Wakatobi National Park has an area of 1.39 million hectare which possessed a great marine potential. This national park offers a unique and amazing underwater panorama. Wakatobi National Park consists of four big island, Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko which is located under the jurisdiction of Wakatobi Region, Southeast Sulawesi.

In 1994, some scientists from Institut Pertanian Bogor (Bogor Agriculture Institute) conducted a survey in the area of Wakatobi. From their survey, it was found that Wakatobi has a great number of marine richness like coral reefs and sea stars. It was also concluded that this area could be developed further as a good tourism object offering underwater panorama as its mainstay.

The local residents in Wakatobi is called Bajau tribe. According to the record of ancient China and European Explorer, this tribe is one of the seamen tribes in Asia which could cross far distance on the ocean with their simple fleet. However, up until now, only Bajau tribe is still exist in Southeast Asia. Watching their unique daily life around the national park is an interesting experience, especially when they hunt for food by diving under the sea without equipments.

In this national park, there are 25 clusters of coral reef. In these clusters, it could be seen around 112 types from 13 family which are located in 25 spots along 600 km of coastal line. Besides the beauty of the coral reef, this national park also possesses various kind of fish species. There are around 93 species of fish in this national park both from the category of consumable and decoration fish, such as Spotted Argus (Cephalopholus argus), Takhasang (Naso unicornis), Pogo-pogo (Balistoides viridescens), Napoleon (Cheilinus undulatus), Baronang (Siganus guttatus), Amphiprion melanopus, Chaetodon specullum, and many more. Not just that, there are also some species of exotic tropical birds dwells the forests of this national park, like the Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster plotus), Malaysian Plover (Charadrius peronii), and Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). There are also three different kind of preserved turtles, for instance Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta), and Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).

The Islands in Wakatobi are very attractive locations for diving snorkeling, marine excursion, camping, sun bathing, and even culture excursion. The islands in Wakatobi are listed below.

Wangi-wangi Island

In this island, some resorts specially provides you with the diving equipments. Indeed, this island is the gate of Wakatobi National Park. Because of the its fast development, an airport named Matahora Airport is planned to be built in Wangi-Wangi Island. Wangi-Wangi is well known as the distributor of cheap secondhand import goods. In this island, you can also see a fort named Fort Liya Togo. Near from the fort, there is a Talo-Talo Tomb, the tomb of the little king of Buton Sultanate. Talo-Talo in the local language means “a whiz.” There is a unique ritual held every Eid called Posepa.

Kaledupa Island

In Kaledupa Island, there is a coral which is called Kaledupa Coral. This coral is very unique because of its from. People also call this coral as the table coral (refers to its form) which is 2-3 meters in size. Besides its beauty, the people of Kaledupa is also full of history and culture. In Kaledupa, there are various traditional way for getting food from the ocean without destroying the habitat. The activity of the local people, like when they fish using traditional equipments is also attractive to be observe

Tomia Island

Tomia Island is a great place for snorkeling and diving. From around the 90’s a luxurious dive resort has been operated here by a Swiss. This resort even builds an airport called Maranggo Airport to bring the tourists directly from Bali. The resort is professionally managed and the tourists who want to stay there should pay a decent value of money. Besides snorkeling and diving, in Tomia you could also visit Fort Patua. Some remains of ancient cannons are still there. There is also Jomba Katepi; a small-holed 100 meter well which was used to dispose the prisoners in the war era.

Binongko Island

Binongko is the area of blacksmith society. The people of Binongko has been known as a good producer of parang, a kind of Indonesian traditional sword. In the waters of Binongko, a group of dolphins could also be observed especially when they swim besides your boat. Like the other island, Biningko also rich of underwater beauty which has attract so many tourists.

Hoga Island

Hoga Island is one of the favorite diving spots for the professional divers from all around the world. In Hoga, there are around 200 lodges in a form of small wooden stilts house spread along the island. The beach is very fantastic with clean white sand and line of coconut trees on its coast. The water is also crystal clear, make you are able to see the fish swimming around the coral from the top of the dock.

A diving site is located between Hoga Island and Kaledupa Island or called Hoga Channel. This spot is an underwater paradise. Here, you can see a vast area of colorful corals with some beautiful fish swimming through the anemone or coral itself. Such a fantastic scene!

Besides in Hoga Channel, there are also other 20 diving sites in Wakatobi. There are Pinnacle sites near Hoga, Kaledupa Coral in Kaledupa Island, or Mari Mabuk Coral in Tomia; and every sites has its own uniqueness. The most beautiful coral structure is located in the Pinnacle. The corals are just mountainous, like its name “Pinnacle.” Pinnacle site also becomes the natural habitat of a local barracuda species and pygmy a species of tiny sea horse.

The Access to Wakatobi

To reach Wakatobi National Park you could depart from Kendari to Bau-bau with an express ship for a five hour trip on the sea. From Bau-bau you could continue to Lasalimu by driving for around two hours. After that, you need to take the express ship heading to Wanci. It may take about two and a half hour before arriving in Wanci. Wanci is the front gate of the Wakatobi National Park, so after this, the long trip that you take could be paid off with the beauty and exoticness of Wakatobi.

