At this point, you’re probably wondering: what, exactly, is a tarsier? About 5 inches long from nose to tail, the tarsier is the tiniest of all primates. Known for their huge, saucer-shaped eyes and basically for being adorable, they are also, unfortunately, endangered.

Although tarsiers are classified as primates, they are very primitive and look more like adorable, furry pocket-sized aliens than monkeys. They don’t adapt well to captivity at all, so you won’t find them in any zoos. If you want to see one, you’ll have to travel to their natural habitat.

Tarsiers are endemic to Southeast Asia, and can be found in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. Indonesia has a decent-sized population in Tangkoko National Park near Manado. With the help of a guide, you can look for tarsiers in the jungle at night (the only time they come out of their nests.) In fact, over on the Environmental Graffiti blog, there’s a great post describing just such an excursion. There is also incredible scuba diving close to the park, in case you decide you don’t want to spend your entire trip in the jungle.

To visit Indonesia, you need a US passport and an Indonesia visa. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after you enter Indonesia, and you need to have at least one blank page in the back to accommodate the visa. Indonesia is very strict about this and will turn you away if your passport expires in less than 6 months, so apply for a passport renewal if necessary before you go.

Indonesia visas are available on arrival to tourists at most airports, or you can apply in advance. See Indonesia Visa Requirements for Tourists to see what documents you’ll need for the visa. Also, keep in mind that if you are entering Indonesia by land or flying into the Banda Aceh airport, you are not eligible for an Indonesia visa on arrival and you must apply in advance.

RushMyTravelVisa can help you get your visa quickly and easily. We’ll also take a look at your itinerary and let you know what visas are required for each stage of your trip, including any transit visas.

Apply for your Indonesia visa today!

Tags: Indonesia, Indonesia visa, Indonesian visa

This entry was posted on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 11:44 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.