Seychelles "The Perfect Beauty"

The Seychelles are a group of 115 islands, only a few inhabited, in the Indian Ocean that lie off the coast of East Africa, northeast of Madagascar.

Here the things that you can do in Seychelles :

Visit the beaches. Many of the beaches are untouched by man's influence and are refreshingly uncrowded. They offer clear blue skies and a tranquility you will rarely find. A hike along the coastline from Beau Vallon to Anse Major will take about 1.5-2 hours and your reward will be a small deserted beach that's fit for a king. The scenery along the hike is breathtaking. Not all beaches are suitable for swimming depending on the time of year, due to the seasonal winds. Do not ignore warning signs indicating that a beach is hazardous for swimming, no matter how it seems to you.

Vallee de Mai is a national park and world heritage site, home to amazing flora and fauna, including the world's largest seed: the coco de mer. Entrance fee: Free for residents, 315 rupees (~20Euros) for foreigners (Sept 2010).

Aldabra Atoll: The world's largest coral atoll that stretches about 22 miles east to west and encloses a huge tidal lagoon. Aldabra is the original home of the giant land tortoise and tiger sharks and manta rays can also often be seen here.

Watersports: The warm Indian Ocean waters make Seychelles the perfect place for the water enthusiasts. Explore on board a yacht, power boat, catamaran or sailboat. Windsurfing is also popular and the best time for this activity is usually around May then in October, at the start and end of the trade winds.
Scuba diving, snorkeling, and fishing are also extremely popular and can be done almost anywhere in Seychelles. Baie Ternay is superb and easily acccessible by glass bottom boat tour from Beau Vallon beach - leave yourself an empty day and walk the beach for a 'last minute' booking - great deals can be bartered. Snorkeling (provided you have your own gear - some hotels lend masks, snorkels and fins to guests) is FREE and there are many great spots: off some of the small beaches at Glacis, past Mouse Island at Anse Royale, along the reef at Port Launay (near Ephelia Resort). Often spotted are a wide array of tropical fish, sea turtles, eagle rays and more!

Land Sports: Golf, tennis, squash, badminton, horseback riding, biking and hiking are some of the recreational activities available on the Seychelles Islands. Bike rentals and walking tours are great ways to sightsee and since distances are relatively short and the scenery is beautiful, walking is probably the best way to see the smaller islands (La Digue, Praslin), while walking along the main road can be quite intimidating as the roads are narrow and local cars/busses drive quite quickly. On Mahe it is not advised to ride bicycles, and there are no rental shops within sight. Bird watching is also popular and the islands are home to many of the worlds most treasured and rare species of animals. The best place to do so is Cousin Island which although only 1 km (0.6 miles) in diameter, is home to more than 300,000 birds, but many unique species can be found at ease on Mahe.

Nightlife: Do not miss most popular Nightclub "Lovenut" in the centre of Victoria, 100 metres walk from central Taxi station. Also entertaining are "Tequila Boom" at (Bel Ombre) and "Katiolio" (near Anse Royale) night clubs. "Katiolio" was one of the first nightclubs to open on Mahe and boats an open-air that is directly beside the ocean.

International Charter Group: Yacht charter and sailing, one of the worlds largest yacht charter companies, can take care of all charter requirements, from bareboat to crewed in the Seychelles. Operating from nine offices worldwide (USA, Spain, UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Caribbean, Honk Kong and Dubai).

Seychelles also has numerous markets, art galleries and shops, colonial Creole-style plantation houses, and the main island of Mahé has six museums, a botanical garden, and several national monuments. The market downtown Victoria has a good selection of local produce, and spices for sale that are all grown locally and 100% authentic. 

How To Get In

No visa is required for all nationalities, though all foreigners must have a passport valid for at least 6 months, and must have proof of accommodation bookings before arrival. Visitors without pre booked accommodation are likely to be compelled to book accommodation at the airport for the length of their stay before being allowed to leave the airport. An initial entry permit is granted for 1 month but can be extended for a maximum of 3 months at a time up to a maximum of 1 year in total.

By plane

The only international gateway to the Seychelles is Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) near Victoria. Air Seychelles reduced its operations in late 2011/2012 and now flies only to Johannesburg and Mauritius. International service is also available from Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines), Nairobi (Kenya Airways), Dubai (Emirates), Abu Dhabi (Etihad) and Doha (Qatar Airways), and regular charter services from Frankfurt (Condor).

