Gili Trawangan

Gili Trawangan, the furthest out, has been tagged as the ‘party island’. And with three weekly parties and a groovy collection of beach bars, you can get loose here. But Trawangan is growing up, with stylish accommodation (including a number of inland vacation villas), a fun expat community and outstanding dining.

All-natural yet sprinkled with a collection of restaurants and bars that would meet the needs of any passionate cosmopolitan, Gili Trawangan is the road-weary rambler’s lucid fantasy. The biggest and more popular from the carless Gilis, Gili Trawangan earliest blipped on the tourism radar during the ’90s, when Bali rose to worldwide popularity and backpackers descended in search of white sand, warm water, rich reefs and a good party.

Expectations were exceeded across the board. Trawangan’s Indonesian community has benefited from the increase in tourism here, as well. Some of the best new bars and bungalows are locally owned. The water is the aqua blue colour you dream about and the snorkelling is great. Nest here and you’re still just a 20-minute beach walk away from that scrum of dive shops, sushi bars, lounges, reggae joints and beach front dining rooms that are difficult to resist

Boats dock on the island’s eastern shore, which is also home to most of Trawangan’s accommodation, restaurants and facilities. The best stretch of beach is on the stunning northwest corner. Stay here, and you’ll have a longer trek to the action.


Getting There
Travel via Senggigi; via the public boats that leave from Bangsal (the cheapest route), you can charter your own boat from Bangsal (195,000Rp) or book passage on a private speedboat. Blue Marlin and Manta Dive on Gili Trawangan can arrange transfers (600,000Rp for up to three people). Speedboats use the Teluk Nare harbour south of Bangsal.

Coming by public transport, catch a bus or bemo to Pemenang, from where it’s 1km by cidomo (3000Rp) to Bangsal Harbour. Bangsal is beyond annoying (see boxed text, opposite ). The touts raise blood pressure for a living, and you should sooner ignore than trust them. Boat tickets are sold at the Koperasi harbour office on the beach. Public boats run roughly from 8am to 5pm, but don’t leave until full (about 18 people). One-way fares at the time of research were 8000Rp to Gili Air, 9000Rp to Gili Meno and 10,000Rp to Gili Trawangan. Special charters can also be organised in Bangsal. Boats pull up on the beach when they get to the Gilis. You’ll have to wade ashore with your luggage.

View

image:gilibookings.com

Diving
Trawangan is made for divers, with six established scuba schools, including one of the best tech-diving schools in the world, and one newcomer (Diving Buddha).

Big Bubble (Phone 625 020; www.bigbubblediving.com)
Blue Marlin Dive Centre (Phone 632 424, 0813 39930190; www.bluemarlindive.com)
Diving Buddha (Phone 644 179)
Dream Divers (Phone 634 496; www.dreamdivers.com)
Manta Dive (Phone 643 649; www.manta-dive.com)
Trawangan Diving (Phone 649 220, 0813 3770 2332;www.trawangandive.com)
Villa Ombak Diving Academy (Phone 638 531)

www.buddhadivegili.com

Snorkelling
There’s exciting snorkelling off the beach north of the jetty. The coral isn’t in the best shape here, but there are tons of fish. The reef is healthier off the northwestern coast, but you may have to scramble over coral to access it at low tide. If the current is quick, you’ll have fun flying above the reef, but will have to walk back to your starting point. Snorkelling gear can be hired for around 25,000Rp per day from shops near the jetty.

image:baligilifastboat.com

Surfing & Kayaking
Trawangan offers a fast right break that can be surfed year-round and can swell overhead. It’s just south of Villa Ombak. Gili Surf Shop (Phone 0812 372 7615) in the pasar seni rents boards.
Karma Kayak (Phone 0818 0559 3710; tours 300,000Rp), a hotel, tapas bar and kayaking school, is set on the northern end of Gili Trawangan, where Astrid, a former champion stunt kayaker (she took silver at the 1991 world championship leads half-day kayaking trips around the Gilis when currents allow.

image:travellinginindonesia.com

image:www.idc-gili.com

Walking and Cycling
Trawangan is exciting to explore by walking or with bicycle. You can walk round the entire island in a several of hours - if you finish at the hill on the southwestern part (which has the remains of the old Japanese World war 2 gun placement), you’ll have terrific sunset views of Bali’s Gunung Agung.
Bikes will be the preferred mode of transport and are also easily hired from 25,000Rp per day. Your hotel can arrange rental otherwise you can approach the bicycle stores on the main drag directly.

