The Anambas islands-The Most Beautiful Tropical Islands in Asia (CNN)

Anambas archipelago (Kepulauan Anambas) is a small archipelago of Indonesia, located 150 nautical miles northeast of Batam Island in the South China Sea between the Malaysian mainland to the west and the island of Borneo to the east. Geographically part of the Tudjuh Archipelago, it is administratively a regency within the Riau Islands Province.

Anambas formed lagoons that separate the islands. When sea low tide, you can see several islands connected by a sand dune with other islands. The bottom of the lagoon in the form of white sand with beautiful coral gardens at several points.

The Anambas islands consists of 238 islands, only 26 are inhabited. Because of the natural beauty of Anambas, even CNN named it the most beautiful tropical islands in Asia. Anambas Islands are one of Southeast Asia's most spectacular coastal spots, with good snorkelling and diving spots. Do not be surprised if Anambas referred to as a rival Raja Ampat and its beauty could be beat Maldives.

One of the Anambas islands with good tourism potential in particular is Pulau Bawah, Pulau Penjalin, Pulau Durai & Pulau Nongkat. These Pulau, located about 150 nautical miles northeast of Singapore, is actually a cluster of islets that collectively surround three lagoons, each of which suitable for snorkelling, scubadiving and beach activities.

To reach Anambas by air  you must fly to Tanjung Pinang, capital of the province on the island of Riau Island.

From Tanjung Pinang, Nusantara Air Charter flies to Matak Airport in the sub-district of Palmatak. The 48 seater aircraft flies daily. From Matak airport you must take a speedboat to Tarempa, capital of the Anambas district.

Alternatively, the Conoco Philip oil company has a Fokker 50 aircraft which is also made available for public use when there are seats open. This is  a plane used to transport the company’s staff and flies Jakarta-Batam-Matak, operating daily except Sundays.

From Singapore, take a ferry to Tanjung Pinang port. Then travel by taxi to the airport to catch your plane. If you wish to travel by boat, the MV VOC Batavia and MV Seven Star Island serve The Tanjungpinang-Letung-Tarempa route vice versa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anambas_Islands

http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/point-of-interest/anambas-islands

http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/riau-archipelago/anambas.html

http://blog.gogonesia.com

Tabuhan Island is Best Place For Kiteboarding?

Kiteboarding is a surface water sport combining aspects of wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, and gymnastics into one extreme sport. A kiteboarder harnesses the power of the wind with a large controllable power kite to be propelled across the water on a kiteboard similar to a wakeboard or a small surfboard, with or without footstraps or bindings.  Kitesurfing is a style of kiteboarding specific to wave riding, which utilizes standard surfboards or boards shaped specifically for the purpose.

Tabuhan island in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia is a sports tourism destination for Kiteboarding. There was held Tabuhan Island Kiteboarding Pro 2015, as a  Kiteboarding sport for tourism, followed by 55 participants from 20 countries.This event is the second time carried after last year.

Why Tabuhan Island, Banyuwangi is the best spot for kiteboarding? Because the wind speed around the island reach 20-25 knots constant throughout May to October. This wind speed was very good to play kiteboarding. Moreover, the sea around without waves.

This year Kiteboarding held 22 to August 23, 2015. Dozens of participants came from various countries, like the United States, Brazil, UK, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, and China. This competition parade a number of styles in kiteboarding such as freestyle, free-ride, downwinders, speed, course racing, wakestyle, jumping, and kitesurfing.

Some kiteboarding world champion like Dan Sweeney (Freestyle Kiteboarding Champion from Australia), Narapichit Pudja (Runner-up World Champion and Asian Champion Race Race), and the Niklas Langseth (Champion Freestyle Kiteboarding Sweden) competed in the Tabuhan Island Pro in 2015.

You can join here,  to the Tabuhan island to play kiteboarding especially in May - August. Co-Host Tabuhan Island Pro Kiteboarding, Jeroen van der Kooij said that in here, is the better place to play kiteboarding than Bali. While in Bali, clear Van Der Kooij, the wind hardly ever blows at speeds above 15 knots.

How to get to the Tabuhan island ? From Banyuwangi city takes about 20 minutes to get to Bangsring Beach, one of the departure point to the Tabuhan.From Bangsring beach, you can go to Tabuhan island only less than 25 minutes using tourist ships operated by local residents.

