Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Travel North Philippines - Best Value Group Tours



10 Day Northern Discovery (US$500/person) - Banaue/Sagada/Ilocos Norte and Sur/Pinatubo/Manila
15 Day Philippine Escape (US$900/person) - Banaue / Sagada / Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur/ Mount Pinatubo / Manila PLUS your choice of BORACAY or PALAWAN

PM us now for full details!
If you are group of 6-10 pax ready to go, you can choose your own dates! We will even knock $50 off for each person.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Welcome to Beautiful Indonesia

Welcome to Beautiful Indonesia
Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world that straddles the Equator between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. While it has land borders with Malaysia to the north as well as East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the east, it also neighbors Australia to the south, and Palau, the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand to the north, India to the northwest.


Indonesia is the sleeping giant of Southeast Asia. With 18,110 islands, 6,000 of them inhabited, it is the largest archipelago in the world. With well over 230 million people, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world — after China, India and the USA — and by far the largest in Southeast Asia. Indonesia also has the largest Muslim population in the world.


Indonesia markets itself as the ultimate in diversity, and the slogan is quite true, although not necessarily always in good ways. Indonesia's tropical forests are the second-largest in the world after Brazil, and are being logged and cut down at the same alarming speed. While the rich shop and party in Jakarta and Bali, after decades of economic mismanagement, 53% of the population earns less than US$2/day. Infrastructure in much of the country remains rudimentary, and travelers off the beaten track (pretty much anywhere outside Bali) will need some patience and flexibility.

The Indonesian people, like any people, can be either friendly or rude to foreigners. Most of the time, though, they are incredibly friendly to foreigners who make it off the beaten track.

Cities and Popular Destinations in Indonesia


Cities and Popular Destinations in Indonesia

Cities

* Jakarta - the perennially congested capital which is also the largest city of the country
* Bandung - university town in the cooler highlands of Java
* Banjarmasin - the largest town on Kalimantan
* Manado - Christian town at the northeastern tip of Sulawesi, famous for diving
* Medan - the main city of Sumatra
* Semarang - the capital of Central Java, with a blend of Javanese, Chinese, and Dutch influences
* Surabaya - Indonesia's second largest city
* Ujung Pandang (Makassar) - the gateway to Sulawesi
* Yogyakarta - Java's cultural hub and the access point to the mighty temples of Prambanan and Borobudur



Popular destinations in Indonesia

The following is a limited selection of some of Indonesia's top sights.

* Anyer - Beach in Banten province, near Mt. Krakatau, Lesung Cape, and Ujung Kulon National Park.

* Baliem Valley - the home of the famous penis-gourded Dani warriors. Located in Papua province.
* Borobudur - A largest Buddhist temple in the world. Located in Central Java province. This is the place which is Indonesia's most visited site.


* Bunaken - One of the best scuba diving destinations in Indonesia, if not the world. Located in North Sulawesi province.

* Komodo National Park - The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar. Komodo is the biggest reptile in the world, which only be found in this national park. Located in Flores island, East Nusa Tenggara province.


* Lake Toba - The largest volcanic lake in the world. There is a large island in it, Samosir island. Located on North Sumatra province.

* Mount Bromo - Some of the scariest volcanic scenery on the planet. One of the best locations in the world to see sunrise. Located in East Java province.


* Prambanan - A collection of massive Hindu temples built by the 10th century Mataram Kingdom, in Central Java province.


* Tana Toraja - Highland area of South Sulawesi province famed for their extraordinary funeral rites.