Prambanan is a Hindu temple built around the 10th century in Central Java. This temple stands tall until 47 meters or 5 meters higher than Borobudur Temple. Prambanan Temple is located around 17 kilometers from the downtown of Yogyakarta. There is a legend about this temple. It was said that in the past, there was a man called Bandung Bondowoso who loved a beautiful maiden called Roro Jonggrang. However, Roro Jonggrang did not love him, so when she was proposed by this man she asked Bandung Bondowoso to build a temple with 1000 statues before morning; an impossible mission. However, Bandung Bondowoso was such a magical and powerful man. Assisted by his genies, he almost completed the 1000 statues before Roro Jonggrang deceived him by creating a fake morning atmosphere. She asked her people to do their activities like it was already morning. At that time, Bandung Bondowoso had created 999 statues. Later on, when he knew that he was deceived, Bandung Bondowoso was very furious. He cursed Roro Jonggrang as a statue and use it to complete the 1000 statues inside Prambanan Temple.

Prambanan consists of 3 temples in the main yard, Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva Temple. Those temples are the symbol of Trimurti which all of them faces to the East. Every temple has its own companion temple facing West such as Nandini for Shiva, Swan for Brahma, and Garuda for Vishnu. Besides that there are also 2 candi apit, 4 candi kelir, and 4 candi sudut. Meanwhile, in the second yard there are 224 temples.

While entering Shiva Temple in the middle of the area, you will see 4 rooms. 1 room for Shiva statue, while the other three contains Durga (Shiva’s wife) statue, Agastya (Shiva’s teacher), and Ganesha (Shiva’s son). The Durga statue in this room is known as the Roro Jonggrang statue in the legend above. In the north of Shiva temple, there is Vishnu temple. There will be one room contains Vishnu statues. Meanwhile the Brahma temple is located in the south of Shiva Temple and also contains a room full of Brahma statues.

The companion temple which is quite attractive is the Garuda temple located near Vishnu temple. This temple tells a story about a mythological half bird man named Garuda. Garuda is pictured as a man with golden body, white face, red wings, bill, and eagle-like wings. Reputedly, this figure is the Hindu manifestation of Sun God or Ra in Egyptian myth or Phoenix in Greek myth. With his hard effort, Garuda could save his mother by taking Amerta holy water from the Gods. The effort of Garuda is very admired until now and used as the symbol of Indonesia. It was said that the creator of Garuda Pancasila got his inspiration from this temple. Thailand also used Garuda as their national symbol, however in Thailand it is known as Krut or Pha Krut.

Prambanan also has a relief telling story about Ramayana epic. Another relief also tells about Kalpataru tree who is believed as the tree of life by the Hindu. This relief was drawn flanking a lion. The existence of Kalpataru relief made some scientists drew a conclusion that in the 9th century, the Hindu people of Java had already given a special care for their environments.

Just like Garuda, Kalpataru has also inspired many people. In Indonesia, Kalpataru has become the symbol of environment conservation. This tree of life could also be seen in the “gunungan” which is the opening act for the traditional puppet show in Indonesia.

Interestingly, there are also some bird reliefs around this temple, but this time they are real birds. The bird reliefs in Prambanan are so natural and detail so that the biologists could identify these birds until the type of their genus. For example, you can see a relief of a yellow parrot (Cacatua sulphurea) which has raised a question. Why? Because this species only lives in an island called Masakambing in the middle of Java Sea. The scientists are very curious to research if this bird also lived around Yogyakarta in the past.

This temple got some serious damages from the earthquake in May 2006 around Central Java region. However, now the temple has been renovated and ready to be visited by the tourists. There is also one unique myth about visiting this temple. If you are an unmarried couple, you are suggested not to go inside the temple together with your couple because it is believed that the couple who enter the area of Prambanan will be separated; just like the love of Bandung Bondowoso and Roro Jonggrang. Believe it or not.

Bali Safari & Marine Park (BSMP) is a zoo and conservation place for some preserved animals around Indonesia. This safari park is located in Bypass Prof. Dr. Ida Bagus Mantra, Gianyar. BSMP was built on a 40 hectares area which spread over three villages, Serongga Village, Lebih Village, and Medahan Village. From Denpasar, BSMP is approximately 17 km and could be reach in 35 minutes, or approximately 30 km from Kuta and could be reached in 50 minutes. This park is similar with Indonesia I Safari Park in Cisarua, Bogor and Indonesia II Safari Park in Pringen, East Java or people say as “sister park.” This safari park is also the member of Indonesian Zoo Association.

BSMP provides a unique medium in a combination of wildlife and ecosystem which is very close to the culture of Balinese people. In this place you can see various species of endangered animals comes from three regions; Indonesia, India, and Africa. Those animals for example, Bali starlings, owls, boars/babirusa, alligators, crocodiles, tapir, Sumatra elephants, Timor reindeers, honey bear, Sumatera tiger, spotted deer, Himalaya bear, nilgai, black buck, hippopotamus, grevy zebra, dromedary camels, ostrich, baboons, blue wildebeest, and lions.

The basic concept of Bali Safari and Marine Park is to get visitors enjoying the one and only safari experience where they start the trip from the most modern era of Bali, and then gradually continued until the era of ancient Bali where so many philosophies, myths, and histories could be found related to the wildlife. It could be seen that in the ancient Bali, the people were always try to maintain the universe by balancing their life with the wildlife.

