Indonesia is a beautiful and diverse country, with plenty of things to do to fill a lifetime! So whether you’re looking for a beach holiday, want to see exotic animals in their natural habitat or climb mountains, there is a perfect Indonesia itinerary for you. In this blog I will give you some example itineraries, from 1 week to to 2 months, focussing on different things to help you plan your trip to Indonesia.
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Table of Contents - Indonesia itinerary ideas from 1 week to 2 months
Which Indonesian Island is best for what
Sumatra
Sumatra is a great island if you’re looking for an adventurous trip with wildlife spotting and hiking. Bukit Lawang is the most touristic town of Sumatra, as from here you can do 1-14 day jungle hikes spotting unique wildlife like orangutans. In many places, locals are not so used to tourists yet, so be prepared to say a lot of hello and to be stared at. Sumatra is a very populated island, so transport is plentiful and it’s possible to get to the major draws by public transport.
Java
Java is Indonesia’s main island and home to the capital Jakarta. Roads and public transport work a lot better here than on other islands. Java is great for many things, cultural and natural. On Java you’ll find everything, from active volcanoes to archeological sites and from waterfalls to tea and rice plantations.
Bali
Bali is Indonesia’s most popular island amongst tourists, so it’s mainly great for meeting other travelers. The main reason why Bali draws so many more foreigners than other islands, is the fact that the religion here is Hindu, not Muslim like in most parts of Indonesia. Besides for hanging out with other foreigners, Bali is great for surfing and exploring rice fields and temples. You’ll notice I won’t go into dept about Bali in this blog, because I’m not really a fan. It’s too crowded for me and so I didn’t spend a lot of time there. If you’re interested in Bali, you’ll find better blogposts out there to help you plan an ititnerary.
Gili islands
If it’s chilling on the beach and swimming and snorkeling in crystal clear waters you’re looking for, the Gili’s are your place. The Gili Islands are perfect for a relaxing beach holiday.
Lombok
Lombok is like a more virgin version of Bali, with the biggest difference being that the main religion here is Muslim, not Hindu. The south of the island is great for surfing and meeting other travelers. It’s also where the best beaches are. The north is great for a more authentic feel and home to some beautiful waterfalls and Mount Rinjani.
Flores
Flores is a beautiful and diverse island. This island surprised us the most with it’s natural beauty and as a whole, it’s my favorite island in Indonesia. The main religion here is Christian, giving it a different feel compared to other islands. The roads are really well maintained in comparison to the rest of Indonesia, with the exeption of Java maybe, and there is not so much traffic making it the best island to go for a road trip. Flores is also the main starting point for trips to Komodo National Park.
Other islands
Since Indonesia has over 17.000 islands, there are of course many other islands to visit. There is off course Borneo, with is amazing for wildlife spotting or Sulawesi for diving. West Papua is home to Indonesia’s most famous diving spot (Raja Ampat) and great for wildlife spotting and traditional cultures. These islands, and many more of Indonesia’s islands, are quite expensive and/or difficult to get to thought. Traveling around Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo) and West Papua often requires air travel, which is expensive and unreliable, because it’s not like traveling between two main airports with regularly scheduled flights. This is the reason that we decided to skip these islands and visit the ones above. They are easy to get to and to get around, so suitable for anyone.
Itinerary ideas
Below are a few itinerary ideas if you want to go to Indonesia, but are not sure where you want to go yet, or what’s possible in the time you have. These itineraries are only some ideas, there are of course many more possibilities. Do take into consideration that these itineraries are quite full-on, so if you’re someone who prefers to take it a bit slower, either look at an itinerary for fewer days than you have or skip something from the suggested itinerary. All itineraries can be followed in each direction, but for some this means an extra flight or day is needed.
1 week in Indonesia itinerary ideas
One week in Indonesia is not a lot of time, so it’s best to focus on only one island if you only have a week. This way you really get to enjoy the place, rather than spending it on transport trying to get somewhere.
The classic: Bali
If you only have one week in Indonesia, you can always opt for the classic and spend it at Bali. One week is enough to spend some time at the beach in the south, explore some of the temples and rice fields Bali is so famous for and head to Amed in the north for some snorkeling and diving. If surfing is not your thing, or you don’t want to travel all the way to Amed in the north, you can also spend one day in Nusa Penida instead.
