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Java’s a big island, and seeing everything there is on it may be fairly difficult, unless you’ve got loads of time and pots of money. However, if you can travel beyond Jakarta, you definitely must go to some of Java’s best- known tourist spots, which can range from the totally historical to the naturally beautiful.
Mount Bromo is perhaps Java’s best-known volcano: huge, and with a wide expanse of sand at its foot. Several volcanic cones arise from the sand, of which the most impressive is Mount Bromo.
Locals believe that the volcano is the abode of the Goddess of Bromo, and every year, in December, a ceremony is held at dawn honouring the deity. It involves a procession of priests and devotees, bearing fruit, vegetables, rice and flowers, which they throw into the crater as an offering. Even if you’re not a devotee, a trek to Mount Bromo can be one of the most exciting (and, to put it frankly, most taxing) of experiences. You can get to it via Surabaya; three hours’ ride from Surabaya is the village of Ngadisari, from where you can ride a pony till the foot of the crater. It’s a strenuous climb to the top of the volcano, but the view is worth it- panoramic, and more so if you make it in time for the sunrise.
Surakarta (Solo) is the `batik’ capital of Indonesia and has two lovely palaces - the Kraton Kasunanan, which has an art gallery attached to it and the more famous Pura Mangukunegaran, built of teak and fitted without the use of a single nail.
The Pura Mangukunegaran houses an excellent display of traditional Central Javanese arts and crafts.
Pangandaran lies in Central Java and is very popular with most tourists, mainly because of its natural beauty. It’s an area of lovely beaches and beautiful seas- perfect for swimming and snorkeling -there’s a lot of colourful marine life underwater, which makes snorkeling very popular. To add to the attractiveness of the place is the fact that somewhat inland, there are lovely waterfalls, gorges and caverns, and a national park too. The National Park, incidentally, is well known for the Rafflesia, the largest flower on earth, which blooms once a year.
These are just some of the better-known places to visit in Java. Other than these, you might want to pay a visit to the Dieng Plateau (the highest inhabited place in Indonesia, and renowned for its temples, which are perhaps the oldest on earth), and Bandung, a very `Indonesian’ town, but with a quaint, colonial charm in its Dutch-style architecture.
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