Beyond Bali
Everyone knows about the lush
tropical islands of Java and Bali. But here's a secret: Indonesia
has 17,000 other islands worthy of your
attention.
By Chris Tucker
Catherine Heald has nothing against Bali. In truth, says the
chairman and CEO of New York-based tour operator Remote Lands,
Bali's culture is just as mesmerizing as advertised: a unique
tropical brew of Hinduism, ornate costume and dance, and a
spectacularly lavish habitat.
But
Indonesia isn't just about that tourist mecca - or even the
neighboring island of Java and the capital city, Jakarta, with 130
million people and attractions like the Buddhist temples of
Borobudur. Why? Because there are plenty of other islands for
serious travelers to consider - more than 17,000 of them, in fact
(6,000 of which aren't inhabited).
"Bali is absolutely wonderful, a Shangri-la with some of the best
hotels in the world," says Heald, who, along with partner Jay
Tindall, organizes tailor-made trips to some of the planet's
less-discovered places. "But if you want to have remote cultural
experiences, you have to go where fewer tourists go. For the real
traveler, it's worth it."
From big-but-overlooked neighbors like Sulawesi, Kalimantan, and
Papua to tinier gems like Lombok and Flores, these Indonesian
islands are destinations in their own right. "Most Americans think
only of Bali," says Laura Kidder, editorial director for Fodor's
Travel Publications in New York. "But for Australians and more
intrepid travelers, this is almost like their
Caribbean, because
each of these islands has a little something different to
offer."
To be sure, island-hopping through Indonesia isn't as simple as
skipping through
Hawaii, from Oahu to Maui and back.
For travelers looking for experiences beyond the usual, Indonesia's
islands represent a virtual buffet of Southeast Asian culture.
"Indonesia is all about variety," explains Tindall, who has
traveled to Papua and also spent time with Indonesian tribes, whose
customs have remained unchanged for thousands of years.
Accommodations on the islands can range from simple losmans, or
backpacker guesthouses, to high-end resorts. "There's the luxury of
Bali; the remoteness of Nias, off the coast of Sumatra; and islands
that combine ruggedness and luxury in one place," says Tindall. As
such, for your island-hopping pleasure, here are a few remote
jewels to consider.
Island: Lombok
Only a stone's throw from Bali is Lombok. It's the next island in
the eastern Nusa Tenggara chain, and it has the advantage of being
less developed while still being able to offer a decent
infrastructure for visitors to get around.
"It's not just for backpackers anymore," notes Kidder. "There's
still some remoteness to it, but now there are luxury hotels as
well." That means that if you're not up for more rustic Indonesian
traditions like the mandi - where you shower by scooping bowlfuls
of cool water over yourself - you can check in at a place like the
Oberoi Lombok, where prices can stretch to almost $1,000 a night
for the opulent Royal Villa Ocean View.
Most visitors to Lombok congregate around the Senggigi area, a
coastal sweep north of the biggest city, Mataram. The white-sand
beaches, the Rinjani volcano (Indonesia's third largest), and the
indigenous Sasak culture - perhaps best known for its elegantly
designed home furnishings - are all natural lures. An added bonus
is the island's relatively small size (it's slightly more than 40
miles across), which allows you to experience much of what the
island has to offer without having to spend most of your vacation
worrying about getting from point A to point B.
Air service to Mataram and regular ferries from Bali bring Lombok
within easy reach. But to take things an extra step, check out the
Gilis, three tiny islands off Lombok's northwest coast. The
stretches of white sand and plentiful coral reefs make Gili Air,
Gili Meno, and Gili Trawangan dream spots for snorkelers and scuba
divers, and the islands' beachside bungalows can make for a
gorgeous but affordable getaway.
Island: Sulawesi
This spindly-looking island with peninsulas seemingly spinning off
in every direction is almost the opposite of compact Lombok. But
the island's far-flung arms have just as much richness to offer,
both above and below the sea.
Formerly known as Celebes, Sulawesi is the world's 11th-largest
island, spanning more than 100,000 square miles. Regular air
service from Denpasar and Jakarta (courtesy of Indonesian airlines
like Garuda) will get you to the capital, Ujung Pandang, or to
Manado, at the island's northern tip, where the Bunaken Marine Park
is said to house one of the most biodiverse coral-reef systems in
the world, making the area a perennial favorite of scuba
divers.
For a cultural experience like no other, there's the Tana Toraja
area - the so-called Land of the Heavenly Kings. These mountainous
highlands north of Sulawesi's capital are home to villages with
traditional tongkonan houses, which are elevated and have
dramatically curved roofs. Toraja's local hub is the town of
Rantepao, where upgrades to roads and to hotels in recent years
have made it more accessible to visitors.
The truly unique cultural attraction, though, is the area's funeral
rites, which are among the most elaborate in the world, with
festivities of feasting and dancing that can last more than a week.
Ancestors are honored, too, with effigies placed in man-made caves
that have been carved into sheer rock faces - these Toraja tombs
have long fascinated anthropologists. In short, says Kidder,
Sulawesi is perfect for one particular type of traveler: the
culture fiend.
Island: Kalimantan
This famed island is known to the West as Borneo. It's the world's
third-largest island and is actually divided up among Malaysia,
Brunei, and Indonesia. The bulk of the 287,000 square miles,
though, belongs to the Indonesian side and is called Kalimantan.