Karimunjawa Island

Karimunjawa islands is a region of surprises and magic. Region with multi-culture community, community that nurturing the environment – live in harmony. Its water is crystal clear, superb white sandy beach side, and warm weather all the year.

Karimunjawa is and island chain stretching in a northwesternly direction 83 km from Jepara. Central Java. This archipelago is a cluster of 27 island in the java sea. The reefs are a mixture of fringing, barrier, and patch with bottom depths ranging from 15 to 40 meters.

Five of these islands are domestically inhabited and together with 22 others from the four major zones; Zone I is the core sanctuary area and is out of bounds to all, Zone 2 is the wilderness area open to limited tourism, Zone 3 is the utilization area, Zone 4 is the buffer zone.

Its underwater beauty is extraordinary. Three main different ecosystem, sea grass, coral reef and mangrove are home of hundred species of invertebrate, fish, reptile, mammal, creating an underwater bustling city. Its biodiversity is tremendous, 44 species of mangrove floras, 11 species of sea grass, 9 species of sea weed, 444 species of fish, and 176 species of coral.

On mainland, the scenery is as good as the underwater. With mountainous topography and 1,285.5 ha of low land tropical forest make the area is abundant fresh air supplier instead of algae and phytoplankton.

With years of the regional expertise on Karimunjawa islands, your trip, whether it’s for snorkeling, eco beach tour, marine education, eco diving or sunbathing, will be one you’ll always remember. Karimunjawa Tour will ensure that your visit in this region is entirely hassle-free from the moment you arrive to the moment you depart.

Leave your itinerary to the experts and come away with a host of unique experiences - sunbathing in the tranquil island, diving at the exotic coral, eco beach tour by Sopek and many more. Nobody knows the region of Karimunjawa like Karimunjawa Tou

A special bonus for the interpid is wreck diving at the island of Batu Kunci, Karang Kapal, Karang Ketel, and Batulawang. Best time for weather is April to November with the rainy season peaking between December and February.

Up to this date Karimunjawa has  12 dive sites. Most of the diving is done on the fringing reefs around the islands, as well as submerged reefs, and shipwrecks. The sites are all to the west of the main island

Many resorts in Karimunjawa, such as Kura-kura resort, provide diving activities. There are many interesting local spots for diving, like Taka Panyawangan and Gosong Cemara. There are some shipwrecks that attract many fish and divers alike. You can also go hiking around the island to find many places where there is a beautiful panorama

How To Get There?

There are scheduled flights from Semarang, and Yogyakarta, however any other destination within Indonesia such as Bali, Surabaya, Jakarta can be serviced for a limited amount of passengers upon request.

There are chartered planes from Semarang that fly from Semarang to Dewandaru Airport in Kemujan island. There also a regular ferry that sails from Tanjung Emas port in Semarang and Jepara port to Karimunjawa island.

In Karimunjawa and Kemujan island, you can rent a car or motorcycle. To get to the other islands, you can use a local boat or motorboat.

Mentawai Island and Mentawai Surf Adventure

Mentawai is one of the districts in Indonesia, located in the province of West Sumatra. Mentawai District consists of four main island, are Siberut Island,  Sipora Island, North Pagai Island  and South Pagai island that inhabited by a majority of the Mentawai tribe

Mentawai tribe is a primary resident in this district, Most of the residents of this islands in comes from Siberut. Mentawai tribe communities have a bit of ancient cultures. Half of the population in this district are animists, others are Christian and Islamic. After the independence day of Indonesia, these people in this district have to mingle with other tribes that exist in Indonesia.

On the Siberut Island there are a Siberut National Park. Siberut National Park is a nature conservation area which has a native ecosystems, which can be utilized for scientific purposes, as well as also for the culture and tourism.

  

Siberut island is 155 km from the city of Padang. Siberut National Park has 60% area covered by primary forest Dipterocarpaceae, a mixture of primary forests, swamps, coastal forests and mangrove forests. This National Parks has many large trees with an average 60 meters height.

Mentawai Islands is a famous and beautiful beaches. They has a high waves and very suitable for surfing activities (surfing). Surfing is an icon for Mentawai island and that has been famous throughout the world. The international surfing competitions have been held here. No less than 400 "Surfing Spot"  that can be used as a surfing location. Waves in the Mentawai islands surf  is the third best after Hawaii and Tahiti. Most visit time occur in July and August. It was the time of the waves reaches 7 meters.