image:www.nusatenggaraindonesia.com

Sleeping
over a hundred places to stay in Gili Trawangan. They range from simple village huts to mod Zen beach bungalows with outdoor baths to sprawling air-conditioned villas with private pools.

image:www.lombokgilihotels.com

Sirwa Homestay (s/d 40,000/45,000Rp)
Aldi Homestay (Phone 0813 3954 1102; s/d 60,000/100,000Rp)
Lisa Homestay (Phone 0813 3952 3364; r 75,000Rp)
Sandy Beach Cottage (Phone 625 020; d from 100,000Rp)
Edy Homestay (d from 120,000Rp)
Warna Homestay (Phone 623 859; d from 150,000Rp)
Puri Hondje (r 150,000Rp)
Balenta (Phone 0818 0520 3464; d from 180,000Rp)
Pondok Sederhana (Phone 0813 3860 9964; r 200,000Rp)
Trawangan Cottages (Phone 639 282; s/d 200,000/250,000Rp)
Quiet Water (Phone 0819 1753 1652; d from 250,000Rp)


Midrange
Black Sand Homestay (Phone 0812 372 0353; r from 300,000Rp)
Tir na Nog ( Phone 639 463; tirnanog@mataram.wasantara.net.id; r from 300,000Rp)
Rumah Saga ( Phone 648 604, 0818 0571 4315; www.rumahsaga.com; cottages 350,000-500,000Rp)
Pesona (Phone 660 7233; www.pesonaresort.com; r 400,000600,000Rp)
Sama Sama Bungalows ( Phone 0812 376 3650; r with aircon 400,000, deluxe lumbung 650,000Rp)
Beautiful Life Bungalows ( Phone 0818 0376 4102; bungalows 450,000Rp)
Tanah Qita ( Phone 639 159; bungalows 500,000Rp)
Balé Sampan ( Phone 0813 3988 2153, 0813 3774 8469; www.balesampanbungalows.com; bungalows with garden/sea view 500,000/800,000Rp)
Manta (Phone 643 649, 0812 376 4780; www.manta-dive .com; bungalows 550,000Rp)
Karma Kayak (Phone 0818 0559 3710; bungalows550,000Rp)
Trawangan Dive (Phone 649 220, 0813 3770 2332; www.trawangadive.com; bungalows US$60-80)
Kelapa Kecil (Phone 0812 376 6496; bungalows US$70-90)
H Rooms (Phone 639 248; villas from 800,000Rp)


Top End
Desa Dunia Beda (Phone 641 575; www.desaduniabeda.com; bungalows US$110-140 plus 21Phone tax)
Gili Exotic (Phone 692 113, 0818 360 019; www.giliexotic .com; villas 1,500,000Rp)
Kelapa Villas (Phone 632 424, 0812 375 6003; www.kelapa villas.com; villas US$150-550 plus 21Phone tax)
Gili Villas (Phone 0812 376 4780; www.gilivillasindonesia .com; villas US$250)

Papua

Right here the modern world is still clawing at the edges of a very traditional one, where lots of people buy food in supermarkets but others hunt it with bows and arrows. On this youngest part of Indonesia very little roads connect the dozen or so towns, and also to travel any distance you need to choose to use the air or the water. In several ways, Papua feels a different country - which is what most Papuans, who are ethnically distinct from other Indonesians. Exploring inside Papua’s interior now will amaze you only with all the charm of the peoples, the resilience of their cultures and the splendour of their landscapes. Nor is awesome every exaggeration for the islands and also beaches all-around Papua’s coasts and the marine life on their own coral reefs. The diversity of life around the Raja Ampat islands, specially, has biologists and scuba divers reaching for ever more original superlatives. Traveling in Papua will be challenging, and never one that comes cheap. But everything you do here is an adventure, and people who take on Papua’s challenge are guaranteed that combination of trepidation and pleasure that only the very best travels are made.

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CLIMATE

In (blank), (blank) drier months are from May to November, but all the parts of Papua have some rain year-round. December to April sees roughly twice as much rain monthly in every areas - that could be inconvenient and not comfortable but doesn’t make travel impossible. Sorong and the Raja Ampat islands at the tip of the Vogelkop are exceptions to the general pattern , getting their heaviest rain between April and September. The far south is the only area with a proper dry season: Merauke normally receives fewer than 50mm of rain monthly from June to October. Temperatures and humidity are high all year in the lowlands, but it’s cooler in the highlands, and highland nights could be positively cold.

