Are you spending 3 weeks traveling around Indonesia? Take a look at this 21-day itinerary through Java and Borneo.
Our 21-day itinerary through Indonesia
1. Layover in Jakarta
Days 1 and 2: the flight
We flew from Barcelona to Jakarta on an overnight flight with a layover in Dubai with Emirates (18-19 hours of travel in total).
Upon arriving in Jakarta, we bought our 1-month visa at the airport (at the time it cost $25, but you have updated info in the visa section below).
The most shocking thing as soon as we landed?
The level of heat and humidity, way higher than we expected.
Since we were departing from Jakarta to Tanjung Puting again the next day, we had booked a hotel night near the airport.
Specifically, we stayed at the FM7 Hotel, which includes a shuttle service to Jakarta airport in the price.
2 heads-up about this hotel:
– Pick a smoking room even if you don't smoke. The room doesn't smell like smoke at all, and the hallways in this area are very quiet. In the non-smoking room sections, people go out into the hallway to smoke at night, making a lot of noise and disturbing those trying to sleep.
– Even though it's very close to the airport, the shuttle bus has to take a big detour to get there, which will also take quite a while during rush hour.
We made the most of the indoor pool, open until 22:00, and pushed through our jet-lagged night as best we could.
2. Borneo by klotok: wild orangutans
The next day, we took the free airport shuttle bus again and flew with Kalstar to Pangkalan Bun.
Our contact's wife picked us up there and took us to the boat where we would spend the next 4 days and 3 nights: a turquoise blue klotok.
Want to find out about our full experience?
Then take a look at the article where I tell you how to organize your visit to Tanjung Puting and see wild orangutans.
Prefer a summary? Here it is:
Day 3: Camp Leakey
That day we traveled all the way to the farthest camp, where we saw our first wild orangutan feeding and spent the night under the stars.
Day 4: Camp Leakey
The next day we took the opportunity to explore the Borneo rainforest on foot (always with a guide), attend the feeding again, and head a bit downstream to get closer to the intermediate camp.
Day 5: Pondok Tanggui and Tanjung Harapan
We witnessed 2 different feedings (one of them with an alpha male included) and visited a village.
The icing on the cake came at nightfall with fireflies lighting up our room. 🙂
Day 6: Back to Jakarta
After returning from Tanjung Puting, we spent the night again at the FM7 Hotel near Jakarta airport, as we didn't feel like venturing into the city center for just 1 night.
The next day the adventure continued with another flight from Jakarta to Yogyakarta:
3. Central Java: Prambanan and Borobudur
Thanks to the recommendations from the owner of the Lotus II homestay, the guesthouse where we stayed for the next 2 nights, we made the most of every single minute of our visit to Prambanan and Borobudur.
Day 7: Prambanan
When we arrived in Yogyakarta, a private driver picked us up and, before taking us to Borobudur, let us explore the Prambanan temple at our own pace.
What a stunner!
If you want to see more photos and learn other details, check out the post dedicated to the Prambanan temple.
After the visit, we arrived at the Lotus II homestay, where they gave us plenty of options to visit the surroundings of Borobudur in a more authentic and sustainable way, accompanied by local guides.
For example, that same night we visited the Mendut temple, meditated with Buddhist monks, and witnessed a traditional Indonesian street festival.
Day 8: Borobudur and surroundings
The next day we watched the sunrise from Borobudur on our own and, after a well-deserved nap, headed towards Selogriyo, a hidden Hindu temple tucked away among rice paddies.
That day we tasted the best Mie Goreng and Nasi Goreng of our lives in the most unexpected place. And this was also thanks to the recommendations of the guys from Lotus II homestay, who accompanied us on all our excursions.
Day 9: Farewell and off to Bromo
On our last morning, we went to a nearby hill to watch the sunrise over Borobudur right before heading off to our next destination:
4. East Java: Bromo and Ijen volcanoes
Our next flight took us from Yogyakarta to Surabaya, where we hired a private driver to complete the circular Surabaya-Bromo-Ijen-Surabaya route in just 3 days.
