Indonesia's 'rainbow village' has become an Internet sensation

An artistic vision and some licks of paint have turned an Indonesian village into a tourist hotspot.

This Indonesian hamlet Kampung Pelangi, dubbed "the rainbow village", has become an internet sensation.

This Indonesian hamlet Kampung Pelangi, dubbed "the rainbow village", has become an Internet sensation. Source: (Suryo Wibowo/AFP/Getty Images)

The Indonesian hamlet of Kampung Pelangi has undergone a dramatic transformation.

The southern Indonesian village of about 232 modest homes used to be a fairly typical low-income neighbourhood full of drab, brown buildings.

The township decided to embark on a bold plan to attract more tourists to the area - by painting the entire village in rainbow colours. 

A 54-year-old teacher by the name of Slamet Widodo came up with the idea after being inspired by other Asian villages which had undergone an extreme makeover.
Before and after the 'rainbow village' makeover.
Before and after the 'rainbow village' makeover. Source: Anom Harya/Instagram/linda_belkhirco
“The idea to create Kampung Pelango came after we saw the beauty of Kampung Warna-warni and Kampung Tridi in Malang, and later Kampung Kali Code in Yogyakarta,” he told the.

“Hopefully Kampung Pelangi will be the biggest one in Indonesia and offer a new tourist attraction in Semarang.”

They were assigned 300,000,000 Rupiah ($A29,800) by the local council committee and several companies for the makeover, which took just over a month to complete.


Set on a hillside above a river, the buildings throughout the village are covered in mutlicoloured stripes, rainbow rays, and bright pieces of art. 

And the visitors have come flocking, keen to get their own Instagrammable photo of the 'rainbow village'.

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2 min read
Published 21 June 2017 12:00pm
Updated 21 June 2017 2:04pm
By Alyssa Braithwaite


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