Unique Travel places in Indonesia

When hearing about Indonesia, the mind of most people goes instantly to the famous island Bali. Don’t get me wrong, Bali is a beautiful island with wonderful beaches, hidden waterfalls, monkeys, and the Balinese culture. Just as any well-known place in paradise, the island is crowded with tourist, and everything is made just for them. Therefore, it is difficult to get a real insight into the Indonesian society and culture. In my blog I want to share with you some tips on which unique travel places in Indonesia you need to visit without running into big tourist groups!

Komodo National Park

The most memorable place I have visited in Indonesia was the Pulau Komodo, also known as an island in the Komodo National Park. It is the natural habitant of around 4.000 Komodo dragon monitor lizards and is therefore the first of many unique travel places in Indonesia!

To receive the unique opportunity to see these “dragons“ you firstly need to make your way to the capital city Jakarta. It has a newly build airport which offers flights all over the world. Afterwards you can easily book a direct flight to Bali and then to Flores but watch out, you fly in a very small airplane where you will even have to go on the scale yourself to make sure that the freight and people on board are not too heavy.

From Flores you can book several ships with private sleeping rooms who offer a day up to a week trip around the island. I would recommend choosing the ship in which the pickup from the airport to the harbour is also included.

Even though the trip already sounds very exhausting and terribly long, I can promise you that every minute will be worth it.

 

10 Things you can expect from your trip:

1. Normally all drinks and food are included inside the price and the entire crew eats together three times a day. Of course, there might be exceptions. You will receive the opportunity to try traditional Indonesian food such as Nasi goreng and Lumpia.

   

2. Do not expect a fancy cruise ship with a bathtub, restaurants, and a pool. Here are mainly wooden ships which are providing only the necessary things. A personal recommendation is the ship Moana.

   

3. You can go snorkelling or in case you have a diving license you can go diving. You will be able to see many fish such as the manta rays or the boxfish, swimming around the colourful coral reefs.

   

4. The highlight of the trip will be to make a day trip to the island. After a small hike, you will receive the chance to see the Komodo dragons. They are walking right next to you and if you are brave enough you can walk up to them to take a selfie together. Don’t worry, there will be security people, who will watch out that they do not attack you! Just keep in mind to always walk slowly and not to scare them, then you will be fine.

   

5. The UNESCO heritage also offers a beautiful scenery with a contrast between rugged hillside of dry savanna, pockets of thorny green vegetation, crystal blue water and white beaches.

   

6. Seeing everyday stunning sunrises and sunsets and if you are lucky even some dolphins might join the show!
7. When you get close to Pulau Kalong (Bat Island), after you witnessed the incredible sunset, another spectacular moment will occur. Hundreds of Bats will rise from the mangrove forest and fly over the ocean. In combination with the colourful sky which is about to turn dark, this view is just breath-taking.

   

8. Sleeping under the stars.
9. At the Komodo National Park you can find one of the eight pink beaches in the entire world. Furthermore, around the entire islands you can find beautiful clear water.

   

10. Once the boat stops, you will receive the opportunity to jump off the boat and practice on your backflips!

 

I hope my blog post inspired you to visit the amazing Komodo National Park in Indonesia. How Indonesians would say “Termia kasih telah membaca”(Thank you for reading)! For more unique travel places in Indonesia click here.