By ALEX
Once we made our minds on where to go next (always so many options, right?). We started planning our 3 weeks in Indonesia.
We would actually be there 21 days, but spent a few more getting there and coming back home.
DECISION MAKING. What to visit?
In a country of nearly 18000 islands, it can be difficult to decide which ones to visit:
The first one of these tough decisions was to leave Sumatra out (along with the surfing paradise of the Mentawai Islands) for another trip. We want to go there with time to explore it, and not having to squeeze it between so many other great destinations in Indonesia. So we decided JAVA was the best way to start our trip, given the prices and frequency of flights to Jakarta, and knowing there was plenty to see.
The second dilemma was Borneo vs. Sulawesi. We really contemplated the option of seeing orangutans in their habitats and spend a few days cruising up the river and sleeping in a «Klotok» within a tropical forest. But somehow we got lured towards the Torajan culture in SULAWESI. All we read about them was so special and fascinating that we had to go see it ourselves! (Not even the 10 hour bus rides scared us!).
BALI and LOMBOK were a no brainer. We were a bit concerned about Bali being so overcrowded, but we were never going to let it out. As for Lombok, some said it was like Bali before tourists got there, and although there is some truth to it and Lombok is developing fast, there are great differences: the first one being that Lombok has a muslim majority and Bali is all about hinduism. This shapes their character, their people, their architecture… Also Lombok has great differences in its landscape and vegetation between the south coast, shaped by the indian ocean and its winds, and the North, lustful and tropical, where you can see where the comparison to Bali comes from.
But what we knew is that we wanted to check it out to join the debate!
«Some say Lombok is like Bali before tourists got there, and although there is some truth to it and Lombok is developing fast, there are great differences!»
Sadly, we had to leave out Komodo and Flores, while promising ourselves that we would go there at some point. Instead we decided to spend a few days in the famous GILI ISLANDS. This came mainly from the desire to end the trip relaxing in the beach, trying to give it that honeymoon feel that we never had in our actual nightmare honeymoon in Africa. Read and watch all about it here to see why!
FLIGHTS
We book most of our international flights through skyscanner, and this was no exception. We found an option that seemed reasonable and booked it right away without paying too much attention to it. We somehow ended up regretting our choice… Read abour our experience flying to Jakarta here.
We went for the cheap option, as we try to not spend too much on flights, and in this case it was flying with SAUDIA from Madrid to Jakarta with a «stopover» in Jeddah, and the same to get back. The price was 535€ per person.
Internal domestic flights in Indonesia are not expensive at all, but keep in mind you’ll have to do many of them if you decide to hop between islands. We had some booked in advance on Nusatrip but others we left open to have some flexibility and change plans on the go. Once in indonesia we found out the cheapest way to book them is through ticketindonesia.info.
See full post for all details on flights and every other mean of transport we had to use.
ITINERARY
So let’s dive into the summary of our itinerary. You can check each individual post for more detailed information!
This is what we ended up doing:
Day 1 and 2. Madrid – Jeddah – Jakarta – Jogjakarta
Day 3. Jogjakarta. City
Day 4. Jogjakarta. Borobudur and Prambanan
Day 5. Jogja – Surabaya – Probolinggo – Cemoro Lawang (Bromo)
Day 6. Bromo – Probolinggo – Surabaya – Makassar
Day 7. Makassar – Rantepao
Day 8. Rantepao. South
Day 9. Rantepao. North
Day 10. Rantepao. North – Makassar
Day 11. Makassar – Bali. Ubud
Day 12. Bali. Ubud (Goa Gajah, Tegallalang, Gunung Kawi, Tirta Empul)
Day 13. Bali. Ubud (Monkey forest, Ubud Palace, Danu Bratan, Handara…)
Day 14. Bali. Ubud (Besakih, Tirta Gangga, Pura Lempuyang, Keramas)
Day 15. Bali. Ubud (Ubud market, Canggu, Tanah Lot)
Day 16. Bali. Ubud – Uluwatu
Day 17. Bali. Uluwatu
POST. BALI ACCOMODATION AND TRANSPORT
Day 18. Bali – Lombok (south Lombok)
Day 19. Lombok (south)
Day 20. Lombok (north)
Day 21. Lombok – Gili Trawangan
Day 22. Gili T-Gili Air
Day 23. Gili Air
Day 24 and 25. Gili Air – Lombok – Jakarta – Jeddah – Madrid
NOTES TO ITINERARY
This itinerary makes for a pretty intense trip, just as we like it!
Even Bali, when visiting by yourself and on a scooter can be pretty exhausting given the traffic and long distances. That’s why we think wrapping up the trip in south Lombok and the Gili islands is a very nice counterpoint to the crowds of Yogya, the long way to get to Mt. Bromo, the blood and smoke in the Torajan funerals…
You won’t regret going for a traditional massage, cocktails at sunset and floating around turtles for a couple days, trust us!
Amy
31 Oct 2020You are so awesome! I do not suppose I have read a single thing
like that before. So good to find another person with genuine
thoughts on this subject matter. Seriously.. many thanks for
starting this up. This website is something that is needed on the web, someone with a little originality!