The safari will be started with the story of Tantri and Ramayana, then continued to Balinese village with its people’s activities, after that visiting an area of Hanuman (monkey god) and his subordinates, until visiting a Ganesha statue, the God of knowledge and prosperity in a form of elephant. After finishing your visit in Bali area, you will be taken into a tour of Sulawesi, Kalimantan/Borneo, Java, until India and Africa. This trip will be done in a special vehicle departing from a terminal called, Terminal Toraja.

After doing Safari Tram Tour, you will be given chance to visit the other places and directly interact with the animals, such as giving food or riding on camel or elephant. You can also take your picture with these animals and their cute babies. The tour of BSMP gives you a unique and different experience, like observing the white tigers or safari on the elephants back.

Besides a good place for safari, BSMP also provide a good place for eating. You can try to have lunch in Tsavo Lion Restaurant with its unique ambience which is the one and only in Asia. Here, you will have your meal accompanied by African lions which are swarming outside the glass window of your place.

Education and Conservation Program

BSMP also features an education and conservation program which is the best choice if you want to spend your holiday with an educating activities. This program starts at 09.30 in Barong Lobby with the introduction of leopard, alligator, Senyulong crocodile (a kind of freshwater crocidle) and Bali Curik bird. After that, it continues to the next introduction and photo session with some gorgeous birds in the area of Banyan Court. Then, the visitors will be taken to tour the area guided by a special guide for around 30 minutes.

The next activity is discussion about animals, environment, and conservation. After that, touching and feeling the animals, watching animals education and conservation show, and observing the process of feeding the white tiger. The program is then closed by having lunch in Uma Restaurant around 12.30. After that, the visitors are free to explore the BSMP and enjoy other activities.

The entrance ticket for this safari park is Rp 75,000 per person while the ticket for the Education and Conservation Program is Rp 110,000 per person.

Other Activities

There are other activities which are provided by BSMP, besides safari and education program, for instance funzone and water park. Funzone features some fun games and rides like gogo bouncer, jungle cruise, spinning coaster, flume ride and so forth. At Saturday, Sunday, and National Holidays there is also barong dance performance and interesting dance lesson for the kids in Bale Banjar hall.

The Best Visiting Time

Apart from the education program, the best time to visit BSMP is in the morning around 09.00, because Various Animal Presentation is usually started at 11.00, and then continued by Elephant Bathing at 11.15 and Elephant Conservation and Education Show at 11.45. after that, you can visit Uma Restaurant or Tsavo Lion Restaurant for lunch. However, if you prefer to go in the afternoon you should not miss the Elephant Bathing at 13.15, Elephant Conservation and Education Show at 15.00 and Various Animal Presentation at 16.00.

Bromo is a name of a mountain in Java Island which is famous for its amazing sunrise and sand desert. Its amazing sunrise has attracted so many tourists from both local and foreign countries. This tourism object is located in Probolinggo Regency, East Java and within bound with four regions around it such as Malang, Pasuruan, Probolinggo and Lumajang. It means that there are many access to reach Bromo area through those mentioned regions.

Bromo is a unique tourists destination because this mountain has sand ocean / desert with 5,250 hectare size. It becomes more unique since the desert is located under a mountain (mountain foot) with 2,100 meter above sea level.

Around this location, there are a lot of choices for staying, from the hotels until local residents’ house which will only cost you around 100,000 or 200,000 rupiahs. Besides that, around these houses you will easily find some food sellers or stands which are also affordable. For the adventurers, they might prefer spending nights in these houses since they can get a more challenging and unique experiences.

To see the spectacular sunrise scene on top of Mount Bromo you must go to an area called Penanjakan. To go there, a vast sandy desert must be crossed. Usually, the local residents also offer you to rent a jeep for easy trip. It will cost around 300,000 to 400,000 rupiahs per car which could accommodate up to seven people. No time for lazing around here, you must rent the jeep at night and be ready at 3 in the morning or you will miss the sunrise. Make sure that you are all wrapped up because it will be freezing around there. From 3 am you will start crossing the desert and heading into the top of this mountain. Do not worry about the hard and uneasy road that you will face, the drivers here are very expert. A little luck will also be needed here, because if it is cloudy or rainy then it will be “game over.”

About 2 hour or less, you will reach the top of the Bromo. The sun usually rise at 5 am or 5.30 depending on the season. When you are able to see a glimpse of orange lights on the east horizon it means that an unforgettable experience is about to start. All people seeing this will be amazed by the fantastic scene that the nature shows.

To climb up onto the summit of the Mount Bromo’s crater you can go through the stairs. However, if it is too tiring for you, a horse can be rented for 100,000 rupiahs. Do not worry if you do not know how to ride this animal, because a guide will accompany you. From the summit of Mount Bromo you will see directly the crater and smell the odor of sulfur. The amazing panorama that you will see is unmatched. From here, the sand desert and a complex of Hindu Temple could be seen from distance. Beside Mount Bromo, you will also see Mount Batok. Mount Batok is a unique mountain with many layers.

Tengger Tribe

Besides watching the amazing panorama of this mountain, it is also interesting to see and visit the local ethnic called Tengger. According to the history, the people of Tengger were the people of Majapahit Kingdom which fled into the foot of Bromo to avoid wars. Like the religion of Majapahit, these people also believe in Hindu as their religion. Thus, the unique and sacred Hindu ceremonies done here are also attractive. A temple was also built in the foot of Mount Semeru which is adjacent to the Mount Bromo.