Want to see how we pulled it off and all the possible alternatives I found to organize this itinerary? Take a look at this article.
If, on the other hand, you want to discover in detail what those 3 days and 2 nights between Bromo and Ijen were like for us, check out this post.
Prefer a summary?
Day 9: Climbing Bromo
On the same day we had watched the sunrise over Borobudur from a hill, we arrived at our accommodation in Cemara Lawang, the Cafe Lava Hostel, and hiked all the way up to the crater rim of the Bromo volcano.
Day 10: Sunrise over Bromo
The next day we did a 2-hour hike to the Penanjakan viewpoint to watch the sunrise over Bromo and the rest of the national park's volcanoes.
After heading back to the hotel, we had breakfast and set off for Sempol (near Ijen), where we spent the night at the Catimore hotel.
Day 11: Hike up Ijen
Once again we got up early to hike to the top of the Ijen volcano, with a turquoise blue sulfur lake inside.
And then we headed to Surabaya to end the route at the Hotel Majapahit.
5. Pulau Derawan: an island north of Borneo
If you want to know all the details of our experience in Pulau Derawan, check out this article.
Prefer a summary? Here it is:
Day 12: Odyssey to Pulau Derawan
After 16 hours, 2 planes, 2 taxis, a Kijang (4×4), and a speedboat, we reached our destination: the small island of Pulau Derawan, off the northeast coast of Borneo.
Day 13: Changing accommodations and snorkeling
We found our place to stay for the rest of the week, the Fisheries Cottage, and got a pretty bad sunburn while snorkeling (completely mesmerized by the beauty of the coral reef).
Day 14: Making friends and snorkeling
We met up with an Australian couple to do a joint trip to Kakaban the next day and went snorkeling again all day, this time with t-shirts on. 😉
Day 15: Storm and snorkeling
A tropical storm canceled the trip and left us with a free morning to read on our almost private pier over the sea.
Our Aussie friends moved to our accommodation, and in the afternoon the sun came out again so we could (of course!) go snorkeling once more (the waterproof camera had already met its end…).
Day 16: Day trip to Kakaban and Sangalaki
Finally, we went on the trip to Kakaban Island, with its stingless jellyfish lake.
We also snorkeled at the reef cliff near the jetty on this island and visited Sangalaki.
Days 17 and 18: Snorkeling
Yep. Simple as that.
We could have spent months exploring the coral reef accessible from Pulau Derawan.
On the last night, we had a little celebration sharing a lobster. 😉
Day 19: Back to Berau
We returned to Berau (boat + 4×4) to spend the night at the Hotel Derawan Indah because our flight left too early the next day.
6. Return to Jakarta and end of the trip
Day 20: Flight to Jakarta
We flew from Berau to Jakarta (with a layover) and spent the day for the third and last time at the FM7 hotel.
We tried to rest and get a little sleep before heading back to the airport that same night.
Day 21: Flight to Jakarta
And once again with Emirates, we flew from Jakarta to Barcelona with a layover in Dubai.
The end. Aww! 🙁
Total budget
- International flights: €1694 round trip.
- Domestic flights + airport taxes: €714 (6 legs).
- Transportation (private driver + taxis + boats): €283.
- Accommodation (klotok included): €908 split up (20 nights).
- Activities, temples, and national parks: €180.4.
- Travel insurance: €220.
- Food and other miscellaneous expenses: around €400.
In total, we spent €4400 on our 3-week route through Indonesia, which is about €105 per person per day.
Tips for organizing your trip to Indonesia
When to go to Indonesia
In general, Indonesia has a dry season (high season) from May to September and a rainy season (low season) from October to April.
However, depending on the area, the weather differences between the two can be minimal (a bit warmer in the dry season in Bali, for instance) or very extreme, with droughts in high season and torrential rains in low season, for example.
If you want to escape the crowds, avoid the country's own public holidays and Australian school or Christmas holidays (they love spending their days off in Indonesia).
