“We were a little afraid” Indonesia is not only a paradise of beaches. What should tourists from Russia beware of?

Russian travelers described Jakarta with the phrase “traffic jams, dirt and dust”

In recent years, Bali has become wildly popular with Russian tourists. Some go there for the paradisiacal beaches and unforgettable sunsets, others are filled with knowledge of yoga retreats, many stay to winter away from gloomy megacities. However, Bali, which has taken over all the attention, is only one of the 18 thousand islands of Indonesia. Russians have studied the rest of this huge country much worse — but in vain. It surprises with ancient temples, acidic lakes in the vents of volcanoes, colorful coral reefs and coasts with pink sand. At the same time, Indonesia is multifaceted: it is worth wandering a little further than tourist areas, and you can see hopeless poverty, crime and conflicts tormenting the country. What natural gems is Indonesia ready to offer to inquisitive travelers? What difficulties can they face on the way and is a hospitable and sunny country so safe for tourists? was being investigated.

Unfamiliar Indonesia

Java Island: the cradle of religions

It may come as a surprise to some that the vast majority of Indonesia’s population professes Islam, and one in ten considers themselves Catholics or Protestants (echoes of the colonial past when it was a possession of the Netherlands). But it wasn’t always like that. The country has the largest Hindu and Buddhist shrines in the world, and to see them, you need to go to the island of Java.

Prambanan ― The world’s second largest Hindu temple after Angkor Wat in Cambodia. A beautiful legend is associated with its appearance. Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess Loro Jongrang (translated as “slender maiden”). Prince Bondovoso fell madly in love with her, but the girl did not want to become his wife, because in the struggle for power he killed her father. The beauty was afraid to anger the prince with a direct refusal and decided on a trick. She asked the groom to give her a temple with a thousand statues of the gods for her wedding, and it had to be built overnight. Bondovoso turned to the dark forces for help and erected 999 sculptures. The frightened Loro Jongrang tried to stop the prince, for which he turned her into the last statue. So she still stands, dressed in stone, in the image of the warrior goddess Durga, who fights demons and protects the world order. The statue is especially revered, although it is not central to the temple. At all times, sacrifices were made to her with flowers, incense, and money.

Very close to Prambanan is the world’s largest Buddhist temple complex. Moreover, these architectural monuments were built almost simultaneously, in the VIII-IX centuries AD, and now both are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The existence of Borobudur ― the temple of many Buddhas is shrouded in many mysteries. Presumably, the complex symbolized a lotus flower and was located in the middle of a lake that was either filled in or disappeared for other reasons.

The Borobudur Temple was buried underground for hundreds of years, and in the 19th century it literally rose from the ashes

The fact is that Borobudur is located near the Merapi volcano. It is believed that the temple was filled up as a result of an eruption in 1006. It was found and dug up only during the colonization period.

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Experienced travelers are advised to visit Borobudur early in the morning to avoid the crowds of tourists and meet the dawn with stunning views of the forested hills. It is most convenient to get to both temple complexes from the city of Yogyakarta, which is considered the center of Javanese fine arts. Planes fly there from the Indonesian capital Jakarta and Bali’s main city Denpasar, as well as trains and buses. Hotels and travel agencies offer sightseeing tours, although you can travel around Java on your own (but you need to be prepared for heavy traffic and crowded buses).

What else is worth seeing in Java

• Krakatoa volcano, one of the most powerful on earth, is located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. For more than two centuries it was considered extinct, until in 1883 it woke up and threw a 70-meter column of ash into the sky. The explosion was so strong that it was heard thousands of kilometers from the epicenter. As a result of the eruption, part of the island was wiped off the face of the earth, and a tsunami 20 meters high flooded nearby settlements. More than 36 thousand people became victims of the deadly disaster. Krakatoa is still active, its activity is carefully monitored. Tourists can combine climbing the volcano with a visit to the Ujung Kulon National Park in the western part of Java, where a rare species of one-horned rhinoceros is found.
• The city of Bandung is famous for the colonial architecture of the East India Campaign and Art Deco buildings. There are about a thousand universities here, so student and club life is in full swing. Walking along the streets should be complemented by an excursion to cascading rice fields, coffee plantations, volcanoes and hot springs. By the way, they know a lot about coffee here, so tasting should be a mandatory part of the program.
• In the central part of the island there is the Dieng Plateau, a volcanic valley with ancient temples, thermal springs, geysers and the picturesque lake Telaga Varna. Although tourists rarely get here, there is an opportunity to stay in the village of Wonosobo.
• Diving and snorkeling enthusiasts can go to the Karimunjava Archipelago. There they will find white sandy beaches with azure water and coral reefs. Planes fly there, ferries, buses and speedboats go there, although the pleasure of visiting the paradise islands is not cheap.
• Those who do not have enough climbing volcanoes are waiting for Bromo and Ijen in the east of Java.







Prambanan Hindu Temple in Java

Flores and Komodo: “Hobbits”, monitor lizards and pink sand

Flores Island deserves a separate trip, where you can fly or take a ferry from Bali. There is a well-developed tourist infrastructure, there are clean beaches with opportunities for spectacular diving. There are authentic ethnic villages far from their homes. For example, there are many of them near the town of Bajava, where there is a colorful market, hot springs and waterfalls.