Kasado Ceremony

One of the unique ceremonies done in Mount Bromo is called Kasado Ceremony. This ceremony is conducted by Hindu people live in the area by giving offering to God. They will gather their harvests from the gardens, rice fields, and farms and arranged them in a unique form of offering. After that, those offerings are brought onto the summit of the Bromo and then thrown up into its crater. Uniquely, some of the people from outside of this village will wait below to take the offerings. Kasado ceremony is an annual ceremony or a ceremony which is held every year according to Javanese traditional calendar. This ceremony usually takes place between December and Januari. The ceremony itself is intended to bring luck, prosperity, and to prevent disasters especially disaster caused by the eruption of Mount Bromo.

Bali is a famous holiday island which has been attracting more and more tourists to visit and see its natural beauty and unique culture. With a reasonable budget you will be able to experience the world class service and facilities of a world class tourists’ destination. Moreover, the prices in this island are very affordable and for you who always want lower price, the bargaining shopping is the best way here. Not just that, the weather, the people, and even everything about the island is interesting.

Bali is indeed the best place related to the safety, pricing, and attractions. However apart from those good sides mentioned earlier, like everything which exists in this world, it is also common to have bad sides. Common inconvenience things for instance traffic jam, dirtiness, or flood, but the other bad things are there. This writing was not intended to make you afraid of Bali. Not at all! It was written just to give you information as a consideration for the things that need to be avoided while you are spending holiday in Bali, so you could have an unforgotten memories in this island, like the others. According to the baliblog, these things are need to be avoided in Bali.

Arguments with Regulations or Customs

Regulations were made to maintain comfort for everyone. Like the other countries, Bali also has some regulations or customs which need to be obeyed. Some of them are indecisive but some are also strict. Just make sure that you do not argue the regulations because the Balinese will not like it. For example, many tourists protest upon their arrival at Ngurah Rai International airport upon arrival, for extra tight security check which are very bothering, like opening your luggage and so on. Arguing or refusing the officers will only give you more nuisances. The best thing to do is to be polite and accept the regulations as it may lead you to a safer condition of travelling.

Things which are prohibited to be brought into airplane or outside the airplane for example: things that could harm other people (weapons) like knife, swords, baseball sticks, pistol, firearms, or knuckleduster, explosives or flammable things like alcohol, petrol, firecrackers, fireworks, gas lighter; chemicals or toxic substances like bleacher, chlorine, acid, pepper spray and so forth; narcotics like marijuana, ecstasy, opium, and so on; properties of the airplane such as lifejacket, maskers, safety guide book, and so on.

Taxis that Don’t Use the Meter

This things normally happens in Indonesia, where the taxi driver prefer to turn off their taxi meter and ask the passengers to pay a fix amount of money. However, this will only happen if you get on an infamous or illegal taxis. So, before entering a taxi, make sure that you ask the driver whether they want to switch on his taxi meter or not. If they do not use the meter, stay away and find the other taxis as it may cost you more than it should be. Usually, the well known and trusted taxis like Bluebird, Ngurah Rai Taxi, Geka, Gelora, Koperasi Taxi Kowinu Bali, Pan Wirthi Taxi, Rajawali Taxi, or Ramayana Taxi would appear in appropriate manner and serve you well. Other than those taxi corporations, it is not guaranteed that you might get a good service. However, you should always be careful because using a well known taxi, does not mean that you are free from fraud or other irresponsible acts.

Unregistered Money Changers

Changing money is also crucial thing to do in Bali. If you want to do so, try to find a registered and legal moneychanger. It is quite easy to find the legal one, as you can judge by yourself how a good moneychanger looks like. Dealing with a wrong moneychanger could seriously rip off your holiday budget.

Below are the list of some TRUSTED moneychangers :

1. Airport Money Changers
2. PT Bali Maspintjinra, Kuta Jl Sriwinjays No 16A
3. BMC Seminyak PT Bali Maspintjinra (opposite Bintang Supermarket, next to Sip restaurant on the Kuta side.)
4. PT Bali Maspintjinra, Head office Jl Raya Seminyak No 16A
5. PT Bali Maspintjinra, Sanur, Jl Danau Tamblingan No 18
6. Central Kuta Money Changer, JL Pantai Kuta, Kerobokan, Kuta, Denpasar
7. Wahana Money Changer, JL Raya Kuta 88R, Kuta, Bali
8. Sentral Kuta Money Changer JL Kunti 121, Kerobokan, Kuta, Denpasar, Bali
9. Kodak Shops
10. Fuji Shops

Flashing Money

Absolutely, do not try to show off in the public area by flashing your money. Doing that may attract the pickpockets and thieves which could only give trouble. Well, they are not Balinese for sure, but usually come along from outside Bali for working and once in a while stealing tourists’ money.

Buying Drugs

This is Bali, not Amsterdam. Here, or anywhere in Indonesia, drugs are illegal and prohibited. It does not matter if you are only using them, the cops will have enough reason to send you to jail. Moreover, bringing narcotics into Indonesia will be punished dead. If you buy drugs on the streets, it will also be more risky, because police has “eyes” everywhere. Do not sacrifice your whole holiday pleasure for this temporary pleasure!

Hustlers on the Streets

This is the characteristics of every developing countries. Beggars could be found easily on the street. Some of them are genuine and poor, but the others are fake only taking advantage of your generosity. If you give them money, it will not help them but it will make them become lazier because they do not need to work to gain money. Moreover, some of these beggars have big boss who exploit them for getting easy money.

