The main island of Indonesia, Java is home to its capital Jakarta. It is 1,000 km long but only 100 km wide. Bali, a mile to the east, is the size of a confetti next door. We will go for its landscapes with heavenly beaches, lush forests or rice paddies, but also for its traditional dances and incredible temples. One of them is Borobudur. The largest Buddhist temple in the world dates from the 9th century and its construction took almost 100 years. It is made up of 4 platforms superimposed in stairs. Seen from the sky, it represents a mandala depicting the cosmos for Buddhists. We will contemplate more than 1,200 bas-reliefs recounting the different lives of Buddha and on the upper terrace, we admire the 72 stupas, the largest of which measures 50 m, with the tropical jungle in the background. You have to go see this temple at sunrise, the morning mists make it even more mystical. It was the Dutch settlers in the 19th century who rediscovered the temple of Borobudur, which had been abandoned in the 12th century and covered by jungle and volcanic ashes.

The traditional dances are also amazing

One should not miss the ballet celebrating the Ramayana, the fundamental text of Hinduism. More than 200 dancers in traditional costumes recount the epic in music. This show takes place every evening during the dry season in front of the temples of Prambanan, not far from the temple of Borobudur

Java is also a volcanic island

Of Indonesia's 150 volcanoes, Java has 45, and the east of the island has the most active volcanoes, including the famous Bromo, which rises to an altitude of 2,300 metres and has a crater 800 metres in diameter. You will have to get up early to appreciate the beauty of the landscape at dawn: the volcano seems to emerge from a carpet of mist against a background of blue, pink and orange skies. At the foot of the volcano, there are a few villages that consider the volcano to be sacred because it is in its crater that the Hindu deity Brahma is said to have created the world

The Ijen volcano is also worth a visit

It's a seven-hour drive from Bromo to the Ijen volcano. It is an explosive volcano, known to be a major source of sulphur and its crater is home to the most acidic lake in the world. Ijen is also famous for producing blue flames. It's a reaction of sulfur that ignites in a gaseous state and it has an almost supernatural side! Finally, the ascent will allow us to see the people who work in this volcano extracting sulphur from the wall and transporting blocks to the summit. A moving contrast with the beauty of the site

Java is one of the destinations off the beaten track

A very nice experience to be found with Stéphan SZEREMETA and Frédéric BASTIEN in a podcast on Bel RTL.