Kaledo is a special culinary from Palu, Central Sulawesi. Spicy and fresh thay make everyone like this delicious food. As a complement, boiled cassava is served. Those just a perfect match.

The third highest of Indonesia’s 129 active volcanoes, Mount Rinjani raises 3,726 meters above sea level on Lombok Island. This tourists destination is surrounded by national park that of course will bring you into the refreshness.

Rinjani is characterized by lush rain-forest clinging to its slopes, and a huge caldera. Today, the crater lake thought to be 2,000 meters deep. Trekking to the rim is a great way to get an overview of the island, but it’s not without risk. Trekking is suggested for groups, not individual exploration. The volcano from time to time spits out plumes of ash and lava.

One of cultural Tourism attraction in Indonesia is a ceremony called Sedekah Merapi. In this event, thousands of people from around the slope of Merapi Mountain followed a ritual at 1 Sura or the New Hijri Year 1431 which focused on Lencoh Village, Selo, Boyolali district, Central Java, Friday (18/12) early morning. They are enthusiastically following the annual ritual ceremony, with one of the ritual is sacrificing a buffalo head and a number of offerings into the crater at the top of Mount Merapi. The ceremony is aimed to avoid the natural disasters due to the most active mountain in Indonesia.

[ad#kotak336]
Merapi Mountain ceremony performed every 1st Sura with the aim to ask the God a salvation for people who live around Mount Merapi and be protected from natural disasters arising out of Mount Merapi. The ritual is a traditional cultural performed by communities around Merapi and it’s been done for generations since the time of the ancestors to the present. This is a very interesting tourism attraction in Indonesia specifically in Yogyakarta and Central Java.

People here are not likely to leave the ritual ceremony because it is merged with local custom. Therefore, every citizen who will have their own celebration usually initialed with a traditional ceremony to make offerings of food available in surround the mountains. As such, they will be given safety and agricultural products are abundant and prosperous life as a result of soil fertility from Mount Merapi.

The ritual procession that followed thousands of residents of local communities and from outside the area began with buffalos paraded around the village before it was slaughtered and sacrificed the head into the crater of Merapi.

Head of Tourism and Culture Boyolali District, Sumantri said that the buffalo head wrapped in white cloth is completed with offerings such as tumpeng gunung (cone shaped rice) made from corn, and brubus from Lumbu leaves. In addition, there is also gomok, acung-acung, Bothok sempurno with crops, klobot cigarettes (made from corn’s ear), bananas raja, kantil flowers, turmeric, egg and cash Rp100.

Meanwhile, before the head of buffalo and offerings are thrown into the crater of Merapi at 00:10 am, the people is firstly sing songs to praise and prayer (hymn) to the God to avoid disasters due to the mountain. The Buffalo’s head that will be sacrificed then taken by four men who wear traditional Javanese clothes to the crater at the peak of Merapi which is about four kilometers and will take approximately four hours. After the buffalo head is appointed to the top of the mountain, thousands of people who follow the procession are competing to get the offerings, the cone shaped rice from corn which is the typical food people on the slopes of Merapi.

The culture of this mountain ritual is aimed also to attract local tourists as well as from international to get closer to know the culture of the people living on the surrounding mountains, especially supporting the tourism point of Solo-Selo-Borobudur. Tourists who are willing to witness this ceremony are better to stay in hotels at Solo or Yogyakarta.
[ad#468x60-red]

Sunda Kelapa Harbor 1527, that what is written at the entrance to the Jakarta’s oldest port of . At the age of more than eight centuries, the port which is also the origin of the Jakarta is trying to survive. To get here, visitors can use the various modes of transportation but if you have a very spare time, walking in the morning or afternoon from the Old City to the port would be an interesting experience. Many stories are told by the old building along the way to the port. Unfortunately, walking in this area is extremely uncomfortable. Except for holidays or Sunday.

[ad#kotak336]
History says, this port is used by the  Tarumanagara Kingdom started at about the 5th century. Sunda Kelapa was never lonely, this port is an important port until the time of the European explorers arrived and the Dutch masters more than 300 years. Now the harbor is filled with old wooden ships carrying timber wood, cement, steel, building materials delivery to and from Borneo/Kalimantan.

If not satisfied looking at rows of ships from the mainland, there is a tenant who will take the visitors by boat  to browse through the port of Jakarta Bay. The view is clearly very contrast where huses of the poor standing beside the buildings of the rich. Until now people from the villages on the left side of Sunda Kelapa (the poor) are often walking around with a canoe.

