Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park

Its slogan ‘Indonesian Charm’ befits one of Jakarta’s most enjoyable haunts - The Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park (Taman Mini Indonesia Indah). Opened in 1975 on a 100-hectare (247-acre) plot of land, the park was designed to be a microcosm of the entire archipelago, with each of Indonesia’s original 27 provinces (plus an extra six since 1999) represented by its own pavilion bearing traditional architecture. Inside each pavilion are crafts, clothing and many other cultural tidbits. Water parks, museums and bird sanctuaries are also scattered across mini-Indonesia. Some pavilions offer traditional local cuisine and dance performances from selected provinces. Though it may not shed light on each of Indonesia’s 700 languages spoken by 300 ethnic groups, it does serve as an adequate crash course on what to expect should you choose to use Jakarta as a jumping-off point for other Indonesian destinations.