages fairly spoken and written.

A unique marine biodiversity hotspot, the Wallacea region with 28,000 flora species from tiny rare orchids to the giant Raflesia flower; 3,500 species of animals, including the endangered orang-utans of Sumatra and Borneo, the unique giant lizard of Komodo, the horned Java Rhinoceros and the last tigers of Sumatra.

The staple food of most of Indonesia is "nasi" (rice). On some of the island in eastern Indonesia, staple food traditionally ranged from corn, sago, cassava to sweet potatoes. Fish features prominently in the diet as fresh, salted, dried, smoked or a paste. Coconut is found everywhere and besides being produced for cooking oil, its milk - the juice from the white meat - is an ingredient for many dishes. Spices and hot chili Peppers are the essence of most cooking, and in some areas they are used generously such as in West Sumatra and North Sulawesi. Each province or area has its own cuisine, which vary in the method of cooking and ingredients.

The Javanese cuisine is probably more palatable to the general taste and consists of vegetables, soybeans, beef, chicken and other varieties. The Sumatrans generally eat more beef compared to the other regions. West Sumatra particularly is known for its Padang restaurants found nationwide.Beside the hot and spicy food, these restaurants are known for their unique style of service. Further to the east, seafood features on the daily diet, either grilled or made into curries.

In Bali, Papua and the highlands North Sumatra and North Sulawesi pork dishes are specialties. Pork is usually served in Chinese restaurants or non-moslem regions. There is a wide variety of tropical and sub-tropical fruits and vegetables all year round. Coffee and tea plantations are plentiful, growing on several islands, and served everywhere from fine restaurants to small village stalls. There are several breweries which produce local beer. Bali produces "brem" which is a rice wine, whereas Toraja has its "tuak" which is also known in North Sumatra. Most common nationwide are "sate" (skewered grilled meat), "gado-gado" (vegetable salad with a peanut sauce), "nasi goreng" (fried rice served at anytime) and "bakmi goreng" (fried noodles).

 

All travelers to Indonesia must be in possession of passport valid for at least six months from date of arrival and have proof (tickets) of onward or return passage. Immigration authority will provide Free Tourist Visas for a period of 30 days to national s from 11 countries only on the basis of reciprocity.

The countries are Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Chile, Morocco, Peru and Vietnam. Visa on Arrival (VOA) will be given to citi zens of Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America, Austria, Belgium, India, Ireland, Kuwait, Luxemburg, Maldives, Egypt, Oman, Portuguese, Qatar, The Peo-ple of Republic China, Russian, Saudi Ara-bian, Spain, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece , Iran, Iceland, Laos PDR, Liechtenstein, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Nederland, Suriname, Sweden, Aljazair, Czechoslovakia, Fiji, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Panama, Slovakia, Slovenia, Rumania, Tunisia.

Visa on arrival is valid for 30 days and maybe extended under the permission of Indonesia is conditions as follows, the natural disaster happens in the place that is visiting by the tourist. And if, the tourist is sick or got an accident during other visiting. Other nationals must apply for visa at Indonesia Embassies or Consulates in their home country. In addition, the visa cannot be replaced with any other of immigration letters. Some conditions apply; please visit www.indonesia.com for further information. Entry ports where visa-on-arrival may be issued are the Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta, Ngurah Rai airport in Bali, Sultan Syarif Hasim airport in Pekanbaru, Tabing airport in Padang, Juanda airport of Surabaya and the Sam Ratulangi airport in Manado. While authorized seaports are Batam, the Sekupang, Batuampar, Nongsa, Marina, Teluk Senimba, Bandar Brintan, Talani Lagoi and Bandar Sri Udana Labon in the Riau archipelago, Sri Bintan Pura in Tanjung Pinang, Belawan port and Sibolga in North Sumatra, Yos Sudarso Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, Teluk Bayur of Padang, Tanjung Priok at Jakarta, Padang Bai and Benoa in Bali, the port of Jayapura, Bitung, Tanjung Balai Karimun, Tanjung Mas in Central Java, Tenua and Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara, Pare-Pare and Soekarno Hatta port in South Sulawesi.

