Ora Beach: Hidden Paradise of Central Maluku

As the country with the second longest coastline in the world, Indonesia is home to countless beautiful beaches, and has won numerous awards for such. One of these beaches is Ora Beach, carefully hidden away on the North Coast of Seram Island. An exotic and extremely remote destination, Ora beach is perfect for Eco-travellers and honeymooners alike. A row of cozy, wooden cottages line the sandy, white beaches, overlooking the crystal clear waters of Sawai Bay, and with a backdrop of limestone cliffs and majestic mountains, covered in lush, tropical greenery. Seram island is most famous for its abundant bird life. Of 117 species found on the island, 14 are endemic to Seram.

Seram is the largest island in the Maluku province, measuring approximately 16,000 square kilometers, yet is home to a population of only about 170,000. It lies just north of the smaller and more historically renowned island of Ambon. Maluku Province is located between Indonesia’s larger islands of Sulawesi and Papua. Seram’s geographic location amidst several tectonic plates, gives the island a remarkably complex terrain. A central mountain range runs across the island, its highest mountain, Gunung Binaya, peaking at just over 3,000 meters. The island is covered mostly in dense, tropical rain forests, bordered on one side by towering cliffs and the other by sandy white beaches, and finally encircled by a crystal blue sea.

source : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/927/-ora-beach

The Banda Islands: Eastern Indonesia's Best Kept Secret

Since the first century AD, the Banda islands have been the sole producers of the fragrant nutmeg and mace for which Chinese, Indian, and Arab ships traveled across the seas. These precious spices could be sold at enormous profit in foreign markets.

The people of Banda thrived on their natural resources, but in later years suffered at the hands of Dutch colonizers who wanted to dominate the world’s spice trade.
Despite such a big reputation, the fabled Banda islands are only a tiny cluster of islands, composed of three large islands and seven smaller ones. The islands are perched on the rim of Indonesia's deepest underwater gorge, the Banda Sea, where waters can reach depths of over 6,500 meters.

Two of the biggest islands, Banda Besar and Naira, are covered with nutmeg trees. The third island, Gunung Api or ‘peak of fire’, is an active volcano that emerges from the deep in a perfect cone, and is entirely rugged and highly volcanic. In the waters surrounding these islands you’ll find some of the world’s most spectacular marine gardens, with bright corals and colorful fish, bustling through the crystal-clear waters, making it suitable for diving, snorkeling or even simply sightseeing.

Lying about 132 kilometers southeast of Ambon, the islands are a remote and exquisitely beautiful part of Indonesia. With multi-colored reefs, warm seas and exotic marine life, the Banda’s are a haven for divers who come from around the world to explore some of the most remote and unspoiled dive sites in the world.

Today, Banda attracts divers, sailors and cruise ships from around the world by its sheer natural beauty, both above as below the sea, which can only be matched by Raja Ampat, Papua; another location for ultimate underwater adventures.

The Banda Islands are one of the Indonesia’s most popular destinations for divers. Both experts and beginner divers will enjoy themselves here, as the diving spots vary from the shallow lagoon between Bandaneira and Gunung Api, to the vertical walls of Hatta Island. Wherever you go here, you’ll discover stunning tropical scenery, a remarkable history, friendly locals, and some of the globe's most pristine, biologically diverse coral reefs.

Scuba diving is still relatively new here, but pioneering divers didn't have to work hard to find a thrill. The undersea world around Ambon and the nearby island of Saparua have top-rate dive sites. As you explore beneath the surface you’ll see everything from sharks, enormous turtles, schools of Napoleon Wrasse, giant groupers, dogtooth tuna, mobula rays, redtooth triggerfish, various species of whales, spinner dolphins, and huge lobsters - neighbors to generous schools of reef fish and endemic Ambon scorpionfish.

