I think Indonesia is a great country to visit both for expert and beginners travellers. Moving from a place to another is extremely easy and there’re things to see for any taste.

Here’s my itinerary through Java, Bali and Gili islands.

Day 1-2: Jakarta

Honestly, Jakarta is not one of my favourite place in Indonesia. It’s a big, chaotic and messy asiatic metropolis with few interesting spots. However, flights for there are cheap and frequents, so it’s a good place to start.

Day 3-5: Bandung

Be prepared to remain speechless in front of the crater of Tangkuban Perahu, a volcano unknown to most of the tourists
Take a walk in the splendind rice fields that surround the city
Visit the tea factory to discover how a leaf become one of the most beloved beverage of the world
Take a picture of Cinulang Waterfall, near Bandung

Day 5-9: Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta is not particularly remarkable as a city, but still everyone who spends time there ends to have much fun. Go to the ‘backpackers neighborhood’, nearby the train station, and enjoy it
Visit Borobudur, UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most magnificent buddhist temple of the entire Asia
Close to that, it’s located Prambanan hindu temple. Like Borobudur it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and absolutely stunning
Book a room the lovely colonial building of Bladok Lusmen Hotel

Day 9-10: Day trip to Progo river

Enjoy rafting in Progo river – it’s one of my guilty pleasure – and then go back to sleep in Yogyakarta

Day 9 -10: Mount Bromo

Waking up in the middle of the night just to see the sun rise back Mount Bromo seems not a big catch, but I can assure it’s 100% worthy
Quick tip: have a breakfast with tea and fried bananas in the slope of Bromo before going up to the crater or you’ll be hungry halfway

Day 11- 12: Ijen Crater

It’s gonna be taugh, maybe more than you’ve expected, but the view of the crater that is waiting for you is something that wil repay itself the flight tickets you bought to go to Indonesia

Day 13- 19: Bali

Denpasar is gonna be your first destination from Java Island. When you are booking the ferry to go from Java to Bali remember to ask also if is available a minicar to go to Denpasar
Personally, I think that Bali today seems an exotic Ibiza more than the peaceful spot of real Indonesia. However it could be worthy to visit it properly
In general, the south of Bali is more touristic – and less interesting – so try to spend the majority of the week in the nothern part, where it’s plenty of fascinating temples, falls and rice fields
Ubud is a tiny village and represents the real heart of Bali. Visit the Royal Palace and the two temples nearby, the Puri Saren Agung e il Pura Marajan Agung

Day 20 – 25: Gili Trawangan

A speed boat will bring there from Bali in less than 2 hours
Dive in the amazing waters of Indonesian ocean
Turtles are pretty friendly in this area: snorkeling nearby the beach can be the chance to touch one
Take an apertif at the sunset in the western part of the island, were there’s less crowd and cool resorts were drink and eat something
Rent a bike to see the inner part of the island, where the Indonesian people live. The comparison with the life in the coast will make you smile
Enjoy some deserved rest
If you don’t have any diving licence, Gili islands are a good place to think about taking one. The price are incredibly cheap compared to other part of Asia

Day 26-27: Day trip to Gili Meno

Rent a bike to explore the tiny island – it takes one hour, two if you’re incredibly slow
Gili Meno has the best beaches, compare to the other two islands

Day 28-29: Return

To go back to Jakarta you have to take the speed boat to Bali, then from there a direct flight: it takes time to find a good arrangements, be sure to have it

Generally speaking

Costs as a budget travel:

15/20 USD in average per night for a double room in a hostel
10/15 USD in average for minivan transfers (but you’ll pay 50 USD for the speed boat to Gili Islands)
10 USD per meal – and you’ll be more than full
The entrance for the main attractions is pretty low, when there’s one
The cost of a PADI Oper Water diving licence is 300 USD – way better than other places in Asia. A single dive is 30 USD, but you can arrange a better price if you’re willing to do more than one

The cost indicated is per person, but if you travel in more than one you’ll save a good quantity of money for accommodations.

Tags » 30 Days

1 Month in Indonesia