Garuda Indonesia's flagship airline serves to all major cities in Indonesia. They fly only jets and mainly wide-bodies. Many airlines serve domestic routes. PELNI(The National Passenger Line) crisscrossing the archipelago on fixed schedule. Main ticketing sales office is in Jl. Angkasa 18 Kemayoran Phone. (021) 4211921. Train travel across Java and Sumatra can be faster & cheapest Land transportation.

Taxi fares in Jakarta are metered and will cost between Rp 100,000 to Rp 150,000 to the downtown area of the city where most large hotels are located. The air conditioned airport bus service, DAMRI is approximately Rp 25,000 to any of the five city zones. Limousine services are provided by some of the leading hotels in the city. Faster and comfortable in Jakarta is Trans Jakarta bus service Rp 5,000 one way. At all major airport terminals, inquires about local transportation should be directed to the information counter.

An airport tax Rp 150,000 is imposed by the airport for travelers on international routes and Rp 40,000 for those on domestic routes. It may vary in different airports especially for Domestic Flights

At most hotels and restaurants service charge 21% tax and service is added to the bill. An airport or hotel porter expects Rp 10,000 per bag. Taxi drivers will round up to the nearest Rp 1000 or Rp 5,000. Leaving the change is appreciated but not mandatory. It is advisable to carry small change as taxi drives are often short of change.

In order to keep up with the growing number of visitors and the need for their comfort, more hotels all over Indonesia have been built, ranging from small bungalows for budget travelers to the luxurious tourist resort area. Telephone Dial 62 from outside Indonesia, then the city code and telephone number. Within Indonesia, the city code must be preceded by a zero (0) from most phones. To dial an international calls press 001 or 008 or find an International Direct Dial (IDD) in hotels or private telephone service (Wartel). For operator assistance dial 101 or 104. For general information in a province inside the country please dial (code area + 008) or dial 003 for time information.

Information dial 108
Police dial 112
Ambulance dial 118
Fire Department dial 113

Additional security office have been deployed and metal detectors have been installed in most public area to ensure the safety of all visitors.

Government offices open from 8.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. from Monday to Friday in Jakarta and close on Saturday and Sunday. In the provinces they close at 3.00 p.m. and open on Saturday till 1.00 p.m. Business offices have staggered hours. Banks are open from either 8.00 or 8.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. Banks in hotels stay open longer hours, and mo ney changers till the evening. Shopping centers open from 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. everyday. In smaller towns, shops close for a siesta at 1 pm until 3 pm. Bargaining might be necessary especially in tourist area. A general rule of thumb is to aim for half the asking prices by opening with an offer lower than that but many sellers will my come down by 20%.

Rupiah (Rp) Bank Notes IDR: 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000. Coins IDR: 25, 50, 100, 500, 1000
US dollars and other major currencies in banknotes or travelers cheque are easily exchangeable in banks or at authorised money changers in main tourist destinations.

Western Indonesia GMT+7 (Sumatra & Java)

Central Indonesia GMT+8 (Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali & Nusa Tenggara)

Eastern Indonesia GMT+9 (Maluku & Papua)

It is inappropriate to use the left hand to eat or to give or receive anything.

Dress is normally casual and light clothing is advisable due to the hot, humid climate. Trousers or slacks and shirts are generally considered appropriate but a jacket and tie are required for formal occasions or when making official calls. For certain formal occasion's long sleeved batik shirts are acceptable.For travel to mountain areas, a light sweater or jacket is recommended.

Power supply is usually 220 volts/50 cycles in the big cities, but 110 volts is still used in some region. Normal outlets are plugs with two rounded prongs. It is advisable to check before using your appliances.

Customs allow on entry a maximum of one litre of alcoholic beverages, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars of 100 grams of tobacco and a reasonable amount of perfume per adult. Cameras, video cameras, portable radios, cassette recorders, binoculars and sport equipment are admitted provided they are taken out on departure. They must be declared to Customs. Prohibited are firearms, narcotics drugs, pornography, Chinese printing and medicines, transceivers and cordless telephones, films pre-recorded video tapes and laser disks must be screened by the Censor Board. There is no restriction on import or export of foreign currencies and travelers cheques, however, the import and export of Indonesian currency exceeding Rp. 100 million rupiahs is prohibited.