Hi!
Hi there,
Java in a week, eh? Depending on how much you enjoy massive, traffic-choked and polluted cities, you might want to skip Java and fly straight to Yogya. Also worth seeing is Solo (also called Surakarta), which is near Yogya and accessible by train, which is fun. In Yogya and Solo you have, of course, Prambanan and Borobudur to visit. Solo is also a great place to do a day tour of local cottage industries. We stayed at the Cakra Homestay in Solo which was lovely and very atmospheric.
From Solo there are companies which will arrange transport direct to Gunung Bromo-Tengger-Semeru. Much easier than doing it by yourself. After having visited Bromo you can bus it back to Surabaya via Probolinggo and fly onwards from there to Bali. Or, of course, go overland to the eastern tip of Java and catch one of the very regular ferries that does the short hop to Bali. Independent travel is possible across most of Sumatra/Java/Bali although most probably not Raja Ampat (see below).
Borneo/Raja Ampat? I'm assuming you mean "or" since they are not even close to each other. Raja Ampat is a huge dream of mine to go to (diving liveaboard) but I'm waiting until I move to Australia to go in a few years. As far as I'm aware to get there from Java you'd need to fly from Surabaya to Sorong in West Papua, from where dive resorts organise boat transfers. My understanding is that Raja Ampat is not a place you can travel to independently. As for Indonsesian Borneo, I don't know it - only ever been to the Malaysian side in Sabah and Sarawak. Then you're thinking of flying all the way across the archipelago again...would it not make sense to start in Sumatra and then travel eastbound Sumatra-Java-Bali-Borneo? How much time do you have to do all of that - to me that itinerary would require at least 6 to 8 weeks.
Enjoy your planning!
Will
Hi, thanks for the tips- I think I will cut out Jakarta as I really wasn't that fussed and I'm not keen on crowded smoggy cities tbh...
Aye it would be soooo much easier if I could go in one direction, but the flights are ridiculously expensive to get from Japan and then on to Vietnam unless I fly in/out of Jakarta which is the rough itinerary. I'll have a play around with flights though.
Raja Ampat - god it looks amazing! But it may just tip over the budget so I'll have to play it by here.
I was thinking of 5 weeks to do Indonesia, so I may need to cut out a few places to fit it in, but I wasn't totally far off
Thanks again!
Hi,
At least 8 -10 weeks In Indonesia if you want to see most things.
Would be best to fly into Banda Aceh from KL.
See Banda Aceh city - 3 days on Pulau Weh, back to Banda Aceh.
Bus right down through Aceh stopping at Takengon, Ketambe - see wild orangutans.
Then Lake Toba, up to Brestagi to Medan to Bukitt Lawang and Tangkahan and back to Medan.
Fly from Medan to Padang bus to Bukittinggi, Lake Maninjau, Harau Valley, Gunung Kerinci and back to Padang.
Fly Padang to Jakarta and then local train to Bogor see Botanical Gardens etc then bus down through Puncak Pass to Cipanas and Cianjur in West Java - beautiful off the beaten track places.
This website has great information on the area. http://www.cianjuradventure.com/
Know the area well myself as I had my own free english school there for 5 yrs with a local teacher.
From Cianjur/Bandung you can get a bus to Pangandaran Beach in south West Java and from there go by the south coast to Yogjakarta.
Yogjakarta get a local train to Solo and stand by the driver's compartment and you could get invited to stand in there and you will feel like you are driving the train - my experience in July 2006)
From Yogja you can train it to Surabaya and then train to Probolinggo and bus up to Cemoro Lawang to see Bromo.
OR a bus from Yogjakarta to Gunung Bromo - many agencies in Yogja do this trip.
From Probolinggo you can get train to ferry and then bus to Bali.
Pamela
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