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Best Backpacking Itinerary Ideas for You to Enjoy in Indonesia

 

One thing about Indonesia that is backpacker-friendly is that a lot of cities are easily accessible in multiple ways - either by plane, trains, bus or ferries. A great recommendation for backpackers would be travelling around these famous destinations :

1. Batam - Bintan

Best Backpacking Itinerary Ideas for You to Enjoy in Indonesia

Day 1: book a flight to Hang Nadim Airport, Batam.

Day 2: check out the beautiful beaches of Batam, that only cost about 1-2 US dollars and also the Barelang Bridge, Batam’s Icon.

Day 3: visit Batam’s Melayu Beach and Nongsa Point Marina to check out the popular beaches of the island.

Day 4: go to Batam’s Punggur Port to grab the next ferry to Bintan for an hour for just Rp20.000 or 2 US dollars. Since it only takes an hour, you can visit the Bukit Pasir Busung and the Blue Lake nearby. Then just choose among several affordable accommodation in the area.

2. Bangka Belitung

Best Backpacking Itinerary Ideas for You to Enjoy in Indonesia

Day 1: Find a flight to Pangkal Pinang Bangka’s Depati Amir airport from Jakarta, Indonesia. Book a homestay or a lovely affordable hotel, available in a lot of places around Bangka.

Day 2: Visit the Kaolin Lake in the Air Bara area, just an hour or two away from Pangkal Pinang. The greenish lake is beautiful itself but the route to the place is filled with blue waters and lush trees.

Day 3: Visit Bangka’s stunning beaches like the Tanjung Kelayang Sungailiat Beach, Parai Tenggiri and Matras.

Day 4: Travel to Belitung by plane or by Express Bahari boat that takes about 4 hours. Find a good place to stay and enjoy its surroundings.

Day 5&6: Visit the Tanjung Kelayang beach and island-hop to Lengkuas island by renting a boat that can fit up to 12 people.

Day 7: Hop on a flight to Jakarta from Tanjung Pandan airport.

3. Jakarta - Bandung - Yogyakarta

Best Backpacking Itinerary Ideas for You to Enjoy in Indonesia

Day 1: Travel to Jakarta by air to the international airport and find a homestay or affordable hotels in the city.

Day 2: Visit the Old Town of Jakarta, the national monument and the museums around it. Eat yummy street food that you’ll easily find around the city. At night you can try bar hopping around Senopati or Kemang.

Day 3: Travel to Bandung by a shuttle cars or by train from Gambir Station. It would take you about 5 hours by shuttle or 3 hours by train.

Day 4: Go to Lembang to visit pine forests or flower gardens. There are also many other tourist destinations like the Farm House, Floating Market, D’ranch.

Day 5: Visit Asia-Africa and enjoy the street food there at night. After all, Bandung is known for its culinary treats.

Day 6: You can start your travel to Yogyakarta by train from Bandung for around 100 thousand rupiahs. You can also easily find an affordable hotel or homestay here in one of the top destinations for backpackers.

Day 7: Visit the iconic Borobudur temple or the Prambanan temple, both a heritage of Buddhism and Hinduism. Don’t forget to visit Malioboro at night, lively and rich in culture.

Day 8: Find your way to Parangtritis Beach and Mount Merapi. You can also visit the Kalibiru National Park and Jomblang Cave, which you should not miss.

Day 9: Hop on a flight back home from Yogyakarta.

4. Java - Bali - Lombok

Day 1: you can start by booking a plane straight to Yogyakarta. 

Day 2: on day two you can explore the Prambanan or Borobudur temples, at night you can spend time eating around Malioboro Street.

Day 3: you can take a bus straight to Mount Bromo, some guesthouses offer shuttles for your trip but you can also ask around to find out how to book one for yourself. Since it takes 12 hours to reach the area, it is better for you to stay over at the guesthouses or affordable hotels. 

Day 4&5: you can continue Day 4 by waking up at dawn for the Bromo Sunrise Tour, an experience Bromo is known for. Spend the next day exploring the villages around Bromo.

Day 6: Then, you can continue to visit the Kawah Ijen in Banyuwangi, the beautiful volcano with amazing mountainous views. You can then continue by taking a ferry that would take you only half an hour to reach Bali’s Permuteran beach. Here you can spend the night in homestays like the Arjuna Homestay--which also has a dive centre that you can visit.

Day 7&8: From here you can take around two days to explore Bali’s best beaches and other tourist attractions. 

Day 9: You can take a ferry from Padang Bai harbour to Lombok, and spend time sunbathing at the beach, looking for sunsets, shopping, snorkelling and diving in the Gilis. Spend another few days here and on the last day of your trip, you can find your way back to Denpasar for a trip back home.

Best Backpacking Itinerary Ideas for You to Enjoy in Indonesia

5. Labuan Bajo - Sumba

Day 1: Head to Denpasar, Bali by air and take the next flight to Labuan Bajo. You can also go by boat even though it is a 36 hour trip to Sumba only for 240 thousand rupiahs.

Day 2: Visit Kanawa Island to see the clear underwater world. Visit Sembilang Island nearby to see the beautiful jellyfish. There are even some jellyfish that don’t sting! Also, visit the Manta Point home to huge Manta Rays.

Day 3&4: Stop by their beautiful beaches like the Pink beach or the Kalaki beach. Don’t forget to check out the well-known Padar Island where you can enjoy the view of three beaches.

Day 5: Find your way back to Labuan Bajo and take the next boat to Sumba for around 120 thousand rupiahs.

Day 6: Visit the Lappopu waterfall and the Lai Liang beach on the Southern part of Sumba island. 

Day 7 and 8: In the southwest area of Sumba, visit the Weekuri Lake, a unique lake formed due to trapped sea water between coral reefs. Not far from it is the hidden Mandora beach. Also, don’t forget to stop by at Wairinding Hill to witness an amazing sunset and to Tanggedu waterfall for a breathtaking view.

Day 9: Find your way back to Sumba for a direct flight back to Bali and another flight back home.

Extra Tips of Where To Stay:

There are a lot of places you can stay that are budget-friendly all over Indonesia. It’s not hard to find cheap hotels, especially in the big cities and especially those close to famous tourist destinations. But it is also easy to find a bed and breakfast, homestays or pod hotels, that are backpacker favourites.


Now you’ve got a guide to take you places where you should go during your backpacking trips, all you have to do is pack your bags, book a flight and off you go exploring Wonderful Indonesia