All eyes are on Bali as it welcomes world and business leaders to Southeast Asia’s first G20 summit. Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s only G20 member state, and is the first nation in the region to host the annual leadership summit.

G20 includes 19 advanced and emerging economies and the European Union. It was created in response to the Asian financial crisis in 1999. It addresses global issues related to the global economy, such as financial stability, health, climate change, and sustainable development.

Seventeen heads of state, including United States President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping, will meet in Bali on November 15-16 in Nusa Dua. Russian president Vladimir Putin will skip the summit and will be represented by foreign minister Sergey Lavrov instead. The Russian invasion of Ukraine deepened divisions within the group, reducing the chance it will find consensus on economic issues at its 2022 summit.

Friction remains within the group regarding climate change. China, India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia blocked an agreement on phasing out coal use and fossil fuel subsidies at a July 2021 meeting of environment ministers. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany and other G20 countries have reversed commitments to stop financing fossil fuel projects overseas.

Indonesia has sought to frame the agenda around three pillars of post-pandemic macroeconomic policy: global health architecture, digital transformation, and the sustainable energy transition. 

Aside from G20 members, like China, the US, Japan and the European Union, Indonesia has also invited others to observe the summit, including Singapore, Cambodia, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates. World business leaders, including Elon Musk and Bill gates will attend to participate in the G20’s business forum, which is known as B20.

More than 18,000 security personnel will be deployed, consisting of 14,300 military staff and police officers. Fourteen warships will be docked nearby, he said. Bali airport expects to cater to 42,000 passengers during the two-day summit, while the immigration agency has vowed to deport any foreigners who interfere with the event.

Bali’s leaders are advising many of its 4.3 million residents to avoid public activities next week. Schoolchildren and workers near Nusa Dua have been told to study and work from home. They have been told to limit traditional ceremonies and other religious activities to ensure “the smooth and successful implementation of the G20 Presidency meeting for the good name of Indonesia, especially Bali,” said the island’s regional secretary Dewa Made Indra.

Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation in the world with more than 267 million people. The country has more than 17,500 islands, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Lombok, Sumatra and Sulawesi.

Gary Chandler is the CEO of Crossbow Communications — an award-winning public affairs and government affairs firm. We specialize in public health and environmental issues. We serve the world.

The post World Leaders Meet On Bali appeared first on Gary Chandler.

Sumatra is the only place on earth where tigers, elephants, orangutans, and rhinos share the same island. The Leuser Ecosystem World Heritage Site on the island of Sumatra also is home to clouded leopards, pangolins, macaques, hornbills, sun bears, and unique butterflies.

The greater Leuser Ecosystem spans 2.6 million hectares, almost three times the size of Yellowstone National Park. It includes lowland and highland rainforests, nine rivers, three lakes, and more than 185,000 hectares of carbon-rich peat. It has one of the last remaining intact rainforests in all of Indonesia, it is a crucial source of clean drinking water and agricultural livelihoods for over four million people. Gunung Leuser is named after one of the mountains, which rises prominently in the northwest region of the park.

There are less than 80 wild Sumatran rhinos in the world. Most of them live in the Leuser region. At most, there are 400 Sumatran tigers alive in the wild. More than 100 live in Leuser. About 85 percent of the world’s critically endangered Sumatran orangutans call this forest home. There are almost 4,000 species of plants residing in Southeast Asia’s largest expanse of rainforest. It hosts 380 species of birds, 194 reptiles and amphibians and nearly 130 species of mammals.

As Sumatra’s forests are destroyed, it becomes more likely that Sumatran orangutans will become the first great ape to go extinct. 

It was designated a national park in 1980, one of the first five in the country. The park represents the largest forest block in northern Sumatra. This rainforest is a treasure of biodiversity, but it’s highly endangered. The threats have accelerated since the end of the civil war in northern Sumatra. Post-war stability has encouraged the rapid invasion of commercial interests. Elephants and tigers are being slaughtered for their skins and tusks. It’s insane.

Between 1985 and 2009, half of Sumatra’s forests were destroyed. The decimation continues today. Despite its protected status, Leuser has lost 20 percent of its lowland forests to illegal commercial activities in the past five years. At that rate, the forest will be gone in 20 years.