Sunda Kelapa photo by IwanTan

Villagers are busy fishing from the boat in the estuary of Ciliwung river,  quite attractive, especially when the sun was about to slip into the west. All that combined with a busy crew. This is the most interesting attraction when you want to observe the people in the tourism place in Indonesia. Imagine this port a few centuries back, when the new arrivals from Europe anchored their ship.  Imagine also how Prince Jayakarta managed to expel the Portuguese at this point, the starting point of Jakarta.
[ad#468x60-red]

Bantimurung National Park, Maros, South Sulawesi, became one of the most popular touristm place in Indonesia, for both local, national and foreign tourists.

[ad#kotak336]
The National Park is a natural park that people of South Sulawesi proud of. Its location which is in the valley with a steep limestone hill and tropical vegetation create good environment to enjoy. Not surprisingly, this area also became a limestone mining area as a cement raw material. Unfortunately, this kind of activity, if continued would be very damaging the nature and the tourism itself.

Bantimurung Nature Park is also famous for its waterfalls, caves, and the butterfly. Some unique species found only in Sulawesi, which is Troides helena Linne, Troides hypolitus Cramer, Troides haliphron Boisduval, Papilo adamantius, and Cethosia myrana.

In 1856-1857 Alfred Russel Wallace spent most of his life here to examine different types of butterflies. Wallace said Bantimurung is ‘The Kingdom of Butterfly’ (the kingdom of butterflies).
[ad#468x60-red]

Visiting Muara Enim to enjoy the natural attractions of Bedegung waterfall can be a refreshing vacation. This tourism place is near to Lubuk Linggau and Lahat at Sumatra, Indonesia. In fact, if lucky, you can sip the delicious and famous Bedegung coffee.

[ad#468x60-red]
To reach Bedegung from Batu Raja, you should fill the fuel tank full, because there is only one public gas station for about four miles from Batu Raja border. If you depart from the Prabumulih, advisable to refuel in Muara Enim.

The road to the Bedegung waterfall from Batu Raja is good, but there are many sharp bends. Drive slowly while enjoying the view of the river which lay almost along the left side of the road. The location of the waterfall is about four kilometers from the main road.

Along the road. we can see the unique local houses that are typical of South Sumatra houses. They are stage houses (rumah panggung). Some of them have had hundreds of years old. Formerly, its space underneath the house functioned to store firewood, coffee and rubber, and cattle sheds. Now, it functions switches into garage and small shop.

Most of the local residents in this area coffee farmers. As the harvest season, people dry the coffee on the road and on the yard. Coffee for Rp 30,000 per kilogram is worthy as presents for family when back home.

Approximately 300 meters before entering the site, the sound of Bedegung water is already heard. Fresh water is tempting people to bathe or just wash the face. Near to the waterfall there is a fishing pond and a whitewater rafting. If you want to enjoy the atmosphere for longer time, there are nine villas for rent around the location that has rate Rp 75.000 per villa per night.

[ad#468x60-red]

Mentawai island is popular with the high tube rolling waves, that is the favorite of surfers. By various surfing organizations, waves in Mentawai rated as the third best in the world after Hawaii and Tahiti.

[ad#kotak336]
The waves in Mentawai are big. In the video, you can see that its waves are huge that is very ideal for surfing. We advice, surfers should be skillful to ride the waves otherwise they may choose the smaller waves near the beach.

Mentawai Surfing Video

Mentawai Islands consist about seventy islands. The biggest island is Siberut which is known as Siberut National Park. The other islands like Kandui, Siloinak and Makaroni have very beautiful view where resorts are built.

An Island in Mentawai photo by charvetcarol

To go to Mentawai, travelers can go by boat from Muara Padang. The trip will last about ten hours.

[ad#468x60-red]

Tengger Tribal communities in the area of the Semeru and Bromo Mount in East Java holds Yadnya Kasada or Kasodo cerermony every year. This cultural event is a worth event to witness among ceremonies like Sekaten and Ruwatan. For this year the rite were held at Friday (9/4/09). They held the initial ceremony that is called Piodalan, a purification ceremony for temple Pura Luhur Poten located in the Tengger Sand sea (desert) as one of the preparation procession of Kasodo.

The Kasada ceremony is held at the temple which was under the northern foot of Mount Bromo and continued to Bromo mountain. It was held at midnight until the early morning of each full moon around the 14th or 15th day of the month Kasodo according to the Javanese calendar.

Kasodo Ceremony photo by Docae

Led by a number of shamans pandhita, the Tengger people gathered at the temple to pray. Various offerings (sacrifice) placed on the altar, including holy water or tirta that will be used to wash (purify) the temple and the Tengger people at the end of the ceremony.

