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Indonesia Itinerary Advice

Indonesia Itinerary Advice

Old May 31, 2015, 11:38 am
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Indonesia Itinerary Advice

Hi! I am heading to Indonesia during the first two weeks of September (will be in the country from Aug 31-Sept 12) and hopefully it is the ideal balance between less tourists and right before the weather starts to become unfavorable.

This is my first time visiting Indonesia and naturally I have a long list of things I want to visit and do (I am more of a immerse into the environment/culture type of tourist rather than the sightseeing type) and being the kind of tourist I am there are quite few places on my list that will require considerable travel time to get to/from those places and I am starting to realize my itinerary is a little unrealistic for a trip that consists of 10 full days in Indonesia. I am left with this dilemma trying to nail down what I should focus on and this is the list of things I want to visit/do in Indonesia.

-Medan (Lake Toba and Gunung Leuser National Park)
-Yogjakarta (Temples and experience the vibrant culture of the area)
-Mt. Bromo and Kawah Ijen
-Gili Islands
-Ubud/Bali
-Komodo Island
-Puncak Jaya and Papua

The primary reason Bali is on the list is so I can say I have been there and it is easier to fly out from Denpasar back home.

Now I know my itinerary is totally unrealistic and I am starting to think the best way to tackle Indonesia is to divide it over 4 trips... One trip will focus on West Indonesia (Sumatra and Mentawai Islands), one focuses on Central Indonesia, one on East Indonesia, and the last one focuses on Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan. It seems for a first timer, it is probably best to focus on Central Indonesia.

So, in my head this is my itinerary.

Arrive CGK on the 31st (22:15 bleh and book a room at the Ibis near the airport) and catch a morning flight to JOG.

Spend 3 nights in JOG seeing Borobudur and Prambanan while mesmerizing myself into the atmosphere in Yogyakarta.

Take various trains/buses and slowly make my way east stopping to see Mt. Bromo and the Kawah Ijen volcano for the "Blue Fires".

Terminating the "nomadic" trip east in Denpasar and hop on a boat to Gili Islands. Enjoy the nice beaches and the island party atmosphere for 3 days.

Return to Bali spending the last 2 days seeing Ubud, Tanah Lot and maybe the water temple.

Thoughts?
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Old May 31, 2015, 12:19 pm
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I can't help you with anything outside of Bali, but I think you are wise in only bothering to go to Ubud since the rest of your itinerary includes a fair bit of beach time at (from what I've heard) are much better beaches than those on Bali--Tanah Lot could be visited on the way to or from the airport.
Ubud can be very relaxing and might be a nice way to end a trip. It also has some pretty good shopping so you could wait to buy most of your gifts and souvenirs there.
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Old May 31, 2015, 12:50 pm
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Originally Posted by gspurr
I can't help you with anything outside of Bali, but I think you are wise in only bothering to go to Ubud since the rest of your itinerary includes a fair bit of beach time at (from what I've heard) are much better beaches than those on Bali--Tanah Lot could be visited on the way to or from the airport.
Ubud can be very relaxing and might be a nice way to end a trip. It also has some pretty good shopping so you could wait to buy most of your gifts and souvenirs there.
Good advice - I'll look into Ubud and skipping Kuta/Seminyak completely (only use the area for transportation purposes) as I am pretty sure one day I will wound up there and have to opportunity to see how uninspiring it has become.
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Old May 31, 2015, 5:33 pm
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I think that 3 trips are sufficient. Half of your time will probably be spent on moving one place to another. 1st trip can probably cover
-Medan (Lake Toba and Gunung Leuser National Park)
-Yogjakarta (Temples and experience the vibrant culture of the area)
-Mt. Bromo and Kawah Ijen

I would enter from Medan and exit from CGK.
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Old May 31, 2015, 6:10 pm
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Originally Posted by guear
I think that 3 trips are sufficient. Half of your time will probably be spent on moving one place to another. 1st trip can probably cover
-Medan (Lake Toba and Gunung Leuser National Park)
-Yogjakarta (Temples and experience the vibrant culture of the area)
-Mt. Bromo and Kawah Ijen

