A taste of Indonesian diversity in one day, in one city: Jakarta.
Jakarta, on the island of Java, is an overlooked city. Despite being the capital of the world’s fourth largest (and arguably most diverse) nation, on the surface, it offers little to travelers. Traffic, shopping malls, noise—it’s a city that seems monotonous and modern, one that most ignore as they head to more beautiful places in Indonesia such as Bali or Yogyakarta.
This would be a mistake, because behind the malls, in narrow, winding alleys are Jakarta’s kampungs, villages within a city, where one can find all the diversity of the archipelago nation. This is a country with over 17,000 islands that encompass 300 distinct ethnic groups, each with their own language, culture, and cuisine. Over the years, as Jakarta has grown, people from all across Indonesia have migrated to the capital. The result is a unique melting pot of culture and cuisine, unlike any other place in the world. But only if you know where to go.
Here are some of the best places to visit to get a taste for Indonesian diversity in just one day in one city.