Indonesia Sightseeing Guide

The Bogor Botanic Gardens were laid out at the orders of Sir Stamford Raffles, who invited experts from the famous Kew Gardens in London to come to Indonesia to design the gardens, which were inaugurated in 1817.

The gardens are spread out over 87 hectares and have a fabulous collection of more than 15000 species of plants and trees, both native as well as exotic. Some of the most interesting plants on display include the lovely orchids (Indonesia is known for the wide variety of orchids in the country) and the Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world, which blooms only once a year - and stinks like nothing else on earth.  

Also attached to the Botanic Gardens are the Herbarium Bogoriense (which contains preserved plants), the Zoological Museum and the Treub Laboratory. The Bogor Botanic Gardens have branches in other parts of the country too- Bali and East Java among them.

Borobodur, 42 km from the equally well- known historical and cultural centre of Yogyakarta, is the world's largest Buddhist monument. Not a shrine, not a temple- but a complete complex of temples, with a magnificence hard to imagine until you actually see it.

 Borobodur was built centuries ago, in the form of a mandala (a sacred diagram which represents the universe and its complexities).It's built over seven levels - each a separate terrace, and is intricately carved all through. 

Made totally of stone, the temples are topped by the Great Stupa, which stands tall at 40 m. The carvings along the walls of the temples stretch for all of 6 km, and depict the life of the Buddha till the time he attained enlightenment. The temples are the venue for a major procession during the festival of Waisak, (in May) when pilgrims and devotees come to Borobodur in a procession from the Buddhist temple of Medut, 35 km from Yogyakarta.

Spread out over 62500 hectares, the Ujung Kulon Wildlife Reserve is the last stand of the one-horned Java rhinoceros. (There are less than a 100 specimens left, and the future looks rather bleak. See them while you can). The reserve is one of Indonesia's best, and it's also one of the last areas covered by lowland rainforest in the country. Other than the rhinos, you can usually see some other interesting wildlife round about- lots of birds, monkeys, deer, pigs, wild ox (known as banteng), and no end of insects. Ujung Kulon also has good beaches and seas, which are simply made for swimming and water sports. You can reach the reserve by taking the ferry to Labuan. And if you're staying at Labuan for a day or two, do take a trip further- 40 km from Labuan lies the legendary volcano of Krakatau, known for one of the most destructive eruptions in recorded history.

The Hindu temple of Besakih in Bali is called the "The Mother Temple of Bali"- and rightly so; it's the biggest and holiest of all the shrines in Bali, and has age on its side too (it's more than ten centuries old).  

The temple has three separate shrines to the Hindu Trinity- the Gods Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, and around 18 smaller shrines, which belong to different castes and communities. The temple is located on the slopes of Mt Agung, and besides being an important place of worship, it's also a beautiful area- the view from the temple is quite lovely.

These are the four can’t-be-missed places in Indonesia; other than these, there are other destinations, which you might like to visit, depending upon what you’re interested in. If you’re keen on nature and wildlife, make it a point to go to Gunung Leuser (best known as an orangutan rehabilitation station), Tanjung Putting (home of the Bornean proboscis monkey, as well as some friendly orangutans), the Eka Karya Garden, and the orchid gardens of Jakarta. For those interested in history and culture, Jakarta’s Central Museum, The Textile Museum, the temples and palaces of Yogyakarta and Bali, are worth a visit.