My top ten travel moments from Indonesia
There was a lot to love from my month in Indonesia. I spent a few days volcano-hunting in Java, a few weeks exploring Bali, and finished off visiting the beautiful Komodo National Park.
After coming back from my trip, I’ve created this list of my top ten moments from Indonesia. I hope it inspires you to plan your own visit!
My itinerary
Before I begin, I figured I’d share a bit on what I did in Indonesia. That way, you know why I’m talking about the things I do.
I flew into Surabaya on the island of Java, and immediately joined a volcano tour, visiting Mt Bromo and Mt Ijen. I then travelled onward to Bali, spending a couple of days in Seminyak, a beach town in the south, and Ubud, a central town which acts as the cultural hub of the island.
Afterwards, I headed to Amed, a fishing town in North-East Bali, to take the PADI Open Water Diver qualification. I then visited the Gili islands, and stopped for a few days in Senggigi, a town in western Lombok.
Next, I took a boat trip from Lombok to Flores via the Komodo Islands, visiting islands along the way. I finished my trip off with a couple of days in Labuan Bajo, in the west of Flores.
My top ten travel moments in Indonesia
In this list, you’ll see the top times that I had in Indonesia. These are the moments where I was having the best time, either because I was doing something incredible, meeting great people, or trying something new.
It was so hard to shorten this list to just ten moments! I’ve listed these below, in no particular order.
1. Making batik art in Ubud
Possibly my favourite moment from my time in Ubud was the batik art class I took. Batik is an art style with roots in Java, involving layers of wax and paint to progressively form a picture.
I am not an artsy person at all, but I really enjoyed spending a few hours getting to know this craft. It helped that our instructors were friendly and patient, making it so much better.
If you’re planning a trip to Bali, I highly recommend giving batik a go.
2. Watching sunrise from the crater rim at Mt Bromo
Indonesia has a lot of active volcanoes. Some of these are way too dangerous for tourists to visit, but others are very popular on tours, such as Mt Batur and Mt Agung in Bali, or Mt Rinjani in Lombok.
During my trip, I visited Mt Bromo and Mt Ijen, two volcanoes on Java; both are incredibly popular with backpackers. My favourite of the two was Mt Bromo. As the first volcano I ever visited, I found it thrilling to hear the rumble of magma and gases in the vent beneath, and to see the rising gas clouds.
We watched the sunrise from Bromo’s crater rim. It was one of the most stunning sights I’ve ever seen, with the sun rising over the misty caldera. The experience will stick with me for a long time.
3. Learning to dive in Amed, Bali
I’ve always wanted to learn how to dive, but never did so in the UK – it’s expensive and the water is cold. So, when I began planning our trip to Indonesia, I was excited to see how many dive centres there are in Bali offering beginner courses.
Lou and I signed up for one in Amed. I loved staying in this small fishing village; it was much quieter than the places we’d previously visited in Bali.
The dive course itself was a lot of fun. A particular highlight was our final dive, where we went to the SS Liberty, a shipwreck in Tulamben. It was so interesting to swim beneath the beams and see the hull conquered by nature.
4. Sleeping on the deck en route to the Komodo Islands
When I look back at my time in Indonesia, there are a few things that I can’t believe I did. One of those is a four day boat tour from Lombok to Flores, via the Komodo Islands.
I loved the boat trip and seeing all the sights along the way; the group of backpackers and holiday makers on the boat were so friendly and really made the journey. But to keep the price cheap and fit as many people on the boat as possible, we slept on thin mattresses on the boat deck.
The experience was novel, but I wouldn’t do it again. The deck above the rumbling engine as the boat moved with the waves didn’t exactly make for ideal sleeping conditions!
5. Drinking iced tea everywhere
It’s only when travelling Southeast Asia that I realised how much I love iced tea. It’s just not the same in the U.K.
I drank iced tea literally everywhere in Indonesia. Every warung (local restaurant) offers it and it was always so refreshing what with the hot weather. I’m getting thirsty just thinking about it!
Probably my favourite memory is of Lou and I drinking our iced tea overlooking the rice paddies on the outskirts of Ubud. Iced tea with a view: what more could you want?
6. Watching sunset from Padar Island
So many of my top memories from Indonesia are of watching sunset. There were just so many great spots to watch it from.
My favourite moment has to be when we watched sunset from the hill at Padar Island. This island in the Komodo National Park has to be one of the most photographed in Indonesia, with its three bays in one photo.
The view was stunning. Sunsets don’t get much better than this!
7. Seeing manta rays and turtles close up in the Komodo National Park
Another top moment was in the Komodo National Park – this time, underwater.
After learning to dive in Amed, Lou and I signed up for a day of dives from Labuan Bajo. We had heard the Komodo National Park holds some of the most amazing dive spots. Whilst the cost hurt, it was 100% worth it.
At one of the three spots, we saw vibrant coral reefs – the most developed I’ve ever seen. At another, we counted over ten turtles and could get close to them without causing any disturbance. We went to another dive site with incredible currents, which meant there were manta rays. And we even saw dolphins! The whole day was incredible.
8. Learning to cook in Lombok
Whilst staying in Senggigi, I attended a cooking class. I attended a cooking class in every country I visited in Southeast Asia, and the cooking class in Lombok was possibly my favourite of them all.
We cooked several popular Indonesian dishes as well as the classic dessert (dadar gulung – pandan-infused pancakes filled with coconut). The instructors made it super fun, and, as we discovered with a lot of our favourite activities, the group of participants elevated the experience.
9. Chilling on Gili Air
One of the things I enjoyed most in Indonesia was less of a moment and more of a vibe over several days. About halfway through our trip, we spent a few nights on each of Gili Trawangan and Gili Air, seeing a bit of the islands. Lou dove and I relaxed on the beach in between walking and snorkelling.
I wasn’t too keen on Gili Trawangan, but I loved Gili Air. The island was gently relaxing whilst still having things to do and places to eat. There was plenty of shade, beautiful sunsets and even the odd turtle to see. Sometimes just doing nothing is the best, and this was one of those moments for me.
10. Swimming with whale sharks
The last moment on this list is bittersweet. Whilst sailing from Lombok to the Komodo Islands, our boat stopped at an artificial feeding station for whale sharks. We could get in the water and snorkel around them.
I feel torn about this moment, because it was incredible to see whale sharks so close – they are such majestic creatures and didn’t mind having people for company. But I didn’t like that they were being fed for something as menial as backpacker tourism.
Still, I’d definitely put this as a top ten moment; the whale sharks warrant that much.
Conclusion
My month in Indonesia was fun from start to finish. From climbing volcanoes to diving coral reefs, relaxing on the beach to passing through rice terraces, I had so many varied experiences. It doesn’t surprise me that Indonesia is so popular with tourists!
Would you like to visit Indonesia? Where would you like to visit most? Let me know in the comments.