CULTURE
Papua is known as a land of many cultures - those of the 200-plus local peoples and people of all the immigrants from other regions of Indonesia, who dominate inside the cities now composition over 40% of Papua’s population. Papuans are mostly Christian with traditional animism.
Most well-known ethnic groups of Papua:
Amungme, Asmat, Bauzi, Dani, Kamoro, Kombai, Korowai, Mee, Sentani, Yali, Yei

GETTING THERE
Get to Jakarta, Makassar, Denpasar, Manado or Ambon, and then take an onward domestic flight. Visitors going directly for the Baliem Valley must fly first to Jayapura, that will (blank) served by five airlines from Jakarta and Makassar, and by Garuda from Denpasar. For the Raja Ampat islands, fly to Sorong from Jakarta, Makassar, Ambon or Manado. You can also fly to Manokwari, Biak or Timika from Makassar or Jakarta, and to Fak-Fak from Ambon. Most flights to Papua from Jakarta are overnight, with a small-hours stop in Makassar. The cheapest Jakarta-Jayapura fares at research time, from around 1,500,000Rp one way, were with Batavia Air and Lion Air.

Airfast (www.airfastindonesia.com)

Batavia Air (www.batavia-air.co.id)

Expressair (www.expressair.biz)

Garuda (www.garuda-indonesia.com)

Lion Air (www.lionair.co.id)

Merpati (www.merpati.co.id)

Wings Air (www.lionair.co.id)

Boat

A few Pelni liners link Papuan ports with Maluku, Sulawesi and Java every two or four weeks. Almost all pass through Sorong, which has six inbound and six outbound sailings every two weeks. Jayapura has five arrivals and departures every two weeks. A few Perintis boats regularly link the north coast of Papua with Sulawesi and northern Maluku, and connect the south coast with southeast Maluku. 

Bali

Impossibly natural rice terraces, pulse-pounding surf, wonderful Hindu temple events, mesmerising dancing shows, wide lace of beaches, a truly lovely people: you will find as many images of Bali and there is flowers on the ubiquitous frangipani trees. The small island - it is easy to drive the whole coast in one day - looms large for every trip to Indonesia. No place is more visitor-friendly. Hotels vary from surfer dives and the exciting won't stops to sybaritic retreats in the lush hills. The shopping, from hackneyed baubles to designer duds will put ‘extra bag’ at the top of your list. You are able to have dinner with local foods bursting with flavors fresh from the marketplaces or let a world-class chef take yourself on some culinary journey around the world. From cold Bintang at sunset to an impressive night clubbing, the social whirl is limited only by your own fortitude. So when comes time to relax, you can find a low-cost beach massage or lose your self in the all-day spa.

And even small definitely doesn’t mean homogeneous. Manic Kuta segues into luxurious Seminyak. The artistic swirl of Ubud is a counterpoint to misty journeys among the volcanoes. Calm beach areas like Amed, Lovina and Pemuteran can be found right around the coast and merely offshore is the laid-back idyll of Nusa Lembongan. While you find the beautiful little religious offerings that appear to materialise everywhere like by magic, you’ll see that their little tapestry of colors and textures is a metaphor for Bali itself.

Culture
Bali’s culture strips the cliché in the word unique. The variation of Hinduism applied with great fervour is found no place else on this planet and has inspired fervent artistic expressions that charms visitors. People in Bali is actually all Indonesian; 95% are of Balinese Hindu descent and can be identified as ethnic Balinese. The residents are generally from other places of the nation, particularly Java.

Religion
You can’t escape from religion in Bali - there re temples in most village, shrines in most ield and offerings made at each corner. The Balinese already had strong religious beliefs and a dynamic cultural life, and the new influences ere simply overlaid on existing practices - hence the peculiar Balinese interpretation of Hinduism. The Balinese worship the same gods as the Hindus of India - the trinity of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu - however they also have a supreme god, Sanghyang Widi. Unlike in India, the trinity is never seen - a vacant shrine or empty throne tells all. Nor is Sanghyang Widi often worshipped, though villagers may pray to him when they have settled new land and are about to build a new village. Other Hindu gods such as Ganesh, Shiva’s elephant-headed son, may occasionally appear, but a great many purely Balinese gods, spirits and entities have far more relevance in everyday life.

