Visa requirements: No visa required for South Africans with a valid passport for stays of up to 30 days at select ports of entry. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months and have at least 2 blank pages.
Continent: South-east Asia
Capital: Jakarta
Medical requirement: Malaria preventative measures in the area joined with Papua New Guinea
Currency / Exchange Rate: Indonesian Rupiah (Weaker than the rand)
National Carriers: Garuda Indonesia
Main airports: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Jakarta), Ngurah Rai International Airport (Bali), Juanda International Airport (Surabaya), Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport (Makassar), Kuala Namu International Airport (Sumatra)
Time Zone: Jakarta - 5 hours ahead of SA; Bali - 6 hours ahead of SA; Jayapura: 7 hours ahead of SA
Plugs: European style two-round pins
Public transport: Between islands there are ferries available to travel between islands, and there are trains available on Java and parts of Sumatra. You can also hop on busses between main cities and within cities you can take a bicycle taxi that's normally quite cheap.
Best time to visit: May to September, but September is in-between busy seasons and makes for smaller crowds and cheaper deals.
Climate: Tropical with extreme humidity with no real change of seasons - only varies between rainy and dry seasons.
Food specialties: One of the best dishes in Indonesia is gado gado, a peanut satay in stir fry. The most common dish is nasi goreng, fried rice with seasoning and vegetables, sometimes including an egg. For vegetarians, tempeh is their version of tofu, which is fermented soy beans fried with spices and onions. Noodles is also quite common and satay grilled chicken or lamb. Be wary of durian - it's a foul-smelling fruit banned in most public spaces.
Language: Indonesian (Official), Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese