10 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO INDONESIA

Send

With this selection of Tips for traveling to Indonesia We hope to help you prepare your trip to one of the most incredible countries in the world, which has more than 17,000 islands, largely uninhabited and in which in addition to a great cultural wealth, more than 300 languages are spoken.
For this reason, it is essential to decide well which islands you want to visit, since each of them has its culture, customs, landscapes and gastronomy, making Indonesia a country that could well be 100 countries in one.

Based on the two times we have traveled to the country, the first on a trip to Indonesia in 26 days, in which we visited Java, Borneo, Bali and Lombok and the second returning to the Island of the Gods, in which we were more than one month and during which we wrote this travel guide to Bali for free, we leave you the ones that are for us, the 10 essential tips for traveling to Indonesia. We start!

1. What is the best time?

Given that the dimensions of the country, we can say that the best time for a trip to Indonesia It depends largely on the islands you are going to visit.

High season (July and August): these two months are usually the most crowded, especially in Bali, one of the most visited places in the country. In addition, these months include the dry season except for Moluccas and Papua, which are usually rainy months.
Mid season (May, June and September): for us, the best time to travel to Indonesia, since it is still dry season in Java, Bali and Lombok and there is not so much tourism, as in the previous months.
Low season (from October to April): these months include the rainy season in Java, Bali and Lombok and the dry season in Moluccas and Papua. Despite this, the rains do not usually last more than a few hours and the sun rises again, so if you can not travel at another time, we would not rule out the trip.

Remember the travel to Indonesia In high season, it is highly recommended to book flights, accommodation and excursions in advance, to avoid high prices and have more options available.

2. Security

Currently we can say that traveling to Indonesia is safe, especially after the attacks in Bali in 2002 and 2005 and those in Jakarta in 2003 and 2009, which increased security in tourist areas.
Despite these and taking into account the time that has passed and the current measures as we discussed earlier, there is no problem to make a trip to Indonesia, either free or organized.

In the same way and even if it is safe, it is always necessary to travel with common sense and have certain precautions such as not carrying valuables in places you do not know, going at night to places that you are not sure are safe or leaving your luggage unattended .
In addition to this, it may be interesting to ask in your accommodation if there is any unsafe area, to be sure, especially if you are going out at night.

Another thing to keep in mind is the zero tolerance that exists in Indonesia with respect to drugs, even in the most tourist places where in some cases raids are held in private parties. Keep this in mind, especially in areas where they can be offered in a very clear way, and this can lead to the confusion of believing that it is allowed.

Bromo volcano

3. Requirements for entering the country

If you are a Spanish citizen to enter Indonesia you will need to present a passport with a minimum of 6 months of validity and also a minimum blank page for each entry you are going to make in the country.
Keep in mind that the authorities are quite demanding and will not allow you to enter if they see that your passport is in poor condition, it does not have the blank pages you need depending on the number of tickets and if you carry a provisional passport.

For stays as a tourist of less than 30 days, a visa is not necessary but if you are going to stay longer in the country you must process a visa of 35 dollars at the airport, with which you can stay 30 days in Indonesia and then extend them for 30 more in immigration authorities.
This is not the easiest since it can only be done in certain places and these sometimes have quite diffuse schedules, in addition to in some cases, needing several visits.
If you are going to travel more than 30 days, we advise you to process the visa through the Indonesian Embassy in Spain, from where besides being easier, it will be much faster.

If you have another nationality, the best advice for traveling to Indonesia is to check with your embassy to get the updated information.

Prambanan in Java

4. Vaccines and travel insurance

The first of the tips for your trip to Indonesia is that you go to your international vaccination center to be a doctor who, according to your medical history, places you are going to visit or time you are going to stay in the country, determine what they are Recommended vaccines.
In general we can tell you that to travel to Indonesia there is no mandatory vaccine, except for the Yellow Fever for travelers from Africa or South America, who have been during the last 6 months.
Despite what has been mentioned above, vaccines for tetanus, hepatitis A and B and typhus are recommended. Although there is no malaria in most of the country, there are some areas, such as Lombok where prophylaxis may be necessary in addition to using mosquito repellent and come equipped with travel mosquito nets.

In addition to visiting the doctor, it is very important to have the best travel insurance for Indonesia, so that if you need it, have the best care in the best centers in the country.
We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have during the trip. Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.

