Budget
History
Crowds
Nightlife
Food
Cultural Distinction
With over 17 000 islands (6000 populated), Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. Yet, despite this, when most people think of Indonesia, they only ever seem to remember the fantasized holiday destination of Bali.
However, Bali is only a tiny fracture of the many Indonesian islands that make the country such a phenomenal backpacking destination. Islands such as Sumatra, Sulawesi, and Lombok are often neglected by travellers to the region. Yet, each island offers an experience as rich and unique as Bali.
Whether diving in some of the most pristine waters, climbing down into an active volcanic crater, or just catching some waves at the beach, every Indonesia Island has something new to offer that caters to diverse sets of travellers.
Indonesia Islands
Indonesia is broken up into 8 main islands; the wildlands of Sumatra occupy the country’s most northwestern border, with the most populated island of Java just to its south.
Alongside the southeast is Indonesia’s southern island chain are Bali, Lombok, and Nusa Tenggara. Along the North and to the east of Sumatra are the islands of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and the smaller archipelago of Maluku.
Indonesia’s most western island is Papua, which it shares with New Guinea. While this island requires a special access permit, those who manage to acquire it will not be disappointed. With natural destinations scattered throughout, Raja Ampat is perhaps the most famous for its world-class diving.
With so many diverse islands to explore and only a one-month visa upon arrival, it is impossible to see everything the country offers in a single visit. Of course, there are ways to stay longer in the country, but we will touch more on that later.
Nevertheless, each island is so rich with its own unique culture that each requires at least 3 weeks to fully explore. Therefore, it would be impossible for me to fit a complete Indonesian guide into a single blog post. Instead, I will publish each island individually and only share essential information regarding budgets and visas on this page.
For more specific island guides, be sure to click your island destination’s link below.
Since exploring Indonesia in one trip is impossible, there were a few islands I was unable to get to on my first go. So until I return to finish these guides, here are brief overviews of the islands I missed should you decide to visit.
Sumatra
Full disclosure, I actually have been to Sumatra. However, my trip was cut short due to the Covid-19 lockdowns, and my trip was confined to the Lake Toba area in the North. While the beautiful, small island of Samosir in the centre of the lake is considered one the top destinations in all of Sumatra, the rest of the island still has so much to offer, and for that reason the island finds itself on my missed list.
Often referred to as the Wild West of Indonesia, this island is perfect for adventure seekers. Natural beauty overruns the landscape as one of the country’s less commercialized islands. This destination is ideal for spotting wild species indigenous to Indonesia. In fact, Sumatra, along with its neighbour island Borneo, are the only places on earth where tigers, rhinos, orangutans, and elephants are found living in the wild together.
Kalimantan
The Indonesian portion of the larger island of Borneo (the rest of which is shared with the country’s neighbour, Malaysia), is home to one of the largest rain forests in the world. Through the island’s remote jungles are several winding rivers perfect for intrepid travellers looking for their next great adventure.
This is one of Indonesia’s least travelled islands. As a result, the island has very little commercialization towards accommodating tourists. It’s recommended you do your research before visiting. A few learned phrases in Bahasa Indonesian will go a long way.
Maluku Islands
An archipelago within an archipelago, the Islands of Maluku was once a centre of economics between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was the world’s only source of nutmeg, cloves, and mace, which triggered the region’s Dutch colonialism, remnants of which can still be seen today. Since its 200-year hay day, these picturesque islands have fallen back into obscurity. Nevertheless, they have become a fantastic destination for white sand beaches and colourful reefs for both beach bums and divers alike.
Papua
This far West Island, which Indonesia shares with New Guinea, is only for the most intrepid travellers. Known for its tribal culture and occasional cannibalism, Papua requires a special visa beyond just that for Indonesia.
While Papua both entices and frightens me, it was an island I had not hit but wished I had upon meeting a couple in Sulawesi that had lived with a tribe for a week. While the country does issue a warning for the majority of the island, Raja Ampat in the North is relatively safe and is considered one of the top spots in the world for diving.
East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara is a lightly trafficked, tribal culture island perfect for adventure. Still, for those less interested in backpacking, several multi-day boat tours are offered from Bali and Lombok to check out the highlights. These highlights include Pink Beach, so named after the colour of the sand, and Komodo Island, the only place where one can find Komodo dragons in the wild.
