Indonesia : 3 week itinerary in August
Replies: 11 - Last Post: Jun 30, 2012 6:25 PM Last Post By: travelfast
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Indonesia : 3 week itinerary in August
Hi folks,My wife and I are spending 3 weeks in Indonesia this summer, from August 4th to August 26th. Our first time there :)
Our objectives :
1) Relax for 3-5 days in some dream area
2) As much as possible, avoid too crowdy spots
3) Speak with the locals, we're trying to learn a bit the language at the moment
4) Discover the culture, some nice villages, however it's not our thing to trekk for several days
We're having a hard time defining our itinerary. We know that the Aid is going to take place on August 19th, therefore ideally I guess we should avoid moving too much from Aug 19th to Aug 26th.
Option 1
6/8/2012 Yogyakarta area
7/8/2012 Yogyakarta area
8/8/2012 Yogyakarta area
9/8/2012 Yogyakarta area
10/8/2012 Leaving to Bromo
11/8/2012 Bromo
12/8/2012 Leaving to Bali
13/08/2012 North Bali
14/08/2012 North Bali
15/082012 North Bali
16/08/2012 Perama Cruise
17/08/2012 Perama Cruise
18/08/2012 Perama Cruise
19/08/2012 Flores
20/08/2012 Flores
21/08/2012 Flores
22/08/2012 Flores
23/08/2012 Flores
Option 2
6/8/2012 Yogyakarta area
7/8/2012 Yogyakarta area
8/8/2012 Yogyakarta area
9/8/2012 Leaving to Bromo
10/8/2012 Bromo
11/8/2012 Leaving to Bali
12/8/2012 North Bali
13/08/2012 North Bali
14/08/2012 Leaving to Labuanbajo
15/082012 Perama Cruise
16/08/2012 Perama Cruise
17/08/2012 Perama Cruise
18/08/2012 Lombok
19/08/2012 Lombok
20/08/2012 Gili (relax there)
21/08/2012 Gili (relax there)
22/08/2012 Gili (relax there)
23/08/2012 Back to Bali
Concerns with option 1 : we'll race against time, Flores will be crowded
Concerns with option 2 : Lombok and Gili will be SUPER crowded
Therefore we came up with option 3 (Sulawesi only) but since it's our first time there we may be disappointed to miss Java & Bali.
Thank you so much for your help !
Cheers
Franck
Edited by: franck260
Edited by: franck260
1
You didn't say where your Perama cruise is taking you to....??Also, Flores is never crowded except at the far Western end at Labuhan Bajo and Komodo. The rest of the island is very uncrowded...far distances between villages and only a few hotels and places to eat. But well worth the trip...
You really should plan to spend some time in Ubud for the cultural aspects that are accessible to tourists...by that I mean art, music and dance. And a lot depends on which places in North Bali you are planning to go to..if you mean Lovina, it's a lot more touristy than say Pemuteran, but Lovina has a lot more cafes and hotels to choose from. If you mean Munduk or Bedugul or Kintamani (mountain areas) then it's a mixed bag, as August is top high season for domestic tourists and Bedugul is really crowded.
So the upshot is that it would help if you would be more specific about your itinerary in order to comment in more detail.
3
We've had a similar dilemma last year and did 'Indonesia for beginners' in 3 weeks. We've decided to do half of Java and most of Bali on this occassion- could have easily spent the whole 3 weeks just in Bali or just in Java.It's difficult to advise without knowing your budget/style of travel- do you like spending lots of time on the road and not stay in places for 2 long?
The distances in Java are big- are you aware it's at least 8 hours from Yogya to Bromo?
How are you getting from Java to Bali- back to Subaraya and fly to Denpasar? If you are doing north bali because you are considering the ferry crossing please make sure you know how long it will take.
Our itinerary was:
Yogyakarta
Wednesday 14/9
See Borobodur at sunset, possibly one of other temples in the evening via Lotus
15/9 Thu Sunrise + other temples
Thu (Plataran Borobodur) Chill out
Fri16/9 Yogya /Solo candi sukuh Candi cetho Via Via Yogya trip
Sat17/9 Yogya/ Prambanan/ Ramayana evening
18/9 Sunday Yogya see kraton wayang kulik performance
19/9Mon Yogya- Surabaya train 7 am arrive 12 pm pick up at train station drive to Malang via temples
20/9 Tue drive to Bromo
21/9 Wed Bromo sunrise drive to Ijen
22/9 Thu Sunrise Ijen eve Bali check in Waka Shorea
23/9 Fri Menjagan Island snorkelling Waka Shorea
24/9 Sat Waka Shorea
25/9 Sun Munduk Moding
26/9 Mon Munduk moding waterfalls
27/9 Tue see Lake Bratan
28/9 Ubud 29/9 Sidemen
30/9 -3/10 Candidasa
With a hindsight I wish I stayed longer in Ubud instead of Candidasa also 1 day extra in Malang would have been good.
We had a fantastic time- Indoniesia rocks!
