Our 7-week Indonesia Itinerary
Java
Java has the biggest population of all Indonesian islands and is as big as three times the Netherlands. We started off in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, which is located in the Nort-West of Java. That’s where most international planes arrive. You can either start your trip here or take a domestic flight to another island, such as Bali.
Jakarta
Although we had some really good street food, there’s not a lot to do in the capital. The city is very much a business city without many attractions, but if you are Dutch or interested in the Dutch Colonisation history, there are some interesting museums and squares you can visit.
We spend two nights in Jakarta, which is totally enough. If you don’t have the time, you can definitely skip the city and travel further.
Yogyakarta
There is plenty to do in the bustling student city of Yogyakarta, especially trying out the good street food!
One of Java’s highlights is the Borobudur and Prambanan temple complexes, which are both located outside Yogyakarta. The impressive Borobudur complex is the world’s largest Buddhist monument while Prambanan is the largest Hindu-Javanese temple complex, making both sites UNESCO World Heritage.
If you have some spare time in Yogyakarta as we did, you can make a trip to Kalibiru National Park to escape the city.
We spend no less than 8 nights in this bustling student city. We needed some extra time to extend our visa, which took 5 working days.
From Jakarta to Yogyakarta we took a six-hour train. A cheaper option is taking a bus. You can also make a stop in Bandung before heading to Yogyakarta, to relax in hot springs.
Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen
Getting up at midnight to climb a volcano is such a unique and wonderful experience. The view on Mount Bromo is gorgeous and seeing the blue fires of Mount Ijen in the middle of the night and then the sun rise above its crater lake is astonishing.
In total, we spend three nights on this volcano adventure. One night on the train, one night in Mataram before climbing Mount Bromo and one night in a homestay near Mount Ijen.
From Yogyakarta, we took a six-hour night train to Malang, where we started the volcano trip. We made a good deal to visit both Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen with a tour guide. This trip included all our transportation, so from Malang, we only had private taxis and buses.
Bali – North
Bali is a small island, though, there is plenty to see! There are different areas to discover, some more touristy than others. Hang around some days in diverse and beautiful Uluwatu, party in Seminyak, learn surfing in Canggu, experience the tranquil atmosphere in Munduk… You can spend weeks on the island without getting bored.
Included in our volcano trip there was a transfer to Ketapang harbour (Java), where we took the ferry to Bali.
Renting a scooter is the best way to get around and explore the island. If you don’t want to drive a scooter yourself, there are a bunch of taxi drivers who want to bring you everywhere you want for a day.
Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida is a small and very nice island to scooter around. You can find some of the most beautiful views and beaches on this island! In only one day you can scooter around the whole island. But don’t forget to take some time to spend on the beaches and relax.
We stayed for four nights on the island as we also took some rest.
From Sanur harbour (Bali) we took a speedboat to Nusa Penida. Here you experience the Indonesian way of taking a boat. There is no pier, so passengers just get on the ferry via the beach.
Lombok
Lombok is a beautiful and diverse island. The second-highest volcano in Indonesia, the Rinjani, is located here. In the south of the island, you find Kuta which is the beating heart of Lombok. There are a lot of bars and nice beaches. Just like in Bali and Nusa Penida taking a scooter is the best way to get around on the island. It gives you the ultimate freedom.
We spend six nights in Lombok, whereof three days in the city of Mataram. We were in Mataram to go to the hospital, but if you don’t need to be there, you can skip this city.
We took a speedboat from Nusa Penida to Lombok. Lombok has its own airport, so you can also reach the island by plane.
Gili Air
Gili Air is our favourite island to relax and enjoy the island life. There are no cars or scooters, the only way to get around is by bicycle or horse. In half a day you can cycle around the whole island.
We spend four nights on the island. Due to some travel sickness, we weren’t able to visit Gili Trawangan or Gili Meno. Such a shame, as the Gili islands are known for snorkelling and turtles!
We took a public boat from Lombok to Gili and back. The ferry leaves whenever it has sixty passengers.
Komodo Island
Komodo Island is one of the four islands where you can see Komodo Dragons, the largest lizard on earth.
We sailed between deserted islands such as Komodo Island and Padar Island for four days and above all, swam with whale sharks.
The most common way to reach Komodo Island is from Labuan Bajo (Flores). We ourselves did a four-day boat trip from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, which we would totally recommend!
Flores
Flores is a more pristine, untouched island in Indonesia. On this island, you can visit remote authentic villages and enjoy beautiful nature.
We stayed for three nights in Labuan Bajo to rest from the boat tour and plan our coming days.
The Komodo boat trip ended in the harbour of Labuan Bajo (Flores). Komodo Airport is located in Labuan Bajo, which makes it a transit city.
Bali – Ubud
We’re ending our Indonesia trip in a more touristy area of Bali, namely Ubud,
We stayed here for six nights. As it’s our last week in Indonesia, we want some time to plan for our next country, Vietnam.
From Flores to Bali we took a domestic flight.