Surfing activity can do at several beaches located in the Mentawai islands.  Nyangnyang beach, Karang Bajat beach, Karoniki Beach, and Pananggelat Mainuk beach which all of the beaches are located in the District of South Siberut. In other side, in  District Sipora there are also several beachessuch as Katiet Bosua beach and the South beach. And in the District of North Pagai there is the West Coast. Mentawai sea has a fantastic wealth and potential seabed. The extreme high waves making the Mentawai as one of the popular tourist attraction in the world surfing.

Surfing activities usually conducted on April to October. Becouse the waves in these months reaches the highest level and the surfers can use it for surfing. Meanwhile, it is not happen in November to March, so not challenging enough for surfing.

Access to the Mentawai islands is from the Padang City, the capital of West Sumatra. There is a Minangkabau International Airport. The daily flights from Jakarta and Medan. There is also a Garuda and Silk Air from Singapore, and Air Asia from Malaysia.

From the Padang City towards the Mentawai islands can be reached using sea and air transportation. No ground transportation. Sea transportation is served by KM. Ambu-Ambu with a scheduled route. In addition there are also rental boats provided by other private companies. And the air transportation using only small aircraft with the flight schedule is not every day.

Resort in mentawai island:

1. The resort of Botik is situated in the north part of the island in front of the islands of Mainuk and Nyang Nyang.  It has two private bungalows of approximately 100 square meters to sleep four people very comfortably. Large rooms and a lot of space ar

http://www.botikresort.com/site/

2. Hosting guests since 1998, WavePark Mentawai Surf Resort is the original full service land-based surfing resort in the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Our all inclusive price includes a private chartered speedboat transport from mainland Sumatra to Mentawai and return, guided surfing and fishing speedboat service, 3 meals a day, drinks, snacks and accommodation on the island. With a maximum capacity of 12 surfers, the WavePark Mentawai surf resort guests have the entire island for their exclusive use.

Located in northern Mentawai near the Playgrounds anchorage, the wave park offers 21 different waves to choose from that we have designated beginner, intermediate and advanced. We are proud of our extensive knowledge of secret Mentawai waves as well as Mentawai weather conditions; built up from our combined 20 years of experience hunting waves in the wave park area. With unrivaled speed and comfort between lineups you will get better surf, more often with less crowds.  http://www.wavepark.com/

3. Welcome to Mentawai Surf Camp a private 3 bedroom guesthouse catering for just 6 people. Situated amongst the world renowned waves of “Playgrounds” in the Mentawai Islands.  Our beach front location, with views towards Beng Beng (and other waves), is second to  none. We proudly boast a number of waves within just 5 minutes from our shore aswell as nearly 20 world class waves within 35-40 mins. http://www.mentawai-surfcamp.com/

RAJA AMPAT

Raja Ampat is a district that is located in West Papua, Indonesia. This region stores a million beauty scene under the sea. Raja Ampat tourism is recognized as one of the best 10 diving tourism in the world.

Raja Ampat is a new district in Indonesia. Located in regions of West Papua is only seven years old. In fact, infrastructure is inadequate. To reach the Raja Ampat, travelers or tourist must fly to Sorong and then go with ship along the sea as far as 71 km to arrive in Raja Ampat.

Although still young district, Raja Ampat had reach tourists as much as 5 thousand tourist per year in 2009. The target, tourist arrivals reached 6 thousand in 2010.

Enchantment under the sea and natural wealth, the mainstay of the Raja Ampat District through competitiveness of of tourism in Indonesia and the world. This region is known as a center for tropical natural resources of the world's richest.

Raja Ampat exists in the center of coral triangle, that is the center of the richest natural tropical marine diversity in the world, today.

With 456 coral species (this number is more half of the total global coral species) and around 828 coral fish species, and also dusted with the beautiful coral islands, make this area has a high value as the natural conservation and tourism interest.

Not to mention, many unique floras in the islands and the existence of many endemic animals (like, spotted couscous, the yellow-crested cockatoos, parakeets, frogs and snakes) have enriched conservational value of this area as an extremely interesting ecotourisme destination area.

