Introduction
Travel to Indonesia and discover a vast, scattered archipelago that offers a stunning cultural and natural diversity perhaps unmatched elsewhere on the planet. Fearsome dragons roam the island of Komodo. The warm turquoise waters of the Flores Sea teem with coral. The massive Buddhist monument at Borobudur towers in commanding stillness above the lowland plains.

Indonesia is vast: Over 13,000 islands stretch 3,100 miles across the equator. Mountains tower to 16,000 feet. The Indonesians themselves describe their land best: Tanah Air Kata (“Our Earth And Water”).

Indonesia is diverse: One-fifth of the world’s animal and plant species are found here. Tropical rain forests in the north abound with birds, monkeys, and thousands of different flowering plants.

Indonesia is a cultural crossroads: Seafaring nations have visited here throughout the ages. Over 300 ethnic groups call Indonesia home, but speak over 250 different languages.

From the gleaming skyscrapers of Jakarta to the hunter-gatherer tribes of Irian Jaya, travelers explore a living timeline of human history. Small-ship travel to Indonesia is an ideal way to see this beautiful land of earth and water. Each day may bring landfall on a different island, where new wonders await. And what better way to arrive than by water, the age-old mode of travel in Indonesia.
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Natural History
Indonesia’s ecosystems are partly Asian in character, partly Australian. Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, and Bali were once connected to Asia, while Irian Jaya was once connected to Australia.

The English naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace first noted and studied this discontinuity in 1859. Wallace’s Line runs north-south, east of Kalimantan and west of Lombok. West of the line, species are similar to mainland Asia and include elephants, tigers, and rhinoceros. Eastward species resemble those found in Australia, with kangaroos, cockatoos, and birds of paradise.

The orangutan (literally, “man of the forest”) is an endangered primate now found only in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Once they were kept as pets or showpieces, but the efforts of rehabilitation centers are helping these creatures survive and thrive in the wild again. Orangutans dwell in jungle tree tops, where they are completely in their element. Watch as they swing from tree to tree in search of fruit. They will often hang by one arm and one leg, gazing with their inscrutable smile.

In contrast to the solitary orangutans, gibbons form family groups. Visitors to the rain forest may hear their ghostly song before seeing the animals themselves. Families sing together, beginning with the adults in a duet and joined by the young, practicing with their croaky voices.

Kalimantan is quintessential jungle. Trees tower to 250 feet. Abundant rainfall ensures that the landscape is lush, dripping and flowering year-round. Six thousand unique flowering plants thrive. Among them is the rafflesia, three feet wide and emitting a foul, pungent odor.

Eastward from Lombok, Indonesia is drier. The biodiversity diminishes, but many unique species exist here also. Most famous of these is the Komodo dragon, a fearsome reptile. Found primarily on Komodo Island, these giant lizards eat carrion, which their long, highly sensitive tongues can smell at considerable distances. When in need of fresh meat, they attack deer and pigs, which they down with a toxic, fatal bite. Add a running speed of 20 miles per hour and the ability to swim, and you have a formidable adversary indeed.

Geologically, Indonesia is a young land and still forming. It straddles three crustal plates where the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific plates push under the Eurasian plate. The result is a country with 129 active volcanoes, the most numerous in the world. In 1883, Krakatau erupted in the greatest explosion of modern times. Heard 3,000 miles away, the eruption spewed five cubic miles of rock and a column of ash 50 miles high. Strange and colorful sunsets were observed worldwide in the aftermath. Krakatau can be safely visited today, although it still rumbles.

Vulcanism has produced the great fertility and beauty of Indonesia. On Bali, the volcanic soil has burgeoned a gorgeous landscape. Rice paddies of brilliant green, surrounded by palm trees, climb in steep terraces into the hills; cloud-swathed volcanos loom in the distance. Flores boasts the three stunningly colored crater lakes of Kelimutu. One is light turquoise, one olive green, the other black. The colors change every few years, making for an otherworldly landscape—indeed, locals believe the lakes hold the souls of the dead. Which lake depends on the life you’ve led; thieves can expect to wind up in the black lake.

Marine life abounds in Indonesia’s tropical waters, and its coral reefs are second only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Dolphins, whales, and turtles make their home in Indonesia’s seas alongside a multitude of fish species.

For more information on the natural history of Indonesia, see book selections below.
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History
The ancestors of many modern Indonesians were Malay in origin and migrated from the Asian mainland around 4,000 BC. Organized societies appeared around 200 BC, making their living from agriculture and seafaring.

