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.