I want to see exotic stuff in Indonesia. I have one day in Jakarta and if I’m lucky, I’d get to visit other places as well. I’m thinking of Bali but I want to know if thereare other interesting provinces/cities close to Jakarta that i can go to. I want to go snorkeling and maybe a bit of hiking. And i might hav to go alone so the sites have to be relatively safe 
thanks
on May 3rd, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Lombok
Beach-side serenity in the shade of a majestic volcano.
Less developed than Bali, Lombok has better beaches, a bigger volcano and more varied landscapes. Tourism is still low key, and many visitors are independent travellers drawn by the island’s intoxicating diving and snorkelling, hiking and surf spots, as well as Lombok’s intriguing endemic culture.
Lombok Biking Tour
The Fun Way to Discover Lombok. Stunning Guided Bike Tours
http://www.lombokbiking.com
on May 4th, 2010 at 12:24 am
Some of the best beaches I’ve been to in Indonesia include Padang, which is about one hour flight from Jakarta. You can also visit Bukittingi- a small town in that region, which has their famous monument Jam Gadang- a clock tower built by the Dutch colonial rulers. Hotels there are cheap and food is wonderful. The area is called Minang-Kabau, since it is home to 2 Indonesian indigenous tribers, the Minang and the Kabau.
From Padang you can also fly down to Batam, which has an excellent beach, though the city is slightly pricey because of its proximity to Singapore. From Batam, you can take a ferry across the strait to Singapore and back-depending on your nationality and visa regulations in place. Since Batam is extremely popular among wealthy Singaporean and Malaysian tourists ( Malaysia is also connected by ferry), it has an excellent tourism infrastructure.
Another place I suggest is Surabaya- also about an hours flight from Jakarta. It’s a very modern city- the second largest in Indonesia, from where you can take the hourly ferry to Medura- a nice, relaxed village. Medura is however staunchly Muslim so you might have to conform to local traditions there.
Should you have more time available, try Mankowari, which is in Irian Jaya but flights from Jakarta take really long unless you are lucky to find a non-stop one. Irian Jaya is a largely unexplored place by foreign tourists but is surprisingly well developed and inexpensive. It’s mysterious and romantic at the same time.
on May 4th, 2010 at 1:22 am
Yogykarta is good for its cultural sights, I believe, as well as the UNESCO site of Borobudur nearby. There are many beautiful beaches other than Bali, like Lombok. Jakarta is a huge urban sprawl. Keep to the major sights like the Ragunan Zoo for its Komodo Dragons (actually also found in the Singapore zoo), and Fatahillah district which was the old colonial quarter.
on May 4th, 2010 at 2:10 am
Jakarta… doesn’t have anything worth seeing. At the most it’s the shopping malls, or maybe Taman Mini Indonesia Indah… I’d really recommend you to not waste your time and just go to Bali straightaway since it’s really, really good for tourists. It’s considerably safe compared to other places, it has the most amazing sceneries, and diverse culture that you’d be interested in.
on May 4th, 2010 at 2:26 am
The answer must be bintan island in kepulauan riau province. In bintan island thera are so many interesting places that u can visit, especially the beaches. Bintan island become more famous place in south east asia and even in the world since there is Bintan Resort Cakrawala where thera seven resorts like The Club Med Ria Bintan, Bintan Lagoon, Banyan Tree, etc……. from Jakarta u can flay to batam and bintan island is about one hour by ferry from batam. Bintan Resort also has direct acces from singapore, it is about one hour by ferry From Singapore.
Hopefully u enjoy ur trip to Indonesia
Selamat datang di indonesia…….
(Welcome to Indonesia………)
on May 4th, 2010 at 2:46 am
kuta
on May 4th, 2010 at 3:15 am
Beaches? Why not consider Manado? Its good for a dive too especially if you go offshore. As for hiking in Manado, you could try any of the mountains. Manado is in the highlands anyways. Although alternatively you could see first hand the variety of spices that lined its roads.
Other than that I also agree with the rest here, Lombok’s got nice serene beaches too. Although I’d suggest you stay in Novotel Lombok where there’s less tourist and you could get the beach to yourself and the beach is white rather than black like that of the tourist “infested” Senggigi beach (Note: just so you know, Senggigi beach is not black because of the tourists its black because of Senggigi’s proximity to the more volcanic part of the island). Oh and the Novotel is nearer to a Sasak village where you get to see first hand a living ethnic village. They preserved their way of life as a tourist attraction, its just amazing. Oh and then you could go off to hike Mount Rinjani.
Bali’s a bit too touristy and yes Bintan has got a lot of hotels and nice beaches too, which is why Banyan Tree and Four Seasons staked their claim there. Although the only drawback to Bintan for you would be that you’d not get to do hiking. Its predominantly a “laze by the beach place” with nothing else to offer except perhaps a mangrove swamp tour
As for Jakarta, you might like to check out the Museum and Pasar Ikan (one of the most historic places in Jakarta), but be warned, you could be frustrated by Jakarta’s traffic and its humidity.
If you are looking for a beach to snorkel near Jakarta, try offshore at Pulau Seribu. You could see first hand, baby sharks and baby turtles being reared at Pulau Sepa. Just check this link :
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Indonesia/Pulau_Seribu-1207250/Things_To_Do-Pulau_Seribu-R-2.html