Jakarta isn’t particularly well known as a tourist destination, but in this post I’ll cover some of the more off the beaten track sights in one of the largest cities in the world. I spent 3 nights at the ibis Styles Jakarta Tanah Abang, which offered great views from the 20th floor across the city, giving an idea of the seemingly endless city.

Jakarta is home to the largest number of skyscrapers in the Southern hemisphere, and is in the top 10 globally.

The city is also crossed with stormwater canals, to deal with heavy downpours in the wet season.

To the north east of Jakarta is Waduk Sunter Selatan, a pair of reservoirs which offered attractive reflections in the early morning.

Next to the reservoir is Ramlie Musofa Mosque, which had a Taj Mahal inspired design. It opened in 2016 and was founded by Haji Ramli Rasidin, a Chinese convert, initially as a family only mosque, but it is now open to the public.

A short walk away, Vihara Jakarta Dhammacakka Jaya is a Thai Buddhist temple.

Heading to the south west of Jakarta, Bio Hok Tek Tjeng Sin is an attractive Chinese Buddhist Temple.

Relatively close by is Gandaria City, the largest mall in South Jakarta, home to more than 400 stores, which opened 2010 but felt much newer. It was probably the largest mall I’ve ever been in, with a huge range of shops and places to eat.

There was a very fancy Parisian style cafe with ridiculous croissants.

Visiting supermarkets in other countries is always a worthwhile experience, and LOTTE supermarket didn’t disappoint, with a Seaweed Zone, colourful frozen fish bites, and a Noodle Zone which was more like a shoe shop in terms of its displays.

A short walk away Kebayoran Lama Flea Market offered a complete contrast, though most of the stalls were covered with tarps to protect from the afternoon rain.

To finish at another mall, the high end Sarinah, which was home to the first heritage escalator I’ve seen (as it was the first in the country when installed in 1962). Next to it is the 74m tall Sarinah Building, which was the first skyscraper to be built in Jakarta, and the tallest in Indonesia from 1962 to 1967.