Jakarta Tourism

Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is the largest city in Indonesia. The city has all the modern amenities. But in its quest for modernization the city has not forgotten its past and has carefully preserved its rich cultural heritage. Apart from the skyscrapers, colonial structures built by European powers form an integral part of Jakarta's skyline.

Jakarta is a city of many fascinating facets. It is the main gateway to Indonesia. In recent years, Jakarta has expanded its facilities for visitors with multi-star luxury hotels, fine restaurants, exciting nightlife and modern shopping centers. Food is quite cheap in Jakarta and is available in great variety.

History of Jakarta
Jakarta was a small harbor town when the last Hindu Kingdom of Java, Kingdom of Pajajaran, was ruling in 14th century. Muslim ruler Fatahilklah conquered the city and changed the name to Jayakarta or the City of Victory on June 22, 1527. Later on, the Dutch conquered the city in 1619 and built a new city Batavia, which remained the center of power for them in South East Asia for more than 300 years. The city came under the siege of Japanese Imperial Forces in 1941 during the Second World War and its name was changed back to Jakarta (from Jayakarta). The defeat of Japan did not allow them to remain in Indonesia for long. Dutch again tried to capture the city but by now freedom struggle was already quite strong in the country and on August 17, 1945, the Indonesian leaders proclaimed its independence from foreign rule in Jakarta.

Weather of Jakarta
Jakarta has tropical climate with a high average humidity. There is not much difference in the day and night temperature. Average day temperature is 28ºC while average night temperature is a bit cooler at 25ºC. October to April is the wet season while the dry season is from May to September.

Best Time to Visit Jakarta
Dry season is also the best period to visit this part of the world because weather is clear, roads in the interiors are open, and temperatures are at their best.

Tourist Attractions/Places to See in Jakarta :
The National Monument:
The National Monument, or "Monas" as it is popularly called, is one of the monuments built during the Sukarno era of fierce nationalism. It stands for the people's determination to achieve freedom and the crowning of their efforts in the Proclamation of Independence in August 1945. The 137-metre tall marble obelisk is topped with a flame coated with 35 kg of gold. The base houses a historical museum and a hall for meditations. The monument is open to the public and upon request the lift can carry visitors to the top, which offers a bird's eye view of the city and the sea. Istiqlal Mosque: It is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and the second largest in the world. The mosque took 17 long years to build and the grandeur of its walls and dome is visible from quite far away. Orchid Gardens: Indonesia has some of the most exotic orchid gardens. Several commercial orchid gardens are open to public. Some of the best known of them are located at Slipi and Taman Mini. Condet: This village in southern Jakarta is a protected area where the old rural life style of Jakarta is preserved. Condet is also famous for its fruit orchards. Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature): Situated just outside Jakarta, the park has miniatures of all the 27 provinces of the country reproduced in its Central Lake. This is a wonderful place to know about the entire archipelago in just one day. Regular cultural programmes and ceremonies are held in the park representing different regions. Pulau Seribu: This group of islands in the Jakarta Bay offers a haven away from the bustle of city life. There are golden beaches fringed with coconut palms. The surrounding waters are a paradise for scuba divers. The islands can be reached from Tanjung Priok or Pasar Ikan (Sunda Kelapa) by ferry or by chartered boat. Some of the islands in this group developed for tourism are Pulau Bidadari, Pulau Ayer, Pulau Laki and Pulau Putri. Museum Gadjah: The National Museum of Indonesia is situated at Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat. It contains around 85,000 items, the largest in the world of Indonesian artefacts. There is one of the largest and rare collections of Oriental ceramics in this museum.

Shopping in Jakarta
Jakarta unlike its recent past is now home to glittering shopping arcades full of merchandises. Taman Surapati is full of paintings displayed by peddlers. Glodok and Pancoran in the Chinatown are the best places to buy antique furniture, Old Dutch lamps, and Chinese porcelains. There are many souvenir shops selling the best of Indonesian arts and crafts.

How to Reach Jakarta
Soekarno - Hatta International Airport is the principle gateway of Indonesia and almost all the major airlines operating in the region stop here. It is situated around 35 km away from the city centre. Taxies and buses are the best transport to ferry you to the city.

Overview of Jakarta Government

Government
Due to its very extensive size and population, Jakarta has been given the status of province, similar to the other 33 provinces throughout Indonesia. As a province, Jakarta is headed by a Governor who is directly responsible to the President of Republic via the Minister of the Home Affair. Holding the dual position of city province and capital city Jakarta is considered a Special Region (Daerah Khusus Ibukota DKI).

Jakarta is further broken into five municipalities (Kotamadya) and one regency (Kabupaten):

• Jakarta Pusat (Central Jakarta),
• Jakarta Utara (North Jakarta),
• Jakarta Timur (East Jakarta),
• Jakarta Selatan (South Jakarta),
• Jakarta Barat (West Jakarta) and
• Kepulauan Seribu district of administration (Kabupaten).