By boat

The strict controls imposed on cruising yachts in the early 1990s have been gradually lifted and rules and regulations are no longer so complicated. However, some restrictions remain in force, mostly for the sake of environmental protection as most of the islands are surrounded by coral reefs near the surface.

Gili Trawangan : The Perfect Escape

Gili Trawangan (Terawangan), or simply Gili T, is the largest and most visited of the three Gili Islands off Lombok.

This is the largest of the three Gili Islands with an estimated permanent population of about 800.

Trawangan was the first of the three islands to attract visitors in any numbers, and it was backpackers who led the way. In the 1990s the island developed a reputation as a wild party destination with cheap accommodation, no police, plentiful weed and mushrooms, and readily available harder drugs. Whilst that is still partially the case, Trawangan has matured into a destination that has a far wider appeal.

The thriving dive industry of the Gili Islands is centred here (although some operators have outposts on the other two islands), and since about 2005, the island has gone through a massive development boom, and a number of upscale sleeping, eating and drinking establishments have opened. Any visitor to Trawangan should be prepared for a real mish-mash of fellow travellers; some will be ensconced in US$400 per night, unashamedly Bali-style villas, while others would be quite happy to kip on the beach after a tough day on the mushies.

Gili Trawangan is the centre of a thriving dive industry for the Gili Islands. All of the operators have their main dive shops located here. There are about a dozen active dive sites, and all of the shops run a regularly rotating program of daily fun dives to one of more of these.

Fun dives, muckdiving, technical diving and wreck dives are a staple and Gili Trawangan is well known as a world class teaching centre. The operators are very professional, the warm waters offering a wide range of easy to challenging dive sites (including some with fairly strong currents), and the visibility usually good. Gili T makes for an ideal teaching environment, whether you are a first timer, or a diver looking to extend your qualifications.

Freedive Gili is located close to the harbour on Gili Trawangan, and offers freedive and apnea (breath holding) courses for beginners to advanced. It is the only freedive centre in the region and is owned and operated by British freedive record holder Mike Board.

Gili Yoga center shares an office with Freedive Gili and boasts its very own Yoga pavillion. Daily Yoga classes are given in the warm open air, surrounded by a tropical garden and the sounds of nature. Gili yoga offer services including: Daily meditation and pranayama, twice daily yoga practice, luxury accommodation, group activities (snorkeling, sunset boat ride) and gourmet vegetarian food.

Snorkelling

The easiest spot to find some productive snorkelling is off the main beach, north of the boat landing. Enter the water approximately in front of the Almarik hotel. If you start north of the beach (about where you can see seaweeds growing at low tide roughly level with Gili Meno's northern extent), and go with the current back towards to the most crowded sunbathing area, you will likely need to kick only when you want to stop to look at something. The healthy corals are around the area where the wall drops off and the deeper water begins. Nearer the shore you will find only dead coral. Turtles can be seen often, and also the occasional trigger fish amongst the more common reef inhabitants. At low tide it is difficult to get in without reef shoes. Always watch out for potential waves that can push you into the coral that are just below water level.

A better coral reef is off the northwest coast, but you have to be very keen to go through the hardship of getting out there. The only access to the reef involves walking over a substantial area of dead, sharp coral, and back again when you have finished. If you are a keen snorkeller the effort is worth it, and you are very likely to have the waters to yourself.

Small, purple jellyfish are sometimes plentiful around the island, and they seem to love stinging snorkellers. The reaction is one of considerable irritation, but the stings cause no serious harm.

Boat Trips

There are a few companies based on Gili Trawangan that offer boat trips to the surrounding islands of Lombok, Sumbawa and to Komodo.

Blue Water Cruises are based just north of the harbour and run trips around the 3 Gilis, to Lombok and Komodo.

South Sea Nomads South Sea Nomads have 2 bases on Gili T, one at Gili Hostel and another at Manta Dive. They offer Sunset Party Boats around the 3 Gilis, 2 night trips to Sekotong and Desert Point for island hopping, snorkelling, diving and surfing Lomboks most famous break, Desert Point. They also run a 5 night trip to Moyo and Satonda where they visit waterfalls, a sunken volcano, caves, a crater lake, deserted beaches and uninhabited islands, stunning reefs and a WW2 wreck. Their boat is also available for private sunset charters and private day charters around the 3 Gilis for groups of up to 30 people.

Perama are based near the art market on the main beach road. They offer trips all around Indonesia as well as trips from Bali to the Gilis and Komodo.