We did our Indonesia route from September 23 to October 13, 2012, and enjoyed the best of both seasons. 🙂
Where to buy your flights
International
Departing from Spain? Don't expect to find anything direct. Generally, your journey will take 18 hours or more, depending on the number and duration of layovers.
If you snag a round-trip flight with just a 3-hour layover for around €600, you're looking at a great deal. Don't let it slip away!
Mine ended up a little more expensive: €874 per person with a layover in Dubai.
Here are the search engines where I usually find the best prices: Trabber, eDreams, and Momondo.
Personally, I like starting with Trabber because the price shown is the final one (it includes card fees and other taxes). Still, I always compare the results with the other platforms.
You never know who will have the best deals.
Domestic
Back in 2012, buying domestic flights in Indonesia from Spain was a bit tricky.
Most blogs recommended buying them right there, at the departure airport itself.
However, I found a website that let me do it online without any issues.
Nowadays, it's likely that regular search engines already include those flights and you feel more comfortable paying through a trusted website. But I'll leave the link I used at the end of the post so you have an alternative to compare prices. 😉
Visas
Since our trip was less than a month long, we didn't need to get a visa in advance, but instead got a 30-day VOA (Visa On Arrival) upon landing in Jakarta ($25/person).
However, nowadays (2019) people from Spain and 168 other countries can travel to Indonesia for 30 days without having to pay for a visa (they get a free visa at the entry airport).
Want to spend 30 to 60 days there? Then I recommend getting in touch with the Indonesian embassy in your country to apply for an appropriate visa.
Vaccination and malaria prevention
To travel to Indonesia there are no mandatory vaccine requirements, although some are recommended (Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Typhoid).
However, there is a risk of contracting malaria through mosquito bites, so taking preventative medication is recommended. I tried taking Malarone, just like I did during our road trip through Costa Rica, but it made me feel terrible (or so I thought) and I stopped taking it on the second day of the klotok trip.
I have to say that the stomach 'discomfort' stuck with me for the whole trip, so it probably wasn't just that…
Travel insurance
Nowadays, traveling insured with IATI, one of the best insurance companies for travelers, is super cheap.
3 weeks traveling calm and relaxed around Indonesia for €110/person? Knowing that we wouldn't even have to pay anything upfront if we had an emergency?
Delayed luggage, personal liability, and tons of medical expenses if we get sick… I don't travel without them anymore.
And if you want to save even more, book through this link to get a 5% discount on the final price.
Light but varied luggage
If you're going to be moving from place to place all day, the best thing to do is carry only the essentials. In our case, a backpack under 10 kg each was more than enough. 🙂
Remember to pack:
- Light, cool, and quick-drying clothes.
- A winter layer: fleece, hoodie, long pants…
- Rain jacket.
- Swimsuit.
- Hiking boots and flip-flops.
- Sunscreen and mosquito repellent.
- Cap, sunglasses.
- A small first aid kit: fever reducer, anti-inflammatories, antimalarials, iodine, gauze, band-aids…
Useful links
- International flights to Indonesia: Trabber, eDreams, and Momondo.
- Website to buy domestic flights in Indonesia.
- FM7 Resort Hotel next to Jakarta Airport.
- Lotus II homestay.
- Cafe Lava Hostel.
- Hotel Catimore.
- Hotel Majapahit.
- Fisheries Cottage.
- 5% discount when you get your IATI travel insurance here.
Road tripping through Indonesia? Then check out the individual posts:
- 4-day klotok boat trip through Borneo: encounter wild orangutans.
- Prambanan, Indonesia's largest Hindu temple.
- Meditate with Buddhist monks at Mendut temple.
- Experience a sunrise from Borobudur temple.
- Selogriyo: a Hindu temple tucked among rice paddies.
- How to organize your visit to Bromo and Ijen: 4 options.
- 3-day, 2-night itinerary through Bromo and Ijen.
- Pulau Derawan: how to get there and spend 7 days on the island.
Map
Tell me, have you visited other parts of Indonesia that I haven't been to? Which one would you recommend for my next route? Thanks!