Indonesia, Bali & Papa Nui Guinea Travel - Adventure Holidays & Backpacker Tours


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About Indonesia

Indonesia is a large archipelago in Southeast Asia 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 almost unimaginably vast. There are 18 110 islands in Indonesia and 108 000 kilometres of beaches in Indonesia. There are more than 400 volcanoes in Indonesia. Although only 130 volcanoes are considered active volcanoes. There are also many undersea volcanoes in Indonesia. The island of New Guinea (on which the Indonesian province of Papua is located) is the second largest island in the world.

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102 Day St Petersburg to Bali

Price: AUD $6520.00

Immerse yourself in the splendour of the streets of St Petersburg, Visit Soviet icons in Moscow, Experience one of the world's greatest rail journeys, Stroll along the shores of Lake Baikal, Enjoy Siberian hospitality at a local homestay, Learn about Budd

Security in Indonesia

Indonesia is a safe place to travel with 1,000's of visitors touring through every year. This is a popular destination for sailing enthusiasts, sunlovers, families and backpackers. To check any foreign office information on Indonesia you can click here.

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Backpacker Travel offers a range of Backpacker Insurance policies at heavily discounted rates. We understand that you are on a budget and prefer to save your money to backpack around the world. Click below to view our discounted backpacker rates...

Map of Indonesia

BALI

Bali is one of over 13,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago and is located just over 2 kilometres from the eastern tip of the island of Java and west of the island of Lombok. The island home of approximately 4 million people is approximately 144 kilometres from east to west and 80 kilometres north to south.

The islands varied landscape of hills and mountains, rugged coastlines and sandy beaches, lush rice terraces and barren volcanic hillsides provide a picturesque backdrop to the colourful and deeply spiritual culture of this 'Island of The Gods'.
The combination of friendly, hospitable people, a magnificently visual culture infused with spirituality and spectacular beaches with great surfing and diving have made Bali Indonesia's unparalleled number one tourist attraction.

Regions in Bali

South

Denpasar — A large, bustling city and the administrative centre & transport hub of the island
Bedugul — A small village north of Denpasar
Jimbaran — Seaside resorts and nice beaches south of Kuta.
Kuta — Surfer central, by far the most heavily developed bit of Bali. Lots of shopping and nightlife, and the centre of party culture on Bali.
Legian — Surfer central, by far the most heavily developed bit of Bali. Located between Kuta and Seminyak.
Nusa Dua — An enclave of expensive high-end resorts.
Sanur — More seaside resorts and beaches.
Seminyak and Kerobokan — Quieter, more upscale beachside resorts and villas just to the north of Kuta, with some fashionable upscale restaurants. Much of the nightlife has also moved into this area, especially around Jalan Dhyana Pura.
Uluwatu — A small village near the southernmost tip of Bali with a stunningly located cliff top temple

Central

Between Sanur and Ubud — A series of "crafts villages" featuring wood carving, painting, batik, and jewellery
Ubud — The centre of art and dance in the foothills, with an interesting small palace, monkey forest, and lots of arts and crafts shops
Sayan — very spectacular rice terraces.

West

Gilimanuk — Ferry to Java

North

Lovina — Small villages, black volcanic sand beaches and coral reefs on Bali's north coast.
Singaraja - Largest city on the north shore.
Kintamani — Cooler mountainous region of Bali where growing fruit and vegetables is the main horticultural activity. The main attraction for travellers is located around Lake Batur where Peneloken provides the first spectacular view of this Crater Lake, set in a vast volcano caldera. A climb to the summit of Mount Batur, still an active volcano, to watch the sunrise is an unforgettable experience for more energetic travellers. Further along the rim of the caldera is Pura Ulun Danau Batur, the second most important temple in Bali.

East

Amed — A peaceful fishing village. The newest tourist area to be developed in Bali, featuring black sand, coral reefs and excellent diving with some good restaurants.
Candi Dasa — A very quiet tourist area with a few good restaurants.
Tirta Gangga -- Mountains, the water palace and beautiful rice terraces.

Islands

Nusa Penida — is an island southeast of Bali Island, Indonesia. Administratively, the island is subdistrict of Klungkung regency. There are two small islands nearby: Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. The Badung Strait separates the island and Bali.
Nusa Lembongan — is an island off the southeast coast of the main island of Bali. The water is quite clear; good for diving and snorkelling. Surfing is crowded but nice waves. Nice coral sand beach. Learn about the cosmetic seaweed farming industry.
Nusa Ceningan — is the smallest of the three islands and is rarely visited. Waters around Nusa Ceningan are crystal clear, hosting colourful coral and sea creatures, making it an ideal location for snorkelling and for any other water sport activities.

