Indonesia is one of the most dreamy destinations in Southeast Asia. With its stunning, beaches, jungles, volcanoes, and rice fields this country should definitely be on your travel bucket list. While most people will know Bali, there are many lesser-known places in Indonesia worth a visit, as this Indonesia travel guide will point out.
This travel guide follows a route from East to West, which is the direction of travel I’d recommend. Places are color-coded as a must-visit, highly recommended, and if time permits. You will likely need to make choices regarding which islands to visit and take a few flights to travel between them. So I recommend first picking your destinations and looking for flights between the places you can’t get to by ferry or bus before picking the order in which to visit them.
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Table of Contents - The Ultimate Indonesia Travel Guide
Traveling Indonesia - Tips & Tricks
Currency: The local currency is the Indonesian Rupiah. You can check the current exchange rate here.
ATMs: I couldn’t find a free ATM during our stay in Indonesia. What helps cut down the cost, is using a bank card with no or a low withdrawal fee and a good exchange rate, like Wise. Note that some ATMs have trouble with Visa cards. The most widespread ATMs that have never caused any problems for me are the Mandiri ATMs, so I would try to stick with them. BNI ATMs also worked fine for me.
Transport: You’ll come across many different types of transport while traveling in Indonesia. From ferries and planes to move between the islands, to busses and shared minivans to travel from city to city. Gojek and Grab are Indonesia’s Uber alternatives and are generally cheap options to move between places where there is no public transport. Grab is more widespread than Gojek, but Gojek is cheaper in some places.
Food: Indonesian food can be anything from delicious to the most simple and tasteless meal, depending on the place where you eat. We had by far the best meals at homestays. The worst meals were at cheap stands in not-so-touristic places, where chicken and rice, was really just that: a bowl of white rice and a little piece of fried chicken. Some well-known and delicious Indonesian foods are nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (fried noodles), tempeh (made from fermented soybeans), chap chay (stir fried vegetables), rendang (a spicy meat dish) and sate (pieces of meat in peanut sauce). But my favorite dishes are the curries and gado gado (vegetables in peanut sauce).
When to visit Indonesia
As Indonesia is so big, the weather differs from island to island. For most of Indonesia, the rainy season is from November to March. Meaning it is one of the few countries in Southeast Asia that has its dry season during the European holiday season. So while this is when the weather is at its best, popular islands like Bali, the Gili’s, and Lombok can get very crowded and prices go up during July and August especially. So I would avoid traveling to Indonesia during these months if you can.
How to get to Indonesia
The easiest way to get to Indonesia, is by plane. Look for flights to Jakarta and Bali, as those are the main International Airports. Surabaya is also a big international airport which might be worth looking into. If you are coming from Malaysia, you can find cheap flights to Medan in Sumatra from Penang as well.
It’s also possible to get to Indonesia by ferry from Singapore, to the island of Batam. While there is not much to do in Batam itself, it’s mainly a casino destination for residents of Singapore, you can continue traveling from here.
Flores
Flores was our favorite island of Indonesia. We were very surprised how green and clean it is. Just driving around Flores is an amazing experience with such a beautiful landscape.
Moni/Keli Mutu
Moni is a small town at the foot of the Keli Mutu volcano. The Keli Mutu Volcano is famous for its three lakes, which not only have different colors, they also change colors over time. Nobody knows for sure how and why the lakes change color, but the theory generally accepted is that the colors are affected by chemical reactions based on volcanic activity. Locals believe the lakes are where the spirits of the deceased go. There is a lake for young spirits, one for older spirits, and one for evil ones.
Entrance to the Keli Mutu National Park is 150.000 Rp for foreigners (at the time of writing) + 5.000 Rp to park your motorbike. The hike to the crater lakes from the parking area is very easy. Most people visit at sunrise, but we went later as it was raining and very cloudy early in the morning. I can see how sunrise would be the best time, but we enjoyed our visit later in the morning as well. The ticket gives you access for the whole day, so you can visit for sunrise, and come back later in the day to see the lakes with different light if you want to.
