FRIDAY 22 JULY, 2016
Komodo National Park unbaked and barren, Komodo stands apart from other more verdant Indonesian islands, and the island’s most celebrated species is also singular and surprising. SThe world’s biggest lizard can grow up to three metres-long, and Komodo drag- ons are often seen lumbering along the beach by visitors arriving at the national park’s main camp at Loh Liang. Guided walks with national park staff continue for 30 minutes to a dry riverbed at nearby Banu Nggulung where the huge monitor lizards are often seen. Two-day/one-night boat trips to Komodo depart from raffish Labuanbajo on Tanjung Puting National Park nearby Flores, and day trips to Rinca - where the dragons also roam - are possible from ildlife watching and river adventures combine in this massive 4150 sq km park in Labuanbajo. central Kalimantan, the Indonesian southern part of Borneo. Rustic but comfort- Wable river boats travel up the Sungai Sekoneyer, stopping at orangutan feeding stations during a three-day journey en route to Camp Leakey, a rehabilitation centre where orphaned and formerly captive orangutans are trained to live in the wild. Stellar birdlife Mt Bromo Flores. Two of the exceptionally deep crater including darting kingfishers and regal hornbills is often revealed along the river’s banks, lakes regularly change colour - driven by the and local operators including Borneo Orangutan Adventure Tour can arrange private trips In a country studded with volcanoes, the sur- on the Sekonyer’s signature two-storey teak houseboats dubbed klotok. real beauty and immense scale of Java’s Mt continuous leaching of different minerals - and Bromo is one of Indonesia’s most epic natural the indigo smudge of a Flores dawn illuminates spectacles. A vast crater - 10km across and cre- contrasting hues ranging from brown and ated by the violent volcanic history of the orange through to black and red. All the while, ancient Tengger caldera - is punctuated by the Kelimutu’s third lake is daubed an iridescent oft-smouldering peak of Bromo. Immense plains shade of turquoise, glowing through the half- of ash and volcanic sand extend to the crater’s light slowly revealing Kelimutu’s sparse lunar towering cliffs, and the nearby peaks of Kursi landscape. and Batok stand as sinister companions to Bromo’s bulk. Sunrise is when the horizon-filling Pulau Gunung Api Banda crater is seen at its best, and 4WD excursions With a perfectly conical profile - resembling leave from the nearby town of Cemoro Lawang Japan’s Mt Fujiyama, but only 666m high - the at around 3:30am to capture a terracotta land- compact island peak of Gunung Api in the scape infused with the bronzed half-light of a remote Banda Islands is one of Indonesia’s most Javanese dawn. picturesque volcanoes. The challenging slope of volcanic scree can be conquered in around Kelimutu National Park three hours, perfect timing to witness another Best discovered at sunrise after a meander- spectacular Indonesian sunrise. Later in the day, ing minibus journey from nearby Moni, three submerged lava flows off Gunung Api’s north- intensely coloured volcanic lakes sit atop the ern coast provide another opportunity for good summit of Kelimutu on the eastern island of snorkeling. — www.lonelyplanet.com
ocated amid northern Sumatra’s volcanic peaks at a height of 1130m, Danau Batak people. Sleepy roads perfect for biking fan throughout the island and along Toba encompasses the caldera of a super-volcano known to be the world’s the lake’s edge, making Toba a favourite for travellers taking time out from explor- Lake Toba Llargest volcanic lake. Intense ocean-blue waters cover an expanse 100km in ing other parts of Indonesia. length, framing the wedge-shaped island of Pulau Samosir, home to the region’s