Indonesia Tourism And Travel Guide

Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia, located between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is the world's largest island country with over seventeen thousand islands spanning from South East Asia across to Oceania and home to over 261 million people. It is ranked as one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world. Indonesia is a country with a unique and diverse culture, breathtaking beaches and mountains and one of its kind flora and fauna. From the lush rice fields and gorgeous waterfalls in Bali to ancient and iconic temples in Java, to the deep jungles with extraordinary wildlife in Sumatra, Indonesia is a country that remains to a great extent unexplored yet. 

Historically Indonesia has been home to a variety of different cultures that coexisted and thrived together. These different cultures make the country a colorful and diverse place for locals as well as for visitors. A lot of Hindu and Buddhist empires reigned over the islands as early as 2nd century AD. They built grand religious monuments and temples such as Borobudur, Sewu and Prambanan. This era was marked as the renaissance period of Hindu-Buddhist art in ancient Java. Candi Prambanan is the largest temple complex uncovered in Indonesia. The temple has intricate carvings on the walls to pictorially describe events from the Epic Ramayana. Later Muslim and Christian missions to the island introduced and established the two religions in the country. For most parts, Islam and Christianity overlaid and mixed with existing cultures which shaped the Indonesian society in unthinkable ways.

Located around the equator, Indonesia only has two seasons - a dry and a wet season. There are no extremes of summer and winter here. There is an old saying that the weather is always good in Indonesia. The beaches of Bali, the Flores valley, the volcanoes of Sumbawa and Komodo national park are the prime example of the natural beauty of the islands. Surrounded by water from all sides, Indonesia has a wide variety of aquatic fauna that visitors can see and explore, especially ones who take up activities like scuba diving and surfing. The country also houses species that are native to Indonesia only such as the Komodo dragon, orangutans and the colorful Birds of paradise.

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim majority country on earth. The cultural archipelago of the country spans over two millennia with influences from India, Arabs, China, and Europe. No trip to Indonesia is complete without attending some of the main festivals."Nyepi", that marks the beginning of the New Year according to the Balinese calendar. The "Jember Fashion Carnival" celebrates the fashion trends of Indonesia. This festival is seen as an icon for the contemporary Java culture. Thousands of individuals from kindergarten to the general public come together and participate in this amazing carnival with drums, flutes and many instruments. Festivals like "Sekaten", "Waisak" and "Galungan" celebrate Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism respectively. All of them marks the birth of the important deities of the respective religions