How to get to Moni
The closest city is Ende, which has an airport and is connected by bus with other cities on the island of Flores. From here you can join a tour or rent a motorbike to get to Moni and Keli Mutu.
Bajawa
Bajawa is a good spot to base yourself in and explore some of the surroundings. One of the best things to do while in Bajawa, is visiting the traditional town of Bena. Like all touristic “traditional towns” Bena is more of a tourist attraction than an actual traditional town, but we enjoyed our visit. The entrance fee is 25.000 Rp (at the time of writing) and then you’re free to wander around the small little town and take photos. Kids were playing football and some elders were sitting around, making souvenirs or chit-chatting.
There are also a couple of beautiful hot springs around Bajawa. We visited the Mangeruda Hot Springs, which were very nice. They can get quite crowded during the weekend, but on a weekday morning, there were only a handful of visitors.
It’s also possible to hike Mount Inerie from here if you’re looking for a more challenging hike than Keli Mutu. It is a demanding hike, with no clear path so you’ll need a guide. The peak is often cloudy/foggy so keep in mind you might not get the views you’re hoping to get if you want to climb Mount Inerie.
How to get to Bajawa from Moni
There are buses between Ende and Bajawa, but they are not very reliable. We couldn’t find any information about them, but we saw them on the road. The best way to get around is by renting a motorbike. It is a long, but very scenic drive from Moni to Bajawa and you can stop by the hot springs on the way.
Ruteng
Ruteng was the least interesting place we visited on the island of Flores, but if you’re driving a motorbike, the drive from Bajawa to Labuan Bajo would be too long and Ruteng makes for a good stop. The top sight of Ruteng, are the iconic spiderweb rice fields. There are also some waterfalls nearby, but they are all quite complicated to get to. We tried one, and it was not worth it. There are many other cool waterfalls in Indonesia that are much easier to get to. I will point some of them out further ahead in this Indonesia travel guide.
How to get to Ruteng from Bajawa
There are buses, although there is not much information available about them. The easiest way to travel between Ruteng and Bajawa is by motorbike.
Labuan Bajo & The Komodo Islands
Labuan Bajo is the gateway to the incredible Komodo National Park. Komodo National Park is of course most famous for its unique inhabitants: the Komodo dragons. But there is more to this national park, like awesome viewpoints, pink beaches, and amazing diving. It is one of the highlights of this Indonesia travel guide. Labuan Bajo is also a very nice town, with some nice views over the bay and a very nice fish market.
How to get to Labuan Bajo from Ruteng
While there are buses, they are not very reliable and we couldn’t find any information about them. As we arrived in Labuan Bajo, we decided to rent a motorbike here for 10 days, and drive to Moni and back instead.
Lombok
Lombok is quickly gaining popularity as Bali has become overcrowded. The main religion of Lombok is Muslim, which means it lacks the spirituality of Bali’s Hindu culture. But Lombok is a beautiful island, much more natural (still) with many things to do. Surfing is the main activity here, but Lombok is also great for hiking and is home to many waterfalls and the spectacular Mount Rinjani.
Extending your visa – Most travelers who want to extend their visa do so in Bali. This means the immigration office is completely saturated and you often have to wait a very long time. Extending your visa in Lombok is much easier and smoother.
How to get to Lombok from Labuan Bajo
There are a few ways to travel between Lombok and Labuan Bajo. We traveled between these islands joining the Komodo Tour, which is a 4-day tour that passes by the Komodo National Park along the way. There are no direct flights between Lombok and Labuan Bajo, but you can fly via Bali. Another option is to fly to Bali and then travel by boat via Nusa Penida and/or the Gili Islands to Lombok. There is no direct ferry between Labuan Bajo and Lombok. If you want to travel by public transport you’ll have to take several busses and ferries.