Heat of the Day

Although you come to Bali to feel the tropical climate in the warmth of the sun, you may not expect that sometimes it could be burning hot in Bali. So, always be prepared with some water to avoid dehydration. If you want to walk around the street, it will be better to be done in the morning or at night because the day and afternoon could be very hot.

If you are looking for a complete packaging of holiday and education at once, this museum is a perfect choice. The Batur Volcano museum is located in Kintamani District of Bangli Regency in Bali. This is the first volcanic museum in Indonesia. If you are travelling through Kintamani but not visiting this museum, you miss a diamond among the gold during your holiday. This museum is a treasure chest full of information about volcano in Indonesia especially the Batur volcano. This museum explains huge varieties of information from the history, process, material, studies and many more including Balinese religious perspective towards volcano. This museum was built in regard to the fact that Indonesia possesses more than 500 volcanoes which 129 among them are categorized as active.

This museum can be found on the right side of the street after Penelokan mount view in Kintamani if you are traveling from Lovina or Singaraja. This is a famous museum for local citizen in Kintamani, so you can ask people around there about the location of the museum. Moreover, this museum is reachable in relatively short distance from several tourism objects such as Ubud, Bangli, Besakih Temple, or Tampak siring.

Since this museum was built in 2007, not so many people notice this museum in Bali. The front appearance of the building is also more likely to be a market or ordinary building. However, the facilities inside are very interesting and informative. You can find diorama, map, sample of volcanic eruption material, several tools used to detect upcoming eruption, pictures, audio-visual media, computer-based interface, big theater playing movies about volcanic eruption, and many others. As the result of those facilities, many students are visiting this museum every month. However, the numbers of visitors are still low compared to other museum in Bali.

In the first floor, you will find a big diorama showing the relation of volcano worldwide. It is controlled by some console button paired with the name of the volcano. When you pushed the button, the diorama will turn on the lamp of the volcano in the map. There are also some buttons used as a console to some volcano as a category, so when you push this button, a group of volcano will turned on. However, some other cool dioramas are not working since the temperature of the area is too humid and not good for the devices. And as replacement, some computer interfaces are ready to show several interesting information such as the history of the Batur Lake and Volcano. There is also a diagram of how traditional and modern way of early warning system is conducted in the past.

When you see a beautiful view in Penelokan, you will feel amazed by the beauty of a wide lake there. And in the museum you will understand that the lake was the caldera of the Batur Volcano several thousand years ago. It means that the lake was the basement of the volcano which was very wide, and it can be imagined how high the Batur Volcano was in the prehistoric times. Well as stated previously, this museum also shows some volcanic material from Mount Agung, Mount Batur, and other regional and International material.

In the second floor, you can see an explanation of how volcanic rock is carved by Balinese people as one of the artistic pride of Bali. A Geopark showing Batur environment and cultural reservation is also exhibited there. Another facility in the second floor is a movie theater with the capacity of more than 100 people inside. However, if you want to ask the staff to play the movie, you need to be in a group of least 25 individuals. An auditorium is also available in the second floor which usually used by local government or other company.

The third floor is specialized as the monitoring and research station towards the activity of the Batur Volcano since it is still active. In this floor, a telescope equipped with aerial photograph is available. By reading instruction or asking guidance from the museum staffs, visitors can also see the nature landscape of Batur Volcano. By their eyes, visitors may see the smoke coming out from the volcano as a sign that the volcano is still active. Local citizen are well aware of the might of Batur Volcano based on religious and scientific perspective. Therefore, when a sign of eruption is appear, local citizen will conduct a ceremony that related to this event. Event without modern early warning system, local citizen can notice the signs of eruption trough the changing act of animals and nature condition. And this museum explains all details of the phenomena. So, be sure to visit this museum at least once on your trip in Bali.

Location

Batur Volcano Museum
Jalan Kintamani, Penelokan, Bangli, Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 366 51152
Fax: +62 366 51186
Google Map

Sikui Island is one of the islands located on the west side of Sumatera. This island is a member of Mentawai Archipelago. Administratively, Sikuai Island is located in the region of Bungus Teluk Kabang District, Padang, West Sumatra. This island is approximately 23 km from Padang City which could be reached using speedboat. This island was started to be developed as a tourism object from 1994. Sikuai Island is a tropical paradise offering all beauties and experience of a tropical island, for instance white sand and soft beach, warm waters, coral reef richness, and various species of fish. The calm wave, line of coconut trees, and a lush and green tropical rainforest are all well maintained and natural. The most attracting scenery could be seen in the sunset, when the sun glows red with orange background “drowning” into the bluish ocean. Such an amazing panorama!

Despite the beauty, this island is not really popular. Many travelers or tourists does not know much about the Sikui Island in West Sumatera. This island is like newly discovered. This island should be visited when you spend holiday in the land of Minang (Padang). Usually, tourists will prefer visiting Gadang Clock, Anai Valley, Gadang Houses, and the legendary beach where the story of Malin Kundang was taken place if they are having holiday in West Sumatera. Indeed, those tourism objects are the mainstays of West Sumatera, but slowly but sure Sikui Island will join them and become of the favorites.

