Travel ideas for Indonesia - unique sights, worth Guinness records

Krakatoa volcano situated in the Malay Archipelago has long been among the attractions of global significance. The volcano is relatively small and is 813 meters high; its height and shape have changed after a powerful eruption in 1883. After a series of explosions and eruptions of lava flows, some parts of the volcano went into the water. It has become much lower, but the activity of the volcano hasn’t stopped. Recent major eruptions were recorded in 1994 and 2008. The volcano entered a phase of increased activity on February 15, 2014.
The island formed by a volcano is uninhabited, moreover, its surroundings are considered to be a very dangerous area. Currently local fishermen are prohibited to swim closer than 1.5 kilometers to the volcano and the area is closed for tourists. Opportunity to observe the volcano from a distance doesn’t upset tourists, which can admire very exciting boat trips and overnight excursions. Exploration of volcano is held continuously. According to modern volcanologists, its activity led to the formation of the Sunda Strait and also played an important role in global climate change on the planet. ... Complete sights collection

There is a unique massive quarry in Indonesia too. The Grasberg Mine is one of the largest gold, silver and copper reserves, located near Puncak Jaya mountain range. The mine employes 19500 people and remains the world leader in output of copper, gold and silver.
The Grasberg is the world’s highest quarry, this significantly complicates the process of its development. It is only recently that the production has fully been developed with the assistance of modern technology. Nowadays, ownership belongs to Freeport McMoran corporation.
If the level of expected output remains the same, the large-scale production in Indonesia will certainly not stop in the next 30 years. Using modern technology processes more than 85000 tons of ore daily, and about 30 million tonnes of valuable species within a year. The supplies of precious metals in the Grasberg quarry are really large. At present, the Grasberg mine is the largest gold and the third largest copper mine in the world. ... Complete sights collection

Extremely popular with the tourists is the Indonesian train Argo Gede that travels back and forth between Bandung and Jakarta. The route cuts through the incredibly beautiful places, passengers can enjoy vast tea plantations and mountain scenery during their trip, as well as observe tiny villages and rice fields. However, such a calming and relaxing scenery changes unexpectedly when the train enters the high iron Cikurutug bridge.
Its confident journey through this sector is not supported at all, the bridge is unfenced. Not all passangers dare to look through the window at this railway track section. Although modern designers argue about the complete safety of the bridge, crashes occurring indicate the opposite. The last major accident on the Cikurutug bridge occurred in 2002, when a part of the train derailed. But, miraculously, everyone survived. ... Complete sights collection

The Indian island of Java has a wonderful religious symbol. On the isterritorium is the beautiful Buddhist temple Borobudur. It was built in the beginning of the 9th century. The mythical Mount Meru served as a prototype for the temple building. The location of the temple is the high hill on whose summit and slopes the huge architectural complex is located. The temple has a very unusual step form and looks very impressive despite its age. The numerous steps of the temple are adorned with the fine stone section. Everywhere you can see the ancient statues of Buddha and the mythical beings.
In total there are more than 500 statues of Buddha, as well as 1 460 unique bas-reliefs in the temple. According to a legend, all the visitors of the temple who reach its peaks and touch every statue of Buddha will find eternal happiness. Every year, thousands of pilgrims are patiently studying all the steps of the building, looking at the beautiful bas-reliefs and learning the important events in the life of Buddha.
The unique temple complex has relatively recently begun to attract tourists. The admission of free access to the temple has outraged many Buddhists. In addition to the ancient temple, which is located on the territory of the extensive nature reserve, some large hotels were built, the main customers of which are the curious tourists and the pilgrims. In 2006, Borobudur Temple was under threat of full destruction, when the island was shaken by the powerful earthquake. Fortunately for millions of Buddhists and the expert in ancient architecture, the element has passed the temple astonishingly. ... Complete sights collection

On the island Java in Indonesia is the mysterious Gunung Padang pyramid. For many years the pyramid was hidden under the soil layer of the Pandang Mountain. The local population thought that the mountain was of natural origin, and had cultivated it diligently and the vegetable gardens on the mountain slopes. To the great astonishment of modern researchers, the mountain has proved hollow. A huge pyramid was discovered beneath the thick layer of soil, the age of which was at least 15,000 years.
The height of the pyramid, which is hidden behind the gentle mountain slopes, forms about 200 meters. It was built of the enormous blocks carved out of the volcano rock. It is remarkable to see on many blocks the obvious traces of artificial processing. Just as with which instruments the blocks could be processed before millennia, the modern scientists can not even guess. The pyramid structure is also very interesting. Its steps are interspersed with six large terraces.
For the first time, Padangberg was explored around a century ago by scientists from Holland who 'discovered' within the mountain the anomalous geological formations. The inscriptions discovered on the pyramidal walls, some of which can not be unraveled, have gained even more interest. The ongoing research of the pyramid Gunung-Padang has lasted for more than a century. However, it has not yet been possible to guess the secret of its origin. In this case, the claims of the researchers who believe in the extraterrestrial origin of the pyramid seem to be mostly realistic. ... Complete sights collection