Gili Islands
The Gili Islands are a must-visit for everyone who visits Indonesia. With its clear blue waters full of corals, colorful fish, and turtles, it’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy a few days of sun, sand, and snorkeling. The Gili Islands consist of 3 islands: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. All three islands have their own unique atmosphere. If you have the time, I recommend spending a week exploring all three Gili Islands. But if you’re short on time or prefer to stay in one place rather than moving around, read this guide to find out which Gili Island is your little piece of paradise.
How to get to the Gili's from Lombok
Speedboats leave regularly for the Gili Islands. Enquire at the port for the up-to-date schedule and buy your ticket here directly. It’s possible to go by public ferry too, but you need to wait until there are enough people. So you might need to wait for a while.
Bali
Bali is the most popular place in Indonesia, it’s the island everyone visits. While Bali certainly has it’s charm, it has gotten overly crowded, which has taken away a lot of this charm. You still see and feel the spirituality of the local Hindu culture, especially inland and in the less crowded places, but much of the island has been overtaken by foreigners who have made this island their home and introduced their culture.
Amed
Amed was our favorite of the few locations we visited in Bali. This small town in the north of Bali is great for snorkeling and diving. You can hop in the water right from the beach and see corals, turtles, and the Japanese shipwreck. The USAT (United States Army Transport) Liberty is also located close to Amed and is one of the most accessible shipwrecks for wreck diving. It’s a little further out than the Japanese wreck, and you’ll need to dive to see it, while you can see the Japanese wreck snorkeling as well. But you don’t need to be certified to dive the Liberty wreck and you can see it during a discovery dive which you can contract in Amed.
How to get to Amed from the Gili islands
It is possible to travel directly to Amed from the Gili Islands, without having to buy separate tickets traveling to the Denpasar area first. Enquire at the port at the Gili Islands. Another option is to take a ferry to Sanur and rent a motorbike from there.
Sideman
Sideman is a beautiful area full of ricefields. It’s not as famous as Ubud, and not nearly as crowded. While you will definitely come across other tourists here, it still has a very local feel to it. You can just drive around the area, or hire a guide and go for hike in the fields.
How to get to Sideman from Amed
The best way to get to the Sideman area is by motorbike. If you really don’t want to drive, you can also look into getting a Grab or Gojek to drive you there. There are also shuttle buses that travel between Amed and Sanur, which might be able to drop you off closeby. Then you can get a Grab or Gojek taxi for the rest of your trip.
Denpasar area
The area around Denpansar, especially the west coast, is the most crowded and international part of Bali. I’m personally not a fan of this area, just because of that. The only thing that made me feel like I was in Indonesia was the amount of motorbikes on the roads. Other than that I felt like I was in an extremely chaotic western country. This area has some of Bali’s best surfing though. So if that is what you came to Bali for, then this is your area. The peninsula south of Denpansar is a little less crowded than the Kuta and Changgu areas, so you might want to look at staying here.
Ubud is another popular spot close to Denpansar. Here you’ll find many rice fields, including the famous Ceking rice terraces. They are more of a maquette for tourists to take Instagram pictures than ricefields for production, but they sure are very pretty.
How to get to Denpansar from Sideman
You can either travel by speed boat, via Nusa Penida (recommended) or opt for a ferry + bus combination ticket. With this ticket, you will take the ferry to Bali and here a transfer van will be waiting for you to take you to the Denpasar area.
Nusa Penida
While Nusa Penida is it’s own island, it is considerd part of Bali. The beaches of Nusa Penida are more suitable for observing from the many viewpoints rather than for swimming due to the strong currents. But they are really beautiful and worth looking at for a while from above. There are still a few beaches and a hidden waterhole where you can enjoy a swim though. Nusa Penida is only small, and can easily be discovered in 1 or 2 days.
How to get to Nusa Penida from the Denpasar area
There are several direct speed boats a day that travel between the Sanur port and Nusa Penida. The boat ride takes less than an hour. Note that Nusa Penida has 3 different ports, so make sure to pick an arrival port close to where you are staying or prepare to rent a motorbike right at the port.
