Hey Reddit,

As I did for the Philippines, I just finished one month in Indonesia and I'd like to share my travel itinerary while it's still fresh. I know my itinerary is pretty random so if there's a better one that worked for you, please comment below.

Bali - 6-9 nights

Okay, so you'll either love or hate Bali. Some might look at my recommendation and say hell no, get out of there as soon as possible. Yet, plenty of people I met were spending their entire trip there. Most flights land here (Denpasar) so it's a starting point whether you like it or not. There's kind of 3 main districts next to each other and close to the airport: Kuta, Seminyak, and Canggu in order of closest to farthest.

Kuta - 1 night

I arrived late and didn't want to travel far so I opted to get a cab there. The cab drivers are famously relentless at this airport and it's true. They were all screaming over each other and one of them followed me into the bathroom ffs. You'll have to pay because Grab/Go-Jek is forced out of the airport area by these taxi drivers. I still overpaid but brought them down from the ridiculous 400,000rp asking price to 120,000rp for a 10 minute drive to my hostel in Kuta. I stayed at Captain Goose Hostel, I recommend staying there if it's a short amount of time (beds aren't the best). It's central, inexpensive, and has free breakfast. I didn't like Kuta very much because it's full of malls and western fast food but it could be nice if you're looking to ease into your vacation.

Seminyak - 0 nights

Depending on your interests, I'd recommend stay here or in Canggu during your time in "oceanfront Bali". I stayed in Canggu but came here two nights for partying. There's some amazing bars and clubs (Mexicola and La Favela) jam packed with other travelers so you're bound to have a fun night.

Canggu - 3 nights

Canggu was my favourite of the 3 districts because you can surf at the beach. It gives you something to do in the day - one thing I found is lacking in most of oceanfront Bali (unless you just want to day drink). That being said, Old Man's and Finn's Beach Club are great places to get a drink. I stayed at Escape Hostel - comfy capsule beds, rooftop bar, pool table, and a swimming pool. You can rent a bike a drive around to a few temples nearby or to the beach to surf. **Be careful on the bike in Bali** - everyone drives recklessly despite how busy it is.

Ubud - 3 nights

I loved Ubud a lot. It's a complete change of pace from oceanfront Bali and only 45 mins by bike (1h 30min by car). Amazing scenery, chilled out hostels, and no clubs. I stayed a PADI PADI backpackers. Mr. Padi does a great job organizing and leading tours and will get you chatting with everyone else there.

Things to do:

• Mt. Batour hike: Do this!! You wake up at 1:30am and start hiking the mountain at 3:00am. You make it to the top about 30 minutes before sunrise. The sun rises behind another mountain and you're above the clouds, truly beautiful!! Be sure to bring a sweater because you'll be chilly on the top of the mountain. Also bring extra food because they don't feed you enough on the tour. We ordered pizzas the night before and saved 4 slices for the hike, so worth it.
• Rice fields: you can rent a bike and get over two a couple different rice fields within 30 minutes. Entry is cheap and they're beautiful to walk around. Go in the morning before it gets hot!
• Royal Palace: beautiful and full of history if you're into that.
• Tegenungan Waterfall: huge waterfall where you can sort of swim - they rope off the area directly under the falls because you'd probably die. There's also a cliffside bar/grill/pool to chill for a bit.
• Monkey Forest: at first I was skeptical about this place but the monkeys have 100% freedom to go as they please. It's 50,000rp entry and completely worth the price!
• And so much more! If you're short on time, there are tours available to do most of these activities in one day.

Amed - 2 nights

My friend and I took a bit of a detour to go to Amed for diving. If you're not interested in diving, then I'd recommend skipping this place. It's an emerging tourist spot with only two hostels and more dive shops than any other shop combined. The diving was great though - do the liberty shipwreck if you get a chance. Also, rent some snorkels and a bike and drive 30 mins along the coast to the Japanese shipwreck as well.

From here, we took a fast boat to Gili Trawangan (Gili T)

The Gili Islands - 3-4 nights

Can be accessed via fast boat from most places. Gili T is the main island with the most hostels, restaurants, and bars. I stayed at My Mate's Place. It's super social and they turn off the lights to the common area at 10pm so everyone leaves in one big group each night and heads for the bars. It's also different bars each night so you get something new each time you go out. If you don't feel like partying, you get to sleep after 10pm.

Things to do:

• Nothing! Just lay on the beach and soak up some sun, you're in paradise!
• Rent a bicycle and bike around the island. No cars on the Gilis so just cruise around without worry, aside from those damn horses!
• Mushroom shakes: if you're interested, you can find them here pretty easily if you look. They can be quite strong so be advised.
• Snorkeling: either by tour or just go out on your own. There are plenty of tours that take you to cool spots around each Gili island for around 150,000rp. You can also rent a mask/fins for cheaper and just head out on your own.
• Paddle boarding: you can paddle across to Gili Meno (on a calm day) and explore!
• Scuba Diving: so many dive spots around the Gilis. I recommend Shark Point if I could only choose one - shipwreck, sharks, and macro life.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to stay on Gili Meno or Gili Air so I can't comment about them. I only spent a half day on Gili Meno and it seemed really relaxed and peaceful.

Nusa Penida - 3-4 nights

I took a fast boat for 300,000rp from Gili T to get here.

One of my favourite spots in Indonesia! This island is for hikers and view-chasers and it blew me away with its scenery. The whole island is essentially bordered by cliffs leading down to the sea so you're in for some epic views where ever you go. Be warned, the roads are bumpier than my 15 year old face so please drive with caution and bring a first aid kit with you when you ride. I stayed at Bingtang Hostel and Homestay. It is only found on Booking and is much cheaper than the alternatives on this island - also has a pool.

