travel and leisure

Indonesia is often referred to as the world's largest archipelago, a name reflecting his aptly 17000, or islands covering over 5000 km (about 3200 miles) east of Sabang, in northern Sumatra to Merauke in Irian Jaya. If you superimpose a map of Indonesia over one of Europe, you will find that stretches from Ireland to Iran; compared with the United States, which covers the area from California to Bermuda.

Bali, the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia, has remained almost unreal in the current changing world. The island is divided by a series of impressive volcanoes almost running through the center of the island believe that the local population to be the home of the gods. Bathed in mystery and magic, which extend into the sky and majestic splendor can be seen in almost all parts of the island. The Hindu Bali religion permeates daily life of people. Shrines and temples, as well as the terraced rice fields dominate the landscape.

The Balinese are friendly people who have managed to preserve their culture despite overwhelming foreign influences brought to the region of an increasing number of tourists. Bali's Ngurah Rai international airport in the south of the island, is the nation's eastern gateway and is served by numerous international airlines and charters. In order to keep with the growing number of visitors and the need for their comfort, more hotels have been built, ranging from small bungalows in the highlands to the luxurious Nusa Dua tourist resort area near the airport, at the southern tip of the Island.

Water sports also have gained in popularity and in Bali can boast excellent surfing, windsurfing, sailing, diving and rafting.

The island of Lombok, just east of Bali has existed in the shadow of its more famous neighbor, but is becoming a popular destination in its own right. The powerful Rinjani volcano dominates the island and offers magnificent panoramic views of hundreds of miles. Unalterable white pristine beaches are typical in Lombok, where the motto is "you can see Bali in Lombok, but not Lombok in Bali." The island of Sumbawa, east of Lombok is also dominated by a huge volcano, called Tambora, which last erupted in 1815, killing an estimated 92000 people.
Further east, lie the islands of East Nusa Tenggara, formed by the power and strength of a huge chain of mountains and volcanoes which begins in northern Sumatra and lying to the east across Java. The province consists of over 550 islands, but is dominated by three main islands of Flores, Sumba and Timor.

It occupies a unique position across the entire line of Wallace, is one of the most dynamic and exotic marine environments with almost all species of corals and tropical fish represented. In contrast, the arid landscape of eastern and southeastern Nusa Tenggara is the result of hot, dry winds blowing from the Australian continent and indeed in many coastal areas not a drop of rain falls during most of the year.