Sulawesi is another interesting destination in Indonesia. It’s known for its world-class scuba diving, but inland adventures are equally as rewarding. For example, Toraja land is a mountainous region of South Sulawesi. There are approximately 650,000 Torajans. Most of them still live in Tana Toraja (Toraja land).

Prior to the 20th century, Torajans were largely untouched by the outside world. Dutch missionaries converted many Torajans to Christianity in the early 1900s, but many Torajans still follow traditional beliefs, called aluk, which is a combination of law, religion and life. It governs social life, agricultural practices and ancient rituals. The practices vary from one village to another.

The Toraja people grow rice and raise buffalo. Like most Indonesians, they balance work and religion on a daily basis.

Harvest festivals and house warming festivals are times for feasting and a gathering of the clan. They wear their best costumes and jewelry and drink tuak (a local brew). The parties last for days.

Family is the primary social and political grouping in Torajan society. Each village is one extended family, the seat of which is the tongkonan, a traditional Torajan house. Each Tongkonan has a name, which becomes the name of the village.

Once, there were three social classes—nobles, commoners, and slaves (slavery was abolished in 1909 by the Dutch East Indies government). Class was inherited through the mother. It was taboo, therefore, for a man to marry down in class. On the other hand, marrying a woman of higher class could improve the status of the next generation.

Nobles lived in Tongkonans, while commoners lived in bamboo huts. Slaves lived in smaller huts. Some nobles married the nobles from other cultures on the island, including Bugis and Makassarese. Commoners and slaves were prohibited from having death feasts. A marriage or change in wealth could affect an individual’s status. Wealth is counted by the ownership of water buffaloes.

Click here to learn more about adventures on Sulawesi and Sumatra.

Gary Chandler is the CEO of Crossbow Communications — an award-winning public affairs and government affairs firm. We specialize in public health and environmental issues. We serve the world.

The post Sumatra, Sulawesi Full Of Adventure appeared first on Gary Chandler.

With more than 18,000 islands scattered across the equator, Indonesia is a fascinating destination for those seeking adventure. Wildlife, marine life, archaeology, volcanoes and ancient cultures await you everywhere from Bali to Borneo and beyond.

Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra: The Gunung Leuser National Park is home to orangutans, Sumatran tigers and rhinoceros. Locals practice responsible tourism that aims to protect the forest and its inhabitants. Many of the rainforest regions of Indonesia are destroyed by deforestation and although some are protected from logging under federal law, illegal logging practices still occur. Tourism acts as an alternative income for many people here who have moved away from illegal means of income.

By visiting the region and participating in ecotourism activities such as trekking, tree planting and water rafting you are supporting the guardians of the Gunung Leuser, and you have the chance to get up close with the beautiful orangutans that call this place home.

This unique adventure in North Sumatra offers an exclusive opportunity for you to get hands-on with ongoing conservation efforts in remote villages and forest restoration sites. In addition to soaking up the culture and discovering the breathtaking beauty of this friendly and welcoming Indonesian island, you will also be involved with a number of tasks such as permaculture, restoration of former palm oil plantations, preparing new tree nurseries or identifying and recording native plant life in newly flourishing areas.

You also have the opportunity to visit the superb Leuser Nature School which aims to incentivize local farmers to become guardians of the forest by providing free education for their children in exchange for their involvement in forest restoration and protection efforts. All your hard work is rewarded with three relaxation days in Bukit Lawang including a jungle walk in search of wild orangutans. You Can Book Tour here: A different Travel Company or write to info@different-travel.com

Wakatobi, Sulawesi, Bunaken, Sulawesi: Wakatobi (pronounced WAHK-kah-TOH-bee) features a luxury dive resort in southeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia. The area includes 143 islands, but only four of them are inhabited. Since 2005 the park has been listed as a tentative World Heritage Site. In 2012 it was added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Wakatobi was established following an extensive search to identify the perfect location for a dive resort in terms of geography, climate, oceanic topography and marine biodiversity. To ensure its future, the developers created one of the largest privately protected marine reserves in the world.

Wakatobi is the third largest marine park in Indonesia. It hosts 942 fish species and 750 coral reef species, versus 50 in the Caribbean and 300 in the Red Sea.