History of Bali

The first Hindus arrived on Bali as early as 100 BC. Divided among a number of ruling rajas, occasionally batting off invaders from Java to the west and making forays to conquer Lombok to the east, the north island was finally captured by the Dutch in a series of brutal wars from 1846 to 1849. Southern Bali (Denpasar area) was not conquered until 1906 and eastern Bali (Klungkung) did not surrender until 1908. In both 1906 and 1908 many Balinese chose death over disgrace and fought en masse until the bitter end, often walking straight into Dutch cannons and gunfire. This "fight to the death" is known as puputan. Victory was bittersweet as the images of the puputan highly tarnished the Dutch in the international community. Perhaps to make up for this, the Dutch did not make the Balinese enter into a forced cultivation system as had in Java, and instead tried to promote Balinese culture through their policy of "Baliseering" or the "Balinization of Bali".

The current chapter in Bali's history began in the seventies when intrepid hippies and surfers discovered Bali's beaches and waves, and tourism soon became the biggest income earner. Despite the shocks of the terrorist attacks in 2002 and 2005, the magical island continues to draw crowds and Bali's culture remains as spectacular as ever.

Balinese Culture

Unlike any other island in largely Muslim Indonesia, Bali is a pocket of Hindu religion and culture, although Balinese Hinduism is so far removed from the original Indian variety that the casual eye will be hard put to spot any similarities. Every aspect of Balinese life is suffused with religion, but the most visible signs are the tiny offerings (sesajen) of flowers, glutinous rice and salt in little bamboo leaf trays, found in every Balinese house, restaurant, souvenir stall and airport check-in desk. They are set out and sprinkled with holy water no less then three times a day, before every meal.
Balinese dance and music are also justly famous. As on Java, the gamelan orchestra and wayang kulit shadow puppet theatre predominate. Dances include:
barong or "lion dance" — a ritual dance depicting the fight between good and evil, with performers wearing fearsome lion-like masks
kecak or "monkey dance" — Actually invented in the 1930s by early German resident Walter Spies for a movie but a spectacle nonetheless, with up to 250 dancers in concentric circles chanting "kecak kecak", while a performer in the centre acts out a spiritual dance.

Festivals in Bali

There are an estimated 20,000 temples (pura) on the island, each of which holds festivals (odalan) at least twice a year and there are many other auspicious days throughout the year, meaning that there are always festivities going on.
There are some large festivals celebrated island wide, but their dates are determined by two local calendars. The 210-day wuku or Pawukon calendar is completely out of sync with the Western calendar, meaning that it rotates wildly throughout the year.The lunar saka (caka) calendar roughly follows the Western year.
- Funerals, called pitra yadnya, are another occasion of pomp and ceremony, when the deceased (often several at a time) are ritually cremated in extravagantly colourful rituals.
- Galungan (next held on June 27, 2007). A 10-day festival celebrating the death of the tyrant Mayadenawa. Gods and ancestors visit earth and are greeted with gift-laden bamboo poles called penjor lining the streets. The last day of the festival is known as Kuningan.
- Nyepi, or Hindu New Year, usually March/April (next held on March 8, 2008). This is the one festival worth avoiding: on Nyepi, also known as the Day of Absolute Silence, absolutely everything on the island is shut down and tourists are confined to their hotels. However if you are in Bali in the weeks preceding Nyepi you will see amazing colourful giants (Ogoh Ogoh) being created by every banjar throughout the island. On Nyepi Eve the Ogoh Ogoh are paraded through the streets, an amazing sight, not to be missed especially in Denpasar. Nyepi is a very special day to the Balinese as this is the day that they have to fool all evil spirits that no-one is actually on Bali - hence the need for silence. If this can be achieved, then it is believed that the evil spirits will go looking elsewhere for their prey and leave Bali island alone for another year. Balinese people are very religious and life is full of ritual - Nyepi is one of the most important days in their calendar. Police and security are on hand to make sure that everyone abides by this rule.

Climate in Bali

Bali is always warm, humid and tropical. The April-October dry season and November-March rainy seasons are only relative, with plenty of rainfall around the year.

