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Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

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IndonesiaIndonesia

First trip: pick Bali or Java, not both, for 7–10 nights; on Bali sleep in Ubud for culture and add a beach base only if you have five nights or more.

Not field-verified

Indonesia is 17,000 islands and five time zones. Bali is small but its roads are slow: the airport is 1.5–2 hours from Ubud, and a late flight decides whether a villa door is still staffed. Rules that apply everywhere: an entry visa and arrival card sorted before you fly, an exit tourist levy on Bali, a temple dress code, and helmet-and-licence rules for motorbikes.

All regions, cities and parks in Indonesia (Atlas) →

Regions

Balipublished

Ubud base, temples and rice terraces by driver

4–7 nights

Ubud
Javaplanned

Yogyakarta, Borobudur and Bromo

4–6 nights

Lombok and the Gili islandsplanned

Beach add-on by fast boat

3–4 nights

Capital and major cities

Basic guides
Jakartacapital

Treat Jakarta as a gateway and business city: 1–2 nights for the old town and museums, then move on.

Yogyakartamajor city

Give Yogyakarta 2–3 nights as the base for Borobudur and Prambanan plus the Sultan's palace and batik quarter.

Surabayamajor city

Use Surabaya as a transit and business stop before Mount Bromo or Bali; one night is enough.

Bandungmajor city

Bandung is a cool-highland weekend from Jakarta; give it 1–2 nights for food, shopping and volcano day trips.

Routes that work

Nights per city

Bali, 5 nights

UbudLand DPS; prebooked driver, 1.5–2 h to Ubud

Use a driver for Tegallalang, Tirta Empul and Tegenungan day trips; keep the Ubud bed.

  • Land at DPS early: the airport-to-Ubud drive is 1.5–2 hours and worse in the evening peak.
  • Sleep in Ubud first if you land in the afternoon; move to the beach base last, so the airport is short on the final day.
  • Avoid Nyepi (Balinese New Year, March or early April): the whole island shuts for 24 hours and the airport closes.

Arrive

DPS

Ngurah Rai (Bali)

1.5–2 h by car to Ubud; evening traffic adds time

Time math

4 days
Ubud 4: town, Campuhan, Monkey Forest, one driver day
7 days
Ubud 4 + a beach base 3 (Uluwatu or Sanur)
10 days
Bali 6 + Java (Yogyakarta) 4, fly DPS → YIA

Country rules

Inherited by every page below
  • Buy the visa on arrival or e-visa only on the official Immigration portal; lookalike sites charge extra.
  • Complete the All Indonesia digital arrival and customs form before landing; it is free.
  • Foreign visitors to Bali pay a one-off tourist levy; keep the payment proof on your phone.
  • Riding a motorbike needs a valid licence that covers motorbikes (an international permit alongside your own) and a helmet; check your insurance covers it.

Etiquette

  • Temples: wear a sarong and sash (rented or lent at the gate); cover shoulders and knees.
  • Step around offerings on the ground; do not step on them.
  • Use the right hand to give and receive; do not touch a person's head.
  • Do not climb on shrines or point feet at them; do not enter a temple in ceremony unless invited.
  • Bargain politely at markets; fixed prices in shops and restaurants.
Nyepi (Balinese New Year, March or early April; moves yearly)
Island-wide 24-hour shutdown: no flights, no travel, hotels keep guests indoors. Do not plan arrival or departure.
Galungan and Kuningan (every 210 days)
Ceremonies close some shops and slow traffic in villages.
Eid al-Fitr and Christmas–New Year
Domestic and Java-side travel peaks; flights and hotels sell out.
Wet season (Nov–Mar)
Heavy afternoon rain, landslides on hill roads, slower transfers.

Money & passes

Cash necessity: 4/5

  • Rupiah (Rp) in small notes for warungs, parking, offerings and drivers; large cards are common in tourist restaurants but not everywhere.
  • Use ATMs attached to a bank branch; cover the keypad; decline dynamic currency conversion.
  • Change money only at authorised changers with a visible licence; count the notes before you leave the counter.
  • Amounts on this site are in Indonesian rupiah (Rp).

Before you fly: eSIM before you fly · E-visa and entry

Safety

  • Motorbike crashes are the main injury for visitors: always a helmet; never ride without a licence and insurance.
  • Traffic is slow and roads are narrow; add 45 minutes to any transfer at 16:00–19:00.
  • Do not feed or touch monkeys; keep phones, glasses and food out of reach; clean any bite and see a doctor the same day.
  • Drink bottled or filtered water only; avoid homemade arak cocktails (methanol poisoning has occurred).
  • Drug offences carry severe penalties in Indonesia, including long prison terms; never carry anything for another person.
  • Volcanic ash, earthquakes and floods occasionally disrupt flights and roads; check airline and local notices.
  • Emergency: 112 (general), 110 police, 118 or 119 ambulance, 113 fire.
  • Check your own government's travel advice for Indonesia, including current volcano and regional notices, before you book.

Indonesia is the southern arm of the Southeast Asia corridor (planned): Singapore, Malaysia and Timor-Leste connect by air.

Open Bali

Sources