Temple

The word for temple is pura, which is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘a space surrounded by a wall’. As in so much of Balinese religion, the temples, though nominally Hindu, owe much to the pre-Majapahit era. Their kaja, kelod or kangin (alignment towards the mountains, the sea or the sunrise) is in deference to spirits that are more animist than Hindu.

TOP FIVE TEMPLES

• Pura Luhur Ulu Watu ( p291 ), on the Bukit Peninsula, one of Bali’s nine directional temples, with a spectacular cliff-top location.
• Pura Tirta Empul ( p323 ) at Tampaksaring, renowned for its beauty and nearby springs and bathing pools.
• Pura Luhur Batukau ( p355 ) on the slopes of Gunung Batukau, with its cool, misty atmosphere.
• Pura Kehen ( p326 ), state temple of the Bangli kingdom and miniature version of Pura Besakih.
• Pura Maduwe Karang ( p358 ), near Kubutambahan, an elaborate seaside temple with some surprising carvings.

Dance

Many visitors are seduced by the haunting and melodic charms of a dance performance in Ubud, a quintessential Bali experience. Music, dance and drama are closely related in Bali. In fact, dance and drama are synonymous, though some ‘dances’ are more drama and less dance, and others more dance and less drama. Balinese dance tends to be precise, shifting and jerky, like the accompanying gamelan music, which has abrupt shifts of tempo and dramatic changes between silence and crashing noise. There’s virtually no physical contact in Balinese dancing – each dancer moves independently, but every movement of wrist, hand and finger is important. Even facial expressions are carefully choreographed to convey the character of the dance.

Getting There

Ngurah Rai Airport

(DPS) is just south of Kuta, however it is 

sometimes referred to internationally as 

Denpasar (which is 15km north) or on some 

internet flight booking sites as Bali.

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International airlines flying to and from Bali:

• Garuda Indonesia (GA; Map pp298-9 ; %0361-227824; www.garuda-indonesia.com; Jl Sugianyar 5, Denpasar) Serves Australia and major cities in Asia direct.
• AirAsia (AK; %0361-760116; www.airasia.com; ticket office outside international terminal) Serves Kota  Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur and Kuching in Malaysia, connects to London.
• Cathay Pacific Airways (CX; %0361-766931; www.cathaypacific.com) Serves Hong Kong.
• China Airlines (CI; %0361-754856; www.china-airlines.com) Serves Taipei.
• Eva Air (BR; %0361-751011; www.evaair.com) Serves Taipei.
• Japan Airlines (JL; %0361-757077; www.jal.co.jp) Serves Tokyo.
• Jetstar/Qantas Airways (QF; Map p286 ; %0361288331;www.qantas.com.au; Grand Bali Beach Hotel, Sanur) Serves Australia.
• Korean Air (KE; %0361-768377; www.koreanair.com) Serves Seoul.
• Lion Air (JT; %0804-177 8899; www.lionair.co.id) Serves Singapore.
• Malaysia Airlines (MH; %0361-764995; www.mas.com.my) Serves Kuala Lumpur.
• Pacific Blue (DJ; %+61 7 3295 2296; www.flypacificblue.com) Offshoot of Australia’s Virgin Blue.
• Singapore Airlines (SQ; Map p270 ; %0361-768388;www.singaporeair.com; GOI Bldg, Airport Parking Lot) Several Singapore flights daily.
• Thai Airways International ( TG; Map p286 ; %0361288141;www.thaiair.com; Grand Bali Beach Hotel, Sanur) Serves Bangkok.

Domestic flying to and from Bali:

• AirAsia (AK; www.airasia.com) Fast-growing Malaysianbased budget carrier with a web of Indonesian domestic flights.
• Batavia Air (7P; www.batavia-air.co.id) Serves numerous destinations; has the enigmatic slogan: ‘Trust us to fly’.
• Garuda Indonesia (GA; www.garuda-indonesia.com) The national carrier serves numerous cities.
• Lion Air (JT; www.lionair.co.id) Fast-expanding budget carrier has a web of services across the archipelago; carried the most passengers in 2008.
• Mandala Airlines (RI; www.mandalaair.com) Serves major routes.
• Merpati Airlines (MZ; www.merpati.co.id) Serves many smaller Indonesian cities, in addition to the main ones.