Sikuai is one of 19 islands which are inside the region of Padang City. This island is about 38.6 square meters or has the area of 40 hectares. Although it is not yet famous if compared to the other tourism objects, Sikuai Island could be said as one of the developing tourism object in West Sumatera, especially for marine tourism. In this island, you can do some water activities such as snorkeling, diving, fishing, or just swimming on the clean water of Sikuai Beach whilst watching the beauty of sea biota including coral reefs.

To access this island, from Padang City exactly from Bungus Bay, you will need a boat for crossing into Sikuai. Bungus Bay is about 23 km south of Padang City. Besides Bungus Bay, you could also depart from Wisata Bahari dock in Batang Harau Street. If you take this way, Sikuai Island could be reached in 25 minutes on speed boat or 60 minutes using ship or from Muara Port with travelling time around 45 minutes with ship and then from Airud Bungus in 35 minutes. There are 25 cottages built in this island. Besides that, facilities like restaurants, meeting / conference room, swimming pool, or even bicycling and jogging path to go around the island are available. The stairs which were built in this island reaching the top of the hill, allowing the tourists to enjoy the sunset and sun rise from the top spot on the island.

If you consider a quiet and peaceful holiday destination, this island is a perfect choice. In the line of coconut trees neat the resort, there are some hammocks hanging on the trees for relaxing and enjoying the fresh air. After that we could go to the beach, playing or walking on the sand and then swimming. Here, you could easily see some turtle hatchlings swimming between the reefs. Not just that, other activities like snorkeling around the island or canoeing on the calm waters are also fun to be tried in the peaceful atmosphere of Sikuai Island. The clear water makes the underwater biota visible even from top of your canoe.

The trekking or jogging lane is also available behind the resort. There is a green tropical rainforest with its high hill which could be explored. This hill is already equipped with 369 stairs if you want to go up the stairs and reach the top of the hill. It will need a tough effort though, because for arriving to the top needs 30 minutes or more. It will be energy draining activity, but all will be paid off with the amazing panorama of the ocean with some small islands around it. Moreover, if you arrive on the top at the sunset, you will see the view that you will never forget. However, the minus point of this island is the lack of electricity. The electricity source for the resort is from a generator and unfortunately turned on only from 17.00 to 08.00 in the morning.

Some water sports are also worthy to try here, such as banana boat, snorkeling, mountain cycling, or speed boat. Activities like venturing the forests, trying the coconut fruits and its fresh water will also be a unforgettable experiences. Spending holiday in Sikuai Island offers a true relaxation and peace.

Usually, a temple is a kind of solid holy building made from stones or bricks. However, on the side of the Pakerisan river, Gianyar there is a complex of temple which is carved on the natural stone wall. Not just temples, this complex also completed with a meditation room.

Gunung Kawi is located beside Pakerisan River, in Sebatu Village, Tegalalang District, Gianyar. The way heading to Gunung Kawi is the same way to reach Tirta Empul Tampaksiring. This place is about 40 km from Denpasar and could be reached by 1 hour driving. Meanwhile, from Gianyar, this place is only 20 km or could be reached in a half hour. Gunung Kawi is also an easy tourism object to visit because public transportations like taxi, bus, or travel agency can easily reach this place.

Gunung Kawi is in the category of good tourism object in Bali because it has completed with many facilities like spacious parking lot, restrooms, travel guide, shops, and restaurants around the area.

This temple is called Gunung Kawi, or Kawi Cliff Temple. This place is a preserved archaeological site and also a sacred temple for the Hindu. The name “Gunung Kawi” is derived from word “gunung (mountain)” and “kawi (carving).” It was estimated that the construction of this temple was done in 11 BC, during the era of King Udayana until Anak Wungsu.

According to the history of Bali, from his marriage with Gunapriya Dharma Patni, King Udayana had two sons, Erlangga and Anak Wungsu. When they were grown up, Erlangga became the king of East Java, meanwhile Anak Wungsu became the king of Bali. It was estimated that the construction was finished in Anak Wungsu’s era. Another version of the Gunung Kawi construction history is also exist. From the local people story, Gunung Kawi was made by a person named Kebo Iwa. Kebo Iwa is the legend of Balinese who had a giant body and strong magical power. Using only his fingernail, he carved the stone wall on the side of Pakerisan River into temples. With his magical power, the work of creating this temple was done only in one day.

Gunung Kawi is a unique and attractive tourism object which has been attracting many visitors. To see the beauty of this temple, first we must go down the 315 stairs heading into the riverside. Peaceful atmosphere, beautiful green panorama, and sound of the waters will accompany us to reach the temple. The stairs in this area was made from paras (white sandstone) stone framed with stone walls.

After arriving in the temple complex, we will see two groups of temples which is split by Pakerisan River. The first complex consists of four temples which are located on the west of the river facing east. Meanwhile, the second complex consists of five temples located on the east side facing west. In the first complex, we can see a swimming pool completed with traditional stone showers. Here, there is also a room for meditation called ”wihara.” Wihara was carved in a firm cliff and completed with yard, small rooms with windows, and ventilations which are also functioned as the hole for sun light on top of it. It was predicted that the rooms inside wihara were used for meditation or meeting between the priests or royal figures. These two complexes of temple are very beautiful with the amazing detail and complicated temple carvings on the stone wall of the cliff. Every temple was created in a niche which was designed to protect it from erosion.