Surfing

Gili Trawangan has a fast right hander which can really pump with the right conditions. The best waves are at high tide, and the underlying reef can be sharp so booties can come in handy. The surf break is off the south coast - just follow the locals who will be out and jogging with their boards whenever the surf is decent. You will find no shortage of locals eady, willing and able to rent you board. There are a few breaks off Gili Air and Gili Meno, but they are more difficult to reach and smaller. The best season is the January-June wet season, with swells from 1-2 m. Daily conditions can be checked out at Magic Seaweed

Walking

There are some lovely walks to be had on the island, although the perimeter coastal track is perhaps not as scenic as those on Gili Meno and Gili Air. A leisurely stroll all the way around will take 90-120 minutes, depending on just how leisurely you are.

The hill in the south can be easily reached by taking one of the tracks that lead west or southwest from the back of the village. Dawn and dusk are the best times to climb up here. The sunset views back towards Bali are quite lovely, and in the mornings the sun rises over majestic Mount Rinjani on Lombok. On the top of the hill lie the remains of a World War II Japanese gun bunker.

Extremely Beautiful Beach in Karimun Jawa

Karimunjawa is a chain of 27 islands north of Semarang, off the coast of Central Java, Indonesia.

Designated as a national marine park. Karimunjawa consists of many small islands, with the two main ones being Karimunjawa island and Kemujan Island, and the smaller ones being Menjangan Besar Island, and Menjangan Kecil Island and some other even smaller, uninhabited islands. 

Karimunjawa and Kemujan Islands are like saimese twins. A short bridge connects the two and they may be thought of as just one island.

Karimunjawa Island is the larger and is quite hilly and steep in places. The highest peak is about 330 metres, with a dozen other peaks of 150 metres or more. Karimunjawa also has the larger population. The main, and virtually the only, village is situated on a point on the south-west coast of Karimunjawa Island. There are many beautiful beaches with clean, white sand. Much of the island has fringing reefs.

Kemujan Island has lower evevation and is undulating. The 900 metre airstrip (elev. 10 metres) is located on Kemujan Island, 18 km north-east of the village. There are some mangrove forrests fringing Kemujan Island in places. There are also fringing reefs in many locations around the island.

The smaller, outer islands are low lying and have pristine, white sandy beaches. 

One can find various kinds of sea animals, like turtles, sharks, and fish, in the sea around Karimunjawa. On the land, especially in Karimunjawa island and Kemujan island, one can find many kinds of birds, deer, and even snakes.

Flora Wirintina reportedly spent time here on summer vacation with some close family members during the summer of 2013. Locals say the media's coverage of her time here has boosted the islands reputation and they expect tourists to flock in their numbers to the island in the near future in an effort to follow in her footsteps.

There are chartered planes from Semarang that fly from Semarang to Dewandaru Airport in Kemujan island. The airstrip has a sealed 900 metre runway.

There is a regular ferry that sails from Tanjung Emas (port) in Semarang and Jepara to Karimunjawa Island. about the Karimunjawa service. The slower, but comfortable, barge service operates out of Japara.

In Karimunjawa and Kemujan island, you can rent a car, motorcycle or even a bicycle. To get to the other near-by islands however, you need to rent a local boat for about Rp 200,000/day. Inter-island transportation can also be booked at the following link, where you can also view timetables.

Note: For one or two people, a motorbike would usually do, but if you're not familiar with motorcycles and would rather rent a car, it might be a good idea to book a rental car before you arrive in Karimunjawa, because there are very few cars on the island.

Bali, Island of God Part 2

 

How To Get In

By plane

Most visitors will arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport (IATA: DPS), also known as Denpasar International Airport. Despite this misleading name, the airport is actually located in Tuban between Kuta and Jimbaran, roughly 30 mins away from Denpasar.
Ngurah Rai is Indonesia's 3rd busiest international airport (after Jakarta and Surabaya) and a major hub well-connected to Australia, South-East Asia, and the rest of Indonesia.

Domestic

A number of domestic airlines operate as LCC - low cost or budget carriers. It is a difficult distinction for some operators as they may be using a low cost model but not promoting or identifying themselves as doing this. Wings Air is a LCC of Lion Air, Citilink is a LCC of Garuda Airlines. Some are smaller regional operators REG or feeder airlines.