Come to Banda islands and visit the best kept secret in Eastern Indonesia. While flights here are not frequent, it’s worth the wait. For this ideal tropical paradise won’t remain deserted for long.

source : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/403/the-banda-islands

Gili Terawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air: Ideal Tropical Islands Getaway

White sandy beaches. Tropical coral reefs. Warm inviting waters. All this awaits you on the Gili islands.  And with no cars, no motorbikes and no distractions other than beautiful tropical island scenery, the Gili islands off the northwest coast of Lombok are truly an ideal destination for a tropical getaway.

Offering spectacular reefs and ominous dive sites like Shark reef, the Gili islands are the perfect escape for anyone wanting to get away to beautiful, natural and relaxing surrounds. This is why these islands have become a popular destination for Western tourists looking for a remote island experience.

For divers and snorkelers, there are few places better than the Gili’s where you can get up close to all kinds of marine life including a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in all its glory. Swim up and watch this graceful creature glide through the ocean. You should be able to spot these turtles at depths of 10-20 meter below sea level.

The Gilis consist of three islands: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. In local Sasak language, "Gili" means "island". In the Indonesian language, plural is denoted by repeating a noun. So "Gili Gili" literally means "islands”.

Renowned for friendly locals and superb natural beauty, each of the island’s are well prepared for tourists. Gili Trewangan is the largest and most popular of the three islands. It has a vibrant nightlife to keep you entertained once the sun goes down. With a wide collection of restaurants and bars, you’ll never be short of entertainment here.

If you're after a quiet getaway, try Gili Meno or Gili Air. Gili Air is closest to the mainland and is the most populated of the Gili’s. Gili Meno is the smallest island and, with only a few hundred permanent residents, it has the most remote feel to it.  

The Gili islands are easily reached by speedboat from Senggigi, taking only some 20 minutes boat ride. Many tourists also travel direct to Gili Trawangan by ferry that leaves Bali daily from Serangan or Padang Bai. (for details check: www.bluewater-express.com)

Travel on the islands are only by bike or “cidomo” the small horse-drawn carts taking 3 persons per ride. No motorized vehicles are allowed here. 

 There are plenty of hotels and restaurants built in keeping with the islands’ homely village atmosphere.

Source: http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/241/gili-terawangan-gili-meno-and-gili-air-ideal-tropical-islands-getaway

Lake Sentarum National Park

Lake Sentarum National Park (LSNP) is a park protecting one of the world's most biodiverse lake -systems situated deep in the Heart of Borneo, in Indonesia’s province of West Kalimantan. 

Located in the Kapuas Hulu Regency, the Park lies in the upper Kapuas River tectonic basin some 700 kilometers upstream from the delta. The basin is a vast floodplain, consisting of about 20 seasonal lakes, freshwater swamp forests and peat swamp forests which local people call Lebak lebung (floodplain). Home to a wide variety of wildlife, the national park is the best place to observe activities of the true inhabitants of the Borneo Jungle such as the orangutans, proboscis monkeys, long tailed macaques, and many others in the beautiful setting of a unique lake system.

The area was first gazetted as a Wildlife Reserve in 1982 when it extended over 80,000 hectares, with just under one-third consisting of open water. In 1994 it was enlarged to 132,000 hectares to include extensive tracts of peat swamp forest, and several hill ranges with dry lowland- and heath forest (a type of tropical moist forest found in areas with acidic, sandy soils that are extremely nutrient-poor). In April 1994, Lake Sentarum was declared Indonesia's second Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, thus drawing international attention to this unique area. On 4 February 1999, its status was upgraded to that of national park, however a National Park Authority was only established in 2006.

Lake Sentarum When The Wet Season	Lake Sentarum When The Dry Season

The lakes in Lake Sentarum park are remarkable for their fish diversity. 240-266 fish species have been identified, including 12-26 new to science. As the lakes measure only 25,000 hectares, this diversity is remarkable when compared to Europe, where a total of only 195 primary freshwater fish are known. In fact, Lake Sentarum harbors one of the world's most diverse fish fauna of any floodplain lake system. Of the 71 tropical and temperate lakes listed for their biodiversity by World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC) in 1992, Lake Sentarum (which is not listed) is surpassed only by Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi. LSNP is also the home for two highly popular aquarium fish: the rare and valuable red variety of the endangered Asian Arowana  (Scleropaged legendrei) and the Clown Loach Botia or Tiger Botia(Chromobotia macracanthus). The latter is known only to live at Danau Sentarum and several locations in Jambi, Sumatra.

