cruiter

Hello again, I recently posted a thread about a trip I'm planning to Indonesia in 08/09. The first part of my trip I plan on visiting one oft the Orangutan preserves. I know they can be seen in Borneo and on Sumatra. I'm trying to decide where to go. I'd like to stay away from tourist traps and Ive read some disturbing stuff about camp leaky and another spot in Borneo. Can anyone recommend a place our a tour company. The rest of my trip(3 weeks) will be spent traveling acrossthe Nussa Tengarra region west to east. I've never been to Indonesia and really don't know what to expect except for what Ive read.
Is this trek doable in 3 weeks?
Do I need to book rooms in advance or could I find lodging while there?
Thinking about renting a motorcycle (i'm experienced driver) in lombok, is this a good or bad idea?
Would like to do a lot of snorkeling and some surfing, what areas are best?
Any must sees or islands I should skip? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you to all the responders to my last post
Craig

Kathie

In my experience, if you're going to rent a motorcycle, Lombok is probably the best island to do it - less traffic than all of the other places I've been in Indonesia.

Places to see orangutans in Borneo are less accessible on the Indonesia side (aside from Camp Leaky) than from the Malaysian side. And I agree with you about Camp Leaky.

The best resource I've read about this is a long thread on the Thorntree
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...21579#14921579

We saw orangutans in the Danum Valley in Sabah, but that's not where you're going.

Good luck!

cruiter

Thanks for the info Kathie, i'm pretty sure, i'm going to Sumatra for the orangutans but I'm still trying to figure out where to go after that I'm considering staying on Sumatra and trekking there instead of Lombok . Not sure though. Have you been to Sumatra. Again I've never been to Indo. Java also looks interesting.
Thanks
Craig

Kathie

I've nor been to Sumatra although it's long been on my list of places to go.

I loved central Java!

marmot

cruiter, I don't know anything about Orangutans so I'll skip that part.

Indonesia is a great place for adventure travel. With 17,000 islands you have to be selective, but each region offers a lot.

Nusa Tenggare encompasses about 15 main islands, the most visited are Lombok, Sumba, Sumbawa, Flores and Komodo. It's a fascinating area both for culture and nature, but you'd have to figure out how to get from island to island. In my opinion, Lombok is probably the least interesting, except for beach related activities like surfing.

I haven't been to Sumatra but if you end up going there for the orangutans, then it would make sense to explore other parts. Be aware that the distances are great and you'd need to fly from place to place.

I've traveled extensively around Java and would highly recommend Central and East Java for nature travel.

For surfing, there are lots and lots of options allover Indonesia, including Sumatra, Java and Lombok. You should consult a surf-specific guide for best places and weather projections.

For snorkling, same situation -- lots of choices. For the best information, you should consult SCUBA sites. Usually, if SCUBA is good, then snorkling follows. The farther east and north you go the better the options. North Sulawesi is especially rich in marine life.

I don't think you'd have any issues with motorcycle in Lombok. It's a fairly common way to get around.