Nusa Tenggara – World Travel

Nusa Tenggara Indonesia Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:01:46 +0000

Indonesia’s dazzling arc of eastern islands that stretches towards northern Australia is perhaps the most varied and rewarding part of the nation to explore. There are few regions of the world that can compete with Nusa Tenggara for sheer diversity – east of Hindu Bali are the largely Islamic islands of Lombok and Sumbawa, followed by predominantly Catholic Flores with its Portuguese heritage, while Timor and the Alor and Solor Archipelagos have Protestant majorities. On all of these islands, animist rituals and tribal traditions continue alongside the minarets, temples and chapels, particularly in rural areas. Though Bahasa Indonesia is a unifying tongue, each main island has at least one native language, which is often subdivided into dialects.

The spectacular terrain is almost as diverse: the fecund volcanic slopes and shimmering rice paddies of western Lombok contrast sharply with the arid hillsides of Komodo and Sumba, which turn dusty brown at the end of the long dry season.

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Moni Nusa Tenggara Indonesia Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:01:01 +0000

Moni is a pretty village, nestled among soaring peaks, which serves as the gateway to Flores’ main tourist attraction, Kelimutu. It is scenic, cooler than the lowlands and a good place for walks.

The village is strung alongside the Ende–Maumere road in the heart of the Lio region, which extends from east of Ende to beyond Wolowaru. Lio people speak a dialect of the Ende language and are renowned for their ikat weaving: pieces adorned with bands of blue and rusty-red. A colourful market spreads over the playing field in front of Moni’s church every Monday morning. Cloth from the Nggela and Maumere regions can be bought here. You’ll also find a few stalls along Moni’s main street, as well as at the parking area for Kelimutu.

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Maumere Nusa Tenggara Indonesia Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:01:02 +0000

The seaport of Maumere is a pretty forlorn place, but as it’s one of the main gateways to Flores, and well connected with Bali and Timor, you may well end up here for a night. Its crumbling concrete buildings and air of decay brutally betray its recent history – in 1992 an earthquake and resulting 20m tsunami killed thousands here. The city authorities appear to have done little to help the town’s recovery, however: mounds of rubbish line the streets, nibbled by marauding pigs and goats, which only compounds the postapocalyptic air that lingers on.

The town is the major centre of the Sikkanese language and culture, which extends east between central Flores and Larantuka. This area has been one of the chief centres of Catholic activity and missions in Flores since Portuguese Dominicans arrived some 400 years ago.

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Mataram Nusa Tenggara Indonesia Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 07:01:03 +0000

The capital, and main city on Lombok is Mataram, although it’s actually a conglomeration of several towns – Ampenan (port); Mataram (administrative centre); Cakranegara (business centre), which is often shortened to ‘Cakra’; and Bertais-Sweta to the east, home to the bus terminal. It’s not an unattractive city and it has some broad tree-lined avenues, but, as sights are thin on the ground and there are beaches close by at Senggigi, very few travellers choose to stay here.

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Larantuka Nusa Tenggara Indonesia Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:01:09 +0000

A busy little port of rusting tin-roofed houses at the eastern end of Flores, Larantuka nestles around the base of Gunung Ili Mandiri, separated by a narrow strait from Pulau Solor and Pulau Adonara. Most folk choose not to linger here and quickly depart for the Solor Archipelago or Kupang by boat.

This corner of Indonesia, though always isolated, was one of the first to attract European interest, as it lay on sea routes used by the Portuguese seeking sandalwood from Timor. Forts and more than 20 Dominican missions were built by 1575. Portugal maintained a presence in Larantuka until the mid-19th century, and their descendents, called ‘Topasses’, are still a significant community in Larantuka today.

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Labuanbajo Nusa Tenggara Indonesia Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:01:10 +0000

A picturesque fishing community clinging to the western tip of Flores, Labuanbajo has an agreeably weathered, slightly ramshackle charm. It’s the main jumping-off point for Komodo and Rinca, and with dozens of world-class dive sites and fine snorkelling nearby there’s every reason to spend a few days here. The attractive harbour is scattered with outrigger fishing boats and is sheltered by the islands, giving the impression that you’re standing on the shores of a vast lake.

Though there aren’t any readily accessible walk-on-and-flop beaches, some of the small islands nearby have blissful white-sand bays and bungalow-style accommodation.

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Kuta Nusa Tenggara Indonesia Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:01:11 +0000

Lombok’s Kuta beach is a magnificent stretch of white sand and turquoise sea with rugged hills rising around it. Surfers are drawn here by the world-class waves, but the village has a languid charm of its own with some delightful hotels and a succession of dramatic bite-shaped bays nearby.

Despite long-slated plans for a succession of five-star resorts, these have failed to materialise, and this superb coast is still all but undeveloped, with far, far fewer facilities than the (in) famous Kuta Beach in Bali. Kuta comes alive during the annual Nyale Fishing Festival (in February or March; see right) and during the main tourist season (August), but for the rest of the year it’s very quiet.

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Kupang Nusa Tenggara Indonesia Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:01:12 +0000

Kupang is all energy and commerce, a bustling city that’s the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province (NTT), which includes West Timor, Rote, Sabu, the Solor and Alor Archipelagos, Sumba, Flores and Komodo. The city centre is scruffy and noisy, with streets patrolled by squadrons of Indonesia’s most outrageous bemos, each kitted out with a bombastic sound system. Though Kupang is virtually bereft of cultural or architectural attractions, it’s not a threatening or intimidating place. It’s a reasonable base to linger for a few days if you’re waiting for a flight or boat – English naval officer Captain William Bligh did after being cast adrift by the mutinous crew of the Bounty in 1789.

With the resumption of flights between Darwin and Kupang, a trickle of travellers have started to visit the city again.

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Komodo And Rinca Nusa Tenggara Indonesia Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:01:15 +0000

Komodo and Rinca are hilly and desolate yet beautiful islands, sandwiched between Flores and Sumbawa, that are home to gargantuan reptiles – the legendary Komodo dragon. The world’s largest lizard, known locally as ora, it can reach over 3m in length, weigh up to 100kg and feed on animals as large as deer and buffalo.

These isolated islands are surrounded by some of the most tempestuous waters in Indonesia, fraught with riptides and whirlpools. From the sea they look a far more fitting habitat for monstrous reptiles than for the few hundred fishermen and their families who eke out a living in these parched lands.

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Gili Islands Nusa Tenggara Indonesia Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:01:21 +0000

Just off the northwestern coast of Lombok is a vision of tropical paradise – a trio of tiny coral-fringed islands, each with white sandy beaches and pellucid water teeming with a kaleidoscopic array of reef fish. For years the islands of Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan were a budget-priced stopover for travellers on the Asian trail, but in recent years accommodation options have diversified and now there are luxury villas and rustic-chic bungalows dotted between the simple bamboo-and-thatch huts for rent.

Delightfully free of cars and motorcycles, the Gilis are home to just the tinkling cidomo and the odd bicycle. Each island has professional scuba-diving centres, and the snorkelling is excellent too.

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