The national park is known to have the largest remaining populations of orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) and is also considered to have the largest inland population of proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) on the entire Borneo Island. The two families of apes are among 23 endemic fauna that make up 147 mammal species found in the Lake Sentarum Park. There are also 237 bird species recorded including the Storm Stork and Great Argus, and 26 reptile species including the False Gavial and Estuarine Crocodile. The mammals diversity in the national park contribute 29% to the 515 variety of mammals found in Indonesia which is regarded as the largest in the world.

The area of LSNP is also rich in flora diversity. Research revealed that there are a total of 675 species of flora in 97 families found in the national park. From that number, 33 are endemic to Lake Sentarum and 10 are newly discovered species. Most of the vegetation found in Lake Sentarum are unique and have different appearances than those outside of Lake Sentarum. One of the examples is the Dichilante borneesis, which is rare and endemic to the national park and regarded as the missing link between the families of Rubiaceae. Other fascinating feature of the national park is the existence of a type of vegetation endemic to the Amazon Jungle, the Crateva relegiosa, which came to be known to the locas who call these the Pungguk Tree.

Lake Sentarum is dominated by a marked fluctuation in water levels of the lakes and streams. During the highest tide, the lakes’ depth can go from 6 to 8 meters. The waters in LSNP are reddish-brown due to the high level of tannin from the decomposing leaves and branches of various trees.  The unique water condition and the annual cycle of rising and falling water levels dominate the ecosystem and exert a strong influence on the lives of its people, plants and animals.

Danau Sentarum National Park Office:

Jl. C.Oevang Oeray No. 43 Sintang

Telp./Fax. +62 (565)22242

e-mail : balai.tnds@yahoo.com

Source : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/578/lake-sentarum-national-park-wildlife-wonders-above-and-below-the-surface-in-the-heart-of-borneo

Weh Island: Diving the Untouched Edge

Embraced by vivid and healthy coral reefs, Weh Island is naturally untouched despite its small size and convenient access. It is another garden often forgotten. Its location is at the westernmost island of the Indonesian archipelago. Situated at the entrance way of the Malacca Strait, the island is commonly a sea passage and a jewel for many yachts and cruise ships to visit and see.

Diving in Weh Island is a well established recreational activity. Dive masters and dive instructors are ready to offer a variety of dive sites like the fabled Sea Garden in Rubiah Island. You'll find many delightful sea creatures, most notably manta rays, whale sharks, dolphins and sea turtles.

Come and enjoy a swing on a shady hammock by the high tide hut in an island that many divers call it the unparalleled underwater universe. Although it is a small island, it gives you the sea experience and waterfall up in the rain forest as well. A gateway you can always remember as an Eden.

Arborek Tourism Village, Raja Ampat

The village of Arborek is fast rising as a pioneer among the 18 beautiful villages in West Papua that have embarked on developing local regulations for community-based marine conservation, For this,  the village of Arborek has gained an outstanding reputation among both the local authority and international community. With the assistance of the national and local government, from research centers, and non-government organizations, the local people have succeeded in formulating local regulations, naming their conservation region the Mambarayup and Indip.

Finding underwater beauty is not so difficult here.  Along the Arborek pier, divers can simply plunge into the water and instantly find a most intriguing illumination of the glittering of a gorgonian fan just below the surface. People in Arborek are hospitable and very industrious, creating exceptional handicrafts from sea pandan leaves to make the most of their time each day. Arborek is fascinating both underwater and in the village.

Known as the Arborek Tourism Village, the community is known for its handicraft in making hats and noken (string bags). Unlike most women in other villages who also give a hand to their husbands as fishermen, nearly all mothers in this village produce handicrafts for a living. Although they are convinced that catching lobsters and work in pearl agro-production are much more profitable, yet they feel that handicraft is more distinguished and more graceful work for women. This is a village worth visiting. Only one and half hours from Waisai, Raja Ampat’s capital, the village of Arborek is awaiting visitors from around the world.