With the arrival of Indian traders around the 4th century, Hinduism was introduced along with Buddhism. Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms flourished from the 7th to 15th centuries. The Saliendra dynasty constructed the massive Buddhist monument at Borobudur on Java. Around the 15th century, Islam became the predominant religion.

Europeans first reached Indonesia in the early 16th century. The Portuguese, then the Dutch soon came to dominate the lucrative Indonesian spice trade. Around 1900, Indonesia evolved from a collection of trading posts into a full-blown Dutch colony.

With Western-style education in the 20th century came Western political ideas, and independence activism emerged in the 1920s. The Dutch exiled early nationalist leaders, including Achmed Sukarno. The Japanese invasion of 1942 was the first real break in 350 years of Dutch presence. Finally in 1949 a formal hand-over of power took place, and Mr. Sukarno became the country’s first president.

The 1950s were a troubled time for the new government. Outer provinces rebelled amid religious differences and fears of Javanese domination. The average Indonesian suffered under the chronic food shortages. Meanwhile, Sukarno’s power increased, and the parliament was reduced to an advisory body. The economy deteriorated further as foreign aid dried up.

The coup of September 1965 and the subsequent unrest allowed General Suharto to assume emergency powers. Sukarno reluctantly ceded the presidency to Suharto in 1968. The next 30 years saw stern political repression coupled with rapid economic expansion. However, army brutality continued, as with the 1975 annexation of the Portuguese colony of East Timor. Poor Indonesians saw some improvement in their lot under the Suharto regime, but it was the wealthy who benefited enormously from the corruption and nepotism of the period.

In 1998, the rapid devaluation of the Indonesian rupiah led to widespread business bankruptcies and bank collapses. Poor Indonesians were hit hardest as food and fuel prices skyrocketed. They took to the streets alongside student demonstrators to protest against the Suharto government. Suharto buckled under pressure from his own ministers and stepped down in May of that year. His hand-picked successor, B. J. Habibie, was installed as president.

Habibie surprised many the following year by agreeing to a referendum on East Timorese independence. The votes were overwhelmingly in favor of independence. However, the subsequent bloodbath by pro-Jakarta militias devastated the province, which is now administered by U.N. forces.

The elections of June 1999 marked the first positive milestone for Indonesian democracy. Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of first president Sukarno, was sidelined by the fragile coalition led by Abdurrahman Wahid, a Muslim. In his first year, Mr. Wahid has had mixed success. He is continually at odds with the parliament. Religious strife in Maluku and separatism in Aceh persist. But for this sprawling, diverse nation to have reached this point at all represents great progress indeed.

For more information on the history of Indonesia, see book selections below.
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Culture
In a sense, Indonesia is not one nation, but a multitude of nations. Its geography and history have given rise to more than 300 ethnic groups speaking some 250 languages. Add many of the world’s major religions, and the result is a striking cultural mosaic.

Broadly speaking, there are peoples of Malay origin in the west and those of Melanesian origin in the east. Indonesia can also be divided into coastal peoples and remote interior peoples. Interior, or “bush,” peoples offer rare opportunities to visit cultures unique in their isolation from the modern age.

The Dani of the Baliem Valley on Irian Jaya are one such people. They farm the central highlands using stone implements. Their homes are constructed of mud and topped with a thatched dome. For the polygamous Dani, the number of wives and pigs a man has determines his status.

The Dayak of Kalimantan are similarly isolated, inhabiting the deep interior highlands of Borneo. They practice “slash and burn” agriculture: the ash-enriched soil supports crops for one or two seasons, after which it is exhausted of its nutrients. Then the tribe may move on to other areas. As with the Amazon rainforest, the Kalimantan jungle provides a vast medicine cabinet for the Dayak.

The cultures of the interior peoples are under threat from, among other factors, the government policy of transmigration. Under this policy, poor people from the densely populated central islands are relocated to outlying islands. On Kalimantan, clashes between the Dayak and transmigrants have occurred because indigenous land rights are rarely recognized.

The sheer number of languages in Indonesia would be a great problem without Bahasa Indonesia. Bahasa was adopted as the national language in the 1950s in an attempt to unify the country. The language, a dialect of Malay, has succeeded in this goal. Most Indonesians now speak the language along with the language of their region.

