Wakatobi Beach, Indonesia
Wakatobi Beach, Indonesia (Photo By Jenny from Taipei - Wakatobi beach, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9547145)

On Monday, 19 December 2016 Bank Indonesia launched a new rupiah currency denomination. There are seven new banknote denominations and four new coin denominations launched. This article is the second part which discusses interesting places on the 2016 IDR banknote images, specifically in paper denominations of IDR 10,000, IDR 5,000, IDR 2,000 and IDR 1,000.

See previous article: Interesting Places on the 2016 IDR Banknote Images (Part-1)

4. Wakatobi National Park in 10,000 rupiah notes.

Sumber: Bank Indonesia

Wakatobi National Park (TNW) is one of the largest marine national parks in Indonesia.

Accoring to Wakatobi National Park, The Wakatobi region consists of 67 villages/sub-districts and eight sub-districts which are included in the Wakatobi Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province.

There are four main islands in the Wakatobi territorial waters: Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. The name Wakatobi is an abbreviation of those four islands.

TNW waters are still classified as clean and there is no visible influence from human activities such as household waste. These waters are located in the “Coral Tri-Angle” area or coral reef triangle area, which is an area that has the highest diversity of coral reefs and other marine biodiversity (including fish) in the world. This region includes the Philippines, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands.

For those of you who love the natural beauty of the underwater world, you can do several activities here, such as swimming, diving and snorkeling to see beautiful coral reefs and various underwater animals.

The main gate to enter the TNW area is through Wanci on Wangi-Wangi Island. From the provincial capital (Kendari), Wanci can be reached by sea. There are 2 sea travel routes from Kendari to get to Wanci, namely the first route Kendari – Bau-Bau – Wanci, and the second via the Kendari – Wanci route directly.

The Kendari – Bau-Bau – Wanci route is reached by fast boat (Motor Vessel) to Bau-Bau with a travel time of ± 5 hours. This type of fast boat serves the Kendari – Bau-Bau route 2 times a day. Next, from Bau-Bau to Wanci, continue using a wooden boat for ± 9 hours.

Meanwhile, the Kendari – Wanci route can be reached directly using a wooden boat regularly twice a week with a travel time of ± 12 hours.

You can read more details about accessibility to Wakatobi waters including the recommended months on Wakatobi National Park site.

Untuk menuju kota Kendari, kita dapat menggunakan penerbangan langsung dari beberapa kota di Indonesia seperti Medan, Jakarta, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, dan Bali. Kode IATA untuk bandara di kota Kendari adalah KDI.

5. Mount Bromo in the 5,000 rupiah notes.

Sumber: Bank Indonesia

Officially, the new Rp. 5,000 note says Mount Bromo as a description of the view. However, the image actually shows Mount Batok, with the appearance of Mount Semeru in the distance. Mount Bromo itself is not very clearly visible in the picture of the Rp. 5,000 note.

Indeed, many people often mistake Mount Batok for Mount Bromo because it is located next to each other and also because of the “appearance” of Mount Batok which looks like a real mountain.

Mount Bromo itself is actually shaped like a basin and is still actively emitting volcanic smoke to this day.

Kawah Gn. Bromo, Gn Batok, dan Gn. Semeru di kejauhan (Photo By Jani Patokallio, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=652150)

For the local residents around Mount Bromo, the Tengger tribe, Mount Bromo (or Mount Brahma) is believed to be a holy mountain. Once a year the Tengger people hold the Yadnya Kasada or Kasodo ceremony. This ceremony took place in a temple at the foot of Mount Bromo and continued to the top of Bromo. The ceremony is held at midnight until early morning every full moon around the 14th or 15th of the month of Kasodo (tenth) according to the Javanese calendar. (Wikipedia).

Vacationing to the Bromo area can be said to be quite easy. To see the view of the sunrise from the peak of Bromo, you can visit for just 12 hours, if you start from the cities of Surabaya, Malang, Jember and surrounding areas.

The trip can start at around 11 or 12 at night so you will arrive at the Mount Bromo area around 2 or 3 in the morning. There you can rest first before getting ready to climb the stairs to the top of Bromo to see the beautiful view of the sunrise.

You can enjoy the natural views and cool morning air in the Mount Bromo area until around 9 am and then get ready to return to the city where you departed.

6. Ngarai Sianok in 2,000 rupiah notes.

Sumber: Bank Indonesia

Ngarai Sianok or Sianok Canyon is a beautiful valley which is one of the most popular tourism icons in West Sumatra. It is located on Mount Singgalang, in the center of Bukittinggi City, Agam Regency, West Sumatra Province.

The Sianok Canyon is about 100 meters deep, stretches for 15 kilometers with a width of about 200 meters and at the bottom flows a tributary that winds between the gaps in steep cliffs with the backdrop of Mount Marapi and Mount Singgalang. We can use cars or motorbikes to reach this valley.

This valley is named Ngarai Sianok because it flows through “Batang Sianok” which means clear river. The view is very beautiful, with large trees surrounding the valley, small rivers, cliffs and also green leaves. The air in this valley is also quiet cool.

Ngarai Sianok (Photo By By Karya sendiri, GFDL, https://id.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=731153)

The views presented by Ngarai Sianok are very refreshing to the eyes and are definitely a paradise for photographers and nature lovers. Apart from natural beauty, Ngarai Sianok also offers historical tourism, namely the Japanese Hole. This Japanese hole was built during World War Two by local residents. It is located 40 meters underground and is a protective tunnel built for defense purposes.

To go to the Ngarai Sianok, as suggested by Go Sumatra , if you are from Padang, to go to Bukittinggi you can use public transportation. Travel time is approximately 2 hours. Upon arrival in Bukittinggi, the journey continues by other public transportation which is often found heading to the Ngarai Sianok. For your convenience, it is recommended that you use a private car or travel agent.

7. Banda Neira in 1,000 rupiah notes.

Sumber: Bank Indonesia

Banda Neira or Banda Naira is one of the islands in the Banda Islands. It is the administrative center of Banda District, Central Maluku Regency, Maluku, Indonesia. Banda Neira was once the center of the world’s nutmeg and mace trade, because Kep. Banda was the only source of this highly valued spice until the mid-19th century (Wikipedia).

The Banda Islands are a popular tourist destination for ocean divers. Most tourists come between February–May and September–December because that is the best weather for snorkeling and deep sea diving.

Apart from that, there are also many historical buildings in Banda Neira which can become tourist destinations, including: Sutan Sjahrir’s Exile House, Dr. Tjipto Mangunkusumo, Bung Hatta Exile House, Banda Culture House, Perigi Rante Monument Park, Fort Nassau, Fort Belgica, etc. (maltengkab.go.id).

Pulau Banda Besar Dilihat Dari Benteng Belgica (CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index. php?curid=539182)

To go to Banda Neira, you first have to fly to Ambon, Maluku. From Ambon the journey continues by sea to the port of Banda in Central Maluku. You can check the ship departure schedule and ticket prices via Pelni’s official website. Usually Pelni ships return to Banda port with departure to Ambon port within 4-5 days. Thus, you have 3 to 4 days to vacation in the Banda Islands.


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