Wakatobi covers 1.4 million hectares. It includes the highest number of reef and fish species in the world.

The islands form the largest barrier reef in Indonesia, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Jacques Cousteau called the Wakatobi area an “Underwater Nirwana.”

Having identified the premier location, the developers built an island paradise with the essential facilities and comforts to make an unforgettable dive trip. From shore or by boat, you have exclusive access to 50 dive sites, miles of pristine reefs, where diverse and dramatic undersea landscapes harbor the highest level of marine biodiversity on the planet. New and undocumented species continue to be discovered at Wakatobi.

The House Reef is a cornucopia of marine life, which you can enter directly from the beach or the jetty. The coral top is host to sea grass offering refuge to species such as filefish, blue ringed octopus and bumphead parrotfish, while the corals are home to numerous colorful juveniles of many species. The dramatic drop off where the wall begins offers glimpses out into the blue and down the wall – turtles, bumphead parrotfish, rays, mild mannered triggerfish, box fish and puffer fish can be seen among many other species.

Anano Beach is a great place to observe sea turtles in their natural habitat.

The incredible white sandy beach is home to two types of sea turtles, Honu (green turtles) and Koila (hawksbill turtles). Depending on the timing of your trip, you might get to see the turtles spawn, hatch and migrate to sea. The optimal time to observe spawning is during the full moon where green turtles usually gather at the shoreline in preparation to lay their eggs in the early hours of the morning. This enchanting beach is also a popular spot for divers and sun loungers.

Adventurers also enjoy the majestic Lakasa cave, which is is filled with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. The cave descends 120 meters. Locals believe that it has mystical properties. East and West come together at Wakatobi’s spa, which blends the best of Indonesian and European traditions. For more information, visit https://www.wakatobi.com/

Komodo National Park, Komodo and Rinca: Komodo is a small island of 280 square kilometers. It is located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores. The Island has about 800 human inhabitants and double that number of dragons. Most of the other islands where the dragons live have no permanent human residents at all.

Visitors to this area also should see the island of Rinca, which is just south and east of Komodo. It’s also part of Komodo National Park, but offers a slightly different landscape and good dragon populations. Rinca is just a short boat ride from Komodo island and is even closer to the island of Flores. In addition to wildlife viewing, Komodo National Park offers some of the best diving and snorkeling in Indonesia. The waters are clear and the marine life is spectacular. Whales and dolphins travel through the area regularly.

Camp Leakey, Tanjung Puting, Orangutans, Borneo: At Camp Leakey, we see up to 15,000 a year from all over the world. The local people saw them coming in and built up the tourism industry. The good thing is that the money stays in the area. The cooks are local. The guides are local. The boats are local. That’s one of the reasons the local people are so supportive.

After you go into the education center, you can walk to the feeding station. Once a day, the orangutans are provided with fruit and they usually come through the trees to the feeding platform. The feeding lasts two hours and some people watch them the whole time. You get very intimate encounters with the orangutans at Camp Leakey.

The tourism is controlled. Visitors can only observe the feeding at Camp Leakey. You’re not allowed to wander alone in the forest. It enhances the value of the park to the local people and then they will fight for it. Tourism directly benefits the orangutans. It makes the local people want to protect them. The main issue for orangutans in Southeast Asia is palm oil plantations. The forest needs to be cleared completely for the plantations. Orangutans spend 90 percent of their time in the tree canopy. When you cut down the trees, they have nowhere to go. We’re headed toward a point where most of the orangutans we see will be in captivity or at Tanjung Puting.

Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation in the world with more than 267 million people. The country is comprised of more than 17,500 islands, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Lombok, Sumatra and Sulawesi. Learn more about Indonesia. Learn about where to go, what do and what to say.

Gary Chandler is the CEO of Crossbow Communications. He is the author of 11 books about health and environmental issues from around the world. He also is the author of the Language and Travel Guide To Indonesia.

The post Indonesia’s Top Ecotourism Destinations appeared first on Gary Chandler.

Indonesia attracted a record number of foreign tourists last year. It hopes to top those results in 2019.

Foreign tourist arrivals reached 15.8 million in 2018, 13 percent more than a year earlier. Malaysian and Chinese tourists are fueling the surge of international visitors.