I would enter from Medan and exit from CGK.
That is another way to tackle the first trip. My main thing is I really want to do Gili before it turns into another Bali It is already in the process and it is showing no signs of slowing down. Also, this is my annual "big vacation" so I want to mix in a place where I can just be a bum for a few days, enjoy the ocean, disconnect a little, and enjoy bottomless beverages
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Old Jun 1, 2015, 10:48 am
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Then maybe this trip can cover this first
-Gili Islands
-Ubud/Bali
-Komodo Island
-Puncak Jaya and Papua

Enter from Bali and maybe exit from Surabaya or cgk
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Old Jun 1, 2015, 10:55 pm
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Originally Posted by golfingboy
Hi! I am heading to Indonesia during the first two weeks of September (will be in the country from Aug 31-Sept 12) and hopefully it is the ideal balance between less tourists and right before the weather starts to become unfavorable.

This is my first time visiting Indonesia and naturally I have a long list of things I want to visit and do (I am more of a immerse into the environment/culture type of tourist rather than the sightseeing type) and being the kind of tourist I am there are quite few places on my list that will require considerable travel time to get to/from those places and I am starting to realize my itinerary is a little unrealistic for a trip that consists of 10 full days in Indonesia. I am left with this dilemma trying to nail down what I should focus on and this is the list of things I want to visit/do in Indonesia.

-Medan (Lake Toba and Gunung Leuser National Park)
-Yogjakarta (Temples and experience the vibrant culture of the area)
-Mt. Bromo and Kawah Ijen
-Gili Islands
-Ubud/Bali
-Komodo Island
-Puncak Jaya and Papua

The primary reason Bali is on the list is so I can say I have been there and it is easier to fly out from Denpasar back home.

Now I know my itinerary is totally unrealistic and I am starting to think the best way to tackle Indonesia is to divide it over 4 trips... One trip will focus on West Indonesia (Sumatra and Mentawai Islands), one focuses on Central Indonesia, one on East Indonesia, and the last one focuses on Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan. It seems for a first timer, it is probably best to focus on Central Indonesia.

So, in my head this is my itinerary.

Arrive CGK on the 31st (22:15 bleh and book a room at the Ibis near the airport) and catch a morning flight to JOG.

Spend 3 nights in JOG seeing Borobudur and Prambanan while mesmerizing myself into the atmosphere in Yogyakarta.

Take various trains/buses and slowly make my way east stopping to see Mt. Bromo and the Kawah Ijen volcano for the "Blue Fires".

Terminating the "nomadic" trip east in Denpasar and hop on a boat to Gili Islands. Enjoy the nice beaches and the island party atmosphere for 3 days.

Return to Bali spending the last 2 days seeing Ubud, Tanah Lot and maybe the water temple.

Thoughts?
As you also aware, Indonesia is a very huge countries. so covering from Medan to Papua in 10 days is a bit unrealistic in my opinion.

I think your trip should focus from Yoyakarta to Lombok (may be stretch it to Komodo islands).

JOG (yogyakarta) - you must visit Temple of Ratu Boko. It is like 15 minutes ride by ojek (motorbike taxi). The Temple itself is not really fantastic compare to Borobudur and Prambanan, but the location at the hill, make it a perfect site for sunset. You can also see Prambanan temple from far.

Also while in JOG, do not forget to visit the Keraton (Palace) which is a stone away from Malioboro street. Then visit the Taman Sari Water Castle.
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Old Jun 2, 2015, 11:16 am
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Given your limited time in Indonesia, I would advise you to skip Medan and Lake Toba (I was rather uninspired by Lake Toba when I was there earlier this year). Papua will be very difficult logistically in your limited time because you will need police permits which take time to process. As lingua101 suggested, I would also advise you to just enjoy the stretch between Jogja and Gili.

Jogjakarta
2 full days in Jogja should be more than sufficient for you -
- Day 1 : Visit Prambhanan (you get free bus to Ratu Boko with its nice view after that). Get back to town and explore around Maliaboro Street (Kraton at the end is very unimpressive so don't waste time there) and Taman Sari (most of these can be done with very cheap public transport)
- Day 2 : Hire a private car for the full day - ask to be brought to Borobodor (go early to avoid the crowds - or super early to catch the sunrise). Enroute back, stop at the delightful Ullen Sentalu museum which will give you a good insight into some Javanese culture)

You can then move on to catch Mt Bromo & Kawah Ijen
http://www.bemytravelmuse.com/mount-...ithout-a-tour/

I haven't been to the Gili Islands so can't advise. Likewise for Lombok which is supposed to be the new Bali.