Taxi to/from Airport

• Denpasar 70,000-90,000Rp
• Jimbaran 75,000-95,000Rp
• Kuta Beach 45,000-50,000Rp
• Legian 55,000-65,000Rp
• Nusa Dua 95,000-105,000Rp
• Sanur 95,000Rp
• Seminyak 70,000-80,000Rp
• Ubud 195,000-225,000Rp

Bicycle

Many visitors are using bikes around the towns and for day trips in Bali. Ask at your accommodation about where you can rent a good bike; hotels often have their own. Generally, prices range from 20,000Rp to 30,000Rp per day.

Car & Motorcycle

A small Suzuki or Toyota 4WD is the typical rental vehicle in Bali. Typical costs are 150,000Rp to 180,000Rp per day, including insurance and unlimited kilometres but not including fuel. Hiring a car with driver will cost around 350,000Rp to 600,000Rp for an eight- to 10-hour day.

Motorcycles are a popular way to get around Bali, Typically you can expect to pay from around 30,000 to 40,000Rp a day. This includes a flimsy helmet.

Krakatau Travel

Krakatau, one of the most popular of the world’s popular volcanoes, is a name most people knows - but several really know of it's location. Resting in relative peace several 50km from the West Java coast or 40km from Sumatra, the volcano is today a darkness of its former self - a little number of disconnected islands centred on Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau), a volcanic mass that's been on the boil since 1928. The spotlight regarding any trip to Krakatau is rounding Pulau Rakata and first glimpsing the menacing peak of Krakatau’s child.

Krakatau is only reachable by boat. It’s often possible to land about the eastern side of Anak Krakatau, however this is much depending on volcanic activity. If conditions are great, organised tours normally take visitors about 150m in the side of Anak Krakatau. Travelling to the side of the caldera is not advisable - humans have been killed by flying rocks. Always seek qualified advice before you make any trip to the volcano. After Krakatau, tours mostly move on to hike and snorkel on neighbouring islands.

Generally visitors to Krakatau arrive from Carita and the other beach resorts around the west coast of Java. However, Krakatau technically lies in Sumatra’s Lampung province, and will be slightly faster and cheaper to reach Krakatau from the little port of Kalianda, 30km north from the ferry terminal at Bakauheni.

Prices vary depending on expertise of the boat, but always charter a good boat you can pay for. In the rainy season (November to March) you'll find strong currents and bad seas, but even in the dry season strong southeast winds might make the swells and make a crossing inadvisable. Krakatau is usually 90minute trip via Carita using a fast boat if climate is fine. It’s a good oneday trip, but it’s absolutely worth the energy - if you're able to hire a safe boat.

Small fishing boats is probably low-cost, however so can be the tales of travellers who spent the night time, or longer, adrift in high swells. Reliable boats with radios and life jackets start from 1,800,000Rp for a small utility boat (maximum of six persons) and increase close to 3,300,000Rp for faster boats (eight to 10 persons). These can be organised via Carita agents or Marina Lippo in Carita.

Information

Labuan PHKA office phone 801731; 8am-4pm Mon-Fri has information on the volcano..

Pulau Dua Banten

West Java expands in the remote islands from the Ujung Kulon National Park (last Javan home of the one-horned rhino) in the west towards sweeping beaches of Pangandaran in the east. In between, you can go to the infamous offshore volcano of Krakatau, relax in chilled coastal resorts, become familiar with Sundanese tradition in Cianjur and then stroll through Bogor’s lush botanical gardens.

Many visitors simply go straight from Jakarta to Merak on their way to (or from) Sumatra, simply because there’s not much in this region to attract your attention. Came from here you are able to head to the west coast, though, and the historic town of Banten.

Pulau Dua / Pulau Burung Bird Sanctuary

Off the north coast at Banten, Pulau Dua is one of Indonesia’s major bird sanctuaries. The island has a large resident population – mainly herons, storks and cormorants – but the peak time is between March and July, when great numbers of migratory birds flock here for the breeding season.

It’s a half-hour trip by chartered boat from the Karanghantu harbour in Banten, but you can walk across the fish ponds (via bridges) to the island. From Banten, take an angkot 5km east to Sawahluhur village. The trail to the island starts 100m or so before the village and then it’s a hot 1km walk, weaving between the fish ponds – just keep heading for the trees on the horizon. There is a PHKA post with a derelict hut that has bare wooden beds and not much else. If you are planning to stay, bring food and water.