Beach holiday at the Gili Islands
Few places are more perfect for a beach holiday than the Gili Islands. They are an island group located just off the coast of Lombok. To get here, you can fly into Lombok and take a speedboot from the harbour. It’s also possible to travel to the Gili Islands from Bali, which serves more flights. Spend a week here island hopping, lazing on the beach and snorkeling with this detailed itinery for 1 week in the Gili Islands
Beaches and hiking at Lombok
If you’re looking for a more active holiday than just lazing on the beach, check out Lombok. There are many things to do in Lombok, and since the island is not so big, it’s easy to get around by scooter. Lombok has an airport, which is not so far from Kuta, the main tourist hub, making this a great place to start your trip. Spend a day or two enjoying some of Lombok’s best beaches or go surfing (day 2 and 3). Then make your way up north via Sengigi and spend a night or two at Senaru and visit the Tiu Kelep and Sendang Gile waterfalls (day 4). If you’re up for a challenge, you can do a 2-day hike to the peak of Mount Rinjani (day 5 and 6). When booking the tour, negotiate that they bring you back to Kuta, so you’re back here for your last day (day 7).
Hike volcanoes and visit archeological sites at Java
If the beach is not your thing, and you’re looking to explore as much as possible, Java might be more suitable for you. Even if you have one week in Java, that is still enough to visit some of the best things to do in East Java and Yogyakarta.
If you fly into Yogyakarta, spend your arrival day wandering around the city. On your second day, you can either rent a scooter or join a tour to visit the archeological sites of Borobudur and Prambanan. Make your way to Pronojiwo on day 3 and explore Tumpak Sewu and Kapas Biru on day 4. On day 5 travel to Cemoro Lawang to visit Mount Bromo for sunrise on day 6. On the same day, you can take a tour that takes you from Cemoro Lawang to Banjuwangi, visiting Ijen for sunrise the next day (day 7). You’ll be back in Bajuwangi in time for breakfast and from here you can take a bus or train to Surabaya or Yogyakarta for your flight out.
Go hiking in the jungle and explore the world's biggest crater lake in Sumatra
Looking for something even more adventurous? Then North Sumatra is for your. The main gateway to North Sumatra is the capital of Medan. Don’t waste any time here though, and head straight to Bukit Lawang from the airport if you can. Bukit Lawang is the start off point for the jungle trekkings in the Gunung Leuser National Park. Bukit Lawang is famous for it’s semi-wild orangutan population, making sightings very frequent. If you only have 1 week, go for a 2-day jungle trekking (day 2 and 3). On day 4 travel to lake Toba and spend days 5-6 exploring the lake and the unique local culture. On day 7, travel back to Medan.
2 weeks in Indonesia itinerary ideas
If you have 2 weeks in Indonesia, you can either take it slower and spend more time in each location or add another island to your itinerary. There are plenty of options for a two weeks in Indonesia itinerary.
Enjoy the beach at Bali or Lombok & Gili
If the beach is your main interest, combine the one week itinerary for either Lombok or Bali above, with the one week in the Gili Islands itinerary.
Explore volcanoes and waterfalls in Java and Lombok
If it’s mainly nature you’re interested in, combine East Java (Pronojiwo, Bromo, and Ijen) with the north of Lombok (Senaru and Mount Rinjani). It’ll leave you some extra time to include either the south of Lombok or one of the Gili islands. If you’re very ambitious, you could also try to combine the one week itineraries for Lombok and Java above, but they are both quite full on, so if you have two weeks and are already exploring something different by going to a second island, I would make choices instead and follow the below itinerary.
Fly to Surabaya, and take a train to Malang on day 1. The next day, make your way to Pronojiwo (day 2) and spend the next day visiting waterfalls (day 3). On day 4, travel to and Cemoro Lawang. Visit Bromo for sunrise (day 5) and spend an extra night here so you can explore without the tour crowds. Travel to Ijen in the afternoon (day 6). Visit Ijen en make your way to Lombok on day 7. Visit Tiu Kelep and Sendang Gile waterfalls on day 8 and hike Mount Rinjani on days 9 and 10.
This still gives you 3 days to spare, which you could spend on one of the Gili islands. They are easy to get to from Lombok’s north. If you want to go surfing, head to Kuta Lombok instead as the water at the Gili’s is very calm. For something completely different, add the temple complexes of Borobudur and Prambanan in Yogyakarta, Java to the start of this itinerary instead. Note that Yogyakarta is a bit further away from the other places in this itinerary, so you’ll be spending a bit more time in transport and less time exploring.
Explore volcanoes and wildlife at Sumatra and Java
If you’re more interested in nature and wildlife than beaches, opt for Sumatra and Java. Follow this 10-day itinerary for Sumatra and fly to Banyuwangi on day 10. On day 11 travel to Cemoro Lawang and visit Bromo for sunrise on day 12. In the afternoon, do a tour of Banyuwangi, visiting Ijen for sunrise on day 13. On day 14, make your way back.
