Indonesia Information
The IndoUltra will give the opportunity to experience the culture, people and terrain of this beautiful but remote part of the world whilst testing physical and mental endurance to the limit.
Indonesia is a vast equatorial archipelago of 17,000 islands extending 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) east to west, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans in Southeast Asia. The largest islands are Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), Sulawesi, and the Indonesian part of New Guinea (known as Papua or Irian Jaya).
The venue for Indo Ultra 2009 will be the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa – mountainous islands with dense rain forests, active volcanoes and stunning beaches. The entry and exit point for participants will be the island of Bali.
All internal travel once you arrive at Bali will be arranged by our team and is included in your entry fee.
West Lombok has both the lushness of Bali and the starkness of outback Australia. The 3,726m Rinjani volcano dominates the northwest of the island, while the southwest is arid and covered by savannas. Famous for its basket ware, pottery and ikat hand woven textiles, Lombok has exceptional charm and is relatively undiscovered.
East Lombok is lush and less developed than the western part of the island, allowing you a glimpse into a rural part of Indonesia inhabited by the indigenous Sasak people, who keep their culture very much in live.
Sumbawa is a large island to the east of Bali and Lombok. It is part of West Nusa Tenggara province along with Lombok. There are hundreds of small islands in this area in addition to the two major islands. Sumbawa really belongs more to Eastern Indonesia than to the western part of the archipelago. The effects of Hindu and Buddhist cultures are minimal in Sumbawa (although there is a Balinese presence along the northern coastal area), and although the island is predominantly Muslim, the role of traditional culture is still very strong.
In many respects Sumbawa can be considered remote. Due to the somewhat trying process of getting there and the scarcity of cheap tourist facilities, the island is not much visited by tourists. The pace of life on Sumbawa is definitely slower than that in Bali and there is a very rural feel to just about everywhere that you go.
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