AsiaIndonesiaIndonesia
Most people meet Indonesia through Bali and never get past it. Behind it: a crater that burns blue at midnight, one of only two places on earth that does it, a single dive at Cape Kri that holds the world record at 374 species, sunrise over three volcanoes from a jeep that left at three in the morning. Bali is the doorway, not the country.
IndonesiaIndonesia in a nutshell
Where to go in Indonesia
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Indonesia itineraries, one week to three
Indonesia is loved by culture seekers and backpackers alike. We recommend several routes through this country, here they are in full!
3 nights3 days, Komodo by phinisi
Labuan Bajo · Komodo
Peak dragon activity and calm seas for boat crossings to Komodo National Park; dry conditions offshore.
6 nights1 week: East Java, Yogyakarta to the volcanoes
Yogyakarta · Malang · Ijen Plateau
Dry season gives clear volcano views at Ijen Plateau and Mount Bromo; good road conditions to Malang.
7 nights1 week, Bali first-timer
Canggu · Ubud · Nusa Penida
Dry season with calm seas around Nusa Penida and reliable volcano views from Ubud and Uluwatu.
9 nights2 weeks: North Sumatra, slow
Medan · Bukit Lawang · Berastagi
Dry season for jungle trekking around Bukit Lawang orangutans and highland walks near Berastagi.
10 nights10 days, Bali by private driver
Uluwatu · Ubud · Munduk
Highlands around Munduk and Ubud are clearest and coolest; dry season ideal for temple visits.
10 nights10 days, Lombok and the Gilis
Gili Trawangan · Gunung Rinjani · Tetebatu
Dry season opens Mount Rinjani climbing; Gilis have calm waters; Kuta Lombok uncrowded and warm.
14 nights2 weeks, Java and Bali in one run
Yogyakarta · Malang · Bromo Tengger Semeru
Volcanoes (Bromo, Ijen) clearest in dry season; Ubud and Canggu avoid peak crowds and high prices.
14 nights2 weeks: the Bali loop, south to north
Uluwatu · Nusa Lembongan · Nusa Penida
Dry season keeps island hopping smooth between Nusa Lembongan and Penida; Ubud and Munduk at their best.
21 nights3 weeks: Bali slow, with the Gilis
Canggu · Munduk · Ubud
Sweet spot for calm seas between Bali and Gili Air; dry weather across all stops from Canggu to Uluwatu.
21 nights3 weeks, Bali with children
Canggu · Ubud · Munduk
Dry season and lower crowds than peak July; Nusa Lembongan seas calm; highland Munduk and Sidemen cooler.
Updated August 2026 · 14 min read · Written by the Stippl editors688,000+ stops in Indonesia have been planned on Stippl. Here is what they say about the country.
Indonesia is a country you cross in stages, and most travellers give a stop 3 nights. The named set is the sunrise at Mount Bromo and the blue flame at Ijen in East Java, Borobudur and Prambanan on the way through, a phinisi boat out of Labuan Bajo for Komodo, and the diving at Raja Ampat. On Bali and Lombok it is the Batur sunrise hike, the Rinjani trek, Tirta Empul and Besakih, and the Kecak fire dance at Uluwatu.
No single place owns Indonesia the way Bali owns its reputation. The most-planned destination in the country takes only 11% of all the stops planned here, and you arrive for one island and leave having planned five. That is the opposite of what the brochures suggest, and it is the reason trips here run long.
So give it real time or give it Bali. A typical Indonesian trip runs 25 days, and that length is doing the work: the internal flights and the boat legs eat days that a shorter trip does not have. Skip Indonesia if you have one week and are starting from Europe, where the flight alone runs about eighteen hours each way, and think twice if you need polished infrastructure or reliable healthcare once you leave Bali.