But for Bali, yes - head straight to Ubud and use that as your base. There will be A LOT of tourists in Ubud but it is still a much better place than Kuta/Seminyak. You can do a host of activites there to "immerse yourself into the environment/culture" eg :-
- A bike ride through the padi fields (it's easy given they bring you by car to the top of a mountain and you just mainly go downhill 90% of the way)
- Taking a morning/evening stroll through the Campuhan Ridge walk and enjoy the perfect view at the Karsa cafe at the top
- Go for an early morning hike to catch the sunrise at Gunung Agong
- Catch an evening performance of the kecak fire dance

Hope the above helps!
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Old Jun 2, 2015, 12:39 pm
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I was in Yogya and Bali last fall. There's a TR in the Trip Report section.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...nh-f-tg-c.html

I loved Yogya. It was HOT when I was there in October. I assume it will be even hotter when you will be there but maybe not by much. So try to get to the sights early in the day. Better light then as well. Personally I think spending only two days would be too few.

Flights are pretty cheap. I understand the train trip to east Java is not very comfortable according to a friend of mine who did it a couple of years ago.

I liked Ubud a lot too. Certainly it is a nicer place to be than Seminyak or Kuta.
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Old Jun 3, 2015, 3:33 am
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Medan to Papua in 10 days If you said 10 weeks i'd still say you're rushing it!

To give you perspective if you flew that non-stop would be the same as London to Dubai or New York.

Unlike others I would overfly Java, but I love Sumatra. I'd spend 2 days in Bukit Lawang, 2 days in Lake Toba (which I think is stunning), overfly Java by connecting through to Lombok. 2 days Lombok, 2 days Gili Islands, then jump to Bali to split Ubud & Beach with whatever youve got left.

Would still be FAR too much travelling in the time you have.

After 35 visits to Indonesia all I can say is that it is TOO easy to spend 70% of your time in airports, planes, cars - remember the infrastructure is poor.

I can easily spend 2 weeks in Bali & Lombok discovering new things. I'm off next week to see Komodo & Bromo for the first time. Indonesia really just has SO much.
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Old Jun 16, 2015, 3:09 am
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Skip the gili islands u better go to Karimunjawa (menyawakan) there's a 5* resort called Kura Kura!!!!
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Old Jul 16, 2015, 3:07 am
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If you really want to see Puncak Jaya, you're looking at least a week of trekking alone to get there...
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Old Jul 16, 2015, 8:53 am
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How about adding a "chicken church" to the list?

Yes...I just found out about this place yesterday too, but I always wondered about "Jalan Gereja Ayam" (Chicken Church St.) right by Jakarta's Pasar Baru.
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Old Jul 16, 2015, 4:51 pm
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Originally Posted by BuildingMyBento
How about adding a "chicken church" to the list?

Yes...I just found out about this place yesterday too, but I always wondered about "Jalan Gereja Ayam" (Chicken Church St.) right by Jakarta's Pasar Baru.
Wow. I've never had a reason to visit Magelang. Now I freaking do...
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Old Jul 24, 2015, 1:36 am
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The greatest trip I ever did was in summer of '97 when, out of Jakarta and from one of those still-new Internet cafes, I slapped together an itin on easySABRE using command lines to do a combo of Merpati and Sempati flights and PELNI boats to get all the way over to Maluku and Papua (then Irian Jaya). Ambon and Jayapura were OK, but the real plum spots were the Baliem Valley and the Banda Islands (where all the world's nutmeg was produced for some 200 years and European nations fougt to control the spice trade). Very few tourists, not much English and totally unforgettable. But: It took 3 weeks. Then I flew back to Bali for 5 days before taking Royal Brunei to Bangkok.

Would agree with those who've suggested limiting to Java and Bali and maybe a little bit east of that. There's a huge amount to see. Yogya is good for the big places like Borobudur, but you can also tour the Dieng Plateau ("the land above the clouds"), but some batiks on the Malioboro, andeven the beachgoing experience is different, with horse-drawn carts going up and down and lots of wind.

With Bali it's the totality of the culture AND the geography. Kuta has too many hawkers and can be skipped...I liked Ubud better & there are tons of cheap daytours and nightly cultural performances (u have to see a gamelan orchestra).
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