Although millions of people around the world report about the health damage from smoking and propagate the healthy lifestyle, there is the incredibly interesting museum of smoking in the Indonesian town of Kudus. The emergence of this cultural institution in Indonesia is not accidental. For the locals, smoking is not the bad habit, but a real part of the culture. They believe that smoking enlightens the mind and soothes the human being, as well as the magical powers.
The museum contains a very interesting collection of exhibits related to smoking. In the glazed racks you can see the beautiful whistle of handwork and shisha, the old tobacco cans, the boxes and the tobacco bags, as well as the interesting equipment with which the cigarettes can be assembled and filled independently. The collection of cigarettes and cigars is equally extensive. Some of the tobacco varieties are not sold anymore. The interesting exposure is devoted to tobacco breeding, as well as to the processing process.
The Antitabak propaganda campaign worldwide led to the closure of the museum a few years ago. However, it has managed its owners to regain the rights, and as early as 2007, the Museum of Smoking was reopened. Today, visitors can not only visit the large collection of exhibits, but also taste the best varieties of Indonesian tobacco in the special hall and buy tobacco in the shop. The museum has been actively cooperating with the local farmers for many years and is considered an intermediary at the close of business between farmers and tobacco producers from different countries of the world. ... Complete sights collection

In Indonesia, on Flores Island is the strange natural sight - the Kelimutu volcano. It was famous all over the world for the lakes formed in the crater. Each of three lakes is unique and has the unique color. Tivu-Ata-Mbupu is considered to be the most impressive lake, whose water is usually rich blue. It is remarkable that the color of the crater lake changes constantly due to the ascent of the deep water.
Excursions to the summit of the Kelimutu volcano are very popular with the followers of active recreation. Before a hike you can never foresee what color the lake will have on that day. After the long and strenuous ascent, always a surprise awaits the tourists. The crater Kelimutu is located at the height of 1 639 meters. Even the untrained travelers can go on the volcano.
Around the crater lakes were the comfortable stairs and the viewing platforms, from which one can graze on the beauty of the lakes maximum comfortably. The tiny village of Moni is within easy reach of the volcano. Many tourists prefer to stay in this village to climb up to the crater early in the morning and watch the dawn on the volcano peak. The travelers who plan to visit the volcano in the afternoon should take into account that the lakes are often hidden by the dense fog at this time of the day. The locals consider Kelimutu crater lakes as mystical places and believe that the souls of the deceased live in it. ... Complete sights collection

Bali is considered to be one of the most picturesque and beautiful islands in the world, on whose territory you can discover many incredible sights. One of the most popular tourist attractions are the Reisterrassen, which are located in the western part of the island, in the village Tegallalang. The multi-level terraces range high in the mountains. Some of them are located at the height of more than 800 meters above sea level.
The Reisplantagen form a fantastic landscape, which is complemented with the numerous exotic plants. The Tegallalang terraces are considered to be the most beautiful on the island, their external appearance changes three times a year. The rice grows and ripens in three months, so the locals reap every three months and plant the terraces again. For several years now, rice has been the main food of the Balinese, so it is no wonder that they are very respectful for rice cultivation.
The guests of the island have a possibility to wander through the extensive Reisplantagen on the comfortable paths. On the upper terraces, there are cozy recreation settlements and few excellent restaurants where you can taste the popular national rice dishes. Since the island was inhabited, the locals use every accessible land for rice cultivation. Since the landscape on the island is quite complicated, the locals have to put the Reisplantagen even on the mountain slopes and in the ravines. These complicated conditions have led to the formation of a real world-earth - the Reisterrassen Tegallalang are considered the most beautiful in the world. ... Complete sights collection

In Indonesia, on the territory of the Papua Province is the legendary Grasberg mine, in which more than 2000000 ounces of the gold are produced annually. In addition to gold reserves, the mine is rich in copper and silver deposits. At present, Grasberg is the largest gold mine on earth, and the third largest copper mine in the world. The quarry has an interesting peculiarity - it lies high in the mountains and is the highest-lying break in the world. Not far from the mine is an important natural sight - Puncak Jaya mountain, which is the highest mountain on the territory of Papua New Guinea.
More than 20000 people are constantly working in mine development The American company Freeport-McMoRan owns the mine. The open mine development began in 1990 and will continue until 2016 according to the owners' plans. In the future, it is planned to begin processing of the underground part of the mine. Grasberg has one of the world's largest mining and transportation parks, the mine daily serves more than 160 dump trucks, each with a payload capacity of up to 330 tons.
In addition, the industrial zone is serviced by 18 excavators with a bucket capacity of 30 to 42 cubic meters. Thanks to the use of the most advanced equipment, more than 700000 tons of rock are removed and moved daily in the mine. Grasberg has been remaining the largest gold mine of the planet for many years. Plans for exploration and development of which are painted for many decades ahead. ... Complete sights collection

Travellers who are going to visit Indonesia should definitely look into the town of Manado. Here they can see one of the greatest sculptures in the world, the Statue of Christ Blessing. The sculpture stands on top of a hill at an altitude of 150 meters above sea level. It is absolutely visible from anywhere in the tiny town and serves as an excellent reference point for tourists. The height of the monument is 50 meters, taking into account the 20-meter pedestal.
The Statue of Christ Blessing is among the five largest statue of Jesus Christ in the world.  It ranks in the top 10 tallest sculptures of Asia. The idea to build the unique monument in a small Indonesian town belonged to the representatives of the Christian movement of Manado and North Sulawesi Society and to Worship God. For many years, they restrained from the project only because of lack of sufficient funds. In 2007, the sponsor of the ambitious project finally appeared. It was the businessman Ciputra.
Famous experts of Yogjakarta Engineer Company were involved in the creation of the monument. It took them 3 years to complete it. The implementation of this cultural project has taken incredible money for poor countries. It costed about 540 thousand US dollars. Today, the statue of Christ Blessing is one of the outstanding attractions of Indonesia. It features not only an impressive scale, but also a quite unusual appearance. The sculpture is mounted on a pedestal at an angle of 20 degrees, which inadvertently creates the effect of figure of Christ soaring in the air. The monument looks particularly impressive in the evening, when the illumination is activated. ... Complete sights collection