4
Thanks guys for your answers !@putriduyung : you're right, I was not specific enough - apologies. In the Yogyakarta area we plan to explore Yogyakarta / Borobudur / Prambanan / Surakarta during basically 4 days 1/2. In North Bali, Ubud is indeed our top pick and we're thinking of staying around. We're not experienced motorcycle drivers - I heard we should just avoid riding motorcycles when that's the case - what do you think ? The cruise would start in Lombok and end in Labuanbajo with a stop in Komodo.
Concerns with this itinerary (option #1 in my OP) : is 5 days on Flores enough ? We would rent a car (plus a driver) and head east to Kelimutu then flight back from Ende to Jakarta. Problem is I heard planes could be random on the island and there's little room for error in my scenario. Plus we won't really chill out in Lombok / Gili, isn't it sad to miss those, even in August where I assume they'll be super crowded ?
If we decide to spend 3 days in Gili after all (option #2 in my OP) to relax while still being able to do some activities (snorkeling, horse riding, surf lessons) what's the island you recommend ?
@GaryD : thanks for the feedback !
@Monja16 : thanks for your feedback & advice - we're thinking of taking some sort of premium buses if it makes sense. Besides we'll take buses from Yogyakarta to Bromo then from Bromo to Bali without going to Surabaya. Our budget is OK, and generally speaking, ideally we'd like to spend 3 days on average in the same place even if it may be difficult in our #1 scenario. In Yogyakarta for instance we'd like to spend 4-5 nights in the same place in order to explore the spots I mentioned (Yogyakarta / Borobudur / Prambanan / Surakarta).
5
Hi Franck.I'm local Probolinggo, the city near Bromo.
U can't go from Jogja 2 Bromo directly by bus.
The bus will drop u off at Bayuangga bus station, still 45 km 2 Bromo.
Don't pay anything from travel agency near bus station or Cemorolawang.
Normally, Jogja-Prob is IDR 75K n Prob-Dps IDR 85K 4 economy bus.
But some travel will ask u 2 pay IDR 150K-400K 4 that route.
Good luck.
6
Franc: You mention Ubud but on your agenda you only mention "north Bali" but Ubud is Central Bali. It's another 2 hours drive to the north part of the island, where you will find Lovina, Pemuteran, etc...If money is not a big problem and you have limited time I would highly suggest you fly from Jogja to Surabaya and go to Bromo from there, instead of catching one of the busses. I know a lot of people think it's fine but I'm one of those who like to watch the road and find myself stepping on the imaginary brakes as the busses swerve in and out of traffic hurtling towards your bus which is passing a line of other cars, motorcycles and long-haul trucks. If you don't want to fly at least considering taking a train for the really long hauls. Hopefully other posters will have more up to date details on which trains and bus combinations work well.
I think your option one looks good, you could add another day or so to your Flores route so you won't be so rushed....and it's true that sometimes flights do get cancelled but they are for good reasons....not enough passengers, mechanical problem,...etc etc so that's why you might plan for a day before and a day after to take care of any transport problems. One of the best reasons to go to Flores is to see the stunning Kelimutu Lakes but it does take a few days to get there. BTW check on flights out of Ende and maybe you can just skip going all the way to Maumere.
Indonesia is fairly easy travel along the beaten paths but it doesnt' run like clockwork. And PLEASE if you are not an expert motorbike ride do not try to do motorbikes in Indonesia. It's not only you, it's the "expert" others who you have to watch out for!
Perama is a fine company and their cruise sounds good..
7
I think you should pick your priority when you decide where to go, franck . You can make your learning to speak with local while you are in Jogja, also people there quite welcome of travellers. And also about flores, it is different flores or komodo. east flores for example provide you beautiful beaches and many church with it's culture. it seems suitable with your dreamy place to stay because it's quiet :) I wonder about north bali , what is your destination there?8
I also never heard of premium bus from Yogya to Bromo. There are tours you can pick up from Yogya but there are som many postings with complaints about these on this forum that they are only for the brave- many people make this trip though and they are fine. They are on a minibus rather than anything fancy, so you have 10 hours on the road in cramped conditions to look forward to. Not much to look at from the window either apparently.I've explored the airplane travel option from Yogya to Surabaya and there is a good selection of flights at around $100, but taking the time it takes to get to and from the airport you are not saving time in comparison with the train. You can't book planes from abroad but if you are interested go to indonesiamatters website.
The train you need to book in advance- we didn't and ended up in bisniss class (2nd class) - it was bearable- we survived. Executif class is very comfortable (aircon is freezing though).
Private trip to Bromo in worth investing in- we went with bromoadventureland. You can also search this forum for recommendations.
So train+transfer from Subaraya will take you only 8 hours max- and so much more comfortable.
if your budget is OK and you are pressed for time the above means of Yogya- Bromo transfer is definitely worth investing in.
10
Does anyone know if Korindo-network tours are ok to travel with I mean like dependale ..we are maybe going ot use them or Adventure Indonesia, do you have any comments on either one of them?PJGeissler@aol.com
11
I am now trying to see if anyone has heard of Adventure Indonesia Tour.... I am looking at the itenerary and I like what they have..