More than 2.5 million Malaysians visited the archipelago in 2018, while 2.14 million came from China. Despite the growth, the country missed its goal to draw 17 million visitors. Multiple earthquakes and tsunamis struck the archipelago, which disrupted flights and infrastructure in several tourist areas, including Lombok and Sulawesi.

Indonesia was ranked at 20th in the world tourist industry in 2017. It ranked as the ninth-fastest growing tourist sector in the world, the third-fastest growing in Asia and the fastest-growing segment in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia posted its busiest tourism month in history in July with 1,540,549 arrivals.

Tourism in Indonesia is an important component of the economy as well as a significant source of its foreign exchange revenues. Indonesia was ranked at 20th in the world tourist Industry in 2017, also ranked as the ninth-fastest growing tourist sector in the world, the third-fastest growing in Asia and the fastest-growing in Southeast Asia. The tourism sector ranked as the 4th largest among goods and services export sectors.

The number of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia has grown steadily since 2007. Its tourism growth is far higher than Malaysia, which grew by only 4 percent, Singapore at 5.8 percent and Thailand at 8.7 percent. Despite the solid growth, Indonesia still trails the tourism industry in Malaysia and Singapore, but it is closing the gap. Tourism in Vietnam also is becoming more competitive.

Bali remains Indonesia’s top destination. The Borobudur temple in Central Java is the nation’s top attraction outside of Bali.

The emerging resort island of Lombok also is attracting more tourists every year. Unfortunately, Lombok is still recovering from a strong earthquake that hit the island and the outer Gili islands in 2018. Wakatobi and Lake Toba also are gaining momentum among foreign and domestic tourists.

Currently, Indonesia’s tourism sector accounts for approximately four percent of the total economy. Nearly nine percent of Indonesia’s total national workforce is employed in the tourism sector.

Indonesia is aggressively pushing tourism as a top source for foreign exchange for a government that’s struggling to contain a widening current-account deficit. The government is targeting 20 million foreign tourists this year and earnings of about $20 billion. According to Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, tourism should become the nation’s top industry in terms of foreign exchange earnings.

In 2019, Indonesia hopes to attract 20 million tourists. To achieve this target, the government will focus on improving Indonesia’s infrastructure (including ICT infrastructure), accessibility, health & hygiene as well as enhancing online promotional campaigns abroad.

Indonesia also is developing what it calls “Ten New Balis,” which promotes priority destinations, including Toba Lake (North Sumatra), Borobudur (Central Java), Mandalika (Flores), and Labuan Bajo (Flores). The Indonesian government wants to replicate Bali’s tourism success (which attracted more than six million foreign visitors in 2018).

In the years ahead halal tourism is expected to grow markedly, and Indonesia is positioned to capitalize on that tourism growth.

Read the full story about Indonesia tourism.

Gary Chandler is the CEO of Crossbow Communications. He is the author of several books about health and environmental issues from around the world. He also is the author of the Language and Travel Guide To Indonesia.

The post Indonesia Breaks Tourism Record appeared first on Gary Chandler.

Indonesia has some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling destinations in the world. Wakatobi National Park is one of the most fascinating diving destinations in all of Indonesia.

Wakatobi (pronounced WAHK-kah-TOH-bee) features a luxury dive resort in southeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia. The area includes 143 islands, but only four of them are inhabited. Since 2005 the park has been listed as a tentative World Heritage Site. In 2012 it was added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Wakatobi was established following an extensive search to identify the perfect location for a dive resort in terms of geography, climate, oceanic topography and marine biodiversity.

The developers created one of the largest privately protected marine reserves in the world.

Wakatobi is the third largest marine park in Indonesia. It hosts 942 fish species and 750 coral reef species, versus 50 in the Caribbean and 300 in the Red Sea. Wakatobi covers 1.4 million hectares. It includes the highest number of reef and fish species in the world. The islands form the largest barrier reef in Indonesia, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Jacques Cousteau called the Wakatobi area an “Underwater Nirwana.”

Having identified the premier location, the developers built an island paradise with the essential facilities and comforts to make an unforgettable dive trip. From shore or by boat, you have exclusive access to 50 dive sites, miles of pristine reefs, where diverse and dramatic undersea landscapes harbor the highest level of marine biodiversity on the planet. New and undocumented species continue to be discovered at Wakatobi.