Each of these headed by a Mayor (Walikota) and for regency headed by a Regent (Bupati). Each municipality compromised of a number of Kecamatan, headed by a Camat, and each Kecamatan divided into kelurahan or ‘village’ level.

In many ways, Jakarta is still just a collection of villages, with neighborhoods providing the basic services such as garbage collection and security. This is organized by the Rukun Tetangga (RT Neighborhood Head), who is an unpaid, elected official and carries out a number of duties. A neighborhood usually consist of around 20 households, and the RT is the head of this neighborhood watch system, carrying out registration for residents and visitors, and keeping records of births, deaths and marriages for the government. A group of RT neighborhood forms a Rukun Warga (RW), which is the next level below kelurahan.

Government Business Hours
Government offices are open from:

• 08:00 am to 04:00 pm from Monday to Thursday
• 08:00 am to 02:00 pm on Friday
• close on Saturday, Sunday and holidays.

Business offices are usually open from 09:00 am to 05:00 pm, and generally closed on Saturday. Banks are usua1ly open from 08:30 am to 03:00 pm and closed on Saturdays. Moneychangers are open longer hours.

Shops open around 09:00 am and shopping complexes, supermarkets and apartment stores stay open until 09:00 pm, though smaller shops may close at 05:00 pm Sunday is a public holiday but many shops and airline offices open for least part of the day.

Jakarta Arrival & Visa Requirements

Passport and Visa
Citizens of 11 countries will get the VISA FREE to visit Indonesia : Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam.

Citizens of 21 countries will be offered the facilities VISA ON ARRIVAL, they are : Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary Italy, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Swiss, Taiwan, The United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States. The procedure on the Airport should not take more than 7 minutes. Indonesia will charge foreigners US$25 for a 30 days non-renewable visa or US$ 10 for a 3 days visit upon arrival (some conditions apply, please visit www.Indonesia.com for further information).

Citizens of countries NOT on the “visa on arrival” or “visa free” lists will be required to apply for a visa before entering Indonesia.

Jakarta Airport & Customs

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is located approximately 26 km west of the city, or about 30 minutes drive to the heart of the business district where many of the major hotels are located. International flights come in and out of Terminal 2, while local flight uses either Terminal I or 2. Soekarno-Hatta servked by 32 major international airlines.

Travelers departing from Soekarno-Hatta Interrtational Airport are required to an airport tax of Rp. 100,000. For domestic travel, the tax is Rp. 20,000 payable at the check-in counter at the airport.

• Customs - Custom allows maximum of one liter of alcoholic beverages, and 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 100 grams of tobacco and reasonable amount of perfume per adult. There is no restriction on the import or export of foreign currencies; however, the import or export of Indonesian currency is limited to Rp. 5,000,000.
• Moving About - From Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, take a metered taxi located in front of the arrival terminal. An additional surcharge from the airport is Rp. 3,000 plus Rp. 8,000 for the toll road. Within the city, standard taxis are easily found at hotels, major building or flagged down. Flag fall is Rp. 4,000 and Rp. 1,800 for each additional kilometer.
  The Damri Airport bus departs every 30 minutes between 03:00 am and 10:00 pm. To Gambir Station and continues on to Blok M, Kemayoran and Rawamangun. It costs Rp. 10,000 per person.

Overview of Jakarta & About Jakarta

Jakarta is a dynamic capital city of the Republic of Indonesia, a country composed of more than 17,000 islands with a population of over 200 millions. Comprising more than 300 ethnic groups speaking 200 distinct languages and dialects, the Indonesian population exhibit incredible diversity in its linguistic, cultural and religious traditions. As the nation capital, Jakarta is truly a “meeting point” of representatives from through out the archipelago.

Jakarta is the lively social, cultural, economic and political hub of the nation, carrying a legacy of more than 30 years of largely uninterrupted economic expansion. It is home to many of the country’s finest research institutions, educational facilities and cultural organizations and uniquely serves both as the seat of national as well as regional government.

Strategically positioned on the west side of the island of Java, the Capital City is the principal gateway to the rest of Indonesia. From Jakarta, many other sophisticated island, air and sea transport is available to the rest of the country.

Over the last several decades, Jakarta has proudly developed into one of Asia’s most prominent metropolitan centers. With a current population of over nine million people, Jakarta has undergone dramatic growth especially over the last few years.

Jakarta Geographical Location & Climate

Thingking of visiting Jakarta? These are some interesting information about Jakarta which may help you understand Jakarta better.

• Geographic Location

Jakarta is located on a wide, flat alluvial plain on the north coast of western Java. It covers 650 square kilometers of land rises from five to 50 metres above sea level. Thirteen major waterways flow through it and empty into Jakarta Bay. Time is GMT plus 7 hours. The Local Time in Jakarta current is 16:54:23 WIB (Waktu Indonesia Barat).