[ad#kotak336]

Water is taken from three springs, the Widodaren in the sand sea (lautan pasir) of Tengger, Madakaripura Waterfall in Lumbang-Probolinggo District, and Watu Plosot on Mount Semeru. The ceremony to get the water is called Mendak Tirta, mendak means to get, tirta means water. This ceremony is held a day before the Piodalan ceremony.

At the end of the ceremony, the Tengger will throw their offerings/sacrifices into the crater of Mount Bromo, located about 400 meters from the temple.

The Legend of Kasada

Kasodo ceremony is derived from the legend of Rara Anteng and Jaka Seger. They are believed as the first people of Tengger. This legend took place when the king Brawijaya took the throne. Rara Anteng was Brawijaya daughter.

Though Rara Anteng and Jaka Seger have already married for long time, the couple had not been blessed with children. So, they went up to Mount Bromo to pray to the gods asking for a child.

The God blessed them and grant children but in one condition that the last child has to be sacrificed to the crater of Mount Bromo. Finally, Rara Anteng and Jaka Seger blessed with 25 children.

Kasada Rite photo by Docae

To keep their promise, the couple took their last child to be sacrificed to the crater of Mount Bromo. Shortly after, the boy’s voice from inside the crater said that they asked to hold a memorial ceremony every month Kasodo on day 14th. In the Tengger calendar, Kasodo is the last month (the tenth).
[ad#468x60-red]

Wakatobi National Park has potential marine natural resources that are both valuable and unique species, with stunning underwater panorama. This amazing place is worth to visit among travel destinations in Indonesia. The location is precisely at Banda Sea, Southeast Sulawesi (Celebes).

When doing scuba diving we’ll see that the sea bottom is flat and slope, but there are some areas that steeply sloping. Water depth varies, the deepest reaches 1044 meters with a sandy and rocky bottom.

[ad#kotak336]

This national park has 25 clusters of coral reefs spreading around the atoll along 600 km. It consists of more than 112 species from 13 families of corals including Acropora formosa, A. Hyacinthus, Psammocora profundasafla, Pavona cactus, Leptoseris yabei, Fungia molucensis, Lobophyllia robusta, Merulina ampliata, Platygyra versifora, Euphyllia glabrescens, Tubastraea frondes, Stylophora pistillata, Sarcophyton throchelliophorum, and Sinularia spp. The collection has made it as a place for research and beautiful recreational diving.

Clown Fish at Wakatobi photo by Neurolyse

Wakatobi National Park owns fish species richness as many as 93 species. The locals use fishes for consumption and sell them as ornamental fishes such as spotted argus (Cephalopholus argus), takhasang (naso unicornis), pogo-pogo (Balistoides viridescens), napoleon (Cheilinus undulatus), red fish (Lutjanus biguttatus ), baronang (Siganus guttatus), Amphiprion melanopus, Chaetodon specullum, Chelmon rostratus, Heniochus acuminatus, Lutjanus monostigma, Caesio caerularea, and many more.

In addition, there are several types of sea birds such as brown geese (Sula leucogaster plotus), cerek melayu (Charadrius peronii), raja udang erasia (Alcedo atthis); also there are three common types of sea turtles that land on the islands like Eretmochelys imbricata, Caretta caretta, and Lepidochelys olivacea.

Indigenous peoples who live around the park or the ocean called Bajau tribe. The tribe still have traditional boating culture. Seeing their lives everyday is interesting and unique, especially when diving into the sea without scuba diving equipment to spear the fish.

Hoga Island (Resort Kaledupa), Island Binongko (Resort Binongko) and Resort Tamia are travel destinations with attracting nature to visit, especially for recreational diving, snorkeling, marine tourism, swimming, camping, and cultural tourism. Those Islands are belong to Indonesia.

The best year to visit: April to June and October to December each year.

Snorkeling at Wakatobi photo by wa2n_twin

How to reach the location:
From Kendari to Bau Bau using regular speedboat twice daily with a five-hour long trip or 12 hours trip with a timber boat. From Bau-bau to Lasalimu ride four-wheeled vehicle for two hours, then using speedboat to Wanci for an hour or using timber boat for 2.5 hours. Wanci is the first gate into the Wakatobi National Park area.
[ad#ad-1]

For many surfers, G-Land at Plengkung, East Java is the best place for surfing. If you skilled on the surf board, the G-Land’s waves will give you a challenge. The tubing waves for 3 to 5 meters high, 2 kilometers long surely the best to ride. The following videos shows how the waves in action.


Great waves of Plengkung beach at East Java

Video of G-Land great tube Waves

Before going to G-land you have to see above videos as a proof that the place really has great tube waves.

[ad#468x60-red]