Other sites which are adjacent to Gunung Kawi are ancient gates and hermitage called Geria Pedanda. The researchers called this place as “Makam ke-10” or the 10th tomb, because an inscription written “rakryan” was found here. This word literally means the graveyard for ministries or royal officials. Meanwhile, if we head southeast, a bit far from Gunung Kawi there are also some unfinished niches with hermitages and wihara.

Gunung Kawi complex was deliberately built for the funeral of the king, but in the reality it is only symbolization to honor them. Visiting this place will give you peaceful atmosphere, so many people come here to meditate or pray. This place also offers a tranquil aura with its fresh air and quite location.

Eka Karya Botanical Garden, or also usually called Bedugul Botanical Garden is located on the Bedugul highland, in the area village of Candikuning, Baturiti, Tabanan. It is approximately 60 km from Denpasar and could be reached within 1.5 hours. This green place is one of four famous botanical gardens in Indonesia, besides Bogor Botanical Garden, Cibodas Botanical Garden, Purwodadi Botanical Garden. However, since those three botanical gardens were inherited from the colonial government, Eka Karya Botanical Garden become the first botanical garden which was built by Indonesian. Thus the name of this botanical garden is “Eka Karya” which means “the first work.”

This botanical garden was built on 157.5 hectare green forest area. Until now Eka Karya Botanical Garden has collected 8,494 kind of plants in the group of palm, bamboo, araceae, rhododendron, and many more. Some of these plants are also presented in the form of specific gardens like explained below.

Cactus Garden

As it name implies, this garden specially collects cactuses or plants that belong the Cactaceae family. This garden is built like a glass dome with various kind of cactuses inside including the unique dragon fruit. Besides from Bali, the cactus collection in this greenhouse was imported from Argentina, German, Mexico, and New Zealand.

Cactus is a desert plant which is usually lives in hot temperature. With modified leaves which are transformed into spines, this plant could adapt the dry climate well. Surprisingly, cactus could also grow and proliferate in the cold climate area like Eka Karya Botanical Garden. Some of the cactus can even grow until more than 5 meter. In Eka Karya Botanical Garden, the collection of the cactuses consists of 68 types which are arranged in a 500 m2 green house to prevent excessive humidity. The most interesting cactuses to see here are the collection of Echinocactus grusonii, Cephalocereus senilis, Mammillaria durispina, Espostoa lanata, Opuntia sp. and Cleistocactus micropetalum which are very unique and attractive.

Aquatic Garden

The aquatic garden is close to the cactus garden. In this garden, the collection of water plants are arranged in a six terraces ponds. These ponds are decorated with various kinds of ornaments such as rocks, pots, and bamboo sprinkles. Some kind of aquatic plants like Nymphaea pubescens Willd (kinds of lotus or water lily), Pontederia cordata L., Cyperus papyrus L., Cyperus flabelliformis Rottb., Nymphoides indica (L.) OK., and Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng.

Orchids Garden

Various type of orchids from the eastern region of Indonesia are displayed here. Starting from the black orchid or Coelegyne pandurata, the Arundina graminifolia which the plant itself similar to thatch but with a pretty flower, until Phaius tankervillae which usually be found in Sulawesi region. The complete collection and the beauty of orchids could attract many visitors.

Usada Garden

The word Usada means “health.” From this meaning, it is implied that this garden is the place for cultivating herbs or medicinal plants. Some traditional herbs like galingale, cumin, betel leaves, or parijatha could be found here easily. More than 300 kinds of medical plants are collected in this 1,600 m2 garden. This collection includes the plants from various regencies in Bali and completed with explanation board at every plant that informs the description and function of the related plants in Balinese traditional medication.

Cyathea Garden

Cyathea is the scientific name of tall fern which could grown towering until 56 meter. This garden is full of ferns starting from the one which looks like a tree until the unique epifit which looks like harts horn. Bird’s nest fern or even land covering primordial ferns like Selaginella could be seen here. Entering this garden feels like going back to the prehistoric times when the dinosaurs ruled the earth. It will be such a unique experience to visit this garden.

Rose Garden

Like its name, this garden looks like a rose paradise. There are various kind of roses with various colors like red, pink, maroon, orange, yellow, and even green. The green rose (Rosa x odorata ‘Viridiflora’) is the most unique rose in this place. This rose is an intercross of two species of roses, Rosa chinensis and Rosa gigantea. This rose is sterile because the stamen does not develop / grow. Thus, the green roses could only be cultivated through grafts or cuttings. This green rose was imported from America and in Indonesia it is only available at Eka Karya Bali and Cibodas Botanical Garden.

Begonia Garden

This garden will show you various kind of begonia plants. The collection includes common begonia, hybrid begonia, typical Indonesian begonia, and species from foreign countries. More than 200 types of Begonia are planted in this garden both natural and exotic types. Natural Begonia commonly has simple form, unattractive, and randomly grow in the wildlife. Meanwhile, exotic Begonia commonly come from foreign countries with various unique forms. Now, this plant has been widely known as ornamental plant.

Panca Yadnya Garden

This garden was named after a concept of Hinduism called “Panca Yadnya” or literally means “five sacrifices.” It was inspired by the five kinds of sacrifices made for reciprocations to the God (Dewa Yadnya), ancestors (Pitra Yadnya), teachers or priests (Rsi Yadnya), human being (Manusa Yadnya), and the guardians of universe (Bhuta Yadnya). This garden consists of all kinds of plants that are used by Balinese to do these Yadnya ceremonies, like frangipani (Plumeria), chrysolite (Michelia champaca Linn), cananga (Cananga odorata), and many more.