You can play around with the last few days a little, depending on flight times. It might be more beneficial to spend a day less at Lake Toba for example. I would then spend the extra day in Cemoro Lawang. It’s a cute little town and best enjoyed when the tour groups have left. Also, a second night here means another chance for a nice sunrise.
Flight tip: If there are no suitable flights to Banyuwangi, you can also consider flying to Denpasar, Bali or Surabaya instead. Do note that the airport is on the other side of the airport, so you’ll need to arrange transport to the port for the ferry to Banyuwangi from here. From Surabaya there are trains and busses to Banyuwangi.
Explore volcanoes and wildlife at Java and Flores
Can’t get enough of volcanoes? Then change Sumatra for Flores.
Spend your initial 4 days at Java, arriving at Banyuwangi (day 1). If flights here are very expensive/inconvenient, look at Surabaya or Denpasar instead. The next day, visit Mount Ijen for sunrise and travel to Cemoro Lawang (day 2). Visit the Bromo viewpoint for sunrise and after breakfast, make your way to Surabaya via Probolinggo (day 3). Fly to Labuan Bajo on day 4, and follow this 10-day road trip itinerary for Flores for days 4-13.
Use your spare day either for flights if you’re flying into Surabaya or Bali, in Cemoro Lawang for an extra sunrise, or at the end of your trip to just chill in Labuan Bajo.
Look for wildlife in Sumatra, the Gili's and Komodo
If it’s wildlife spotting you’re after, then Bukit Lawang in Sumatra, the Gili islands, and Komodo National Park should be on your list.
Start in Labuan Bajo, and do a day trip to Komodo National Park (day 2). I recommend looking into private tours, as our group tour wasn’t too focussed on really observing the animals in their natural habitat. It was more about taking a picture with them. Komodo National Park is also great for diving, so plan a diving trip too (day 3).
On day 4, fly to Lombok (or Bali if that works out better) and travel to the Gili islands. Spend 2 days relaxing here, snorkeling with turtles (day 5 and 6).
On day 7, make your way to either Bali or Lombok, for a flight to Medan. On day 8 travel to Bukit Lawang, and do a jungle trekking of at least 2 days (days 9 and 10).
This leaves you with 3 days to spare, which you could spend at the Gili islands if you wanted more beach time. You could do a trip to Nusa Penida on the way to Bali, or add Mount Sibayak in Sumatra to your itinerary.
3 weeks in Indonesia itinerary ideas
3 weeks is a good amount of time to see some more of Indonesia. It gives you enough time to explore some of this country’s diversity and therefore allows for a more diverse itinerary.
Enjoy the beach at Bali, the Gili's and Lombok
Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to follow a diverse itinerary. If you know what you want, and what you want is plenty of beach time, then you can travel from Bali to Lombok, via Nusa Penida and the Gili islands. Easily add the 1-week itineraries from Bali, the Gili’s, and Lombok above and you’ll have the perfect 3-week beach itinerary for Indonesia.
Explore volcanoes and waterfalls in Sumatra, Java and Lombok
If it’s three weeks of nature you want, opt for Sumatra, East Java, and Lombok.
Start with the 10-day itinerary for North Sumatra and fly from Medan to Yogyakarta on day 10. On day 11, visit the religious sites of Borobudur and Prambanan. On day 12, make your way to Pronojiwo and spend day 13 exploring the waterfalls here.
Head to Cemoro Lawang on day 14, and spend day 15 and the morning of day 16 visiting Mount Bromo.
On day 16, take a tour to Banyuwangi, which includes a visit to Ijen on the morning of day 17, and head to Lombok in the afternoon (note that you’ll probably either have to fly or travel via Bali). Head straight for the town of Semaru and visit the Tiu Kelep and Sendang Gile waterfalls on day 18. On day 19 do a 2-day tour hiking Mount Rinjani. On day 21 rest until it’s time to head back.
Tip: This is a really full on itinerary, so you might want to leave Mount Rinjani out (it’s the toughest climb of all) if you decide you’re tired and go for one of the Gili Islands instead. Or if you want to focus more on nature, skip Yogyakarta and flyfrom Medan to Surabaya or Malang instead.
You can also consider skipping Lombok altogether and going to Bali instead since it’s closer. Bali also serves more flights, making it easier to fly out from.