The cheapest companies we found that travel to the Toya Pakeh port are Starfish and Angels Billabong. The cheapest one that travel to the Sampalan area are Idola and Semoya One.
If you want to bring the motorbike that you’ve rented on Bali, then you can also drive to Padangbai and take the public ferry, which allows you to take vehicles.
Java
Java is Indonesia’s main island, as it’s home to the capital, Jakarta. The infrastructure on Java is much better than that of the other islands. The main tourist attractions are located on the east of Java island, in the provinces of Yogyakarta and East Java.
Banjuwangi/Ijen
While there is not much to do in Banjuwangi itself, it is the gateway to the beautiful Ijen Volcano, famous for it’s blue lake, the blue flame and sulfur miners.
The blue flame is a phenomenon that occurs when the sulfuric gasses burn due to the volcanic heat. It’s only visible at the vent inside the crater and can only be seen at night. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see it as Ijen was going through a more active period and we were not allowed to go inside the crater. But I still very much enjoyed the views from the crater rim and think it’s worth visiting Ijen even if you can’t see the blue fire.
As Ijen produces so much sulfur, people mine this. It’s incredibly hard work, as miners have to get into the crater to get the sulfur, where they are exposed to many toxic gasses, get the sulfur out and fill up their baskets which they carry on their backs. It’s a big contrast between the tourists being able to go on holiday and enjoying the beautiful landscape and the miners putting their health at risk every day just to get by.
How to get to Banjuwangi from the Denpasar area
From Denpasar, you’ll need to make your way to the Gilimanuk port. From here it’s a short ferry ride to Banyuwangi.
Cemoro Lawang/Bromo
Mount Bromo is one of Indonesia’s most famous volcanoes. Its colors, its continues smoke, and its fantastic location on the “sea of sand” plain, amongst other peaks make it one of the most impressive sights we’ve seen in Indonesia.
We chose to base ourselves in Cemoro Lawang, so that we could visit Bromo on our own and be on our own schedule, instead of having to join a jeep tour from Probolinggo. I definitely think this is the best way to do it. While we still went up to King Kong Hill for sunrise with the tours, we went back to the hotel for breakfast, whereas all tours went to the crater directly after sunrise and then back to Probolinggo.
I can also recommend booking a second night and hike up to the crater for sunrise the next day. Of course the view over the volcano itself is missing being on it, but seeing the world around it slowly wake up, seeing the occasional glow of lava in the crater when it’s still dark enough, and being by ourselves on the rim listing to Bromo roaring while the colors around us were changing, that was a very special experience too!
How to get to Cemora Lawang from Banjuwangi
You can travel by bus or train to Probolinggo from Banjuwangi. If you want to travel by bus, enquire for current schedules at the bus terminal, and take the bus from here. Agencies will only offer buses that are much more expensive. The cheap, local buses leave from the terminal and you will pay your ticket directly in the bus. Trains are more comfortable, and if you buy your ticket in advance, you can get good deals. From Probolinggo minivans leave for Cemora Lawang when full. So I recommend leaving early, so you have the most chance of getting a full van. If the van doesn’t fill up you might need to pay for the remaining seats before they leave.
Pronojiwo
The town of Pronojiwo is the best kept secret you’ll find in this Indonesia travel guide. While it’s actually very close to both Bromo, we only saw a handful of other travelers here.
Pronojiwo is home to two of the most spectacular waterfalls we have seen in Indonesia: Tumpak Sewu and Kapas Biru. So if you have time and feel like going on an adventure, I highly recommend visiting Pronojiwo!
Yogjakarta (Jogja)
Yogyakarta, also called Jogja in short, is the gateway to the famous temple complexes of Borobudur and Prambanan. Borobudur is the biggest Buddhist temple in the world. You need a guide to visit it, which is included in your entrance ticket.
Prambanan is another famous site close to Yogyakarta. While Borobudur is one big Buddist temple, Prambanan is a Hindu temple complex, consisting of some big and many smaller temples. You can buy a combo ticket for both sites with a 10% discount and spread your visit over two consecutive days.