The House Reef is a cornucopia of marine life, which you can enter directly from the beach or the jetty. The coral top is host to sea grass offering refuge to species such as filefish, blue ringed octopus and bumphead parrotfish, while the corals are home to numerous colorful juveniles of many species. The dramatic drop off where the wall begins offers glimpses out into the blue and down the wall – turtles, bumphead parrotfish, rays, mild mannered triggerfish, box fish and puffer fish can be seen among many other species.

Wakatobi’s resident octopus can put on quite a show for those who know where to look. The creature displays native cunning; it adapts, and learns and you’ll find it lurking on the reefs of Wakatobi. Octopi truly are among the ocean’s most intriguing animals. The reefs and shallows around Wakatobi are home to several dozen species of these stealthy cephalopods, and should you spot one, you are in for an entertaining treat. Some are masters of camouflage and misdirection, while others use a combination of natural cover and improvised props to cloak their movements.

In a tranquil island setting far from crowds and cities, with no other divers for at least 100 miles, Wakatobi seamlessly blends five-star amenities and civilized comforts with a pristine natural environment; a pairing that has secured its reputation as one of the world’s finest resorts.

Underwater visibility is mostly between 20 and 50 meters. You can enjoy diving 365 days a year at Wakatobi. The climate is drier than most parts of Indonesia, and the surrounding reefs and islands protect the area from major storms.

Wakatobi offers several non-diving activities, both water-based and on land.

Visitors also enjoy kite surfing, paddle boarding, yoga, meditation, nature walks and village tours.

The inhabited islands are home to about 100,000 people, including the Bajo communities. The Bajo are seafaring nomads who inhabit many of Indonesia’s remote islands. They believe that they direct descendants of the sea. Once known as nomadic sea gypsies, the children are taught to hunt and preserve the ocean. They also possess unbelievable skills such as walking on the ocean floor and diving at depths of 25-50 meters without the aid of scuba gear. They can survive for months at sea without food supplies or modern equipment.

Anano Beach is a great place to observe sea turtles in their natural habitat. The incredible white sandy beach is home to two types of sea turtles, Honu (green turtles) and Koila (hawksbill turtles). Depending on the timing of your trip, you might get to see the turtles spawn, hatch and migrate to sea. The optimal time to observe spawning is during the full moon where green turtles usually gather at the shoreline in preparation to lay their eggs in the early hours of the morning. This enchanting beach is also a popular spot for divers and sun loungers.

Adventurers also enjoy the majestic Lakasa cave, which is is filled with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. The cave descends 120 meters. Locals believe that it has mystical properties. East and West come together at Wakatobi’s spa, which blends the best of Indonesian and European traditions.

Read The Full Story About Wakatobi, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Gary Chandler is the CEO of Crossbow Communications. He is the author of several books about health and environmental issues from around the world. He also is the author of the Language and Travel Guide To Indonesia.

The post Wakatobi A Diver’s Paradise appeared first on Gary Chandler.

Indonesia is a very large and diverse country. With 18,110 islands, 6,000 of them inhabited, it is the largest archipelago in the world. The population of 240 million people is composed of about 300 ethnic groups who speak more than 250 different languages. While Bali and Jakarta are often the destinations of choice for business and pleasure, let’s explore some other top tourist attractions in Indonesia.

Yogyakarta: This is the historic and cultural capital of Java and Indonesia. The sultan of Java lives here in the Kraton. The area features some of the most impressive ancient monuments in Indonesia–Borobudur and Prambanan. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist monument in the world, while Prambanan is one of the largest Hindu monuments in the world. Mt. Merapi is visible from Yogyakarta and most of the region.

Merapi is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes.

Yogyakarta also is famous for its arts, especially batik fabrics. Bicycles and horse-drawn carts are still very common forms of transportation in the region, which gives the area a special charm, despite its sprawling size. Yogyakarta also is a university city, which gives it even more character.

Komodo Island: The only way to reach Komodo is by boat, which is an experience that can’t be missed in this island nation. Most visitors arrive on large live-aboard boats, which is a first-class way to eat and sleep in this extremely remote region.

