Where to Go Backpacking in Indonesia

Sewa bus murah di Bali Sandholiday

Spending your holiday in Indonesia is absolutely the right thing to do. Indonesia is home for stunning natural scenery, interesting cultures, and so on. Visiting this country also means that you will learn a bunch of cultures from different tribes across the country. Other than that, do you know that this country consists of thousands of islands? Besides, the total size of Indonesia is much bigger and wider than the United States of America for sure.

When you decided to go backpacking to Indonesia, you need to make itineraries and planning as well. If you want to visit every island of Indonesia every day, it may take 49 years to see them all. Can you imagine how wide this country is? In this article, we are going to show the routes of this backpacking tour starts from Java to Flores.

Since itineraries are some not-so-easy things for spontaneous travelers, you may consider using the service of Sandholiday in the first place. Sandholiday is a tour and travel company with a bunch of experience in the tourism industry of Indonesia. Established in 2017, they offer and provide considerably new cars for their clients, considering they really care for the convenience of the clients. Sandholiday accepts any destination for your holiday so all you need to do is call. Using Sandholiday for your vacation is kind of saving your time and budget while getting the most of your holiday for sure.

Brief information

Before you start your journey in Indonesia as a backpacker, we want to make sure that you know how much time you will need to complete the journey if you want to get around Java to Flores. The journey will take as short as 5 weeks if you do not want to spend long on the beaches. For your information, Bali and its neighboring islands are best for the beaches.

The journey will at least need USD 1,000 but if you can provide more than that amount then you are good. However, the price is according to the data in 2017 and it could be changed today. The price does not include your expense for flights and travel insurance. Since you are backpacking then you need to apply for travel insurance for sure. World Nomads is the best company for this matter.

If you want to get to know the culture in Indonesia, you can join for work or volunteer during your trip in Indonesia. The website of Worldpacker will help you to get the volunteer work and get the host placement. You can get free accommodation, meals, and other benefits as the exchange for a few hours of working in a community. It would be a fun way to make your travel budget lasts longer and learn about Indonesian cultures from the closest point.

Where to Go in Java

Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia and considered as a chaotic metropolitan city with more than 10 million people living in the center of it. Meanwhile, the other 20 million people live in its surrounding town and villages. You will feel enough to stay here for no more than two days, considering how ridiculous the traffic is and the heavy pollutions everywhere.

Of course, Jakarta has its own charms. There are many interesting museums you can visit to educate yourself on the history and culture of Indonesia. Other than that, Jakarta has numerous fascinating night clubs. Indonesian are kind of friendly so they will try to engage with you especially if you are a foreigner.

Dieng Plateau

Dieng Plateau is located in Wonosobo, Central Java. You can reach this place by taking intercity buses or trains. If you do not want to be bothered with the transportation you should take, you really need to consider Sandholiday for this trip.

Dieng Plateau offers stunning natural sceneries where you can get rid of the bustling big city like Jakarta. As its name suggests, this place is located in a highland or about 2,000 meters above sea level. This is why you get the cooler air and fresher environment. You can learn the local culture and the ancient religion of Javanese. In some cases, you will need to take a motorbike or hire a motorcycle taxi to take you to places around Dieng Plateau.

Yogyakarta

Locals also call it Jogja and it is not part of Central Java after all. It is a special region and they use Javanese as their daily language. Of course, they speak Bahasa Indonesia and many of them also speak English.

This place offers a thriving art scene in a busy district, considering there are many visitors both domestic and foreign visitors. This city is popular for its Keratin Complex as the home of the king named Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono. You can also reach Prambanan and Borobudur from this city. While you are in this city, it is a must to enjoy the local foods and try its snacks called Bakpia.

Bromo – Tengger – Semeru National Park

Before you hop to Bali Island, you need to make a stop at Bromo. It is part of Java Island and considered as the edge of this island. This place is home of several active volcanoes while Semeru Mountain and Bromo Mountain are the most accessible ones compared to others.

You must prepare for the activity of both volcanoes and eruptions are not something uncommon here. However, the surrounding landscape view is really pleasing and favorable. You cannot even describe it with words. There are a lot of accommodations for on-budget travelers around the park. Even though camping is very possible, the weather could be very cold at night.

Java to Bali

You will need to take ferries so you can reach Bali from Banyuwangi. The ticket is as expensive as USD 2. You can simply take a bus that will bring you to Bali so the price for a bus ticket includes the ferry ticket as well.

Bali

Bali is actually a small island in Indonesia. However, there are various attractions you may find in this place. You can enjoy free beaches, wandering around the cultural parks, visiting Hindu temples, educating yourself with museums, and many more. Also, you can just explore villages to engage with its local culture.

Bali to Lombok

There are several boats that will take you from Bali to Lombok. You can take a regular fast boat from Tanjung Benoa, Padang Bai, Serangan Island, or Amed to head to the Gili Islands. If you do not want to stop by at Gili Island then the boat will take you directly to Lombok.

Gili islands

Gili islands are three small islands with lesser crowds compared to Bali. The most popular activity on this island includes diving. People also do drugs, weeds, and mushrooms on these islands, considering there is no police presence. If you prefer something quieter for a lazy day then Gili Meno is the perfect one from those three.

Senaru Village

If you want to visit Mount Rinjani National Park, Senaru is the village you need to get through. The village is small and pleasant, which is also the best place for budget accommodations. You can also learn about the cultures and hike the Mount Rinjani, the Indonesia’s second highest volcano.

South Lombok

South Lombok has quiet beaches and some of them are great for surfing. All the fun things you do here will be far from crowds like you may find in Bali. However, budget accommodations might a bit hard to find.

Lombok to Flores

Theoretically saying, you can take a ferry from Lombok to Sumbawa and then take a bust to bring you the other side of the island and then a ferry will bring you to Labuan Bajo of Flores. However, transportation is not on a regular basis. Indeed, it is better to arrange your holiday with Sandholiday in the first place.

Komodo National Park

A trip to witness Komodo dragons is an essential thing to do if you are on a backpacking trip to Indonesia. The Komodo dragons are capable of doing a lot of things such as swimming, jumping, and consuming flesh. This is why you may need to get a guide from a tour guide in the National Park. It costs around IDR 80,000 last year and the price might be escalated during the holiday season. However, if you are looking for on budget accommodations then Labuan Bajo is your best bet.

Ende

Mount Kelimutu is also the popular destination on the island and located in Ende. Ende, in fact, is the largest city in Flores and there are a lot of things you can explore from this city. There are lakes, hot water pools, and caves where you can learn some bizarre ancient history and culture according to local beliefs. Mount Kelimutu lake can fascinatingly change its color according to the weather or the volcanic activity.

Maumere

This is the city where you can get a nice restaurant for your dinner. You can get water sports even though there is not much you can do here. Still, you can take flights to other islands from this city.