My Favorites
1. Bali
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary
People from all over the world flock to Bali for its beaches, waterfalls, and overall chill vibe for relaxation or long term good living. It’s become a haven for digital nomads and retiring expats in particular. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic where many can work from anywhere. Because of this, Bali is overcome with tourists. As a result, I had mixed feelings of Bali. It’s very crowded in the popular areas and people seemed mostly in their own headspace. For a place with an incredible number of solo travelers, I didn’t find it particularly social, at least among travelers. I even stayed in a co-living space that also had a co-working space. Despite being on vacation, I wanted a nice balance between solo time and opportunities to meet fellow travelers. The locals of course were great, most of whom I met at restaurants, other establishments, and drivers. So all that said, Bali is an amazing place to visit and I may be back to spend some time as a digital nomad in the future. It truly is a beautiful place.
If you’re planning a trip to Bali, it’s bigger than you might think. Traffic is congested, so it also takes a lot of time to get anywhere. You’ll land in Denpensar and from there, most people head to West Bali for the beaches and to party. It’s where a lot of Australian backpackers and surfers go for example. South Bali is a more chill beach spot that’s more cliffside. Central Bali near Ubud is also very popular, offering a more jungle nature vibe where you’ll find waterfalls and hippies galore. The top half of Bali is much more spread out and therefore a bit less traveled, teeming with natural beauty, hiking, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, rice fields, and temples. I stayed in Ubud the majority of my time in Bali, and also spent a bit of time in Kuta and Uluwatu. West Bali was a bit busy and touristy for my personal taste, but those who want to party, enjoy the beach, and learn to surf will love it. For those more hippy at heart looking for a more spiritual vibe or want to experience more nature, Ubud is for you. Tons of yoga, healthy eating, waterfalls, etc. albeit having its fair share of tourists. Uluwatu was a more chill version of Kuta if you’re looking for some beach vibes. My next trip I hope to explore north to the more remote areas as well as the southern islands, including Lombok which I didn’t get to.
See & Do (Ubud & Central Bali)
- City Center. Bustling center of temples, markets, cafes, and shops. Here you’ll find Ubud Palace, Ubud Art Market, and Ubud Street Market.
- Penestanan. Just outside the main drag that’s much less crowded, where the hippies seem to be, tons of great healthy food options. Alchemy Yoga & Meditation Center is a must for yoga enthusiasts as well as their cafe across the street. If you continue on the street next to Alchemy that goes past it, you’ll discover hidden villas and cafes, as well as a much easier route to Bintang Supermarket without having to walk down the treacherous main road if you’re on foot.
- Outpost Ubud Penestanan. Really cool co-living and co-working space where I stayed. It’s kind of like a really nice guesthouse for adults and digital nomads with nicer amenities than a hostel, including your own room. They also have another co-working space at the other end of Ubud.
- Sharma Springs House Green Village and IBUKU Studio (Aldo’s Kitchen). If you love architecture and sustainable living, this incredible house build from local bamboo was featured on Apple TV+ original series Home. It’s incredible. It’s available to stay or tour with advanced reservations.
- Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. The forest itself is unbelievable, and then you add the free roaming monkeys and spiritual angle that takes it to a whole other level. Monkeys aren’t very aggressive here, but hold on to your stuff and don’t feed them.
- Goa Gajah Elephant Cave Temple. Nice gardens and of course the cave entrance carvings.
- Tegalang. Popular rice terraces.
- Jatiluwih. Popular rice terraces. There are also a few walking paths around the rice fields. It’s a very large area.
- Leke Leke Waterfall. Nice little hike not far outside Ubud. Not the most dramatic.
- Ulun Danu Beratan Temple. Amazing temple on the lake with mountains in the background. Incredible. Many weddings are hosted there. There are also a few waterfalls nearby that I didn’t get to but read about.
- Mount Batur. East of central, this active volcano is popular for hiking and known to have incredible sunrises.
- Taman Ayun Temple. Lesser visited Hindu Temple.
