Indonesia Heritage & Culture Tours

In ancient times, Indonesia was a bustling hub for trade routes, drawing influences from India, China, the Middle East, and later European colonial powers. The harmonious blend of these influences is visible in Indonesia’s vibrant cultural mosaic. While most of Indonesia is Muslim, Bali is unique in that most of its local people are Hindu. Nevertheless, Hinduism in Bali is not quite the same as Hinduism in India and other parts of the world, as shown in the differences in the architecture of Bali's temples such as Tanah Lot, Uluwatu, Ulun Danu Bratan, Besakih, Tirta Empul, Gunung Kawi Sebatu, Ulun Danu Batur, etc. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, Yogyakarta on Java Island is regarded as an important center of traditional arts and cultural heritage. Borobudur Temple is one of the most famous landmarks in the city, featuring hundreds of Buddha statues, decorative relief sculptures, and stories from the life and teachings of Buddha. Located not far from the Borobudur temple, Prambanan is a 9th-century Hindu temple compound located in the northeast of Yogyakarta city on Java island. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia. It originally consisted of 240 temple structures, which represented the grandeur of ancient Java's Hindu art and architecture. Famous for a unique local traditional belief, Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi offers the distinctive lifestyle of the Torajans as a cultural attraction. Living on the highlands, many of these people preserve the olden way of life and a local animist belief named Aluk To Dolo, or the Way of the Ancestors, featuring unique buildings, dialects, wood carvings, dances, music, and rituals. The most well-known of Tana Toraja culture are arguably the funeral rites with their one-of-a-kind stone-carved burial site.