Travel to Bali

By plane - Most visitors will arrive at Denpasar's Ngurah Rai international airport. You can fly to Denpasar from major cities in Indonesia (Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar etc) or from major cities in Asia and Australia.
Note that if you are flying internationally into Ngurah Rai, most nationalities are now required to purchase an Entry Visa (US$25 for 30 days). Few other currencies are accepted so it's a good idea to play safe and have the required dollars on hand. Flying internationally out of Bali you are subject to the airport tax (100,000 Rupiah), which you would need to pay for in Rupiah so save some bills for the trip out. The domestic tax is Rp. 30,000.
ATM machines are available at Airport Departure Lobby which accept Cirrus and Plus cards for withdrawals.
By bus - There are direct bus services to Bali from all major cities on Java as well as Lombok, which use the ferries to cross over. These are cheap and easy, but slow.
By boat - Ferries cross from Gilimanuk in western Bali to Ketapang on the island of Java every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day, and the crossing takes just 30 minutes. There are also services from Padang Bai to Lembar (Lombok) every few hours, with the trip taking around 3.5 hours.

Getting around Bali

Bali's a fairly big island and you'll need a method to get around if you plan on exploring more than the hotel pool. The traffic is chaotic. There is a daily traffic jam in Denpasar, Kuta, and tourist centres in Bali. Driving is on the left side.
By taxi - Metered taxis are very common in southern Bali up to Denpasar but not available elsewhere.
By bemo - Bemos, basically minivans that serve as a flexible bus service, are Bali's "traditional" form of transportation, but they have largely given way to metered taxis in the south. Fares on shared bemos can be very cheap, but drivers will often insist that foreign tourist charter the entire vehicle, in which case they'll usually ask for taxi prices or worse.
By car or motorbike - Car and motorbike rental is available, but may not be safe for drivers used to more formal traffic rules.
By bicycle - Travel by bicycle is quite possible, and provides a very different cultural experience to other means of transport. You should bring your own touring bike, or buy locally.

Things to do and see in Bali

Bali's best-known attractions are its countless Hindu temples. Even the smallest villages usually have at least three, but the nine directional temples (kayangan jagat) are the largest and most important. Uluwatu, at the southern tip of Bali, is easily accessed and hence the most popular, with Tanah Lot a close second. However, for the Balinese themselves, the "mother temple" of Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung is the most important of all.

Monuments

Garuda Wisnu Kencana - Created by I Nyoman Nuarta. This is statue of god Wisnu riding the mythical Garuda bird.
Bali Bomb - This monument commemorates the 202 victims of the first Bali Bomb attack in October 2002, including 161 tourists from 21 countries. The site of the former Sari Club, obliterated in one of the blasts, lies adjacent to the monument. It has not been redeveloped.

Amusement Parks

Bird Park
Butterfly Park
Camel Safari
Elephant Safari Park - A trip on the elephants in the jungles, that can last 15, 40 or 60 min. During this time if there are not many tourists it is possible to ride the elephant sitting on its neck, make some circus tricks, get into the swimming pool. The price is approximately 60 USD.
Rimba Reptile Park
Waterbom Park - Swimming pool, water slides.
Zoo Park - Wildlife conservation area.
Adrenalin Park - bungy jumping, slingshot, climbing wall, pool.

Relax

Visit the Hot springs — There are several hot springs to be discovered in Bali. One of them, along the northern coast of the island, near Lovina, is Air Panjar where stone mouth carvings allow hot water to pass between pools, which are set among a lush garden.
Spa — Bali is paradise for spa lovers and all sorts of treatments are widely available, but the Balinese lulur body scrub with herbs and spices — traditionally performed before a wedding ceremony — are particularly popular. Balinese massage is usually done with oil and involves long, Swedish-style strokes.

Adventure

Go white water rafting on the Ayung River
Try Go Kart racing in Kuta
Scuba Diving — There are many interesting scuba diving sites around Bali such as the wreck of USAT Liberty Glo at Tulamben. Pulau Menjangan is particularly popular.
Surfing — Warm waters, crowds, cheap living and reliable sets keeps Bali near the top of world surfing destinations. The southern coast, namely Kuta and the around Nusa Dua are the primary draws. Beginners will find the gentler, sandy areas of Kuta to be ideal for learning.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Papua New Guinea is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands (the western portion of the island is occupied by the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua). It is located in the south-western Pacific Ocean, in a region defined since the early 19th century as Melanesia.

Papua New Guinea offers the traveller a true paradox. With little to no tourist infrastructure, getting around can be tough. Illness and crime are also obviously a problem in a place without a well-developed health care system or a strong police force. But Papua New Guineans themselves are wonderfully welcome people who will go to great lengths to accommodate strangers. Don't be under any illusion - apart from a very few, very expensive package tours, PNG is 120% adventure travel and not for the inexperienced or faint of heart. But then again, not every traveller is inexperienced or faint of heart, and for people who can make it out to PNG, the experience is unforgettable.