Food & Drink (Ubud & Central Bali)
- Kemulan Kitchen & Culture. One of my favorites in Ubud. Offers both a vegan and non-vegan menu with so many options. Healthy, fresh, tastes great. Not to hate on Americans, but why do the majority always seem to order burgers and pasta at wonderful restaurants like this. I can understand in sketchier places, but this is Bali man.
- Two Sisterz. Cafe style eatery.
- Umbi Cafe. Nice breakfast.
- Clover Cafe. Nice for breakfast and lunch.
- Cupit BBQ. A variety of BBQ, but Indonesia really knows how to do BBQ chicken.
- Warung Mendez. Popular spot for local Indonesian food.
- Jatiluwih Resto. Right in the middle of everything. Great food and so convenient after walking around in the heat.
See & Do (Uluwatu)
- Uluwatu Temple. Incredible picturesque temple perched on the cliffs overlooking the sea. Very popular, and crowded, for sunsets as well as fire dancing shows.
- Padang Padang Beach. Popular beach for relaxing and beginner surfing.
- Bingin Beach. Another small beach area. A nice relaxed place to stay with good food nearby.
- Impossible Beach. Somewhat elusive beach popular for surfers.
Food & Drink (Uluwatu)
- Bukit Cafe. Nice for breakfast or lunch.
- Temple Bar & Grill. Good dinner selection, especially fish.
- Gooseberry. I heard is popular and has great food.
See & Do (West Bali)
- Kuta. Beach, surfing, drinking, eating.
- Seminyak. Beach, surfing, drinking, eating.
- Canggu. Beach, surfing, drinking, eating. This is probably the most popular spot in the area, especially among surfers and backpackers.
- Tanah Lot. Picturesque temple on the coast. There’s a sacred white albino snake in the cave opposite the temple.
Food & Drink (West Bali)
- Crumb & Coaster. Really nice cafe for breakfast and lunch. Accessed from a side street.
Nearby
- Nusa Penida. Island off the coast of Bali with nice beaches, snorkeling, and scuba diving.
- Lombok. Equally beautiful place with volcanoes, waterfalls, beaches, jungles that rivals Bali. You can fly or ferry. I unfortunately didn’t make it here, but it was very high up on my list to visit and will be sure to next time. The two most popular destinations people rave about are the Gili Islands and 2-day trek up Mount Rinjani for the sunrise.
Tips
- Getting There. Next to Jakarta, Bali is the popular place to fly into from other countries in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. I flew from Cairns, but many major cities in Oceania fly direct. It’s best to take care of all the visa paperwork before you leave. The official e-Visa website allows you to apply for your visa, but like many other travelers, I couldn’t finish mine entirely online. However, it did seem to speed up the process on arrival by having most of my information provided. I just needed pay. You can pay with card for a small fee or cash, for which many currencies are accepted. Don’t apply on any other website! I heard from others there are many scams. You’ll also need to fill out a customs declaration form (eCDF) and pay a Bali tourist tax. Beware of scammer sites on this as well. Not sure if this is common, but when I arrived, it seemed that many flights to Bali arrive at or around the same time, making the visa booths quite a cluster, so just be mindful you may have to do a fair bit of waiting. Indonesian passport holders can skip the lines.
- Getting Around. Bali traffic is horrendous. There are few streets, all narrow, no walking paths. Renting a motorbike is probably your best option. Next best is Grab. Motorbikes will be quicker as they can more easily navigate traffic. However, it’s hit or miss if you get a helmet from the driver, and going distances that take more than 20 minutes can be a bit uncomfortable. Cars are better for longer distances. I was fortunate enough to get a driver on Grab I clicked with and then hired for the bulk of my stay in Bali for day trips. I had a similar experience in Cambodia It’s such a great way to bond with interesting locals, learning more about them and their culture. Day trips are long due to the traffic, so you can either sit in silence or make a new friend. At the airport, you’ll be accosted by so many taxi drivers. Either do Grab, even if someone tells you it’s not allowed which someone told me, or look for official taxi drivers with badges. Grab is also helpful to know how much you should expect to pay as many drivers will try to rip you off.