Source : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/126/arborek-tourism-village-raja-ampat

Wayag Island, Raja Ampat: The Ultimate Underwater Beauty

Wayag Island is one of the islands within the Raja Ampat district in the province of West Papua, Indonesia. The island is known for its beautiful atolls and amazing underwater life covering a total area of 155,000 hectares (about 383,013.3 acres).

Here, you find pristine beaches with unique Karst islands that look like mushrooms sprouting out from the sea. Along these beaches, tourists can see fairy tale panorama, more captivating than Leonardo DiCaprio’s getaway in “The Beach”. The crystal clear waters around Wayag Island appear like unreal windows to various types of flora and fauna that live underwater.

Wayag Island never ceases to amaze. Divers, especially, have been overwhelmed not only by the rich underwater displays, but also by the panoramic beauty of the island as they climb up to its highest platform and observe coves and atolls around. It is a dream come true, truly a dream fulfilled.

The island is 10 km north of the equator. Liveaboards are the best choice for travelers with a love for adventure and romance. Social contacts with other travelers will only be a call away. Dive briefings are enriching, so that just being there with other divers and the exotic looking staff, you will feel as if you are already drawn into the depths of Wayag’s surreal beauty

 Source : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/83/wayag-island-raja-ampat

Ijen Crater

Ijen plateau or known as "Kawah Ijen" is highly recommended to mountain buffs and hikers. The Plateau was at one time a huge active crater, 134 sq km in area. Today, Ijen is a quiet but active volcano, and the landscape is dominated by the volcanic cones of Ijen (2,368 asl) and Merapi (2,800 asl) on the northeastern edge of the Plateau, and Raung (3,332 asl) on the southwest corner.

The magnificent turquoise sulfur lake of Kawah Ijen lies at 2148 m above sea level and is surrounded by the volcanos sheer crater walls. The vent is a source of sulfur and collectors work here, making the trek up to the crater and down to the lake every day. Sulfur collectors hike up in the morning and return around 1 pm when the clouds roll in. They carry shoulder basket of pure sulfur from a quarry on the lakes edge under the shadow of the sheer walls of the crater. The mineral at Kawah Ijen is purer and is worth commercial exploitation despite the horrendous labor involved: Javas homegrown sulfur is a natural source of sulfuric acid, in great demand in the oil-refining business and in the production of fertilizers

Source : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/293/ijen-crater  ( click to see more informations)

Sempu Island

Leave all the conveniences of the modern world behind, cross the strait between concrete structures and extraordinary woods, venture into a world of natural splendor, and gaze upon some of the most mystifying sceneries on the face of the earth :  those are what  the secluded Sempu Island has to offer.

Situated on the south coast of Malang Regency in East Java and administratively located in the Tambak Rejo Village, Sumbermanjing Wetan Sub-District, this small island lies just off the coast of Sendang Biru Beach, approximately 80 Km from Malang city or about 180 Km from the capital of East Java, Surabaya. The 877 hectares forested island is a Nature Reserve under the management of the Natural Resources Conservation Office of East Java (BBKSDA) and the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia, and was actually designated a Nature Reserve since 1928 in the Dutch Colonial period.

Among the island’s most fascinating features is the Segara Anakan lagoon located about 2.5Km further south into the island. Hidden deep beyond the thick tropical forest, the approximately 4 hectares lagoon is truly a secluded paradise where a white sandy beach meets calm blue waters separated from the raging tides of the open ocean by a picturesque rocky wall surrounding the area. The incoming tides penetrate only through several caves above and below the surface, thus the water inside the lagoon remains calm, and makes a perfect place for swimming. Its secluded location also radiates a sense of intimacy, where the beach becomes a private getaway, not unlike the setting for the 2000 Leonardo Di Caprio’s Movie “The Beach”.