Tourists are also attracted by the opportunity to climb the dormant Kelimutu volcano. Its three craters are filled with water of different colors, which is also constantly changing. In the vicinity of Ruteng there is a stalactite cave Liang Bua ― a haven for “hobbits”, primitive people of small stature. Another attraction of Flores is the rice plantations, which resemble a spider web in shape.

To have time to see all the pearls of Flores, the trip should be given at least a few days. Moreover, there is another remarkable island nearby ― Komodo. There is another amazing story connected with him

At the beginning of the XX century, the light-engine aircraft of pilot Hendrik van Bosse crashed into the sea. The Dutchman survived and swam to the nearest island. There he met amazing creatures ― huge carnivorous lizards resembling either dragons or dinosaurs. The aviator was able to return to civilization and tell his contemporaries about his find. Today we know these animals as Komodo lizards ― the largest living lizards. Their population reaches 5,700 individuals and is carefully protected.

After getting acquainted with the cold-blooded aborigines of Komodo, tourists can go to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with pink sand, which has acquired such a color thanks to a certain type of plankton. There are only about a dozen such “barbie” coasts on the planet.







View of the coast of Flores Island

Lombok and Gili: Turtles and the lack of cars

For short trips from Bali, the neighboring island of Lombok is suitable. Although it has its own airport, it is more convenient to get there by water. Lombok will be pleased with fewer tourists, a calm coastline with soft sand and shops with local goods. It also has its own volcano, waterfalls and lake. Surfers on Lombok hang out on the beaches of Kuta (not to be confused with the Balinese one of the same name) and Selong Blanak. And for the local flavor, they go to the villages of the island’s indigenous inhabitants ― representatives of the Sasak tribe.

Even more privacy can be found on the nearby islands of the Gili Archipelago ― Trawangane, Meno and Aire. They are so small that you can walk around them, but even in such a small area there are its own peculiarities.

There are no cars and bikes running on gasoline. Everyone moves on two-wheeled mopeds and bicycles or on four hooves of horses in a cart called chidomo. People live and surf here

the traveler is the co-author of the blog “Max travels”

Sea turtles live in the waters of the Gili archipelago. If you’re lucky, you can watch them while snorkeling in the crystal clear water.







Lombok Island Beaches

Borneo: side by side with orangutans

Borneo Island (Kalimantan) Indonesia shares it with Brunei and Malaysia. This is a tasty morsel for safari and ecotourism lovers, because Tanjung Putting National Park is located here. There is a large population of orangutans and snout monkeys, and tourists can observe their life in a natural environment.

Visitors to the reserve explore it from traditional open―air boats. Houseboats glide calmly along the river, dragging naturalists further into the jungle. Every now and then, bright birds, crocodiles and insects come across the eyes of observers. Travelers are advised to go to Tanjung Putting for at least a few days to merge with the wild nature. You need to get to Borneo by plane from Jakarta, then by taxi or public transport.

Sumatra: the birthplace of the exotic

Sumatra Island is much larger in area than Belarus, Poland and Germany, so it is unlikely that you will be able to explore it while passing through. And there is something to see. For example, the world’s largest volcanic lake Toba. In the middle of it is the island of Samosir, the size of which is comparable to Jakarta. At the northern tip of the lake there is the highest waterfall in the country (120 meters) Sipiso-Piso. There are also Gunung Luser and Kerinci Seblat National parks in Sumatra, where elephants, Sumatran tigers, rhinoceroses, leopards, and some species of rare exotic animals live. There are also amazing plants, including huge flowers-parasites ― rafflesia.

According to the observations of travelers, despite the abundance of attractions, tourists in Sumatra are still a curiosity. “The locals looked at me with their mouths open and tried to touch me all the time. There are not many European tourists here. Hotels are much less comfortable, and houses often do not have light and hot water,” says travel blogger Veronika Grizik. According to her, there is almost no Internet on the island and bank cards do not work.

Most Sumatran residents wash themselves by pouring water from a bucket. Comfort and convenience here are mainly for tourists and for the rich







An orangutan in the Tanjung Putting National Park on the island of Borneo

Jakarta is so different

Jakarta deserves special attention. It has everything inherent in the capital of one of the largest countries in the world: sparkling skyscrapers, trendy cafes and bars, five-star hotels, luxury shopping malls, historical neighborhoods. On the other hand, although Indonesia is considered the seventh largest economy in the world in terms of GDP calculated by purchasing power parity, the living conditions of a huge part of the population are difficult to call prosperous. In 2024, it took only 75th place out of 85 in the Numbeo ranking of countries in terms of living standards, overtaking countries such as Iran, Lebanon, Venezuela and Nigeria. One in ten Indonesians lives below the poverty line, and the income gap is very noticeable in the country, and tourists can see this with their own eyes.

