Indonesia off the beaten track

Kalimantan, Papua New Guinea and the Moluccas

If you’ve been to Indonesia before, this time round you might want to venture further afield than the popular islands of Java, Bali and Lombok. How about coming face-to-face with the hairy orangutans on Sumatra or witnessing the colourful wedding ceremonies on Sulawesi before rounding off your trip walking barefoot in the soft white sands of a tropical beach?

The more remote islands of Kalimantan, Papua and the Moluccas are also becoming increasingly popular. These hidden gems of the Indonesian archipelago are more difficult to get to, which also means less facilities and transport opportunities. Travelling around these islands can therefore be different than what you’re used to – or what you planned. We don’t offer any modules to Kalimantan, Papua or the Moluccas at the moment, but if you’re planning on travelling to these islands just get in touch with our travel specialists to discuss the possibilities.

Jungle boats on Kalimantan

How do you picture Kalimantan? A green island, with dense jungle and brown rivers? That’s what you’ll find deep in the interior of this huge island where orang utans swing through the treetops, elephants trample through the green undergrowth and crocodiles slide unseen into the murky river. Kalimantan is an undiscovered and largely untravelled island in the Indonesian archipelago. The roads are mostly poor and littered with gaping potholes, hotels are basic with little more than an Indonesian mandi (large bucket of water and a bowl to pour the water over your head), and little wooden huts lie hidden in the thick jungle.

Travelling to Kalimantan isn’t that easy. There aren’t many flights to the island and making your way into the jungle is usually a slow and time-consuming journey across bumpy tracks. During the rainy season (October – June) the amount of rain turns the roads into rivers, which can make your trip very unpredictable. If you really want to discover the dense, mystical jungle we recommend you plan plenty of time. If you want to go to Kalimantan to see the orang utans, you could also consider Sumatra and our module Sleeping with the apes.

Penis sheaths in the Papua jungle

Papua lies in the eastern tip of the Indonesian archipelago and is one of the largest islands in the world. The island’s interior is made up of pristine and impenetrable forests with high (sometimes snow-capped) mountains. The Baliem valley in the centre of the island is the best place to travel to. It’s the home of ethnic Papua that live in small villages made up of huts around a central fire. The women are dressed in little more than a grass skirt and the men proudly parade around in their wooden penis sheaths.

Because Papua is largely untouched, the means of getting there are limited. You’ll usually fly from Jakarta or Bali to the capital city Jayapura, which takes about 7 hours with several stops. From there you’ll take another domestic flight to the Baliem valley. In order to get close to the traditional life here, you should plan for at least 4 days trekking. Take your time to discover the jungle here, it’s an adventure you’ll never forget. Papua is such a unique island, but it takes a lot of time to get there. If you’re looking for pristine jungle and an authentic ethnic culture, you could also consider Flores, just 2 hours from Bali.

Snorkelling and sparkling beaches on the Moluccas

If you were born in Ambon on the Moluccas, these islands are probably high on your travel wish-list but otherwise these islands don’t often feature in our Indonesia travellers’ plans. So what do the Moluccas have to offer? The first thing that springs to mind is lots of little islands and lots of green and that’s exactly what you’ll find when you arrive in Ambon, the ‘largest’ city. You’ll travel in small boats to sparkling white beaches fringed by waving coconut palms, where the friendly locals smile and wave as you pass by.

To get to the Moluccas you’ll fly to Ambon, a lively ‘city’ with aromatic markets and a friendly atmosphere, and from there travel on by small wooden boats and ferries to the smaller islands with their paradise beaches. Not many travellers choose this route because flights and boats are irregular and the weather conditions can make your trip unpredictable. But if you’re not in a hurry and want to play Robinson Crusoe on a deserted white beach, then the Moluccas offer a fantastic challenge to the hardened traveller.