Things to see

Formerly part of West Java Province, Banten, located about an hour from Jakarta, became a separate province in 2000. This city has a lot of treasure to whom that likes history, such as the ruins of Surosowan Palace, Kaibon Palace, Masjid Agung Banten (Banten Great Mosque, enlisted in Moslem’s pilgrimage in Indonesia), Speelwijk Fortress, Chinese Temple Avalokiteshvara, and Karang Hantu Harbor (Devil Rock’s Harbor). This harbor has existed since centuries ago where Sultan Banten’s troopers took fight against the pirates and defensed from the Dutch.

The infamous volcano, Gunung Krakatau (Krakatoa), is located in this province. After the giant eruption in 1883, Krakatoa has a new volcano called “Anak Rakata”. Both of them can be reached from Anyer and Carita, small cities famous with their beautiful beaches. There are 3 beaches situated along the coastal zone of Anyer, i.e. Pantai Anyer, Pantai Karangbolong, and Pantai Carita. Every beach has their own unique but all of them are the perfect places for waiting sunset. There is an old light house made by the Dutch in 1885. Read more about the history of the road of Anyer which called de Postweg Anyer – Panarukan.

Ujung Kulon National Park is situated about 6 hours ride from Labuan (intersection Carita/Anyer – Labuan). You can find rice paddy field, rain forest, beach, and isles of Peucang, Panaikan, Handeuleum, and Honje. If you are lucky, you may as well encounter several animals native of Ujung Kulon, i.e. badak bercula satu/rhino (Primucerus sundaicus), as well as banteng (Bos Javanicus), rusa (Cervus timurensis), muncak (Muntiacus muncak), and kancil (Ragulus Javanicus).

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The garden is located in the city center and adjoin the presidential palace compound of Istana Bogor. It is currently operated by Indonesian Institute of Sciences (Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia or LIPI). It covers an area of 87 hectares which contains about 13,983 different kinds of trees and plants of various origin. The geographic position of Bogor means it rains almost daily, even in dry season. This makes the garden an advantageous location for tropical plants cultivation.

Founded in 1817 by the order of the government of Dutch East Indies (the oldest botanical garden in SEAsia), the garden thrived under the leadership of many renowned botanist. Since its foundation, Bogor Botanical garden has served as a major research center for agriculture and horticulture, a legacy that lived on until today.

Go early in the morning when it is still relatively cool. Take a drive around and find a quiet, shady spot to have a picnic and play ball games. There are many interesting plants here and a picturesque lake. The restaurant is located on the hill overlooking the park and fountain.

Entrance fee: IDR 14,000 (domestic) and IDR 30,000 (international) per adult.

Indonesia National Monument, known locally as Monas is a monument built to remember the struggle of Indonesian heroes fighting colonial domination. It was built during the time of the first president of Indonesia, Ir. Soekarno, with the help of Sudarsono and F. Silaban as the architect, and Ir. Rooseno as the consultant. It was opened on 17th August 1961 by President Soekarno, and publicly opened on 12th July 1971.
The top of Monas shaped like a flame, symbolizing the never-extinguished spirit of Indonesian people. The flame was made of bronze, plated with 35 kg gold. The flame has 6 meters diameter and consists of 77 concentrated parts.
The standing pillar of Monas, at a height of 137 meters, symbolises a rice pestle, while the cup symbolises a rice barn, which are traditional tools to pound rice.
The monument is set in a large, green park used for relaxation and sport activities in the morning and afternoon time. Many people visit Monas on weekends and holidays.
See here for more information..

On an old clove plantation, just South of Jakarta, a working organic farm, a retreat, a budding village factory, a place to dream, and create-beautiful things.

Choice of lodging..

Sukabumi is a city surrounded by the regency of the same name in the southern foothills of Mount Gede Pangrango in West Java, about 80km south of the national capital, Jakarta. At an altitude of approximately 600m, the city is a minor hill station resort, with a cooler climate than the surrounding lowlands. Sukabumi is also a destination for whitewater rafting with so many waterfalls and also night caving at Buni Ayu. Rubber production is a major industry in the area.

In Dutch colonial times, Sukabumi was the site of the colonial police academy. In early 2005, Sukabumi Regency became the first place in Indonesia that polio was reported in ten years, the beginning of a nationwide outbreak of the disease which had been believed to be eradicated in the country.

During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia during the Second World War, the Japanese had created a strategic garrison in Ujung Genteng, part of the South Sukabumi Regency. Remains of the harbor and lookout towers at the end of this peninsula are still in place, along with the caves that the Japanese lived and died in towards the end of the war..