Jakarta Vacations, Jakarta Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Jakarta Vacation Guide

The Indonesian capital is oddly nicknamed ‘the big durian’, though it turns out this an extremely apt name, as the smelly fruit often prompts a similar love/hate reaction to Jakarta itself. It’s bold, bustling, smoggy and at times featureless, but for all its many downsides, Jakarta leaves absolutely no doubt that it has character.

Most travelers simply rush on through and head for the beaches, but there’s more than enough here to keep you busy for a few happy days. There’s an affordable and decadent nightlife to dive into, the changing vibe of lively China Town, and plenty of oddities like the 17th century Chicken Market drawbridge and 132 meter tall masculine column of Monas. Then there’s Dunia Fantasi, and unlicensed and unsubtle rip off of Disneyland, and bars like West Pacific, home to an increasingly predominant Jakarta rock scene.

Jakarta’s also a great place to go for spa treatments, which vary from the odd and traditional (which could well involve rubbing petals into your back) to body scrubs and herbal treatments. If you really can’t wait to escape the city, Jakarta has its own weekend playground, too, in the thousand-island archipelago, where some of the sandy islands are so small they appear and disappear with every gentle tide. If you look hard enough, you’ll even find turtles and reefs to wallow with.

Back in the city, don’t miss the vibrant markets, where you can pick up beads and fabrics, exotic fruits and wood carvings, as well as the ubiquitous peanut flavored sate, fried rice and super-strength coffee to snack on. The twin spires of the 1901 cathedral and the dungeons and bell towers of the Jakarta Museum – which has a heavy focus on Dutch rule – are well worth checking out, too.

Of course, Jakarta is one of those cities we’re forever seeing in the news for the wrong reasons, and coming here always holds a risk of terrorist attack. Statistically, that risk is very minor, but it’s always worth checking the latest before you travel. It’s a risk many take every year, however, and most are glad they do, as Jakarta – as manic and dirty as it is – is rarely anything less than fascinating.