Alpukat dari Lereng Merapi

At the center of Yogyakarta lies a city within the city: the Kraton. Built in the middle of the 18th century, this walled-city serves as the home of the sultans of what remains of the Mataram kingdom to this day. The palace is open to guided tours for properly dressed guests. Inside you'll find many shady courtyards connected by beautifully decorated covered walks. Of particular interest are the ornate reception halls as well as the large open air pendopos for listing to gamelan performances. You'll also find a small air-conditioned room where the desk at which the ninth sultan planned the overthrow of the Dutch is enshrined. Also interesting is the gallery displaying the royal family tree and photographs of many members. We thought the painting of the eighth sultan on his circumcision day to be particularly curious. There's also an extensive display of the ninth sultan's mememtos, including his favorite cooking utensils. Another gallery displays the gifts from vari...

Danau Toba, or Lake Toba as we know it, is the largest lake in Southeast Asia. It was created by the eruption of a super volcano 75 thousand years ago. It is still surrounded by the crater edge of that volcano, and in the middle of the lake, volcanic activity created Samosir an island as big as Singapore. Attached to that island is a small peninsula, with the village of Tuktuk on it. This is the tourist destination of the area, where we enjoy the cool air, a dive in the lake, the relaxed atmosphere, and the local Batak culture. Liberty of Lekjon After the exciting bus and bemo ride to Parapat we meet Liberty. He tells us that the last ferry to Tuktuk leaves in an Hour. But not to worry, there is a small restaurant where we can eat something while Liberty tells us all about Tuktuk and his hotel Lekjon cottages. It appears that the ferry will drop us off at any hotel on Tuktuk we want, and since we like the leaflet of Lekjon, we decide to let us lead by Liberty. In the dark the ferry bri...

The islands of the Indonesian archipelago are strung like beads across the equator. Clear blue seas lap pristine beaches, gentle breezes carry scents of spices and flowers, and divers are entranced by the ocean’s riches. Inland, dramatic volcanic ranges tower above a green mantle of terraced hillsides and lush rainforest. Bali offers an image of paradise: stunning scenery, gentle sarong-clad people and sunsets of legendary glory. On peaceful Lombok, life moves at a slower pace, while bustling Jakarta exhibits Indonesia’s cosmopolitan, modern face. Komodo Island’s ‘living dinosaurs’ and the entrancing ‘sea gardens’ of Suwalesi invite exploration, as do Borobudur’s architectural treasures, which include 5km (3 miles) of Buddhist relief carvings. Adventure-seekers head for Kalimantan’s remote jungle interior or explore Sumatra, with its teeming wildlife and wealth of tribal groups. Yet these fabled isles of sunshine and spices have long been stalked by security issues, fired up by governm...

With 17,000 islands, a wealth of natural and manmade wonders, dense jungles and exquisite beaches, an Indonesia holiday is certainly an unforgettable one. Specialist tour operator iExplore offers three different trips in the region including iExplore Indonesia, East Java and Bali and the East Indies Sea Trek. Visit Borobudur, one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in the world and a World Wonder Heritage, witness orangutans and Komodo Dragons, the temples of Java and the wild wilderness of Borneo, trekking deep into the jungle. Go sailing on the East Indies Sea Trek or discover the beaches and interior of the beautiful island of Bali on the East Java and Bali tour.

The nation of Indonesia is almost unimaginably vast: More than 17,000 islands providing 108,000 kilometers of beaches. The distance between Aceh in the West and Papua in the East is more than 4,000 kilometers (2500 miles), comparable to the distance between New York City and San Francisco. Laying on the western rim of the Ring of Fire Indonesia has more than 400 volcanoes, of which 130 are considered active, as well as many undersea volcanoes. The island of New Guinea (on which the Indonesian province of Papua is located) is the second largest island in the world. Provinces are usually grouped by around larger islands and include smaller surrounding islands. The listing below follows this practice: Sumatra (incl. the Riau Islands and Bangka-Belitung) Wild and rugged, the 6th largest island in the world has a great natural and cultural wealth with more than 40 million inhabintants. Kalimantan (Borneo) The vast majority of this, the world's third largest island is covered by the Indo...