- Uluwatu Temple. The monkeys here are very aggressive, meaning they will try to steal your stuff. People think it’s cute to lore them in with food or their glasses, but it’s conditioning them to be aggressive and just not cool. I ran into many people who had their hat, glasses, water bottle, even sandal lifted by a monkey. I myself had my sunglasses snatched right off my face! Luckily there was a local there who seems to make a living by retrieving stuff stolen by monkeys. He basically just follows them and attempts to barter snacks, all while casually smoking a cigarette from the other side of the stone wall cliff high above the sea. No one asks him, he just goes after it. It took a few bartering attempts and the monkey kept dropping my sunglasses. They got pretty scratched up, but I could still see out of them. So yea, put everything that can be swiped in your backpack and hold on tight to everything else. It gets unbelievably crowded around sunset which kind of makes it not fun in my opinion. Plus you’ll compete for drivers and it’s not really possible to walk from the beaches where you’re likely staying. Go for a Grab motorbike versus a car to better navigate through traffic. Consider picking one up a few minutes walk from the temple, saving you and your driver a big headache among the crowd of tourists.
2. Sumatra
Orangutan
The western most island of Indonesia has some of the most pristine jungles in the world. It’s well known for being one of the last places on Earth where orangutans live in their natural habitat. I specifically visited northern Sumatra for this reason. Orangutans are one of my favorite animals and the opportunity to see them in the wild via trekking and sleeping in the jungle is the adventure of a lifetime. There are a few logistics involved to pull this off, but it’s not bad for those willing to put in a little work. You will be rewarded with an incredible experience. The trekking happens in Mount Leuser National Park and its jumping off point Bukkit Lawang to see orangutans, monkeys, and host of other flora and small fauna. Read a more detailed account of my experience jungle trekking in Sumatra.
3. Yogyakarta
Borobudur Temple
Several folks I met in Indonesia had nothing but great things to say about this small university town. It’s young, vibrant, and in the center of two ancient and very famous temples. One Buddhist and one Hindu. There is more in the general vicinity, but these are the main attractions most people visit. Incidentally, Yogyakarta must be fairly off the beaten path, because I only saw a small handful of Western tourists at the temples. Mostly Dutch and German. It was a nice experience akin to being in Myanmar where it was almost entirely Indonesians or other Asian visitors. I could take or leave the city to be honest, but don’t regret spending time there. I preferred Borobudur village, as it’s quieter and very friendly. If you’re optimizing for time, Yogyakarta is more centrally located to the temples and airport. I stayed first in Borobudur for 2 nights to see Borobudur Temple and then several nights in Yogyakarta. A single night is plenty to see Prambanan Temple, but I took a couple extra days to just relax and do nothing before heading to Sumatra.
The island of Java is predominantly Muslim, which was a really interesting experience, especially compared to Bali, which is predominantly Hindu. And of course has a lot of Western tourists, and thus increasingly Western influences. My first trip to a predominantly Muslim country. Culturally, it’s quite different than what’s depicted in the Middle East. Simply to say that it’s an example of same religion, different culture in different countries as explained to me by a few locals. Expect to hear calls for prayer throughout the day. It’s actually pretty incredible to hear the chanting in the early mornings and in the evening. If you’re a light sleeper, consider ear plugs. Central Java is a really interesting example of people co-existing in a multi-religion state. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and even Christianity are all present.
See & Do
- Borobudur Temple. Ancient Buddhist temple, very unique among Buddhist temples across Southeast Asia. Partially destroyed by a volcanic eruption and restored. The local villagers were asked, or maybe strongly encouraged, to move from the edge of the temple to build out the grounds during this renovation project. You can either walk around the grounds for free, or what I would recommend is pay to walk up the temple with a guide. Book in advance at least the day before because there is now timed entry to better manage the number of visitors. The grounds are quite big, so plan to be there for a couple of hours. I additionally enjoyed the Candi and Ship Museums. Our guide told us there is an annual holiday for the monks who come from all over and offer services to the community. The most popular of which is dental care because Indonesians have terrible teeth due to their love of palm sugar. It is quite delicious over there. The village of Borobudur is serene and peaceful with a very interesting history. People are so friendly. I had several random encounters with the locals and felt quite safe, even at night solo. If you’re in Central Java and in need of a break or want to travel slowly, Borobudur Village is a great choice in my opinion.
- Prambanan Temple. Famous Hindu temple with large grounds. Plan 1-2 hours depending on if you want to visit the nearby Buddhist temples, the farthest and most impressive of which is Sewu Temple. Good photos here, no crowds. No problem getting tickets when you arrive or you can purchase in advance online.
Food & Drink
- Javanese Coffee & Tea. Java is unsurprisingly known for its coffee, though I don’t drink coffee myself. The tea is also very good and different. It tastes like black or oolong based jasmine flavored tea.
- Phuket. Good quality and variety of Thai food. Offers cooking classes.
- The Omah Hotel & Resto. Authentic Indonesian food hidden away on site of a guesthouse.
Tips
- Getting There. Very easy to fly into the relatively new airport.
- Getting Around. In the city, there are many alleyways which are fun but confusing to walk around. Alternatively, bicycles, motorbikes, and Grab. For the temples, you can motorbike, Grab, or contact your guesthouse to arrange a private driver. Although it’s more expensive, a driver will wait for you and it’s a nice opportunity to get to know the locals. Both temples and airport are about 90 minutes from Yogyakarta, each in opposite directions. You could do both temples in a single day, but it’s a lot of walking in the heat in addition to all the driving.
- Lodging. I stayed at Bhumi Kasuryan which I enjoyed immensely. Clean, spacious rooms with A/C, great staff, and nice balance between cost and comfort. And you can’t beat the view of the rice fields at sunset with the top of Borobudur poking out of the trees in the backdrop. There’s also a larger guesthouse next door, but I don’t know any details. In general, this street is a good place to find accommodations if you want to stay just outside the slightly busier center.
- Airport. The airport has some nice food options if you’re waiting and get hungry.
Other Considerations
Ijen & Mount Bromo
Two places I was very excited to visit in East Java, but logistically was too involved were Ijen and Mount Bromo. Both are popular volcano hikes to otherworldly sunrises. There are tour operators that will make arrangements for you to arrive from Bali by a combination of boat, bus, and car. Since I didn't visit myself, I included links to Be My Travel Muse's excellent write up on both. Incidentally, there was actually a 4-day local holiday at Mount Bromo during the time I was going to visit so it was closed. I heard a few years prior there were some fires that closed it. So check in advance to make sure it's open. There's no official site, so I had to do some major googling to figure it out.
Cost Breakdown
- Flights: $1,042 (Cairns > Bali, Yogyakarta, Medang)
- Lodging: $928 (co-living, guesthouse)
- Transportation: $350 (Grab, driver)
- Activities: $185 (jungle trekking, temples)
- Food: $540 (estimated $30/day)
Total: $3,045
*Booking my flight further in advance from Cairns to Bali would've been half the price. There are plenty of opportunities from lodging to food to transportation to spend less than I did.
General Tips
- Food & Water. Two delicacies of Indonesia are Nasi Gorang, which is a fried rice and Rendung, a spicy meat dish. While you can find both of these anywhere in Indonesia, my understanding is they originated in Sumatra, and thus is where you'll find the best. Most travelers should drink purified water if you're not from the area.
- Monkeys. As a general rule, if you're going to an area with monkeys, watch your stuff and even hold on to it. Especially your phone, glasses, hat, water bottle, purse, wallet. They are clever and quick and know that they can barter tourist crap for food. Don't feed them though, tell someone who works there, otherwise it perpetuates the conditioning of monkeys stealing stuff to get food. Ask around or research the specific temple what the monkeys are like and prepare accordingly. I wouldn't bring food in my daypack going somewhere with monkeys. Never look a monkey directly in the eye, as they take it as a sign of aggression. Do act confidently and stand tall when you move past them. Fight back if one attacks you. It's highly unlikely you'll run into any major issues if using common sense.