pho9187

Hello everyone:
I am a lady of a certain age, headed in September, 2017, for a first-time solo trip to Indonesia. My plan is One World Award-driven. Cathay flies from Hong Kong into Denpasar (Bali), Surabaya (Java), and Jakarta (Java). I would like to be out for 23 hotel nights maximum. My "likes" are animals, bugs, caves, day hikes, snorkeling, history, and culture. I do not like going to places with tons of other tourists, relaxing on the beach, and diving with a tank. For example, I went to Luang Prabang in 2012, and I found it to be a disappointment, because there were more tourists than locals. I typically spend about $100 per day in SEA, not including flights, but including a decent hotel with a private restroom, and a hiking guide or a driver.

Here is my vague itinerary so far:

Fly LAX to HKG, then onward to Denpasar, Bali
Stay in Ubud for three nights?

Fly to Sulawesi, spend the bulk of the time there, possibly flying into Makassar, and leaving from Manado (use Garuda for these flights)

Fly from Sulawesi to Surabaya, Java
Spend three nights there, perhaps visit Bromo?

Fly back to LAX via HKG


At this point, I am getting ready to get my award tickets, as Cathay space always goes quickly. My question to you is, does this make sense? I apologize for being vague, but I want to see at this point if the itinerary is doable. I will also appreciate itinerary and logistical suggestions. My strategy is to minimize my time in Bali and Java, and maximize it in Sulawesi, in order to avoid the crowds.

I sure wish I could see the Komodo dragons, but I think that would make the itinerary more complicated, or is it feasible?

Thank you in advance.

alpinecow

Bali: Ubud is promising for fewer people vs. the beach resorts, though it's a drive from any diving locales (your post was confusing...do you dive or not dive?). If the latter, I'd recommend doing the USS Liberty Wreck--some of the best fauna I've seen underwater.

Surabaya - I didn't really find this region interesting, so can't say much positive.

Jakarta - Big city feel. Again, don't love it, but you'll definitely be outnumbered. Would you perhaps considering going to Yogyakarta and seeing Borbodur instead? Incredible to tour it at sunrise, and not crowded.

pho9187

Thank you, alpinecow, for the great information. To answer your question, I do not dive, but I do snorkel.

Given that I am not a beach goer or diver, do you think it makes sense to spend the first three nights in Ubud? The dance performances sound interesting.

At the end, do you think it would be better to fly out of Jakarta, and spend three nights in that area, rather than ending the trip in Surabaya? I chose Surabaya/Bromo over Java/Yogyakata because the former pair are closer together. What do you think?

sooge_sj

If you are going to Indonesia for such a long time, you should not miss Borobudur/Prambanan near Yogyakarta, and also Bromo.

When I went to Bali, I spent several nights in Ubud. Then flew from Denpasar to Yogyakarta and visited Borobudur and Prambanan . Then flew from Yogyakarta to Surabaya and visited Bromo. Then flew back to Denpasar from Surabaya.

I flew Garuda and its shuttles for the flights within Indonesia, and it was pretty cheap. I know that the many smaller airlines in Indonesia do have a bad reputation when it comes to safety, but I think Garuda is perfectly safe.

pho9187

Thank you, sooge. I guess my flights make sense, then, arriving into Denpasar, and leaving from Surabaya. I can fill in the details later, I suppose.

Can you please post your itinerary with how many nights you spent in each place, and how you got around? It doesn't have to be elaborate, just a skeleton itinerary.

Also, the reason that I wanted to minimize my time in Bali and Java was because I was fearful of too many tourists. Do you feel that way on your trip?

Thank you again, sooge.

9Benua

How do you plan to go to Bromo? Local tour? It's difficult to go there using public transport IMHO. If you hire a driver, you should be fine going there directly from the airport. Stay 1 night and go to see the sunrise. On your wayback to surabaya, you can hike to Madakaripura waterfalls. If you want to stretch into 3 days, you can spend the next day in Surabaya, or go to Tretes from Bromo. Tretes is local tourist site. You can hike to Kakek Bodo waterfall there too or visit hot spring at pacet (30-40 mins from Tretes).

Surabaya was my hometown. I can suggest other places to visit, however it's best if you can hire driver instead. Most local tourist site is difficult and time consuming on public transport. For tourists, there shouldn't be many foreign tourists in java. Borobudur, Prambanan and Bromo will be the places you'll see more foreign tourists. On other site, there won't be much tourists if you visit during the weekdays.

pho9187

9Benua, I was indeed thinking of hiring a driver to get around. I am past the point in life where I enjoy buses, and being a lady of a certain age, it is nice to be able to stop when necessary, for whatever reason. I hired drivers in Malaysia (Borneo) last year, and they were all enthusiastic and wonderful.

Where do you think a driver would cost, and where should I find him. Thank you, 9Benua.

manneca

If you like animals, I'd recommend Borneo, but perhaps for another trip. There are orangutans, pygmy elephants, birds and other beasts. There are cheap places along the Kintabagan River in Sabah. It might be a hassle getting to the Malaysian side from Indonesia (I don't think there are flights between the Indonesian side and the Malaysian side).

Sulawesi is a bit dicey for traveling around I think. I've just heard stories. But then those have been off beat places. I've been to Manado diving twice and loved the diving (I wouldn't recommend either Bunaken or Lembeh for snorkeling tho). I felt very safe in Manado. I assume Makassar would be the same; my doubts would be between the two. Wakatobi would be a great place for snorkeling but it's pricey. The currents in Indonesia can be quite strong; I'd be careful about snorkeling and ask for advice from locals.