The city is bound to the north by the Java Sea, to the east by Bekasi district, to the south by Bogor district (these district lie within province of West Java) and to the west by Tangerang district (lie by province of Banten). The city boundaries blend imperceptibly into neighbouring districts, when much of the city’s industry is being developed and large numbers of the workforce are located. This greater Jakarta conurbation is known by the acronym Jabotabek (Jakarta-Bogor-Tangerang-Bekasi).

• Climate

Lying near the equator, Jakarta is hot and humid year-round. The long rainy season falls between late October and early May through rain occurs through out the year, averaging 1791 mm. Rain tends to come in short heavy bursts, hut even during the rainy season it doesn’t rain every day. It rains on only a handful of days during the dry season from July to September.

Afternoon humidity averages around 70%, but is higher during the morning. Temperatures are fairly even throughout the year, averaging nearly 34°C maximum and 25° C minimum. Jakarta gets a steady supply of 12 hours daylight throughout the year, in the dry season the skies are clearer. Mornings are sunnier than the afternoon.

For more information on Jakarta Weather, please visit  Indonesia Weather

People and Culture of Jakarta

People and Culture
The City’s dominant populations are come from the surrounding areas of Java, Many parts of Sumatera, Bali and Sulawesi. Also making themselves known are those hailing from Papua, Indonesia’s most eastern province and Kalimantan, home of the Dayaks and one of the largest rainforests in the world. Over the centuries, these groups have kept their cultural roots, yet some have also intermixed, including with non-Indonesians, to form a special group of their own known as Orang Betawi.

Jakarta has its own special Betawi culture, which suggests the string of influences that reached the city’s shores over the centuries. A long process of selectively borrowing and uniquely blending Chinese, Arab, Portuguese and Dutch elements with native ingenuity has produces the colourful, composite Betawi culture. The word “Betawi” is derived from Batavia, the old name of the capital during the Dutch administration.

Pockets of Betawi life are still culturally alive throughout Jakarta with celebrations of wedding and the rhythms of a distinctive style of music. From the Betawi wedding dress alone one gets a glimpse of the many influences that passed through the gateway of the nation.

The Betawi bride wears a gown inspired by the Chinese ceremonial dress. Although there are many variations of the wedding costume, all feature tassels covering the face and a red dress. The bridegroom in striking contrast dons a costume derived from Arab and India sources

Introduction to Jakarta, Indonesia

Bounded to the north by the Java Sea and the south by the low Bogor Hills, Indonesia's overwhelming capital, JAKARTA, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. From a mere 900,000 inhabitants in 1945, the current population is well over ten million and continues to grow at a rate of 200,000 every year. The capital currently sprawls over 656 square kilometres of northern Java. Unfortunately, few foreign visitors find the city as alluring as the local population, and down the years Jakarta has been much derided. Its dangers have been much exaggerated, and except for the period around Suharto's downfall in May 1998, the safety of foreigners has not really been in question. Yet the suburb of Kota in the north, the former heart of the old Dutch city, still retains a number of beautiful historic buildings, as does the neighbouring port of Sunda Kelapa. The capital also has some of the country's finest museums, including the Maritime Museum, the Wayang Museum and the  National Museum.

The site of modern-day Jakarta first entered the history books in the twelfth century, when the Pajajarans, a Sundanese kingdom based in West Java, established a major trading port at Sunda Kelapa and held on to it for over 300 years. In the early sixteenth century, the Islamic Sultanate of Banten, 50km to the west, invaded the city and renamed it Jayakarta, "City of Victory"; the date of their invasion, June 22, 1527, is still celebrated as the city's birthday today. By 1619 the Dutch had won control of the city and the newly named Batavia became the administrative centre of their vast trading empire; it was also given a facelift, with a new network of canals and a host of imposing civic buildings. When the Japanese invaded Batavia on March 5, 1942, the city was once again re-titled Jayakarta, or Jakarta for short. Immediately after World War II, a British force engaged the new Republic of Indonesia. Dutch power declined, and many of their buildings were pulled down. In 1949, Sukarno entered Jakarta, amid scenes of wild jubilation, to become the first president of the Republic. In the following two decades, ugly, Soviet-style monuments sprouted like warts on the face of the city and huge shantytowns emerged on the fringes to house economic migrants from across the archipelago, a population shift that continues to this day. Since then, Jakarta has continued to be the focus of Indonesia's changing political face, most recently and dramatically with the demonstrations against Suharto in May 1998, during which time the city was looted and set alight by angry mobs, who were apparently orchestrated by elements in the army. The city is much less tense at the moment, though the armed forces still maintain a presence. Some radical Islamic groups have emerged, but the general population remains stoically oblivious to them.