Who Indonesia is for
Divers and snorkellers
the single strongest case for the country: the Coral Triangle runs through it, Raja Ampat holds the world record for fish species on one dive, and Amed, the Gilis, Nusa Penida and Komodo are all first-rank in their own right
Surfers
Canggu and Kuta for learning, Uluwatu and Medewi for advanced, Kuta Lombok and Selong Belanak for a quieter version, and the Mentawais for the serious pilgrimage
Volcano hikers and pre-dawn people
Bromo, Ijen, Rinjani and Batur all start between midnight and 03:00 and all reward it
Backpackers and digital nomads
cheap, hostel-rich and well-trodden, with an established nomad economy in Canggu and Ubud and a newer one in Kuta Lombok
Culture travellers
Yogyakarta's court arts and batik, Borobudur and Prambanan, and Balinese Hinduism as a living daily practice rather than a monument
Families
Bali specifically: private villas at modest prices, ride-hailing everywhere, restaurants with playgrounds and pools; much harder elsewhere in the country
Slow and off-trail travellers
North Sumatra, Sidemen, Munduk and Tetebatu reward the traveller who is not counting sights
First-time long-haul travellers
Bali has short distances, easy logistics and no need for a tour operator, which is why it is the standard first independent trip
Maybe not for you: anyone with one week and a European starting point (the flight alone is ~18 h each way, and one source says outright to choose somewhere closer), travellers who need reliable healthcare or polished infrastructure outside Bali, spontaneous travellers heading to Raja Ampat where everything books out months ahead, and beginners who plan to learn to ride a scooter in Canggu's traffic
When to visit Indonesia
Dry season
April–October
the default travel window for Bali, Lombok, the Gilis, Java and Komodo: calm seas, good underwater visibility, reliable volcano sunrises
Wet season
November–March
heavy showers rather than all-day rain, typically in 30–60 minute bursts morning and evening; the trade-offs are rough crossings, poor dive visibility, cancelled boats and plastic washed onto Bali's beaches by the rivers
The Raja Ampat inversion
October–April
best November–March; when the rest of the country is at its best, Raja Ampat is in the southeast monsoon and the reverse
- Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence: the entire island stops for 24 hours from 06:00, including the airport; no traffic, no lights, no leaving your accommodation, all shops and beaches closed. Stock food and water the day before
- Ogoh-Ogoh parades: giant demon effigies built over weeks, paraded and burned; widely rated a highlight rather than an inconvenience
- Galungan and Kuningan: ten days apart, penjor bamboo poles line every street, ceremonies close roads
- the rest day, boat transfers and tours are limited or unavailable
- across Bali, locals wear traditional dress
- Nyepi's practical impact outranks any weather consideration: Ngurah Rai airport closes entirely for 24 hours and the rule binds visitors as well as residents, so a flight booked across the date is simply not flyable
- The best-months recommendation splits on what each source optimises for: May, June and September for weather and value against February–April and September–November for thinner crowds, the underlying month data agrees, the advice does not
- Komodo dragon mating season is stated three ways inside one publisher, June, July–August, and June–August, with sightings dropping either way; treat it as roughly June–August and plan dragon-focused trips around April–June or September
- Rinjani's closure is framed two ways: the park closed 1 January–31 March, and separately the summit route closed roughly November–April with crater rims sometimes reachable; take the cautious reading and verify with the park before booking
- Raja Ampat weather forecasts are effectively useless, many microclimates, an equatorial position, complex currents and almost no weather stations, so forecast storms routinely never arrive
- Rice in Bali is harvested about three times a year, so there is no single green window: February–March and September are both named
- Bali's warmest and coolest months are reported inconsistently: April warmest and August coolest by one source, against a climate table peaking in March and November and bottoming in June–July by another; the spread is only about 3 °C either way
Add your Indonesia dates and we'll flag the weather per stop
Stippl shows the season, crowds and prices for every place on your route.