I am also a woman of a certain age, probably agier than you. Good luck

pho9187

Thank you, manneca. I went to Borneo last year, and I did indeed see the animals along the Kintabagan river. I was actually trying to repeat my experience in Indonesia with different animals.

Uh oh, what have you heard about Sulawesi? Is it the difficulties with the roads, or is it unsafe for a woman travelling alone? Since I'm not a diver, and my main purpose is to see animals, where do you recommend in Indonesia?

glennaa11

For sure you should not miss Yogyakarta. I loved my time there for the most part. The city is not too big and there are several universities so it has an interesting vibe. In addition to Borobudur being nearby there is also Prambanan and a Buddhist temple complex in the same park. There is also at least one cave nearby, but it's not huge. It had an interesting history though.

Flights from DPS to JOG are cheap and frequent enough. It's a short 1 hour flight.

Here's a trip report I posted of my trip that might be useful. I started in Singapore first so you have to scroll down a bit to get to Indonesia.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...nh-f-tg-c.html

pho9187

Hi Glen, thank you for posting. I just read your trip report, and your pictures are beautiful! I remember you helped me with my 2012 SEA trip--it's great to hear from you again. BTW, I noticed that you had to cancel your JAL flight and take Cathay instead. Well, I've taken both in business class, and JAL is a disappointment in comparison--crammed in seats (seven per row, versus five on Cathay), and spotty service.

Here's my questions:
1. Did you go to Bromo?

2. Did you find that there were too many tourists in the areas you visited, or was it peaceful and pleasant? How about Ubud?

3. How many nights did you stay at each hotel? I could probably figure it out from your report, but then, I would get distracted again looking at your beautiful pictures.

Thanks again.

gpeso8

Living in Surabaya, I can tell you that spending three nights in the city will be overkill/boring. Hire a driver and go directly from SUB to Bromo and spend a night or two there. If you are into Animals I would spend some time in Borneo. manneca's assumption regarding Makassar is correct. I have never felt unsafe in the city.

glennaa11

It was a couple of years ago so I'll try to remember as best I can.

I did not go to Bromo. I considered it, but just didn't really have time. The travel agent I worked with didn't try to fit it in to my itinerary either.

I was there in October. Some places were crowded, like the place where I saw the fire dance performance which was way over-packed with people. Other places were fairly quiet like the small craft village place. I'd say most of the Bali temples were busy but not overly so. The roads are narrow on Bali though so traffic can really slow down getting from place to place. Ubud definitely had a good deal of tourists visiting but walking around town in the evening I'd say the sidewalks were relatively quiet.

I think my time in Yogya was less crowded. Prambanan was not crowded at all the morning we went but we also went fairly early. I was the only person at Candi Sewu so I had the place totally to myself. The sights in Yogya were also fairly empty. Sunrise at Borobudur was more people than I expected but I just walked around to the back of the place while everyone else was sitting at the front watching for the sun to come up so I got lots of photos with no one in them. I think there were only a few other people staying at the resort I stayed at nearby which is part of the reason why I was upgraded to that giant villa. The walk through the rice fields was quiet. I think we saw maybe 4 or 5 other people there.

The trip to the cave and waterfall was also quiet. Mostly locals go there. I don't think we saw more than 3 or 4 non-Indonesians there.

My itinerary is no longer available on the travel agent's site. I think it was something like 3 nights at the place in Ubud. Then I want to say 2 nights Magelang near Borobudur. 3 nights in Yogya proper at the Phoenix. Then 2 nights at the Alila Manggis, 2 nights at the Nusa Dua Resort. Then I stayed 3 nights in Seminyak on my own.

I think the JL flight from JFK was supposed to be the new JL Suites in F which I was looking forward to trying. But it's hard to beat CX F class.

manneca

I have only been to Indonesia to dive (and a short visit to Ubud), so I can't help with animals there. I found this: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/indonesia/wildlife/animals

The diving is fantastic. Can't I persuade you to put a tank on your back? Some of the absolute best diving in the world in on some of the places you're going (Sulawesi, Nusa Penida off Bali, and places further east). I don't know how easy travel in Kalimantan is.

pho9187

gpeso8 - So you live in Surabaya? That's so cool. Anyway, I meant to say that I wanted to spend perhaps three nights in the area, including Bromo, but perhaps only the last night in Surabaya, but I'm not sure. I have already been to Borneo. Thank you for posting. I'll probably have more questions for you once I get a detailed itinerary going.

Glenn - It's sounds like you spent 12 nights on Java. Wow, maybe I should rethink my plans. Maybe three night in Ubud, and then split the rest of the time between Java and Sulawesi. I just assumed that Java was overwhelmed with tourists, but now I'll reconsider. BTW, when I took JAL, they had the new "cubicle" seating. However, the configuration is 2-3-2, whereas it's 1-2-1 on Cathay. Also, because JAL offers anytime meals in business class, the flight attendants were overwhelmed--I had to ask for my dinner tray to be taken away, and for drink refills. My son took JAL the same year, and commented that the service was "perfunctory."

manneca - Thank you for the link to the Indonesian wildlife. I think I will spend a few days around Makassar doing the "funeral route", and then a few days in Tangkoko Park in the north, where there is supposed to be tons of animals. I really should try diving--I assume that one has to get certification in the US before diving? I have snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and that seemed fine with me--but I guess the fish get more interesting farther down.

Thanks one and all. I'll post a more detailed itinerary once I get it together.