must-see indonesia

Hi everyone,

I'll be in indonesia in july and august, but we habve only one month,
arriving and departing from jakarta
we'd love to see
-one very very beatiful nature park with orang utangs
-one perfect snorkling spot with wonderfull reefs
-one old temple complex
- coulple of days in bali

which route should we take?
and which park, reef, temple would you recommend as : the most impressive
but not toooooo crowded?

Hope to hear from you and if you need help with amsterdam/europe, i can!

Love from amsterdam

Hallo ! One month is a sufficient time , and just nice. me and frineds from europe did the route like this : we started the trip from medan ( which is the capital of the northern part of sumatra ), we stayed in bukit lawang by the riverside accomodation for 02 nights, then straight to lake toba stay 02 nights, padang sidempuan ( sipirok 1 night transit ) bukit tinggi 2 nights, lubuk linggau 01 night, lampung 01 night, bogor 01 night, jogyakarta 02 nights, bromo volcanoe 01 night, kawah ijen 01 night, and the rest we spent the time in bali island ; snorkling in menjangan island, tulamben shipwreck for snorkling, and so on we did it for 32 days, and it was fantastic we had this trip by having a car with a reliable driver and a guide for a reasonable quotation . and I guess thats the best way to do when you wish to see the interior of indonesia, especially when you have a limited time, perhaps you could send me a message and I will be able to pass you the contact number of this guy wo did everything for us. no regret , indonesia such a nice country.

cheers

Hi there,

I agree with org_utan's itinerary, but if you can't/don't want to get a driver, flights and public transport around Indonesia are possible. Here's what I would do:

Fly to Medan, and catch a bus to Bukit Lawang. Spend 2 days there and go for a jungle trek to see wild (but tame) orangutans and the orangutan rehabilitation centre.
Then catch another bus and then a ferry to Danau Toba. Spend about 4 days here relaxing and swimming in the lake.
Head back to Medan and then fly to Yogyakarta, the 'Cultural Capital' of Java. Using Yogya as a base, you can check out two very famous temples: Borobudur and Prambanan. If you can only choose one go for Borobudur. You can also go to the Kraton (Sultan's Palace) which is right in the city. They have free music and dance performances every Sunday from about 10:30am, if you can time it right.
From Yogya, take the bus via Bromo volcano to Bali (1 night).
In Bali, it's worth checking out Ubud which is famed for its dance performances and the Monkey Forest. There are also decent snorkelling sights around Bali.
Then, catch the ferry from Bali (Padang Bai) over to the Gili Islands for more snorkelling. Gili Trawangan is the most lively of the islands.
If you want to do any hiking, you can catch a longtail boat back to Lombok mainland and climb Mt Rinjani, using Sinar as a base.

Hope you have a great time!

Hi,
Suggest you head to Bukit Lawang for orangutans ( Jakarta to Medan with AirAsia) and then over to Tangkahan- two hour ojek ( on back of motor bike trip. Can do one day or two day treks in the jungle in Bukit Lawang and in Tangkahan get involved with the 7 elephants they have down there.
Check out this post I wrote on another forum http://forum.indahnesia.com/topic/4404/0/tangkahan_-_jungle_paradise_in_north_sumatra.php about Tangkahan and my experiences there.
My photos from 2006 http://travel.webshots.com/album/558220008eKUdnh
After Tangkahan and back in Medan you can get a cheap flight from Medan to Banda Aceh and head over to Pulau Weh for amazing diving and snorkelling.
http://http://www.rubiahdivers.com/ is situated at Iboih Beach the most natural spot. Beach huts on stilts over the water- just heaven.
My photos of Pulau Weh http://travel.webshots.com/album/558520606BXoFNK

I would not be missing out on West Sumatra either. Here is a blog written by an Australian woman who stayed there for 3 months in 2006 ) I helped organise her social visa and (we missed each other in Bali by two days- I flew into Bali and she had flown to Singapore.)
http://indonesiatravel-emma.blogspot.com/2008/10/west-sumatra-maninjau-magic.html
Make sure you also read about Emma's other travels in Indonesia as well.
I have maps, and loads of other information like places to stay- contact numbers, things to see and do that I can pass on to you in attachments and a word document. If you wish to have this, send me a Private Message with your email details.
Pamela.

[ Edit: Edited on 17-May-2009, at 06:02 by pPamela ]