INDONESIA
COUNTRY CONTEXT
Size: 735,358 mi² (1,904,569 km²); Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state, made up of over 17,500 islands
Languages: Bahasa Indonesian is the official language of the country; however, there are over 700 other languages spoken across the archipelago’s many islands.
Currency: Indonesian rupiah (IDR or Rp)
Something You Should Know: Thousands of islands — spread across thousands of miles — make up the country of Indonesia. Given many islands developed independently, each one has its own way of life. If you plan to island hop, you’ll encounter many distinct culture, cuisine, and languages across this archipelago.
OUR TRAVEL SUMMARY
We spent about 4 weeks in Indonesia in July 2023. Rather than island hop around, we opted to spend almost all that time on the island of Lombok — Bali’s lesser known neighbor. For the nature lover, Lombok has quite the selection: surfing spots, waterfall hikes, beaches, and even an epic multi-day trek to Indonesia’s second highest peak. For our month on the island, we spent a week in Senggigi doing a surf camp, a few days around Kuta exploring and surfing, a few days in the small fishing town of Ekas — you guessed it — surfing, and finally, took a break from the waves and trekked up to Mt. Rinjani. Following our time in Lombok, we spent a week in Jakarta, including a day trip out to Pulau Pari, one of the so-called Thousand Islands off the city’s coast.
Getting around, we relied on Grab (think: the Uber of southeast Asia), motorbike rentals, private transfers, and a domestic flight between Jakarta and Lombok. We stayed in homestays (basically Lombok’s equivalent of hostels) in Lombok, and an Airbnb in Jakarta. Price-wise, Indonesia was very affordable on a backpacker’s budget, though it’s worth noting that tours and private transfers were much pricier relative to other costs (e.g., food, Grabs, accommodations). Given we spent most of our time in Lombok, our guides below focus on things to do there, with the exception of Pulau Pari. This is nowhere near an expansive guide to all things Indonesia, but if you’re hoping to go to Lombok or the Thousand Islands, we hope these can help get you started on planning!