Festivals, and when to avoid them
Hari Merdeka, Independence Day, parades and outdoor celebrations nationwide
Bali Arts Festival, mostly in Denpasar: parades, dance and exhibitions
Bali Kite Festival at Padangalak on the east coast, during the windy season
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Things to do in Indonesia
Photo by Maximus Beaumont via Unsplash
Photo by Ronny Buol via Pexels
Photo by Johnny Africa via UnsplashSunrise at Mount Bromo
a 03:00 jeep to a viewpoint over three volcanoes, then across the Sea of Sand and up to a smoking crater rim; the single most repeated Java experience
The Ijen blue flame
a midnight climb to a crater where burning sulphur glows blue, one of only two such sites on earth, above the world's largest acidic lake, with sulphur miners carrying ~70 kg loads past you; a gas mask is required at the rim
A Komodo phinisi trip from Labuan Bajo
two or three days on a traditional wooden boat: Padar's ~800-step sunrise ridge, Pink Beach, a guided dragon walk on Komodo or Rinca, manta cleaning stations and flying foxes leaving Kalong at dusk
Diving Raja Ampat
Cape Kri holds the world record of 374 fish species on one dive, with Melissa's Garden, The Passage, Manta Sandy and Boo Windows the other names people come back with
Borobudur and Prambanan
the largest Buddhist temple in the world and Indonesia's largest Hindu complex, both 9th century, both UNESCO, both an hour or less from Yogyakarta
The Mount Rinjani trek
a demanding multi-day climb of Indonesia's second-highest volcano at 3,726 m, with a crater lake halfway and a summit sunrise as the payoff
What to eat in Indonesia
fried rice with chicken, prawn crackers and a fried egg; the de facto national dish
the fried-noodle version of the same plate
rice with an assortment of small sides: the flexible everyday plate, also called nasi rames
grilled chicken skewers in a sweet peanut sauce
vegetables, tempeh or tofu, potato and egg under peanut sauce; the name means "mix"
turmeric chicken soup, the best loved of many soto variants
beef braised down in coconut milk and spices until dry
meatball soup sold from carts and stalls
fermented soybean cake, fried or braised, the vegetarian backbone
young jackfruit slow-cooked in palm sugar and coconut milk
a spread of small dishes brought to the table; you pay only for what you eat
the standard national lager
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Indonesian customs and what not to do
Bring your own sarong
Temple dress on Bali is not optional: shoulders and legs covered, sarong required; some ticketed temples include one, others rent or sell at the gate, so carrying your own is cheaper
Processions close the roads
Balinese Hinduism is a living daily practice rather than a heritage attraction, Besakih is an active place of worship, offerings appear on every doorstep, and ceremonial processions regularly close roads
Bali's rules are not Java's
Java, Lombok and Sumatra are Muslim-majority: cover shoulders and knees in towns and at religious sites, beachwear stays at the beach, and it is worth reading up on Ramadan behaviour before travelling
Anger loses you the deal
Balinese social style is soft and indirect, people rarely refuse outright or show anger, so negotiate with a smile, and visible irritation loses you the exchange
No boats on the rest day
Sunday is the rest day in Raja Ampat, Saturday on Batanta; most people go to church and hosts find it hard to refuse guests, so plan boat days around it
Staring is not hostile
Locals in less-touristed areas, Java especially, often ask to photograph Western visitors, and staring is common and not hostile
Do not chase the dolphins
Animal-welfare rules travellers should apply themselves: no touching, riding, washing or posing with wild animals, no coral contact, and choose dolphin operators in Lovina that do not follow the pack
Carry your rubbish out
Waste has nowhere to go on Raja Ampat's islands and is burned on the beaches, so carrying non-organic rubbish back to Waisai in your own bin bag is standard practice
The app takes a big cut
Tipping Grab and Gojek drivers directly is appreciated because the apps take a large cut
Do
- Carry your own sarong, and use it without being asked at temples
- Learn selamat pagi and terima kasih, the effort lands disproportionately well
- Get up for sunrise: the famous viewpoints are quiet and cool before 09:00, and Tegallalang and Kali Biru specifically reward it
- Accept the helmet on any scooter, and wear a cap under the rental one
- Wear water shoes in the sea in Raja Ampat, stonefish are buried in the sand
- Put your bag in the locked scooter compartment before riding off
- Take a motion-sickness tablet before any Bali–Lombok or Bali–Gili fast boat
Don't
- Book a flight across Nyepi, Bali's airport closes for the full 24 hours
- Go anywhere near drugs; possession can carry the death penalty
- Rely on Google Maps' "shortest route" for a car on Bali
- Ride a scooter assuming your insurance covers you, without a motorcycle licence and an IDP it almost certainly does not
- Drink tap water anywhere, including Jakarta
- Swim near mangroves in Raja Ampat unless locals confirm it is safe
- Open a backpack in front of the monkeys at Uluwatu or the Ubud Monkey Forest
Daily budget in Indonesia
Budget
€13–34
homestay or hostel bed, warung meals, a shared scooter, public boats and ferries
Mid-range
€43–105
private room or a shared villa, restaurant meals, private-driver days, a dive or a boat trip
High-end
€130+
design villas and resorts, a private guide and driver throughout, a Komodo phinisi or a liveaboard
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Visas, SIM cards and getting around
Entry & visa
Apply online, skip the queue
Visa on arrival covers 97+ nationalities including all EU states, the UK, the US, Canada and Australia: IDR 500,000 (~USD 35), 30 days, extendable once by a further 30.
