Accomodation

In order to keep up with the growing number of visitors and the need for their comfort, more hotels all over Indonesia have been built, ranging from small bungalows for budget travellers to the luxurious tourist resort area.

For more information on accommodation in Indonesia, visit:
http://my-indonesia.info/page.php?ic=10

Climate

Climatewise, Indonesia is distinctly tropical. The east monsoon from June to September brings dry weather while the west monsoon from December to March is moisture-laden bringing rain. The transitional period between these two are interposed by occasional rainshowers, but even in the midst of the west monsoon season, temperatures range from 21 degrees C (70 F) to 33 degrees C. (90 F) except at higher altitudes which are much cooler. Heaviest rainfalls are recorded in December and January. Humidity is between 60-100 %.

Clothing

Dress is normally casual and light clothing is advisable due to the hot, humid climate. Trousers or slacks and shirts are generally considered appropriate but a jacket and tie are required for formal occasions or when making official calls. For certain formal occasion’s long sleeved batik shirts are acceptable. For travel to mountain areas, a light sweater or jacket is recommended. Halter tops and shorts are frowned upon in most places except around spots facilities or on the beach, proper decorum should especially be observed when visiting places or worship.

Cuisine

Dining forms an integral part of any vacation. When you are coming on a holiday to Indonesia, the first thing that will come into your mind is what and where to eat. The country is filled with a large number of restaurants, offering mouth-watering food, which will answer the question of what and where to eat in Indonesia. More

Currency

Rupiah (Rp) IDR: 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000.
Coins IDR: 25, 50, 100, 500.
US dollars and other major currencies in banknotes or travelers cheque are easily exchangeable in banks or at authorised money changers in main tourist destinations. Daily rates are posted in banks and in leading daily newspaper. (It is advisable to bring new US $ notes)

Customs

Customs allow on entry a maximum of one litre of alcoholic beverages, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars of 100 grams of tobacco and a reasonable amount of perfume per adult.

Cameras, video cameras, portable radios, cassette recorders, binoculars and sport equipment are admitted provided they are taken out on departure. They must be declared to Customs. Prohibited are firearms, narcotics drugs, pornography, Chinese printing and medicines, transceivers and cordless telephones, films pre-recorded video tapes and laser disks must be screened by the Censor Board. There is no restriction on import or export of foreign currencies and travelers cheques, however, the import and export of Indonesian currency exceeding Rp. 100 million rupiahs is prohibited.

Electricity

Power supply is usually 220 volts/50 cycles in the big cities, but 110 volts is still used in some region. Normal outlets are plugs with two rounded prongs. It is advisable to check before using your appliances.

Office Hours

Government offices open from 8.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. from Monday to Friday in Jakarta and close on Saturday and Sunday. In the provinces they close at 3.00 p.m. and open on Saturday till 1.00 p.m. Business offices have staggered hours. Banks are open from either 8.00 or 8.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. Banks in hotels stay open longer hours, and mo ney changers till the evening. Shopping centers open from 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. everyday. In smaller towns, shops close for a siesta at 1 pm until 3 pm. Bargaining might be necessary especially in tourist area. A general rule of thumb is to aim for half the asking prices by opening with an offer lower than that but many sellers will may come down by 20%.

Telephone and Emergency Services

Dial 62 from outside Indonesia, then the city code and telephone number. Within Indonesia, the city code must be preceded by a zero (0) from most phones. To dial an international calls press 001 or 008 or find an International Direct Dial (IDD) in hotels or private telephone service (Wartel). For operator assistance dial 101 or 104. For general information in a province inside the country please dial (code area + 008) or dial 003 for time information.

Emergency Services
Information dial 108
Police dial 112
Ambulance dial 118
Fire Department dial 113

Time Zones

There are three Standard Time zones in Indonesia:
Sumatra, Java and West & Central Kalimantan are 7 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+7)
Bali, Nusa Tenggara, South & East Kalimantan and Sulawesi are 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+8)
Irian Jaya and Maluku are 9 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+9)
Indonesia does not operate Daylight-Saving Time.

Tipping

At most hotels and restaurants service charge 21% tax and service is added to the bill. An airport or hotel porter expects Rp 5,000 per bag. Taxi drivers will round up to the nearest Rp 500 or Rp 1,000. Leaving the change is appreciated but not mandatory. It is advisable to carry small change as taxi drives are often short of change.