• Citilink LCC from Jakarta
• Garuda Indonesia from Jakarta, Mataram, Surabaya, Ujung Pandang (Makassar), Yogyakarta
• Indonesia Air Asia LCC from Bandung, Jakarta, Yogyakarta
• IAT (Indonesia Air Transport) from Mataram, Labuan Bajo
• Lion Air LCC from Jakarta, Jogyakarta (Yogyakarta), Menado, Ujung Pandang (Makassar), Surabaya
• Mandala Airlines LCC  from Jakarta
• Merpati Nusantara Airlines LCC from Bandung, Bima, Ende. Jakarta, Kupang, Lauanbajo, Mataram, Maumere, Surabaya, Tambolaka, Waingapu
• Pelita Air Service Charter 
• Sky Aviation REG  from Banywangi, Labuan Bajo, Mataram
• Sriwijaya Air LCC  from Jakarta
• Travira Air Charter from Benete/Sumbawa
• Trigana REG  from Mataram
• Trans Nusa REG from Bima, Ende, Kupang, Labuanbajo, Mataram, Ruteng, Sumbawa, Tambolaka
• Wings Air REG LCC  (code share Lion AIr) Bima, Kupang, Labuhanbajo, Mataram, Maumere, Semarang, Surabaya, Malang, Tambolaka 

International

A number of International airlines serve this airport including several LCC - low cost or budget carriers

• AirAsia LCC from Kuala Lumpur (operated by (AK) AirAsia Malaysia and (QZ) Indonesia AIrAsia), Singapore, Perth, Darwin (operated by (QZ) Indonesia AIrAsia), Bangkok (operated by (FD) Thai AIrAsia)
• Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong
• Cebu Pacific Air LCC from Manila
• China Airlines  (code share Garuda Airlines) from Taipei
• Eva Air  from Taipei-Taoyuan
• Garuda Indonesia, The major national carrier serving Indonesia from Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Nagoya-Centair, Osaka-Kansai, Perth, Seoul-Incheon
• Hong Kong Express Airways from Hong Kong
• Jetstar LCC from Australia-Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, New Zealand
• Jetstar Asia LCC (code share Qantas Airlines, operated by Valuair) from Singapore
• KLM from Amsterdam (via Singapore may be operated by Singapore Airlines or Garuda on the SIN-DPS sector, Amsterdam via Kuala Lumpur (via Kuala Lumpur may be operated by Malaysian Airlines on the KUL-DPS sector)
• Korean Airlines (code share Garuda Airlines) from Seoul (Incheon)
• Malaysia Airlines (code share Garuda Airlines, KLM) from Kuala Lumpur
• Merpati Nusantara Airlines LCC from Dili
• Philippine Airlines from Manila
• Qantas Airlines (operated by Jetstar, Jetstar Asia and Valuair) from Singapore, Australia, New Zealand
• Qatar Airways from Doha and Singapore
• Shanghai Airlines from Shanghai
• Singapore Airlines from Singapore
• SkyWest from Port Hedland Australia
• Strategic Airlines from Australia-Brisbane, Perth, Port Hedland, Townsville
• Thai AirAsia from Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi International
• Thai Airways International from Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi
• Transaero from Moscow-Domodedovo
• Valuair LCC (operated by Jetstar Asia) from Singapore
• Uni Air (charter flights) from Kaohsiung
• Virgin Australia LCC (operated by Pacific Blue) from Australia- Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney 

International arrivals procedures

All passports must be valid for a minimum of 6 months from the date of entry into Indonesia and have at least 2 blank pages available for stamps.
There are three ways of entering Indonesia:

• Visa on arrival. Pay on arrival, get a visa in your passport, get it stamped. Most visitors fall in this category.
• Visa in advance. Obtain a visa at an Indonesian embassy before arrival.
• Visa waiver. Show your passport, get stamped, that's it. Applies only to a few select, mostly ASEAN countries.

Visitors arriving in Bali by air from a point of origin outside Indonesia will be clearing customs and immigration at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport may require the purchase of a visa on arrival (VOA). As of January 2010, the only type of visa on arrival available is US$25.00 for 30 days. This may be extended later at the local Immigration office for a further once only period of up to 30 days. (The previous 7 day visa on arrival is no longer available). Exact change in dollars is recommended, although a selection of other major currencies including rupiah are accepted, and any change will usually be given in rupiah. Credit cards are accepted in Bali (but don't count on the service working). See the main Indonesia article for more details.

Arriving passengers are passed through VOA (visa on arrival) issuance if applicable, then subsequently processed through immigration clearance channels for VOA, Non VOA (if the visa has been obtained prior to the time of departure), Visa waiver (for eligible nationalities) and a separate channel for Indonesian passport holders. Baggage retrieval is followed by customs and quarantine examinations including baggage X-ray checkpoints.

Tourism visit visas can be issued in advance at some Indonesian embassies prior to departure. Check well in advance of your proposed departure date at the Indonesian embassy or consulate in your home country.