Regions of Papua New Guinea (7 on the main island and 4 island regions):

Bougainville
Highlands - includes Enga Province, Chimbu Province and the Southern, Western and Eastern Highlands
Huon Gulf - Morobe province
Madang
Manus Island
Milne Bay
New Britain
New Ireland
Central and North - includes the city of Port Moresby and the Central and Northern provinces
Sepik - includes the West and East Sepik provinces
South-western provinces - includes the Western and Gulf provinces

History of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea (known popularly as 'PNG') - the eastern half of the island of New Guinea - was divided between Germany ('German New Guinea') and Great Britain ('British Papua') in 1884. The Dutch had West Papua, now the Indonesia territory of Western New Guinea. Papua was owned by England but administered by Australia - and thus a colony of a colony - until Australian independence, when in 1906 it became an Australian colony.

During World War II New Guinea was the site of fierce fighting on land (at Buin and on the Kokoda Track) and sea (at the Battle of the Coral Sea) - it was the first place in the war where the Japanese advance was checked and then reversed. After the war, both New Guinea and Papua were administered from the government centre of Port Moresby on the south coast, in Papua. In 1975, the country - now united as 'Papua New Guinea' - achieved independence from Australia.

Travel to Papua New Guinea

By plane - Air Niugini flies to and from Cairns, Sydney, and Brisbane, Australia; Honiara, Solomon Islands; Manila, Philippines; Tokyo (Narita), Japan; and Singapore.
By boat - PNG's ports include Madang, Lae, and Port Moresby on the mainland, Kieta on Bougainville, and Rabaul on New Britain.
By land - The only land border is with Western New Guinea, Indonesia, and crossing it involves some preparations but is not that difficult as it might have been. If you have a Visa-on-Arrival, issued to you for example at the Jakarta Airport, you can only cross the border using a boat.

Attractions in Papua New Guinea

The capital city of Port Moresby, with its interesting Zoological gardens, the Parliament building, the museum, and general Melanesian atmosphere.
The island of New Britain, home of heart-rendingly beautiful diving and Rabaul, the city at the foot of a volcano.
Mt. Hagen, the 'wild-west' frontier town in the Highlands which will introduce you to the cool, crisp highlands weather and Highlands culture
'Beautiful Madang' - a city with breath-taking flights of bats in the evening (it's illegal to hurt them), and yet more breathtaking diving.
Wewak, 'the gateway to the Sepik', where you can check out Sepik culture, the river itself, and the elaborate carvings typical of the region.
Kokoda Track

Shopping in Papua New Guinea

There is not so much shopping in the regular sense to be had in PNG. In the major cities there are a few malls and supermarkets. Otherwise most of the shopping is done in small markets that are held at irregular intervals. A great place to visit is the craft market which is held once per month in Port Moresby down by Ela beach, there it is possible to buy handicrafts from basically every part of the Island.

Safety in Papua New Guinea

PNG has a reputation as a risky destination in some circles. This is due predominantly to the activities of criminal gangs (known in Tok Pisin as raskols) in major cities, especially in Port Moresby. Raskolism is generally a result of unemployment stemming from increased domestic migration from subsistence farming in the hills to the nearest urban area. Some towns in the highlands, such as Tari, are in fact effectively lawless as the police presence has been discontinued.
If you are planning a trip to PNG, the most important thing is to stay up to date on the law and order situation in the locations you are planning to visit. Most hotels in Port Moresby are secure and situated inside compounds, generally with armed guards patrolling the perimeter. Don't be alarmed, as actual gunfire in the capital is mercifully rare. If planning on taking a tour of any city, make inquiries with your hotel or accommodation provider, as many will be able to drive you to wherever you are planning to go, or just around the local area if that is what you want to do.
Stay very alert after dark if you are outside a compound, which is somewhere, you should only be in the rarest circumstances. Beware or avoid pedestrians crossing if you are driving as hijacking of cars who stop for pedestrians to across are well planned.

Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) are very common in Papua New Guinea and are capable of growing to immense lengths of 8 meters or more. Swimming is generally not advised except at higher elevations and in hotel swimming pools. Papua New Guinea, along with Australia, has the highest and healthiest population of large Saltwater Crocodiles in the world.

Indonesia (Bali) Travel - Adventure Holidays & Backpacker Tours

Bali & Lombok

4 day Lombok Adventure from $350
7 Day Bali on a budget from $295
7 Day bali Surfing Adventure from $495
10 Day Bali & Lombok from $695

Indonesia Mainland

3 Day Indo Adventure from $289
4 Day Indo Adventure from $389
7 Day Indo Adventure from $599

Papa Nui Guinea

7 Day kakoda trail $595
8 Day Dive Adventure from $695
12 Day Grand Adventure from $795

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