The Komodo dragons live on three islands in the area–Komodo, Rinca and Padar. A few have even crossed the strait to the western tip of Flores. These arid, volcanic islands are inhabited by about 5,700 giant lizards, which grow as large as 12 feet long (three meters). They exist nowhere else in the world and are of great interest to scientists studying the theory of evolution.

The local villagers call the Komodo dragon ora, which means land crocodile. The dragons are normally a sandy brown with dark markings against very coarse and dry scales. They have a long neck and a tail that is longer than their body. They have strong, sharp claws that are used in combat with other dragons and during feeding frenzies.

The rugged hillsides of dry savannah and pockets of thorny green vegetation contrast with the brilliant white sandy beaches and the blue waters surging over coral. Although the dragons are the primary attraction to the area, these waters offer some of the best scuba diving in the country and the world. The marine fauna and flora are generally the same as that found throughout the Indo Pacific area, though species richness is very high, notable marine mammals include blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and sperm whale (Physeter catodon) as well as 10 species of dolphin, dugong (Dugong dugon) and five species of sea turtles.

Camp Leakey: Tanjung Puting National Park is located on the island of Borneo in the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. The park is a popular ecotourism destination, with many local tour companies offering multi-day boat tours to view wildlife and visit the research centers. Wildlife include gibbons, macaques, clouded leopards, sun bears, pythons, crocodiles and – most famously – orangutans. Unfortunately the park is heavily threatened by illegal logging and forest clearing for agricultural uses., this is your best opportunity to see orangutans in their own habitat.

Some orangutans are being rehabilitated, while wild orangutans also visit the area, which is not fenced.

With some luck, you might meet, Dr. Birute Galdikas. In the early ’70s, Dr. Galdikas traveled from Los Angeles to the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan on Borneo island to study the red-haired primates. She has spent much of the last 45 years on the island, researching the orangutan and fighting to protect its habitat.

Bunaken: Located at the north of the island of Sulawesi, Bunaken is one of Indonesia’s most famous dive and snorkeling areas. The island is part of the Bunaken Marine Park where you can see more than 70 percent of all fish species that live in the western Pacific ocean.

Indonesia is an epicenter of underwater biodiversity, hosting a greater variety of marine life than anywhere else on earth. The South China Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean converge here, on the world’s largest archipelago of more than 18,000 islands, and the result is spectacular diving. Thriving off Indonesia’s vast coastline are more than 600 coral and 3000 fish species. The best time for diving in Bunaken is between April and November.

Torajaland: Also known as Tanah Toraja, this is a highland region of Sulawesi, home of the Toraja people. Torajans are famous for their massive peaked-roof houses and spectacular funeral rites. The region also features some interesting megaliths.

Lake Toba: Lake Toba is on the island of Sumatra. It’s an immense volcanic lake about 100 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide. Formed by a gigantic volcanic eruption some 70,000 years ago, it is the largest resurgent caldera on Earth. Genetic estimates suggests that there were only a few thousand humans that survived the catastrophe. The island in the middle – Pulau Samosir – is the largest island within an island and contains two lakes. Tourists from around the world come here to relax and swim in the volcanically warmed waters. The volcanic activity of this region produces fertile land and beautiful scenery. It also contains rich deposits of coal and gold.

Ubud: Perched high in the hillsides, Ubud is much cooler and greener than life on the beaches far below. Ubud is considered the cultural heart of Bali and one of the top tourist attractions in Indonesia. There are dance and music performances every day throughout the city as well as numerous art galleries and craft shops to explore. Although Ubud has long been valued as a great place to learn about Balinese culture. Tourism in Ubud boomed exponentially in the last decades. Fortunately, it only takes a short walk or bicycle ride to escape from the crowds and commercialism. An area called the monkey forest sits on the edge of town and its filled with wild monkeys that will beg you for food.

Raja Empat: This is a fascinating diving destination near Papua. It’s a great region to see manta rays and other rare marine life. Over time, tourists mispronounced the name so much that even locals refer to the area as Raja “Ampat.” Don’t be fooled and please don’t perpetuate the error. Raja Empat means “four kings.” As with the best diving in Indonesia, this trip requires a live-aboard boat.