Citizens holding passports from Brunei, Chile, Ecuador, Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region), Macau SAR (Special Administrative Region), Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam are eligible for the Visa waiver program and do not require visas to enter and remain for 30 days within Indonesia. These visas cannot be extended or converted to another type of visa.

Bali, The Island of God Part 1

Bali, the famed Island of the Gods, with its varied landscape of hills and mountains, rugged coastlines and sandy beaches, lush rice terraces and barren volcanic hillsides all providing a picturesque backdrop to its colourful, deeply spiritual and unique culture, stakes a serious claim to be paradise on earth. With world-class surfing and diving, a large number of cultural, historical and archaeological attractions, and an enormous range of accommodations, this is one of the world's most popular island destinations and one which consistently wins travel awards. Bali has something to offer a very broad market of visitors from young back-packers right through to the super-rich.

Recommended Destination in Bali :

1. Denpasar — a bustling city, the administrative centre and transport hub of the island but not a major tourist destination 
2. Candidasa — a quiet coastal town, the Bali Aga and gateway to the east coast
3. Kuta — surfer central, by far the most heavily developed area in Bali. Lots of shopping and night-life and the centre of lower-end party culture on Bali
4. Jimbaran — sea-side resorts, a nice sheltered beach and seafood restaurants south of Kuta
5. Legian — located between Kuta and Seminyak; also the name of Kuta´s main street
6. Lovina — beautiful black volcanic sand beaches and coral reefs
7. Padang Bai — a relaxed traditional fishing village with some touristic options. Great place to enjoy the beach, snorkelling, diving and eating fish.
8. Sanur — sea-side resorts and beaches popular with older families
9. Seminyak — quieter, more upscale beachside resorts and villas just to the north of Legian, with some fashionable upscale restaurants and trendy designer bars and dance clubs
10. Ubud — the centre of art and dance in the foothills, with several museums, the monkey forest and lots of arts and crafts shops 
11. Amed — an area of peaceful, traditional fishing villages featuring black sand beaches, coral reefs and excellent diving
12. Bedugul — nice lakes in the mountains, a golf course, the botanical gardens and the famous Ulun Danu Bratan Temple
13. Bukit Peninsula — the southernmost tip of Bali, with world class surfing, great beaches, and the can't-miss cliff-hanging Uluwatu Temple
14. Kintamani — active volcano Mount Batur, great mountain scenery, cooler temperatures and fruit growing
15. Mount Agung — highest mountain in Bali and the mother temple of Besakih
16. Nusa Dua — an enclave of high-end resorts and a long, golden sand beach
17. Nusa Lembongan — good diving, snorkelling and surfing and a great place to relax
18. Nusa Penida — wild, rugged and untamed and as off-the-beaten-path as you will get in Bali
19. West Bali National Park — trekking, bird watching and diving in Bali's only substantial natural protected area 

FESTIVAL

There are an estimated 20,000 temples (pura) on the island, each of which holds festivals (odalan) at least twice yearly. With many other auspicious days throughout the year there are always festivities going on.
The large island-wide festivals 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 (pitra yadnya) are another occasion of pomp and ceremony, when the deceased (often several at a time) are ritually cremated in extravagantly colorful rituals (ngaben).

• Galungan is a 10 day festival which comes around every 210 days and celebrates 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 the Hindu New Year, also known as the day of absolute silence, is usually in March or April (next on March 23, 2012). If you are in Bali in the days preceding Nyepi, you will see amazing colorful giants (ogoh ogoh) being created by every banjar. On the eve of Nyepi, the ogoh ogoh are paraded through the streets, an amazing sight which is not to be missed. There are good reasons to avoid Nyepi as well, but for many visitors these will be outweighed by the privilege of experiencing such a unique festival. On Nyepi absolutely everything on the island is shut down between 6AM on the day of the new year and 6AM the following morning. Tourists are confined to their hotels and asked to be as quiet as possible for the day. After dark, light must be kept to a bare minimum. No one is allowed onto the beaches or streets. The only exceptions granted are for real emergency cases. The airport remains closed for the entire day, which means no flights into or out of Bali for 24 hr. Ferry harbours are closed as well. As the precise date of Nyepi changes every year, and isn’t finally set until later in the year before, flights will be booked by airlines for this day in case you book early. When the date is set, and as it gets closer, the airlines will alter their bookings accordingly. This may mean that you have to alter your accommodation bookings if your flight has been bought forward or back to cater for Nyepi day.