5. How to start the trip

The first and most important thing when traveling to Indonesia is to determine which places you want to visit, which you will come associated with as long as you have. After our experience, we would recommend a minimum of 21-25 days to get to know the most essential places to visit in Indonesia and focus on a maximum of 4-5 islands at most.
For a first trip, we believe that one of the best options would be to focus on Java, Borneo (Tanjung Puting National Park) if you want to see orangutans, Bali and Lombok, to spend the last days of the trip in one of the Gili Islands.

With this in mind, the first thing would be to look for a flight to Jakarta and departure through Bali or Lombok, in order to save time and not have to make any extra internal flights. For this multi-destination flight and other internal flights, we recommend using this flight search engine, where you can find all available options.
Once you have the flight and especially if you travel in high season, it is best to book the accommodation in Indonesia with the maximum advance, whenever you want to have the maximum options and the best prices.
Keep in mind that internal transport through the country will be done by taxi, private driver or flight or ferry between islands and these can be hired once you are there, except in Bali, where there is more tourism, it is highly recommended to hire them in advance.

If you want to make an excursion or tour, it can also be highly recommended to book it in time, to ensure that there are places available. You can see all the excursion options in Indonesia and make reservations here.

Gili Islands

6. Money exchange

The currency of Indonesia is the Indonesian rupee and currently the equivalence is 1 euro = 15.78 Indonesian rupees. Although in many places you will read that it is advisable to make the currency exchange at the airport or at an exchange agency, we after the experience and many trips, we recommend you pay everything you can with card and take out of the ATM, to have so The best change and avoid charging fees.

We always recommend using the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.

Remember that it is also necessary to carry cash to make payments in stores that do not accept cards or for tips.

Changing money, one of the things to consider when traveling to Bali

7. How to have internet in Indonesia?

If you want to have internet in Indonesia, something very necessary today, especially considering the amount of applications we use in our trips and the need to be in contact with our family and friends, you can choose several options:

Buy a SIM card at the airport or at a phone shop in the city.
Buy one Holafly SIM card, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, saving you all the time of the negotiations and making the whole process to have internet in Turkey much more comfortable, fast and easy.
In this case, with the Holafly SIM you will have several Gb to surf the Internet (depending on the option you choose), they will send it to you for free at home, you will keep your WhatsApp number and you will have assistance service in Spanish. You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader.

More information on the Holafly post, the best prepaid SIM card for travel

8. Route through Indonesia

Previously, in the section on how to start the trip to Indonesia, we commented that our recommendation would be to spend about 3-4 weeks in the country to be able to visit most of its main places. In case you have less time, we recommend reducing the number of islands to visit to be able to maximize the number of places, but always with the necessary time to enjoy them.
Based on the route we made, we believe that the ideal is to fly to Jakarta in Java, from there take a flight from Java to Yogyakarta, one of the cities that you can not miss on the island, in addition to starting to know the culture from the country, get to know the Prambanan Temples and visit Borobudur from Yogyakarta, two of the most impressive places in Indonesia.
All these visits can be done by free, moving by public transport or taxi, being the last option much faster, since public transport in Indonesia is not too reliable in terms of times, routes and routes.
The next stop, after visiting Borobudur will be the Dieng Plateau, one of the most impressive places in Java, where in addition to incredible landscapes, you can see a caldera in the area of the active volcano of Dieng.
In case you want to know these places in a comfortable way, in addition to being accompanied by a guide in Spanish, we recommend you book this Tour through Yogyakarta and the Prambanan and Borobudur temples or this Excursion to Borobudur at sunrise and Dieng Plateau.

The next stage of the trip is a flight from Semarang to Borneo, where you can see orangutans in Tanjung Puting aboard a klotok or typical boat for several days, which we assure you, will be one of the unforgettable experiences of travel to Indonesia.
You can book your Borneo Cruise with orangutan sighting here.

Tanjung Puting National Park

After this stage in Borneo, you will take a flight from Borneo to Java, to move after Solo to Malang by taxi, visiting on the way the impressive Candi Cetho and Candi Sukuh temples.
Once in Malang, the trip continues with an incredible sunrise on the Bromo, after this impressive experience, end the stage in Java, catching a flight to Bali and making the transfer from Denpasar airport to Ubud.
In case you want to do this organized part, you can book this Excursion to Surakarta and temples of Cetho and Sukuh or this 3-day Tour of Mount Bromo and Ijen from Yogyakarta to Bali.

