Beyond Bali: Places to visit further afield in Indonesia
If you want to book a trip to Indonesia and would like some help feel free to reach out to me at: travelmatterswithmira@gmail.comThe Gili Islands and Lombok
The Gili Islands are very famous set of three tiny islands about a 2-3 hour boat trip away from Bali. When my parents used to go there in the 80s they were the quintessentially perfect desert islands. Still turquoise water, white stand and wonderful coral reefs you can swim too right off the beach. Today, they are still very beautiful but also very developed and solely for tourism, and unfortunately the reefs aren't as good as they used to be, but there are loads of turtles! You can walk around each Island in probably less than an hour, the only modes of transport are bicycles or horse & carriages. Gili Trawangan is the party island, Gili Air is the more relaxed romantic or family island and Gili Meno is the least developed and more rustic island.
The Gili Islands are actually part of Lombok, which often considered Bali's less developed but equally as beautiful sister island. There is so much to do on Lombok, so if you're looking to travel somewhere easy but more untouched than Bali, Lombok is it. Be prepared for insane white sand beaches, some with snorkelling some with surfing, some with wind surfing , incredible waterfalls where you will see wild Lemurs jumping through the trees, jungle views, rice field views and the potential to hike Mt Rinjani.
Flores & Komodo National Park
Here is an Island that has special significance to me and this blog!! It’s the island that made me the “anthropologist’s daughter”. One of the places I have spent the most time as it is where my mum did her anthropological PHD research, and where I lived a different points of my life. There is so much to do and see on this island, I could probably write a whole website about Flores and its beauty, but here are my highlights. Komodo National Park, for me it is honestly a must if you have a chance to explore Indonesia beyond Bali. A UNESCO world heritage site, it is a national park consisting of dozens of white sand islands home some of the best diving and snorkelling as well as the famous Komodo Dragon, the worlds largest living lizard. Either stay on one of the private island (Sudamala Surya is my personal favourite) and take a day trip out to see the Komodos or do a liveaboard boat trip for a few nights to really explore some of the more isolated and remote islands (this would be my recommendation).
If you can go inland, the scenery is phenomenal. You can see some incredible and untouched cultures and visit traditional villages. One option is hiking up to Wae Rebo and staying there for the night, or you can visit the traditional villages of Nghda where my mum has been the resident anthropologist for the last 30 years. Finally I would really recommend visiting Mt Kelimutu, a volcano with three changing coloured volcanic crater lakes, hiking up there to watch sunrise over the crater is really special! The village of Moni where you stay before you travel up Mt Kelimutu is also charming.
Java
If you're planning to visit Java, Yogyakarta, is a must. It is well known for being Java's art and cultural centre, and is the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy. It is the epicentre of Batik and filled with famous cultural heritage sites such as the Borobudur and Prambanan complexes, 9th century Buddhist and Hindu temple sites. Do go and see the Ramayana Ballet if you are there. In general its a really great place to visit, the markets are fantastic, the food is fantastic (try gudeg) and it is a fantastic cultural immersion experience, so if you have a chance I would recommend going.
Other places on the Island I would recommend are mt Bromo. When my mum had a tour company across Indonesia, hiking up Mt Bromo at sunset was one of her favourite tours and is still up there as one of the best views she has ever seen. If you want to do sometime of the beaten track I would recommend Karimun Jawa, a set of really rustic untouched white sand islands off the north of Java with incredible snorkelling, I went back packing with some girlfriends there and it really was something special.
Sumatra
Sumatra is Indonesias biggest island and incredibly diverse. If you are looking to do something special and different and want to go a bit off the normal tourist route Sumatra should definitely be one of the places to look at. A few places we can suggest (there are so many more) are Bukit Lawang to visit the only other place outside of Borneo where you can see wild Orangutans, Lake Toba which is the worlds largest crater lake, or the Mentawai Islands for incredible white sand pieces of paradise. There are a few national parks on the Island where you can go trekking and potential meet the rare Sumatran tigers and also incredibly untouched diving spots on some of the outer islands.
Raja Ampat
Heralded as one of the best dive spots in the world, Raja Amat is right in the heart of the coral triangle where the Indian Ocean meets the Pacific Ocean. The meeting of three different currents means there is the highest density of marine life in the world and that there are a log of unique specifies of fish and aquatic animals found there that are found nowhere else in the world. You can swim with everyone from nemo (the clown fish) to pygmy sea horses and giant manta rays, to gentle whale sharks and, if you have the nerve, schools of hammer heads. Above sea level, the islands themselves are uninhabited picturesque green gems dropped in turquoise water, filled with exotic wildlife and untouched beaches.
Sumba
Sumba is the up and coming place to visit in Indonesia, and boy do we recommend it!! Relatively unspoiled, it is covered in beautiful, palm tree-lined white sand beaches, traditional tribal villages, stunning waterfalls, teletubby rolling hills and lots and lots of horses. The place is still pretty wild and untouched, and gloriously empty, so there will be more buffalos than cars on the road, however there are some great hotel springing up across the Island. Including Nihi, which has been voted Best Hotel in the World for 2 consecutive years, and Cap Korso, a new luxury eco resort, which I recently stayed in for our minimoon. So if you're looking to go on a unique trip you can tell your friends about, light touch luxury, insane natural beauty and deep rooted traditionalism, Sumba is where you should go.
If you want to book a trip to Indonesia and would like some help feel free to reach out to me at: travelmatterswithmira@gmail.com