When a friend decided to take a sabbatical after a stressful year at work, it was too tempting for me not to gate crash part of it. So after a bottle of wine I invited myself on the last, to Indonesia.
Indonesia has been on my radar for some time after living in Australia – it’s just 6 hours from Sydney, 3h 50 from Perth and only 2h 40 from Darwin. It’s a destination that caters for the masses without you feeling like you’re with the masses...
When planning this 2 week trip I quickly realised Indonesia is huge - 17,508 islands, covering approximately 1,919,440 square kilometres and three time zones. Narrowing it down, it turns out only about 6,000 of the islands are inhabited and the main international airports are Jakarta, Denpasar (Bali) and Lombok.
Bali
I was in two minds about the Bali beach resorts, cautious that they might be to Australians what the Spanish Islands are to the Brits. However, with just two nights at the Bliss Surfer Hotel in Kuta to meet each other and recover, I was pleasantly surprised!We headed to Legian beach first and scoped out the hotel with the comfiest sun loungers and ordered our fresh fruit juices to set us up for the day. Most hotels run a shuttle to get you around the town and to the beaches, otherwise taxis are readily available and quite cheap – just confirm the price before you get in, as I didn’t see any with meters. There are plenty of food and drink options around and an abundance of shops for the token Bintang t-shirt everyone sports.
Gili Islands
From Bali we moved on to the Gili Islands, somewhere I’ve dreamed of visiting for years. We took one of the faster boats and paid slightly more (about £30 each way). Our boat was smaller than I imagined and it was quite rough at first so I hate to think how people on the boats £3 cheaper suffered!
Of the three main Gili islands, we opted to stay on Gili Trawangan and although it’s renowned as the ‘party island’ this turned out to be more understated than I expected (thankfully!). Gili Meno is the smallest island in the middle of three and is grass roots paradise. It can be expensive because of the limited resources, but reportedly it has the best beaches. The final island is Gili Air which is a happy medium and like Trawangan, has dive centres popping up everywhere.
Staying on Gili Trawangan
There are no vehicles on the Gili islands so transport is by foot, bicycle or horse and cart – bliss! As we’re both keen divers, we stayed at Trawangan Dive Centre but there is an abundance of independent homestays, bungalows, villas, hostel dorm and private rooms and hotels, apartments and the only Gili 5* hotel, so take your pick. You need to book in advance as the islands get booked out, particularly in peak season between June and September.
There are a host of local and international restaurants and bars and food stalls along the main road. You can expect to pay about £1 for a big bottle of water and a refreshing Bintang beer will only set you back about £2-£3. There are cash machines on the island and some of the restaurants take card as payment, but carry cash on you to get buy and get off the beaten path a bit.
Indonesia is home to 12.7% of the world’s Muslim population, making Indonesia the world’s largest Muslim country. As a result, the call to prayer from one of the three mosques on Gili Trawangan can be heard all over the popular east side of the island. It adds to the character and charm of the island, but if you’d prefer a quieter location, its best to stay on the north side of the island.
Day trips from the Gili Islands
Whilst in the Gili’s there are plenty of options to keep you active (if that’s what you’re after). You could try paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkelling, learning to free dive, yoga, jewellery making or cookery classes, hire a bike to cycle around the island, explore the night markets, listen to live bands, watch a film at the cinema in the evening, and of course diving.Diving options
If you’ve never dived before, Indonesia is a great place to learn. The internationally recognised PADI qualification is much cheaper to acquire here compared to what you would pay at home. Whether or not you’re staying at a dive centre, if you have your certification you can pick and choose when and where you dive. You pay per dive and most places run three dives daily, with two on Fridays.
Dives prices are the same across the island - as set out by the Gili Eco Trust. You will be asked to make a one off donation of IDR 50,000 to support their work to protect the amazing eco system at your fingertips, as it’s not funded or supported by the government. There’s a turtle sanctuary on the island which was the highlight of our stay. Our trip was ideal - the right place, right time and right situation for us to see baby turtles being released back into the wild!
Komodo Island
If you have more time on the Gili Islands, try to visit Komodo Island, the home of the Komodo dragon (a giant lizard) - making Indonesia the only country in the world to house dragons! Exodus arrange an amazing tour including the dragons and also the sought after orang-utans in Indonesia which I can book for you.Lombok and the Mount Rinjani climb
From Gili Trawangan we made the short hop over to Lombok, ready for our Mount Rinjani climb. The volcano had been looming over us from Gili Trawangan for a week and now came the time to face up to the second largest mountain in Indonesia head on! Indonesia is a part of the volcano group known as ‘The Ring of Fire’ and in volcano speak these are active – Mount Rinjani was rumbling away in 2010. Be warned that the paths up the volcano are closed during the wet season (roughly December/January – March/April), so make sure you take this into account when planning your trip.
This climb certainly isn’t for the faint hearted. I admit to nurturing trekking arrogance after conquering Mount Kinabalu in Borneo last year, but despite Rinjani being 370m lower at 3726m – it is harder by far. You can choose between a two or three day route, or even opt to spread the three day trek over four. I would definitely recommend the longer treks to give you the chance to head down to the lake and hot springs (the perfect medicine for tired muscles) and camp on the other side of the crater, the views from here are breath-taking looking across the volcano to the summit.
You can also choose which way round you trek from Sembalun to Senaru or vice versa, but I would recommend starting in Sembalun as it means you start at a higher altitude. The first day eases you in and then you climb to the summit on day two when you still feel almost fresh. Day three is an ‘easier’ downhill through the forest where you get lots of much needed shade.
Make sure you pack a head torch, warm clothes (it gets really cold at night at altitude), and walking poles are a massive bonus, but these can be borrowed from most of the trek companies so you don’t need to lug them around.
This is definitely an experience not to be missed but be warned; you will ache for a few days at least, so make sure you plan in some serious R & R afterwards! We relaxed at the Rinjani Lodge in Senaru – a gem of a find (which will be incredibly popular once everyone discovers it). The lodge opened in April 2014, so I believe the website is still in the making, but it can be booked through the trek companies locally. It’s a mountain retreat with pure luxury, including an outside bathroom and incredible views across the hills, all for only about £35 a night!
Ubud, Bali
From Lombok, we returned by boat to Bali and on to Ubud, the artistic and spiritual heart of Indonesia. I had heard rave reviews, but Ubud still exceeded expectations. Here you can wile away your days getting into some yoga, having one beauty treatment after another or wandering the streets popping in and out of the shops and art galleries.We stayed at the Alaya Ubud, and what a high to finish our trip! The service here is second to none and the location is great – you can walk into town whilst still having the peace and serenity looking out over the rice paddy fields.
If you’re a foodie like us, it would be a crime not to visit the restaurant Locavore. Make sure to book in advance as it is booked up most nights of the week. The concept of this restaurant is to use locally sourced ingredients and support the local farming community – the result is world class food. It’s not cheap by Indonesian standards (about £30 - £45 a head), but you certainly won’t be disappointed. The seven course tasting menu will forever more remain a bench mark to judge future meals!
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