Tourism and Travel

Indonesia is the largest archipelago and the fourth most populous country in the world. Consisting of five main islands (Sumatra, Jawa, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua) with 33 provinces, 30 smaller archipelagos, it has a total of 17,508 islands of which about 6,000 are inhabited. It stretches 5,150 km between the Australian and Asian continental mainlands and divides the Pacific and Indian Oceans at the Equator. The name Indonesia is composed of two Greek words: “Indos” which means Indian and “nesos” meaning islands. The capital city of Indonesia is Jakarta.

51 National Parks
A unique marine biodiversity hotspot, the Wallacea region with 28,000 flora species from tiny rare orchids to the giant Raflesia flower; 3,500 species of animals, including the endangered orang utans of Sumatra and Borneo, the unique giant lizard of Komodo, the horned Java Rhinoceros and the last tigers of Sumatra.

Language and Dialects
There are more 583 languages and dialects spoken in the archipelago. There normally belong to the 350 different ethnic groups of the population. Bahasa Indonesia is the national language, written in Roman script and based on European orthography. In all tourist destination areas English is the number one foreign languages fairly spoken and written.

Health
International health certificates for smallpox and cholera are not required, except from travelers coming from infected areas.

Transportation

Garuda Indonesia’s flagship airline serves to all major cities in Indonesia. They fly only jets and mainly wide-bodies. Many airlines serve domestic routes.
PELNI (The National Passenger Line) crisscrossing the archipelago on fixed schedule. Main ticketing sales office is in Jl. Angkasa 18 Kemayoran Phone. (021) 4211921. Train travel across Java and Sumatra can be faster & cheapest Land transportation.

For more information on transportation in Indonesia, visit
http://www.my-indonesia.info/page.php?ic=804

Airport-City v.v Transportation
Taxi fares are metered and will cost between Rp 60,000 to Rp 75,000 to the downtown area of the city where most large hotels are located. The air-conditioned airport bus service is approximately Rp 10,000 to any of the five city zones. Limousine services are provided by some of the leading hotels in the city. Faster and comfortable in Jakarta is Trans Jakarta bus service Rp 3,500 one way. At all major airport terminals, inquires about local transportation should be directed to the information counter.

Airport Tax
An airport tax Rp 100,000 is imposed by the airport for travelers on international routes and Rp 30,000 for those on domestic routes.

Travel Formalities

All travelers to Indonesia must be in possession of passport valid for at least six months from date of arrival and have proof (tickets) of onward or return passage. Immigration authority will provide Free Tourist Visas for a period of 30 days to nationals from 11 countries only on the basis of reciprocity. The countries are Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, the  Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Chile, Morocco, Peru and Vietnam.

Visa on Arrival (VOA) will be given to citizens of Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America, Austria, Belgium, India, Ireland, Kuwait, Luxemburg, Maldives, Egypt, Oman, Portuguese, Qatar, The People of Republic China, Russian, Saudi Arabian, Spain, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece , Iran, Iceland, Laos PDR, Liechtenstein, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Nederland, Suriname, Sweden, Aljazair, Czechoslovakia, Fiji, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania,
Panama, Slovakia, Slovenia, Rumania, Tunisia.

Visa on arrival is valid for 30 days and maybe extended under the permission of Indonesia is conditions as follows, the natural disaster happens in the place that is visiting by the tourist. And if, the tourist is sick or got an accident during other visiting.

Other nationals must apply for visa at Indonesia Embassies or Consulates in their home country. In addition, the visa cannot be replaced with any other of immigration letters. Some conditions apply; please visit www.indonesia.com for further information.

Entry ports where visa-on-arrival may be issued are the Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta, Ngurah Rai airport in Bali, Sultan Syarif Hasim airport in Pekanbaru, Tabing airport in Padang, Juanda airport of Surabaya and the Sam Ratulangi airport in Manado. While authorized seaports are Batam, the Sekupang, Batuampar, Nongsa, Marina, Teluk Senimba, Bandar Brintan, Talani Lagoi and Bandar Sri Udana Labon in the Riau archipelago, Sri Bintan Pura in Tanjung Pinang, Belawan port and Sibolga in North Sumatra, Yos Sudarso Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, Teluk Bayur of Padang, Tanjung Priok at Jakarta, Padang Bai and Benoa in Bali, the port of Jayapura, Bitung, Tanjung Balai Karimun, Tanjung Mas in Central Java, Tenua and Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara, Pare-Pare and Soekarno Hatta port in South Sulawesi.