It's also home to one of the world's richest rain forests.
Those best suited for a visit to this island are ecotourists and
people who want to experience this incredible biodiversity before
it's destroyed by loggers eager to harvest tropical woods.
Kalimantan is less touristy than Malaysian Borneo (or Sarawak), so
the traveling can be slower going, but the deep forests and the
indigenous Dayak culture - famed for its communal longhouses - can
make it well worth the journey. Having some basic ability in Bahasa
Indonesia, the Malay-like national language spoken across the
country (in addition to the local dialects), can be helpful in
getting around.
Some tourists stick to East Kalimantan and its capital, Samarinda,
where you can travel up the Mahakam River by longboat. But probably
the most celebrated areas are the orangutan preserves started by
legendary conservationist
Biruté Galdikas, where you can still see
the endangered species (whose name means "man of the forest").
"Visitors to Kalimantan usually go for the orangutans, and you can
even stay in guesthouses near the research camps," says Meinarti
Fauzie, a spokeswoman for the Indonesian Consulate in New York. She
suggests flying to Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan's capital,
before you make the 120-mile trek to preserves like the
2,500-square-mile Tanjung Puting National Park, where Galdikas's
renowned Camp Leakey is situated.
Islands: Flores, Sumbawa, and Komodo
Keep traveling along the chain that takes you from Bali to Lombok
and you'll arrive at these three neighboring islands. First, you'll
reach Sumbawa, where the remnants of an ancient sultanate, complete
with teak-laden royal palaces, make you feel "as if you've stepped
back in time," says Fauzie. There's also the volcanic Mount
Tambora, whose eruption in 1815 wiped out the kingdom of the time
and is said to have been larger than Krakatoa's.
Farther along is Flores, an island with a Catholic-influenced
culture (thanks to its history as a Portuguese colony) and renowned
for its
Easter processions, a rarity in Muslim-dominated Indonesia.
Combining those traditions with an unspoiled terrain that some
liken to the Bali of decades ago, Flores makes for another unique
stop on your itinerary.
Perhaps Flores's most memorable sight is Mount Kelimutu, a volcano
in the island's central Ende region, with its three neighboring
lakes that range in color from turquoise to reddish to dark brown.
Another lure is the legendary Komodo Island, right on Flores's
doorstep. The Komodo dragons can grow up to 10 feet long, can weigh
as much as 200 pounds, and can eat six pounds of meat in a minute,
so "you definitely want a guide," laughs Fodor's Kidder.
Travelers often opt for cruises that combine visits to all these
islands rather than take them on one by one, which is more
difficult. Travel in this region can be rustic, but you can
recharge at the Amanwana resort on the nearby island of Moyo. The
resort is made up of 20 air-conditioned, hardwood-floor tents in
the middle of a rain forest; the getaway is part of the Amanresorts
chain, so it's an ultra-luxe wilderness experience. The resort also
offers a live-aboard cruise - seven days on a luxury boat that
takes you through the local seas.
Island: Papua
Even if you haven't heard of Papua (which was previously known as
Irian Jaya), you may know the area already: It's actually the
western half of
Papua New Guinea, the huge island just off the
northern tip of
Queensland,
Australia. And while Papua New Guinea
takes better advantage of tourist dollars, Papua offers a more
unspoiled look at tribal culture.
"It's very authentic, and you can still go to places where tourists
haven't been yet," says Remote Lands' Tindall. "It's incredibly
different, with people still living Stone Age customs. It's a very
basic traveling experience but very fulfilling."
Because the island doesn't have a constant stream of visitors, it's
probably best to go as part of a package set up in partnership with
local operators rather than to just show up at the airport in the
capital, Jayapura. And you will need a special permit in addition
to your general Indonesian visa, Fauzie points out. That can be
secured at police stations in jumping-off points like Jakarta and
Denpasar as well as in Jayapura itself.
The Baliem area is your likely destination, home to rugged
mountains and local tribes whose tools still include stone axes and
bows and arrows. But Tindall also suggests places like Raja Ampat,
off the island's northwest coast, which is a diving area so
pristine that they're still discovering new species of fish there.
Raves Tindall, "It's among the best diving in the entire world -
and no one knows about it."
If You Go
If you're going to major Indonesian hubs like Jakarta and Denpasar,
everything is laid out for visitors. Americans don't need a
prearranged visa; they can get one right on the spot. But when
you're traveling to the more remote areas, it's never a bad idea to
have a helping hand to guide you along the path. Here, with help
from Fodor's, is a roundup of tour operators who dabble in the many
Indonesian islands.
Absolute Travel, www.absolutetravel.com. A high-end outfit that runs tours to Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Flores, Komodo, and Lombok, in addition to Bali.
Asian Pacific Adventures, www.asianpacificadven tures.com. Somewhat more affordable than Absolute Travel, this company specializes in cultural trips for small groups. They currently offer trips to Flores, Samba, and Papua (formerly known as Irian Jaya).
Geographic Expeditions, www.geoex.com. These trips are designed for the more adventurous traveler, whether he or she wants to sail on a yacht through the Nusa Tenggara islands or camp in the gorges of Papua.
For other options and specialized practitioners, you can scour the American Society of Travel Agents website, www.travelsense.org, for an ASTA-affiliated agent with expertise in your desired destination. For general travel info on Indonesia, check out the nation’s official tourism site at www.my-indonesia.info.