Once in Bali, where we recommend you spend an average of 5-7 days, to visit the most tourist places of the island such as Tegallalang, Gunug Kawi, Tirta Empul, Lake Batur, Pura Besakih, Pera Kehen or Peglinpuran, which you can know hiring a car with driver, to know Bali with guide in Spanish or booking excursions in Bali.
Another of the best tips for traveling to Indonesia is to visit the temples Pura Taman Ayun, Ulun Danu Bratan, Git Git, Jatilowih and Tanah Lot, which you can also meet with a car with a driver in Bali.
Other places you can not miss are Kuta and Impossibles Beach, which are two of the beaches of Bali and of course, a sunset in Pura Luhur Uluwatu, one of the most famous temples on the island besides Tirta Gangga and the Pura Goa Lawah bat cave.

The next stage of the trip will take you from Bali to Lombok, where we recommend you to see Pura Lingdar, Pura Suradani, Banyumulek, Sade, Senggigi, which are part of the route you can do in Lombok by car with a driver.

The last part of the trip will start by catching a boat from Lombok to the Gili Islands, an authentic paradise, where you can enjoy diving, beaches as well as take a trip from Gili Trawangan to Gili Meno by boat, where the trip will end, flying from Lombok to Spain.

9. Bali

Although we have already talked a little about the Island of the Gods, we believe that this incredible island deserves an extra section, as it is one of the most incredible places, not only in Indonesia but in the world to which many travelers dedicate an exclusive trip, just as we did before publishing the travel guide to Bali for free.
One of the first tips to travel to Bali that we want to give you is the need to plan well, both the days of the trip and the places to visit in Bali, based on this, decide the duration of your trip.
In our case and after the experience, we would recommend you spend at least one week on the island and 10-15 days if you later want to add some day in one of the best beaches in Bali or take a route for the best things to do in Gili, in Lombok.

To make it easier to organize, we leave you several articles about Bali:

50 things to see and do in Bali
The 15 essential temples of Bali
The best things to do in Ubud
The 5 best rice paddies in Bali
The best waterfalls in Bali

Bali

10. Indonesian gastronomy

Another of the great reasons to travel to Indonesia is undoubtedly its cuisine, one of the most exquisite in the world. Although we know that it is impossible to make a list of all the dishes that exist, we want to leave you a selection of what are the most essential dishes for us and what you should try on your trip to Indonesia.

Nasi Goreng: we would dare to say that it is the best known dish in Indonesia. It consists of fried rice, vegetables and chicken to which a fried egg is usually added.
Mie Goreng: it is basically the same dish as the previous one, but replacing rice with noodles.
Gado-Gado: boiled vegetables with peanut sauce.
Satay: the typical skewers, but in this case made of meat, fish or seafood and seasoned with the fascinating peanut sauce.
Redang: this is one of the typical stews that you can eat that is based on meat and many species, with an incredible flavor.
Pisang Goreg: fried banana. Nothing more and nothing less than exquisite.

Nasi Goreng

More tips for traveling to Indonesia

Some extra tips for travel to Indonesia would:

Although it is not impossible, it is not advisable to rent a car to tour Bali if you have never driven through Asia. We rent it, for being a month and a half on the island and we assure you that driving is not easy at all. On the other hand, from what we have been told, it is much easier with a motorcycle.
Remember that in Indonesia, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism coexist, which is the official religion of Bali.
In Bali, to enter the temples, you must use a sarong, which is a piece of cloth that is tied at the waist as a skirt and worn by men and women. Normally they lend them to you in the temples themselves, sometimes free and sometimes leaving a donation, but we recommend you buy one in one of the stalls, so that it becomes one of the souvenirs.
In addition to the fact that in most hotels you will have the possibility of using Wi-Fi, at the airport you can buy a SIM card for your free phone and thus have internet.
It is highly recommended as an application for Indonesia, use Maps.me as GPS both online and offline.
In Indonesia the voltage is 230V, the frequency 50 Hz and the type of plugs are type C / F.

Travel to Bali

Do you want to organize this trip to Indonesia for free?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to Indonesia here
The best hotels at the best prices in Indonesia here
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from Indonesia in Spanish here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Guide to prepare a trip to Bali for free
Best travel insurance for Indonesia
Rent villa in Bali with Airbnb
Rent your car in Indonesia at the best price here