A bit over everything: Bukit Lawang + East Java + Gili + Komodo
If you want to make your 3-week trip to Indonesia as diverse as possible, consider doing the highlights of North Sumatra, East Java, the Gili’s, and Flores. Do note that this does include quite some flights.
Sumatra: Start in Medan, and do a jungle trekking on days 2 & 3, flying to Yogyakarta on day 4.
Java: On day 5, visit the religious sites of Borobudur and Prambanan. Make your way to Pronojiwo on day 6 and spend day 7 exploring the waterfalls here. On day 8, head to Cemoro Lawang, and spend day 9 and the morning of day 10 visiting Mount Bromo. On day 11, take a tour to Banyuwangi, visiting Ijen on the morning of day 12. After your tour, take a ferry to Bali and head to Sanur port.
Bali & the Gili Islands: Hop on a ferry to Nusa Penida. Spend day 13 here and head to the Gili islands on day 14. Spend today and day 15 on your favorite Gili Island.
Komodo: Book a 4-day Komodo tour finishing in Labuan Bajo for days 16-19. On your last day, just chill in Labuan Bajo, or do a day trip.
Note that I normally recommend doing the 4-day trip from Flores to Lombok, instead of this way as the boats are a lot less crowded. It does mean you’d have to take another flight, from Banyuangi or Surabaya to Labuan Bajo.
1 month in Indonesia itinerary ideas
If you have one month in Indonesia, you’ll be able to see quite a lot. And your options are more or less to follow the traditional route or head a bit off the beaten track.
The tradional route: Java to Lombok
Follow the 1-week itinerary for Java above, but add an extra day in Cemoro Lawang, which makes it 8 days. On day 9 take a ferry to Bali and spend the rest of your second week here. Take a ferry to Nusa Penida the next day (Day 15) and spend day 16 here. On day 17, head to the Gili Islands and spend days 18-22 here. For your last week, follow the 1 week in Lombok itinerary from above, but start in Senaru traveling down to Kuta.
Something different: Sumatra + Java + Flores
If you want to get a bit more off the beaten track, start your one month in Indonesia with 10 days in North Sumatra and fly from Medan to Yogyakarta on day 10. Follow the one-week itinerary for Java from above, adding an extra day in Cemoro Lawang and Yogyakarta to make it a bit less full on. This will fill days 11-19. On day 20, fly to Labuan Bajo and follow this 10-day road trip itinerary for Flores.
2 months in Indonesia itinerary
If you have 2 months in Indonesia, that’s enough to visit all the islands mentioned above. Do note that the visa on arrival you get for Indonesia is only for 30 days, so this itinerary includes a renewal of this 30-day visa.
From Sumatra to Flores
Flores: Start your 2-month adventure with this 10-day itinerary for Flores.
Lombok: Fly to Lombok on day 11 and spend 2 more days in Kuta, since you’re relatively close by now (days 12 & 13). This will use about about 2 weeks of your visa on arrival meaning it is the perfect moment to extend your visa in Lombok on day 14. Spend the 5 days you’ll need to wait on your visa in Lombok’s north, visiting Tiu Kelep and Sendang Gile waterfalls and hiking Mount Rinjani. Head back to Mataram on day 19 to pick up your passport and new visa.
Gili’s: Take a ferry to Gili Air from here and spend one week in the Gili Islands (day 20 – 26).
Bali & Nusa Penida: Take a ferry from Gili T. on day 27 and spend days 28 and 29 on Nusa Penida. From here, take a ferry to Sanur on day 30 and spend a week in Bali.
Java: Take a ferry from Bali to Banyuwangi on day 37 and hike Ijen on day 38. On day 39, make your way to Cemoro Lawang and spend days 40 and 41 at Mount Bromo. Travel to Pronojiwo on day 42 and visit the waterfalls on day 43. On day 44, travel to Yogyakarta and visit the archeological sites on days 45 and 46.
Sumatra: Fly from Yogyakarta to Medan on day 47 and follow this 10-day itinerary for North Sumatra which will bring you up to day 57.
I highly recommend leaving these 3 extra days to spare, as you don’t know how your trip goes. You might love it at one of these places, and want an extra day there. Or maybe you’re unlucky with the weather, and you want an extra day somewhere because of this reason. Transport is also not always super efficient and you might find that you need an extra day to get to your next destination at some point. If you do really want to fill it up as much as possible, you can consider doing the 4-day Komodo tour from Flores to Lombok, instead of flying there.
This was Indonesia itinerary ideas from 1 week to 2 months
Hopefully these itineraries have given you some inspiration to plan your trip to Indonesia!