KOMODO ISLAND

Komodo Island is an island located in the Nusa Tenggara Islands. Komodo Island is known as a habitat for native animals Komodo. This island is also the Komodo National Park which is managed by the Central Government. Komodo Island located in the eastern island of Sumbawa, which are separated by the Sape Strait. Sub District of Komodo, West Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Komodo Island  is the most  faraway at Nusa Tenggara Timur Province, bordering the West Nusa Tenggara Province.

Komodo National Park includes three major islands: Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller islands creating a total surface area (marine and land) of 1817km (proposed extensions would bring the total surface area up to 2,321km²). As well as being home to the Komodo dragon, the Park provides refuge for many other  notable terrestrial species such as the orange-footed scrub fowl, an endemic rat, and the Timor deer. Moreover, the Park includes one of the richest marine environments including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, seamounts, and semi-enclosed bays. These habitats harbor more than 1,000 species of fish, some 260 species of reef-building coral, and 70 species of sponges. Dugong, sharks, manta rays, at least 14 species of whales, dolphins, and sea turtles also make Komodo National Park their home.

 In the Komodo island, Komodo lives and breed very well. by August 2009, on this island there are about 1,300 Komodo (Varanus komodoensis). If it is include with other islands, such as Rinca Island and Gili Motang island, their totaled about 2500 komodo. 

Traveling to visit this endangered animal can be done through Labuan Bajo or Sape on Sumbawa Island to the east. However, advisable to go through Labuan Bajo because the distance is only around 3 hours journey by motor boat.

The most amazing in traveling or touring to Komodo National Park is that we can see from the close of this endangered animal activity, Komodo. During the trip you can see the beautiful natural scenery. In the vicinity of  Flores, there were 60 islands. However, the most frequently visited are the Rinca Islands and Komodo Island.

For tourists who love trekking, they can cross the field accompanied by an officer. On this island, komodo endangered animals could be found. However, this reptiles  is rarely seen in the daytime. Becouse if there is sun light and heat temperature  Komodo likely to take refuge in their burrows or under trees.

Indonesia islands

Republic of Indonesia is a country in which population of around 238 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, and has the world's largest population of Muslims. Indonesia is a republic, with an elected legislature and president.

Across its many islands, Indonesia consists of distinct ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. The Javanese are the largest—and the politically dominant—ethnic group, beside Indonesia has developed a shared identity defined by a national language, ethnic diversity, religious pluralism within a majority Muslim population, and a history of colonialism including rebellion against it. Indonesia's national motto, "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" ("Unity in Diversity" literally, "many, yet one"), articulates the diversity that shapes the country. Despite its large population and densely populated regions, Indonesia has vast areas of wilderness that support the world's second highest level of biodiversity. The country is richly endowed with natural resources, yet poverty remains widespread in contemporary Indonesia.

Indonesia is often referred to as the world's largest archipelago, a name which aptly represents its 17,000 or so islands which span more than 5000 km (around 3,200 miles) eastward from Sabang in northern Sumatra to Merauke in Irian Jaya. If you superimpose a map of Indonesia over one of Europe, you will find that it stretches from Ireland to Iran; compared to the United States, it covers the area from California to Bermuda. 

There are eight major islands or island groups in this enormous chain. The largest landmasses consist of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi (Celebes) and Irian Jaya (the western half of Papua New Guinea). The smaller islands fall into two main groups: the Molluccas to the northeast, and the lesser Sunda chain east of Bali. Bali is a unique island, which for a number of reasons can be put into a class of its own. 

The territory of the Republic of Indonesia stretches from 6^o08' north latitude to 11^o15' south latitude, and from 94^o45' to 141^o05' east longitude. The Indonesian sea area is four times greater than its land area, which is about 1.9 million sq. km. The sea area is about 7.9 million sq. km (including an exclusive economic zone) and constitutes about 81% of the total area of the country.

The five main islands are: Sumatra, which is about 473,606 sq. km. in size; the most fertile and densely populated islands, Java/Madura, 132,107 sq. km; Kalimantan, which comprises two-thirds of the island of Borneo and measures 539,460 sq. km; Sulawesi, 189,216 sq. km; and Irian Jaya, 421,981 sq. km, which is part of the world's second largest island, New Guinea. Indonesia's other islands are smaller in size.