Sumatra
Sumatra is not a very popular tourist destination. Yet, it has quite a lot to offer to tourists. From diving to hiking in the jungle to volcanoes. Sumatra has it all. One of the things that makes Sumatra very special, is the fact that it is one of the few places where you can see orangutans in the wild. They only live in Sumatra and Borneo.
Medan
Medan is possilby the worst city to go to in Indonesia. It’s big, dirty, chaotic and it doesn’t have many things to do for tourists. The best thing you can do here is to get in, and get out. You can get a bus at the airport, which takes you straight to Bukit Lawang. A much better place to be!
If you do find yourself in Medan with some time to kill, you can visit the Grand Mosque of Medan (Masjid Raya Al-Mashun) or a museum about North Sumatra.
Bukit Lawang
Now Bukit Lawang is a place worth a visit, and one of the top destinations of this Indonesia travel guide. Bukit Lawang is the starting point for the orangutan jungle hikes. You can opt for a day hike, or a multiple-day hike ranging from 2 to 14 days. As the orangutans are only semi-wild, the ones that are still somehow attached and used to humans tend to stay at the beginning of the trail. So you’re likely to see them, even if you only go for one day. But I highly recommend going for a 2-4 day hike, and experiencing at least one night in the jungle.
Besides orangutans, you can see many other animals during your hike, like gibbons, macaques, silvery leaf monkeys and hornbills. And while you might not see them, you’ll sure hear the howler monkeys! There are tigers and elephants in the park as well, but it is very unlikely you’ll see any. None of the guides we spoke to had ever seen a tiger, and only one had seen an elephant once, on a 14-day hike.
Sibayak
Sibayak is an active volcano in the province of North Sumatra. While it’s not as impressive as Bromo, Ijen, or Rinjani, it is still worth hiking Mount Sibayak if you’re around. It’s conveniently located between Bukit Lawang and Lake Toba, so you might as well! You don’t need a guide and there was no entrance fee when we went. It’s very easy to hike Mount Sibayak independently.
Semosir Island/Lake Toba
Toba is a supervolcano which erupted about 74.000 years ago, one of the largest known eruptions that ever occured. This eruption formed Lake Toba in the crater, which is the world’s largest crater lake. The best way to explore Lake Toba, is by basing yourself in Semosir island. The most touristic and nicest town is Tuktuk. Here you can enjoy the lake itself, from viewpoints, by renting a kayak or SUP board, or by just going for a swim. You can also rent a motorbike and drive aroud the island, or along the lake.
Other things to do in Indonesia
Of course there are many more things to do in Indonesia. It’s a huge and incredibly diverse country. One thing we needed to keep on our bucket list, is diving at Raja Ampat. Raj Ampat is one of the top diving locations in the world, but difficult and expensive to get to. So we decided to come back once we’re certified and have more time! West Papua in general seems like a very interesting place which I would love to explore one day. But with more time and preparations as getting around is not easy due to the lack of roads!
Sulawesi also has some great diving spots, which we would like to visit with a certificate.
Aceh is an island north of Sumatra, which is also great for diving and not crowded at all. We skipped it due to lack of time and knowing we would come across many other places that are great for snorkeling and diving which were on our route. Kerinci Seblat National Park is another place we considered visiting in Sumatra, as this is where the biggest population of Sumatran tigers is located. Biggest doesn’t mean big, unfortunately, and it’s very unlikely you will see a tiger. The hike is more about finding signs of tigers, like footprints and scratch marks than trying to find tigers. As visiting the park would also mean a big detour, we skipped it.
Bandung is probably the easiest accessible place which we decided to skip, also because of lack of time and the detour it would mean. Bandung’s biggest attraction is the tea plantations. But it’s also known for its Art Deco architecture and beautiful surroundings.
This was: The Ultimate Indonesia Travel Guide
If this complete Indonesia travel guide was a little overwhelming, and you need some help putting an itinerary together, read my article with a bunch of itinerary suggestions for Indonesia, ranging from one week to 2 months!