Gymnos Garden

Gymnos Garden collects some kind of gymnosperm, like pine, araucaria, and so on. Most of this collection are imported from foreign countries, but some of them are also Indonesian endemics like, Podocarpus imbricatus which grew in Bedugul hills. Besides visiting those gardens, you can also try some outbound activities like flying fox, rope climbing, and so on. Flying fox is the most exciting one since this area is full of tall trees, so you can feel a challenging sensation of this sport.

There are also three temples in this botanical garden, Giri Putri, Teratai Bang, and Batu Meringgit temple. In Teratai Bang temple, there is a sulfur source which radiate odor around the area. Meanwhile, Meringgit temple is an archaeological site which has existed since the megalithic era. This temple combines the culture of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Kepulauan Seribu or Thousand Island is a name of archipelago located on the north of Jakarta bay. Even though the name of this archipelago means “thousands,” the actual number of the islands is 158. Because consisting of small islands, most of these islands are uninhabited. However, this archipelago has many visitors because of its natural beauty. These are some of the most beautiful islands of Kepulauan Seribu.

Ayer Island

Ayer Island is one of the island in this archipelago which has fresh water spring. This island has become favorite holiday destination, especially for the people of Jakarta because of its close distance from the capital city. From Marina Ancol Jakarta, Pulau Ayer could be reached in 25 minutes. Here, you can stay on the exciting floating cottages, with a direct panorama of the ocean. Besides hotel and cottages, in this island you could find complete facilities like restaurants, meeting room, fishing dock, water sports, mini market, fun bike, until karaoke. To enjoy the panorama and atmosphere of Ayer, many people prefer to go around this island on foot or by bicycle.

Bidadari Island

Bidadari Island or Angel Island is only 20 minute from Marina Jaya Ancol by speed boat. Here, you will find a great place to spend holiday. Some romantic cottages are also built between the forest and the sea. Besides marine richness, this island also has a historical sites named Martelo Fort. This fort was used in the colonial era by the VOC, but until now the entrance into this fort is undiscoverable. Apart from that, some ethnical buildings on this island give richer experience for the visitors to feel.

Pantara Island

To reach Pantara Island, it will need 120 minute crossing on speed boat from Marina Jaya Ancol. This island is a bit far if we compare it to the other islands, but with this distance you can see the beautiful panorama of the blue ocean and surrounding islands longer. In this island, visitors usually do some fun activities like snorkeling, diving, swimming, playing tennis, and even singing in the hall.

Kotok Island

Kotok Island is known as the paradise for the divers. Besides a beautiful beach, this island also offers an amazing panorama of underwater life. Many visitors of this island, especially the foreign tourists go to this island to enjoy the beauty of its nature and spend a couple of night in the tranquil atmosphere of a private island. You can enjoy a exhilarating recreation in this island like canoeing, snorkeling, jogging, or diving.

Putri Island

In Bahasa Indonesia, putri means princess. Maybe this island was given that name because of its enormous beauty. Some exotic and comfortable cottages are set in the beautiful atmosphere of this small island. This island is a favorite holiday destination for family trip because some facilities in this island are suitable for fun family day, like glass bottom boat, undersea aquarium (mini sea world), sunset cruise, swimming pool, and other joyful activities. Besides that, this island also offers the typical activities that Kepulauan Seribu has like snorkeling, diving, banana boat, jet ski, or fishing pier. If you want to have a unique and relaxing business meeting, this island even has provided meeting room for your business event.

Sepa Island

This island is also one of the favorite islands amongst the islands of Kepulauan Seribu. Sepa Island has a sparkling beach and complete facilities for the tourists or visitors. To reach this island, you have to cross the sea for 90 minutes. If you want to see the amazing view of coral reef under its beach, you can go snorkeling or diving. Like the other islands, some water sports like jet ski, banana boat, or parasailing are available. This place is the best holiday destination for you, your family, and friends.

Pelangi Island

Pelangi (Rainbow) Island is also known as Petondan Barat. This small island is a natural island in Kepulauan Seribu archipelago. Pelangi Island offers you a nice tropical atmosphere with a dense forest around the island. Some facilities which are available in this island are cottages, diving centre, snorkeling centre, fishing equipments rental, tennis court, mini market, clinic, and many more.

Pramuka Island

Pramuka Island offers complete facilities for its visitors. The combination of blue ocean with lush tropical greens create an unmatched experience of your holiday. This island is very close to the marine park which allow the visitors to get the best spot for snorkeling and diving in Kepulauan Seribu.

Tidung Island

Tidung Island is one of the biggest islands in this archipelago. With a stunning marine scenery, well maintained underwater ecosystem, and affordable price, this island has been reputed as the best holiday destination around the bay of Jakarta. Many activities could be done in this peaceful island, like fishing, diving, snorkeling, photography, or camping. There was once a long wooden bridge connecting the small Tidung Island with the big Tidung Island. This bridge is called the “Love Bridge” because people believe that when a couple pass this bridge holding hands, their love will be long lasting. Unfortunately, about 2 month ago, this bridge was accidentally burnt and now could not be passed. However, the bridge itself is still an attractive place to visit in this island.