Things to do:

• Broken Beach: probably named after the road to get there. By far the worst access road in Nusa Penida.
• Kelingking Beach: the famous T-rex shaped rock. The hike down to the beach is treacherous though. Wear proper shoes!
• Banah and Saren Cliffs: more cliffs on SW side of the island if you want to squeeze those into your day.
• Peguyangan Waterfall: a very tiring hike to see this cute little temple nestled into the side of the cliff right on the edge of the ocean. There's also an infinity "cleansing" pool that you can cool off in as the massive waves crash into the rocks below you. It was worth the pain.
• Diamond/Atuh Beach: Amazing view that splits Diamond and Atuh Beach with options to hike down to either. We hiked down to Diamond and it was worth it for the swim. Be advised, there is a rip current so don't swim out to where you can't touch, we learned that the hard way. Same goes for any swimming spot on this island. Take North route around the island to get to this beach, the roads are perfect and the views are stunning.
• Swimming with Manta Rays: very cool experience. It's fairly inexpensive and it didn't feel unethical to me. Book it from town or from your hostel.

From Nusa Penida, take a ferry back to Bali. From there, we flew over to Labuan Bajo on Flores Island.

Flores Island - 5-6 nights

Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park

If I had to choose just one place in Indonesia to recommend to someone, it would without a doubt be Komodo National Park. It's accessed solely but boat from Labuan Bajo and is home to some of the most healthy and diverse ecosystems I've ever seen. The hikes are breathtaking, the reefs are teeming with life both huge and small, and the komodo dragons are a sight to behold. I stayed at Ciao Hostel - it's at the top of the hill so you get a great view from the rooftop overlooking the city. They also have hourly pickups/drop-offs into town and will pickup/drop-off you from the airport if you give them notice.

Things to do:

Scuba Diving: the best diving I've ever done. Keep in mind, I only have about 60 dives so my frame of reference is weak. The reefs are healthy and vibrant and the fish population is immense. The visibility was just decent though with around 10-15m visibility (I went in off season). I did a manta dive and watched mantas over 4m wide swim by - much bigger than the ones you see at Nusa Penida. We found one "perched" in one spot and just sat there and watched it seemingly do nothing for about 5 minutes. As we were waiting our instructor was flipping over rocks and found the rare blue ringed octopus. It was surreal staring down at this beautiful deadly little creature as this massive manta was perched just 2m to our left. There's so much to see in the park whether you're into the big stuff or the macros. Don't miss out on Batu Balong, Manta Point, Langkoi Rock, or GPS Point dive sites. There's over 40 sites in the park so if you're a diver, save your money and spend it here! Liveaboards were sadly out of my price range this trip.

Komodo National Park: I did a 1 night/2 day liveaboard (non diving) to see Komodo, Rinca, and Padar Island. Komodo and Rinca are famous for the dragons and Padar is famous for the view. If you don't want to spend the night on the boat, make sure you at least see either Komodo/Rinca and definitely Padar. Look this view up on google if you're skeptical. They also mix in some snorkeling on these tours as well so you get a small taste of the marine life if you don't dive.

Waterfalls/caves: you can rent a bike and drive around to a few nearby waterfalls and caves around Labuan Bajo. I was feeling ill on the day we were supposed to go so I skipped it.

Kelimutu Mountain: a triple lake mountain on the other side of Flores. Quite the hike to get up there but well worth the view.

From Labuan Bajo, I flew to Lombok

Lombok - 3-4 nights

I stayed just 2 nights here because the weather was awful. I think if the weather was great, you could easily spend 3-4. I stayed at Pipes Hostel. It was pretty quiet during my stay but it definitely has potential to be a good spot to socialize. Unfortunate I didn't do anything on this island because there was storms all day long. The main draw to this island is the volcano hike and surfing at Kuta Beach. There's also a bunch of waterfalls and viewpoint to find, the hostel had a nice map showing them all. Sorry I can't be more helpful in regards to this island.

From there I flew to Java.

Java - 6 nights

I landed in Jakarta, spent one night and then got another flight to Surabaya in East Java. My plan was to hike Mt. Bromo. I took a cab to Probolinggo town which is a common place for backpackers to start the journey to Bromo National Park. I stayed at Sancaka Hostel (only available on Booking). It's simple but has everything you need and a nice rooftop area. From there I booked a tour to hike the mountain. Just as with Mt. Batur in Ubud, you wake up at 1:30am and set off for the peak around 3:00am. It was another spectacular view completely worth the effort to get there. Unfortunately unlike Ubud, there isn't much to do after the hike is over.

I flew back to Jakarta and spent my remaining 2 nights there. I stayed at Six Degrees Hostel. It's central, has a rooftop bar, an N64, a movie room, and a decent chill area.

Sigh...and it's over. I know many of you will have a flight home or to your next country from Bali instead. In that case, I'm not sure I would recommend Java unless you're an avid hiker. I wish I saw Uluwatu on Bali so maybe check that out if you have extra time there.

Quick Tips

• Install Go-Jek, it's very popular in Indonesia and cheaper than Grab on most occasions.
• Don't buy a SIM from the airport - too expensive. But you will need one if you plan to use Grab/Go-Jek. It will actually end up paying for itself in the amount of money you save by not paying taxis.
• Always double check ATMs, talked to a couple people who were scammed by the card reader.
• If you want out of hostel life for a day or two (sick, tired, want to get laid), use Agoda. You can find hotel rooms for almost the same price as a hostel.
• Bring a first aid kit with you if you're planning on doing a lot of biking

Thanks for reading, safe travels, and enjoy your trip to Indonesia!