Islam is the predominant religion in Indonesia today. In fact, Indonesia is now the most populous Muslim country. But the temples of Java and Bali stand testament to the past influence of Hinduism and Buddhism. Indonesia’s greatest monument is the massive Buddhist temple complex at Borobudur on Java. Built around 800 AD, Borobudur stands on a hill overlooking the Kedu plain, a vast area of palm trees and rice fields in central Java. Volcanoes towering in the background complete the peerless location. The enormous edifice was an embodiment of the Buddhist vision of the cosmos, with the physical world at the bottom and nirvana at the top.

Not surprisingly, Indonesian arts display great diversity also. Many of the better-known art forms, especially on Java and Bali, have Hindu origins. The wayang, or shadow puppet theater, enacts Hindu epics. The Ramayana ballet is a spectacular dance drama performed in Yogyakarta on Java.

For more information on Indonesian culture, see book selections below.
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Dos and Don'ts
Indonesia Travel Tips:

Ask permission before photographing people. Some may not wish to be photographed, and your respect will be appreciated.

Don’t use your left hand to give or receive things. Indonesians consider the left hand to be unclean and may be offended.

Do try to learn a little of the Bahasa Indonesia language. It’s considerably easier to learn than many Asian languages, and your efforts will show respect for and interest in Indonesian culture.

Guard against the intense Indonesian sun by wearing a hat and using sunscreen. In the high altitudes of the highlands or the many volcanoes, the equatorial sun can be especially harmful.

Have some warm clothes on hand for overnight trips into the highlands. While days are warm, temperatures drop quickly at night.

Be gentle when diving or snorkeling in coral reef areas. Living corals are easily damaged by contact with divers and their equipment.

Don’t feed or touch orangutans. Feeding undermines their ability to fend for themselves in the wild. Touching them may introduce human illnesses to which they are highly susceptible.
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Weather
Indonesia has quite constant temperatures year-round, as might be expected for a country so close to the equator. In most sea-level areas, daytime highs average around 90°F (32°C), while nighttime lows only drop to 72°F (22°C) or so. Humidity is high for the most part.

Indonesia cools rapidly at altitude, however; the Baliem Valley of Irian Jaya, for instance, may cool to 50°F (10°C) or lower at night. Some of the country’s higher mountains are permanently snowcapped.

Indonesia falls under two monsoon seasons, a wet monsoon from November to March and a dry monsoon from June to October. Precipitation differences increase the further east you go. While Sumatra has fairly constant year-round precipitation, periodic droughts affect the islands of Nusa Tenggara.
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Best Time to Go
May to October
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Temperature Range
72°F (22°C) – 90°F (32°C)
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Books
Indonesia Handbook, by Bill Dalton
Guide Book
Comprehensive guidebook to all of Indonesia.

Marine Life of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, by Gerald Allen
Field Guide
A great reference book to 350 marine species found in the IndoPacific. Beautiful illustrations.

Culture Shock!: Indonesia, by Cathie Draine & Barbara Hall
Culture
Information and background for travelers and expatriates. Includes a brief history and description of the more familiar areas and ethnic groups (limited to Java, Sumatra, Bali, and Sulawesi) and facts, examples, and language to help the "shocked" function in society, business, and residence.

Lonely Planet Indonesia (Lonely Planet Indonesia, 6th Ed), by Peter Turner, Marie Cambon, Paul Greenway, Brendan Delahunty
Guide Book
Indonesia is a country of incredible natural diversity and beauty rivaled only by its cultural diversity and wonder. This guide will help you make the most of a short or long journey, with details on Indonesian culinary delicacies; places to stay, from beach huts to resorts; important information on national parks and trekking to out-of-the-way places; 200 maps; extensive transportation details; plus a special 24-page color guide to Indonesia's arts and crafts.

The Year of Living Dangerously, by C.J. Koch
General Interest
A drama set in Yogyakarta in the 1965 revolution. A great read.

Civil Islam, by Robert W. Hefner
History
Civil Islam tells the story of Islam and democratization in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation. Challenging stereotypes of Islam as antagonistic to democracy, this study of courage and reformation in the face of state terror suggests possibilities for democracy in the Muslim world and beyond.

Traditional Indonesian Textiles, by John Gillow & Barry Dawson
Art
A wonderful book on both textiles and traditional Indonesian culture.

The Ring of Fire, by Lawrence Blaire
Exploration
The true story of two young British filmakers journey through Indonesia.

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