The waters of Raja Empat boast more than 1200 marine life species. The reefs at Kofiau are filled with colorful soft and hard corals that hide myriad creatures while blue and gold fusiliers flow like living rivers of color overhead. These coral bommies and gardens harbor some of the highest marine biodiversity in the region. At Northwest Misool, a blue water mangrove maze of trees meets the color of the reef. If you’re a photographer who likes over/under images, you’ll want to take up permanent residence. The Passage is a narrow river of sea between Waigeo and Gam Islands, the coral here grows pretty much to the surface and you’ll find piles of nudibranchs, sharks, cuttlefish and octopus among the soft corals.

Wakatobi: Wakatobi is a world-class scuba diving destination. It’s drop-off is famed for its action and color, with everything from blue ringed octopus and ghost pipe fish to resident sea turtles cruising past soft corals and gorgonians. Lembeh is renowned for muck diving. With a sharp eye, you’ll find banded snake eels, pygmy seahorses, octopus, scorpion fish and literally hundreds of extraordinarily well-camouflaged critters. Almost anything could be hiding in the black sand.

Those who make the journey to Wakatobi are well rewarded. Above water, the islands are stunning. Below, the diverse and memorable house reef is home to creatures ranging from the small and strange to giant mantas and resident turtles. In addition, the readily accessible coral garden at Teluk Maya harbors Pegasus sea moths, pipe fish, and an endemic pygmy seahorse species.

Many dive sites feature thick forests of vibrant soft corals, which hide lots of animals. Seamounts dominate the extraordinarily photogenic dive at Blade where sea fans, sponges and corals abound and seem to have positioned themselves in the most picturesque places on the reef.

Gary Chandler is the CEO of Crossbow Communications. He is the author of several books about health and environmental issues from around the world. He also is the author of the Language and Travel Guide To Indonesia.

The post Indonesia’s Top Destinations appeared first on Gary Chandler.

Indonesia is an amazing country with ancient temples, beautiful beaches, hundreds of volcanoes, endangered wildlife, and abundant natural resources. Travel writer Gary Chandler wants to help more people discover this fascinating country.

If you are planning a vacation or expedition to Bali, Java, Borneo or beyond, the Language and Travel Guide to Indonesia is one of the best books available. It’s a comprehensive travel guide, which includes an Indonesian phrase and grammar book and a dictionary to help you learn Bahasa Indonesia.

Indonesia includes some of the largest and most exotic islands in the world, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Komodo, New Guinea, and Sumatra.

There are more than 17,500 islands in all.  Indonesia shares two of its largest islands with other countries. The Indonesian state of Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, occupies the western half of New Guinea—the world’s second largest island.  Indonesia also controls part of the island of Borneo, which is the third-largest island in the world. Indonesia shares the island of Borneo with Brunei and Malaysia. Indonesia’s share of Borneo is called Kalimantan.

In addition to these large islands, Indonesia controls all of Sumatra, which is the sixth-largest island in the world. Meanwhile, Sulawesi and Java rank as the 11^th and 13^th largest islands on the planet. Java is the most populous of the Indonesian islands—more than 60 percent of all Indonesians live here—and it is the most populated island in the world. Java is home to the capital city of Jakarta, where about 25 million people live. Despite the population density on Java, hundreds of other islands in the country are uninhabited.

Learn To Speak Indonesian

The real beauty of Indonesia is found in the eyes and smiles of its people. Taking the time to learn some simple Indonesian words and phrases will help you unveil more of this country’s wonderful treasures.

Most Indonesians are happy, friendly, and curious people. They often will speak to you as you cross paths. They typically will ask where you are from and where you are going. When you have the opportunity, try to converse with locals. It can be educational, informative, and rewarding. Most Indonesian people know at least a few English words and are eager to learn more. Many Indonesians are very articulate in English, especially those involved in tourism, retail, and international business.

For more information, or to purchase a copy of the Language and Travel Guide to Indonesia by Gary R. Chandler please visit http://indonesiantravelbook.com/bali-travel-information/

Watch our Indonesian tutorial on YouTube.

Gary Chandler is the CEO of Crossbow Communications — an award-winning public affairs and government affairs firm. We specialize in public health and environmental issues. We serve the world.

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