Indonesia is a vast archipelago of over 17,000 islands where volcanoes, rainforests and coral reefs sit alongside vibrant cities like Jakarta and spiritual hubs like Bali. Wild, diverse and culturally layered, it’s a country that feels less like one destination and more like a thousand worlds stitched together.
Indonesia is easy to travel around, with plenty of good public transport options:
Domestic flights: The easiest way to travel between the various different islands is to take domestic flights. Just look out for excess baggage charges if you’re planning to check in a bag. You can search using Skyscanner to find the best deals.
Ferries: There are some ferries between islands but I’ve heard mixed reviews (one girl told me about their cabin smelling strongly of exhaust fumes, but other people have said they had pleasant journeys, so I think it just depends on what company you use). I would strongly advise against the boat trip from Bali to Komodo as they’re notorious for “chumming” for whale sharks (throwing feed into the water to lure them closer) which is a destructive practice as it interferes with the whale sharks natural behaviour.
Minibus Transfer: A popular mode of transport on the islands is minibus transfer, where you share a private transfer with other travellers. You can book tickets via 12Go Asia.
Grab: Grab is a rideshare app (like Uber) popular in the Indonesia, allowing you to book a car or scooter taxi. I used this in Ubud all the time to get around, as hopping on the back of a scooter is much faster in traffic than using a car.
Hiring a scooter: The most convenient way to get around the islands. Safety is pretty lax though, so always ask for a helmet.
Indonesia is a year-round destination, but the best time to visit is generally during the dry season from May to September, when you’ll get sunnier skies, lower humidity and better conditions for hiking, diving and island hopping. The wet season, roughly October to April, brings heavier tropical downpours, especially in places like Bali and Jakarta, though showers are often short and landscapes turn intensely green. Because the country stretches across thousands of islands, weather can vary by region, so it’s always worth checking conditions for your specific destination before booking.
There are endless beautiful accommodation options in Indonesia to suit every budget, from luxury resorts to backpacker hostels. Personally I love the wellness retreats in Ubud (I stayed at Arya Wellness Retreat) that feel like a sociable yet luxury hostel combined with a yoga retreat.
The main thing to look out for when booking is fake reviews, so read these carefully and watch out for any unnatural-sounding language. I always book my accommodation through trusted providers like booking.com and Hostelworld, but still always read the reviews carefully.
I always recommend checking the official government advice from your own country of citizenship. For example, I’m from the UK so I use the UK Government’s Foreign travel advice website, and navigate to the “Entry requirements” section of the country I wish to visit. That will show me the most up-to-date advice and the correct links to use to apply for a visa officially, without being scammed. E.g. “Indonesia: Entry requirements”.
Be aware that if you just google “Indonesia visa”, you’ll find lots of 3rd party websites offering to do the application for you, which at best will charge you quite a lot of money and at worst may scam you completely.
If you would rather someone else take care of the application for you to save you time and hassle, I can recommend iVisa. iVisa offer an end-to-end visa application service where they take care of the entire application for you. You just need to sign up via their website and fill out the information they need from you for the application. Note that they charge a fee for this service, so it will be more expensive than applying directly yourself.
Here are some of the resources I’ve found particularly useful for travelling in Indonesia. Download the apps before you go to ensure a smooth and stress-free experience! Check out my Useful Travel Resources page for my complete go-to list of websites and apps.
Currency:
Indonesian rupiah (IDR)
Capital City:
Jakarta
Languages:
Bahasa Indonesia;
over 700 indigenous languages