Health
The list grows with the trip
DTP and hepatitis A are the standard recommendations; typhoid is advised beyond two weeks, and hepatitis B, rabies and tuberculosis come into play beyond three months.
Money
What a euro buys in rupiah
1 EUR ≈ 20,500 IDR mid-market (xe.com read 20,452 and wise.com read 20,564 on the same day; 20,500 is the working figure).
Connectivity
5 GB covered a family of four
Local SIMs are cheap and eSIMs work well across Bali, Java and Lombok, a family of four covered a three-week Bali trip on 5 GB.
Water
Even for brushing teeth
Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in the country, Jakarta included; brush your teeth with bottled water and do not rinse fruit in it.
Tipping
Tip the driver in person
Tipping is not obligatory, but small amounts are appreciated at local wage levels, and tipping Grab and Gojek drivers directly matters because the platforms take a large cut.
Power & practicalities
The plug type is unrecorded
A universal travel adapter is on every packing list read.
Language
No tones, so easy to say
Bahasa Indonesia is written in Latin script with no tones, which makes it unusually approachable; a handful of words is genuinely appreciated, and English thins out fast away from Bali's tourist economy.
Indonesian worth knowing
Nobody expects you to speak the language, which is exactly why a handful of words goes so far.
se-la-mat pa-gi
Good morning (06:00–10:00) · selamat pagi
se-la-mat see-ang
Good day (10:00–15:00) · selamat siang
se-la-mat ma-lam
Good evening (from 18:00) · selamat malam
te-ree-ma ka-see
Thank you · terima kasih
sa-ma sa-ma
You're welcome · sama sama
be-ra-pa har-ga-nya
How much is it? · berapa harganya?
a-pa ka-bar
How are you? · apa kabar?
e-nak
Delicious · enak
ba-goos
Great / good · bagus
wa-roong
A small family-run eatery · warung
Indonesia questions, answered
By choosing one island group. An Indonesia trip runs 25 days on Stippl and that is one group done properly, because every hop between them is an internal flight. Lay those flights into Stippl first, then show the route to people who have done it, in the Indonesia subreddits.
Ubud, Canggu, Uluwatu, Seminyak, Lombok, Yogyakarta and the Gilis get three; Nusa Penida, Kuta, Sanur, Sidemen and Labuan Bajo two; Denpasar and Jakarta one. That is across the 688,000+ stops planned in Indonesia on Stippl, and it is a country of three-night bases.
Two trips in three do, and Thailand is the most common partner by a wide margin. Only 35.19% of the Indonesia trips planned on Stippl stay inside Indonesia, which is worth knowing before you book a return into Denpasar: plenty of people fly out from somewhere else.
Bali for infrastructure, food, temples and variety; Lombok for emptier beaches, better value, real surf and a volcano you can climb. Lombok is harder work: fewer roads, fewer drivers, less that runs to a timetable. Most people with a fortnight do Bali, then a week of Lombok or the Gilis.
It is a twenty-four hour shutdown of the whole of Bali, airport included, once a year in March. Nobody flies in or out and you stay on your property all day. Check the date before booking a March flight, and if it falls inside your trip, the Ogoh-Ogoh parade the night before is the reason to be there.
Rental shops will often hand over the keys, and that is not the same as being allowed to. These are motorcycles: you need a motorcycle entitlement and an international permit, police do check, and without them your travel insurance almost certainly will not pay out on a crash. Hire a driver instead.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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