Indonesia Country Guide (2)

Weather in Indonesia

Draped over the equator, Indonesia tends to have a fairly uniform climate - hot. It's hot and wet during the wet season (October to April) and hot and dry during the dry season (May to September). Temperatures climb to about 31 ° C (88 ° F) in coastal regions, dropping (but not by much) further inland. The best time to visit Indonesia in the south is from April to October. Northern islands tend to be wet all year round.

Even in Indonesia

With such a multiplicity of ethnic groups, Indonesia has a surfeit of cultural events throughout the year. On Sumba, mock battles that hark back to the era of internecine warfare are held in February and March. On Balinese New Year, Nyepi, (March-April) everything shuts and the island grinds to a standstill as locals seek to convince evil spirits that the island is uninhabited. During the Balinese festival of Galungan (moving dates) even the gods descend to earth and join in the revelry. There's a dramatic Easter Parade on the island of Larantuka, whip duels in Ruteng, Flores in August and Torajan funereal feasts in central Sulawesi, held mainly between August and October. As most Indonesians are Muslim, many festivals are affected by the lunar calendar; dates are subsequently 10 or 11 days earlier each year.

Other Attractions in Indonesia

Adventure looms large in this vast and steamy archipelago, where the best of southeast Asia's spicy melange simmers tantalisingly. Heady scents, vivid colours, dramatic vistas and diverse cultures spin and multiply, their potent brew leaving your senses reeling.

Indonesia's cities are in a constant state of urban evolution, where dense populations, technology and construction live in hectic symbiosis. But most of the archipelago's territory remains unexplored, concealing a wealth of cultures and a myriad of landscapes.

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