Indonesia is a country consisting of more than 17000 islands. It’s reaching over three time zones with more than 5000 kilometres from the most western point in Sumatra to the most eastern point in the Indonesian Papua. The archipelago has a huge cultural variety and more than 700 spoken languages. With endless possibilities of adventures and cultural exchange – what’s there not to like?
Indonesia is by far my favourite travel destination! Not only have I lived there for almost 3 years during my active scuba diving instructor career before the coronavirus pandemic, but I have also visited different parts of Indonesia for leisure. Located in the coral triangle, Indonesia offers great possibilities for water sports, especially snorkelling and scuba diving.
Scuba diving
Indonesia has a lot to offer for scuba divers. Healthy reefs and abundance of fish and other marine life in all shapes, sizes and colours! Almost anywhere you go in Indonesia you can find a PADI dive center ready to take you out on your next scuba diving adventure in crystal clear waters.
Most locations are also great for beginners to try scuba diving. As a scuba diving instructor, I often got to witness how even the most nervous new scuba diver relaxed and forgot their nervousness when the first turtle swam past them!
Exploring the underwater realm is for me a must when I arrive in a new destination. If I only explore the dry land attractions I feel like I’m missing half of the experience!
People and culture
During my time in Indonesia, I have found that the basics of the language Bahasa Indonesia are relatively easy to learn. This is making interactions with the locals easy all over Indonesia. Most Indonesians speak something else as their mother tongue, but being the official government language, all Indonesians except small children also speak Bahasa Indonesia.
Indonesians are a very diverse nation. Indonesia is the biggest Muslim country in the world. However, many not so densely populated areas have Christian majorities and for example, Bali has a Hindu majority. Despite the huge cultural variety between different islands and religious backgrounds, Indonesians are in general very accepting and welcoming and religion is rarely discussed.
Next stop in Indonesia?
This far I have visited the capital Jakarta, Bali, the Gili islands in Lombok, Labuan Bajo in Flores and of course multiple locations in North Sulawesi which is where I used to live. I could return to all these places at any time, but I also want to explore further.
In the future, I want to visit the orangutans in Sumatra, explore the islands in Raja Ampat in South West Papua, observe hammerhead sharks in the Banda Islands in Maluku and enjoy the sunrise at Borobudur temple in Central Java.
Have you ever visited Indonesia and where would you want to go?