Foods of Indonesia
While each island has their own traditional dishes(See each island’s post for a list of those), the following are a few dishes that you can find anywhere in the country. A quick word of warning; Indonesians love their chilli sauce, and while it is very delicious, it is a whole new level of spice. So much so that at my first time having it, at a bus stop between Makassar and Tana Toraja, I literally had tears running down my face to the great amusement of the locals.
Sate Ayam
While considered more of a street snack than an actual meal, Sate Ayam was my favourite thing to eat in Indonesia. Just as it sounds, this dish is chicken satay, drenched in delicious peanut sauce.
Bakso
Another staple of Indonesia is Bakso, a meatball soup served with a hard-boiled egg, noodles and dumplings.
Nasi Goreng
Literally meaning fried rice, this meal can be served at any time of day. While there are minor variants to the recipe, it is usually served with vegetables, typically carrots and peas, and a hard-boiled egg.
Budget
40 CAD Per Day
Here’s the tricky part of budgeting for Indonesia travel; each island will cost different prices for everything. Nevertheless, here is a basic overview of what you can expect to pay.
Accommodation - $14
While you’ll be able to find cheap hostels all over Bali and Lombok, less-touristed islands like Sulawesi will require you to stay at guest houses. Unfortunately, competition isn’t very high in these area, and only a select few accommodations have cornered the market and feature inflated prices compared to other places in the country.
I’ll address each island’s budget within their posts, but overall for accommodations, you can expect to pay between $7-$20 CAD. However, I could get it as low as $4, and I’ll let ya know how when I talk budgeting tips a little further down this post.
Transportation $10
Transportation is also island dependent, but if you stick to the public buses, you can expect to pay between $7-$10. Alternatively, visitors can rent a scooter in each location for about the same daily price range.
Food- $5
If you stick to street food, you can easily eat for between $1-$2 anywhere in the country. However, finer restaurants can still be affordable where you can expect to pay between $6-$10.
Attractions and Activities- $10
The attractions are where the budgeting is really going to range. Unfortunately for several of the main tourist attractions, a guide is essential for the experience. For that reason, you can expect to pay $10-$25 a day.
Now that’s an average. So there will be days you will get by with $3 admissions tickets, but there will be days where you spend $50 for a guide up a volcano.
I know it’s a wide range, but throughout the country, you can expect to pay anywhere between $25 and $60 a day. For the sake of setting a budget for this guide, we will go with the average and say you should budget about $40 a day for a backpacking trip through Indonesia.
Budgeting Tips
An absolute must-use budgeting resource when backpacking Indonesia is the mobile app Agoda. A Singapore-based travel agency, Agoda features accommodations listed at a much lower price point than on other booking platforms.
In fact, the prices are listed so low that the proprietor of the accommodation will often try to renegotiate upon your arrival. But don’t worry. If you stick by the app’s listed price, they will honour it 90% of the time, or at worst, you will come to a deal of $1 or $2 more. I paid less than $5 from the app for some of the nicest rooms I stayed in.
Another app you’re going to want to download is Traveloka. Intended for locals, this app offers the lowest prices on flights.
Finally, Grab and Gojek are unquestionable must-have mobile apps when travelling to Indonesia. Like Uber, the apps are budget-friendly ride programs, with Gojek being the most cost-effective of the two options.
Visas
Some other information you will need to know to enter the country is regarding the visas. Most countries are eligible for a visa on arrival for the cost of $35 USD and proof of onward travel,
If you are flying with a one way ticket, don’t worry. You can buy a fake ticket from several online sources for $2-$3 that you can use to show the customs officer.
Once inside the country, you can apply for a one-month extension. The easiest route is through the variety of visa agents you will find in all of the main tourist hubs, but it will come with an additional price tag. Here is a link to the Facebook page of my visa agent, Budha.
Alternatively, at the end of your visa, you can leave the country for a day and return with a new visa on arrival. Cheap flights can be found to neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia and Thailand. There is no return policy on Indonesian visas. This form of extended travel to Indonesia has become very popular, and the act has been dubbed “making a visa run.”
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