Bali To Jakarta In 18 Days

• Tweet

• Tweet

Indonesia is an essential part of any around the world trip – a land incredibly rich in home-grown produce, culture and landscapes. It occupies an important geographic position for the overland traveller, linking Australia with Asia. Even if you haven’t lept straight into a long sojourn across the globe Indonesia can give you a great taste of what awaits you when you do. Three weeks holiday here and you’ll be heading home with big plans for your next trip.

Bali

Tanah Lot, Bali / Photo by Stephen Chapman

Lovina, Bali

If Bali is your entry point into Indonesia, your first port of call will probably be Denpasar airport in the south of the island. Staff at the small accommodation counter in the arrivals hall will help you find a place to stay if you don’t already have a reservation, and don’t have the strength to haul your bags along the narrow gangs (alleyways) of Kuta.

Kuta - 4 days. Hit hard by the Bali bombings in 2002 and 2005, but slowly recovering.  Kuta is a busy, commercial hive of activity where all business revolves around tourism. A day trip down to Tanah Lot, Uluwatu and the Jimbaran warungs (eating places) is well worth the effort. Surf board hire in Kuta is everywhere, as are shoeless, shirtless customers.

Ubud - 3 days. A favourite spot in Bali that oozes balinese culture. An arty town, full of boutiques, spas, places to sleep and eat, nightly traditional dances in nearby temples. The surrounding hills are carved into dramatically precipitous rice terraces. Rural Bali is a short drive, or even a walk away. A day trip to the north, around Kintamani is a must.

Lovina - 1 day. An extremely quiet beach town, frequented by locals and schools. The beach is nothing spectacular. Food offerings are poor, save for a fantastic Thai Restaurant.

Java

Cemoro Lawang, Mt. Bromo, Java

Borobudur, Java

The journey to Java is a long overnight bus-ferry-bus trip. A combined ticket can be purchased in Lovina or anywhere in Bali. If you’re travelling onto Mt. Bromo, buses will drop you in Probolingo and further arrangements can be made from there, even if it is 3am! (Don’t forget that there’s a time change when making this journey).

Probolingo – 1 day. The gateway town to Mt. Bromo.  Unless you stay overnight on the edge of the crater in the town of Cemoro Lawang you will probably leave Probolingo in the very early hours of the morning in order to catch sunrise over the rim and return to Probolingo in the afternoon.

Solo – 2 days. A highly recommended stop in Java.  The nearby fertility temples, surrounding cottage industries, tea and coffee plantations make a motorbike tour well worth doing.  A great place to learn about the Batik craft, watch a wayang golek performance and to meet genuinely friendly indonesians.

Yogyakarta – 4 days. Another of Java’s most fascinating places to explore.  The huge Buddhist monument of Borobudur sits just outside the city along with the Hindu complex of Prambanan.  The narrow gangs in the north of town are reminiscent of Kuta but much less cluttered with sellers.

Pangandaran – 2 days. Somewhat undiscovered by tourists, locals flock to this beach resort during the summer for the large expanse of sand and rolling surf.  Surrounding cottage industries are educational and the Green Canyon is a definite must-do.  The coastline and residents were severely affected by the Boxing day tsunami in 2004.

Jakarta – 1 day. The busy Indonesian capital.

Bali is vastly different from the rest of Indonesia. It has a well developed tourism scene and a very comfortable feel. The continual bombardment with people wanting your money in Java can be trying at times, and leave you feeling cheated when they revel in securing your custom. Everyone, everywhere can organise your transport, take you on a tour or show you somewhere to stay. Small private minibuses are an easy, comfortable and quick way to travel between cities. Train travel is also generally good.