It is worth driving away from the capital for several kilometers, and you can get to one of the largest landfills in the world, Bantar Gebang. It covers an area of 200 football fields and receives seven thousand tons of waste from Jakarta every day. Here, among the stench and rot, people also live ― according to various estimates, from 6 to 20 thousand people. Scavengers scour the landfill in search of plastic, wood, metal and anything that can be recycled. Even animal bones have value: they are used to make jewelry or as an ingredient for tiles or concrete. This is how people manage to earn up to $10 a day.

The authors of the Travel without Luggage blog, Vitaly Bagrov and Anton Gilmore, say that they had a chance to visit the slums of the Indonesian capital. There they saw poverty, shacks piled up in neighborhoods without running water, electricity or transportation, and children playing among garbage heaps and learning lessons right on the sidewalks.

Everything is very much mixed up in Jakarta. There are huge traffic jams, dirt and dust. There are plenty of slums, and interestingly, almost everywhere they are adjacent to modern neighborhoods, business centers, malls and luxury hotels

Vitaly Bagrov is a traveler, blogger

Surprisingly, among such poverty, tourists meet joyful and hospitable people. “The main impression is the openness of the locals. At first, we were even a little afraid to enter the slums, we did not understand what awaited us. But in fact, everything turned out to be very positive. Local residents are ready to tell about their lives, let them go home and even treat them,” says Vitaly Bagrov.







Jakarta

What dangers await tourists in Indonesia?

Indonesia is mixed with many cultures and religions, its islands are unevenly developed, and a significant part of the population lives in poverty. The question arises: how can this affect visitors? Tourism expert Maya Kotlyar believes that Indonesia is safe enough for travelers. Indeed, according to UN estimates, the crime index there is not the highest ― 45.9 per 100,000 people. For comparison: in the most dangerous country in the world, Venezuela, it is 83.76; in China ― 60.8; in the USA ― 47.7; in Russia ― 39.7.

Nevertheless, there are places in Indonesia where tourists are not allowed to enter. It is not safe at all in the provinces of Papua and West Papua in the east of the country ― and New Zealand pilot Philippe Mertens, who has been held captive by Papuan separatists for more than a year, knows this firsthand.
On February 7, 2023, he flew to Paro Airfield in Nduga Regency to pick up workers who were building a medical center in the area. Radical locals doused his plane with gasoline and burned it, and Mertens was taken to the jungle, where he remains to this day.

What do you need to know about the story of the captured pilot?

The western part of the island of New Guinea (the state of Papua New Guinea is located on the eastern part), like the rest of the territory of modern Indonesia, has been a colony of the Netherlands since the XVIII century. After several years of struggle, in 1949, European colonists recognized the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, while retaining power over resource-rich Papua. Western New Guinea became part of Indonesia only in 1969. A referendum was held there, but supporters of independence questioned its results and formed the “Movement for Free Papua”. A protracted struggle against the authorities has begun, which continues to this day with varying degrees of intensity.

Since the Papua region was cut off from the historical process of Indonesia for many years, a generation grew up there, for whom it became a completely alien state with a different level of development. There is a gap between the capitalist culture of one of the most populous countries in the world and the system of traditional Papuan values. After decades of not very successful integration of Papua, the region has been defined as the most backward, poor, marginalized and isolated. There were facts of racial discrimination of the local population, torture and massacre of civilians during armed clashes with soldiers. Hence the constant bitterness of the Papuans, of which Mertens became a victim.

An armed rebel group has threatened to execute a New Zealander if the New Zealand government does not convince the Indonesian authorities to start negotiations on the independence of Papua. “Our new target is all foreigners: the US, the EU, Australians and New Zealanders, because they have supported Indonesia in killing Papuans for 60 years. Colonialism in Papua must be abolished,” said Sebby Sambon, a spokesman for the movement. In response, the Indonesian authorities launched a large-scale but unsuccessful military operation, attempts to free the New Zealander entailed only new losses.

The described events unfolded in a remote and hard-to-reach part of the country, where, nevertheless, tourists sometimes get. So, in West Papua there is the Raja Ampat archipelago with untouched marine nature. It is considered to be one of the best diving spots on the planet. Although meeting with separatist groups is unlikely to threaten travelers, do not forget about the risks that always exist in a foreign country.

Reports of incidents with tourists are received regularly. So, most recently, a guide lured a client to a hotel and raped her. Scammers have come up with a new way to deceive vacationers by repainting cars in the colors of famous taxi companies. The Dutchman was hit by a truck on a rented motorcycle and lost his head… And this list can be continued.

“As such, there are no dangerous zones in Bali, but there are regions where there is more crime. These are Kuta, Legian and Ubud, where cases of theft, including from foreigners, are often recorded. You have to be careful on the roads — they drive very badly, accidents often happen. There is Dengue fever, especially during the rainy season. There are deceptions by guides and tour companies,” warns Maya Kotlyar

The expert reminds that travelers need to respect the local culture. “It is forbidden to litter, visit holy places in shorts and unsightly appearance. You cannot work without official permission from the authorities, and behave impolitely towards local residents and other tourists. The ban also applies to posts on social networks,” adds Kotlyar.

“In order not to run into trouble, you should always be friendly to people, say hello, ask permission to take pictures or just chat,” concludes experienced traveler Vitaly Bagrov. “Then the locals will treat you the same way.”

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