Adventure awaits  those who wish to explore Sempu Island and reach the Segara Anakan Lagoon. Cross the straits from Sendang Biru Beach on the mainland to the Teluk Semut (Ant Bay) at Sempu Island. From here, the journey continues over a trekking path for about two hours through quite thick forest with several ascending and descending tracks,  before one reaches the secluded lagoon. While the trip may not be an easy walk, the grand price that awaits at the finish line is more than just worth it. Boats and guide services are available at the Sendang Biru Beach area.

Sempu Island also has other fascinating spots which offer equal splendors including the Waru-waru beach, Telaga Lele (Catfish Lake, a fresh water lake named after the many catfish found within), Tiger Cave,  Pasir Panjang Beach (Long sand Beach), Pasir Kembar Beach (Twin sands beach), Fresh Water Beach (named after a fresh water spring on the rocks near the beach), and Telaga Sat (Dry Lake).

As a Nature Reserve, Sempu Island has various types of ecosystems  ranging from coastal forest, mangroves, and lowland tropical forest which dominates the whole island. Among the vegetation found on Sempu Island are bendo (Artocarpus elasticus), triwulan (Terminalia), wadang (Pterocarpus javanicus), ketapang (Terminalia catappa), waru laut (Hibiscus tiliaceus), pandan (Pandanus tectorius), Mangroves (Rhizophora mucronata and Rhizophora apiculata), and many more. Interestingly, the name Sempu is said to have been taken from a particular type of tree that is found in the island, however, the tree can hardly be found these days.

The Nature Reserve is also home to several wildlife inhabitants such as:  the Javanese Monkey (Tracypithecus auratus), Black Monkeys (Presbitis cristata pyrrha) , Grey Macaques  (Macaca fascicularis), wild boar (Sus sp), deer (Muntiacus muntjak), kancil/small deer (Tragulus javanicus), Prawn (Alcedo athis), belodok fish (Periopthalmus sp), crab (Ocypoda stimsoni), and many more. There are also several types of reptiles including giant lizards and snakes and also several types of birds that find shelter on the island.

Bunaken National Park

Ever fancy yourself being a mermaid? Being able to swim along with other creatures of the sea , moving to the rhythm of the waves? In the Bunaken Marine Park, you will encounter a real “mermaid”, and you can also get a glimpse of sea life here.

Bunaken is an 8.08 km² island in the Bay of Manado, situated in the north of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Bunaken forms part of the administrative city of Manado , capital of North Sulawesi. The marine Park around Bunaken is part of the  National Park that also includes the ocean around the island of  Manado Tua – or Old Manado, Siladen and Mantehage. 

Within the Bunaken Marine Park, visitors can see various strange and colourful marine life along its sea bed. To reach this park, you can take a motorboat. The journey from Manado takes around 40 minutes.  Entrance fee is 25,000 rupiahs per person per visit.

The translucent waters of the Bunaken seas enable people to clearly view numerous sea biota. There are 13 species of coral reefs in this park, dominated by edge ridges and block ridges of rocks. The most attractive view is the steep vertical sloppy coral reef that plunges down as deep as 25-50 meters.

Feast your eyes on 91 types of fish found in the Bunaken National Park, amongst which are the locally known gusimi horse fish (Hippocampus), the white oci (Seriola rivoliana), yellow-tailed lolosi (Lutjanus kasmira), goropa (Ephinephelus spilotoceps and Pseudanthias hypselosoma), ila gasi (Scolopsis bilineatus) and others.

Divers may also meet mollusk like the giant kima (Tridacna gigas), goat head (Cassis cornuta), nautilus (Nautilus pompillius) and tunikates/ascidian.

For those who enjoy scuba diving, this is a great place to be. With about 20 dive spots to choose from, divers will have the chance to swim below the sea, and frolic joyfully while admiring the sea creatures.

Make sure to visit Bunaken during its best season between May to August. That way you can explore the Park  to its fullest.

To observe some of the fascinating images of Bunaken Marine Park, you can visit our photo essay: Bunaken&Derawan Underwater Paradise

Similarly stunning are the sceneries of Kalasey seas,at the outskirt of Manado in: The Deep Water Paradise of Kalasey Seas off Manado

Source : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/33/bunaken