Indonesian Trip Planning guidance
 

Hi there! I am going to Raja Amapat for a week in early June and I was planning to arrive a few days early to go to Bali.

I would arrive from the US in Jakarta on a Friday afternoon around 3:30. I would then take a domestic flight from Jakarta to Bali around 6 or 7 pm to arrive in Bali around 9 pm Friday evening.

My plan was to spend all day Saturday and most of the day Sunday in the Ubud area I am staying in Ubud. I know that is not a lot of time, but my main goal was to see a couple of temples, catch a dance performance and enjoy the countryside. I think I can accomplish this in the time I have.

I have to be in Sorong Monday to catch my transfer to resort in Raja Ampat

My question:

I could take a flight from Bali at 3:45 pm Sunday to get to Sorong, but that would cut my time in Bali.

My other option was to take a Sunday evening flight from Bali back to Jakarta, spend the night in Jakarta, then take the early morning flight to Sorong on Monday. This would give me a little more time in Bali, but I would have to find a hotel in Jakarta , which I am not looking forward to.

I was planning to do the second option, but I have a lot of concerns about the reliability of Indonesian domestic airlines, and getting a hotel at or close to the airport - and if that airport would be a clean and safe option for a solo female traveler.

Thoughts?

My first concern would be getting to Raja Ampat, so aside from gaining a few extra hours in Bali, your decision should be based on the airline, route and the number of stops. Since delays are common, the fewer stops the better.

I haven't been to Raja Ampat and don't know the flight routes, but it seems that you'd be better off traveling east, rather than back tracking to Jakarta. You might spend the night in Makassar for example.

Jakarta airport is safe and reasonably clean. There's a Sheraton about 10 minutes away by taxi, that's actually quite pleasant. The hotel will pick you up, or you can arrange a Silverbird or Bluebird taxi at the airport when you exit baggage claim. People are nice, English is widely spoken and you won't have a problem, even if you arrive late.

If you want to venture into Jakarta, there are many really nice hotels with beautiful pools and spas, good arts and crafts shopping and good restaurants. Jakarta can be bewildering and difficult to navigate, but it's relatively safe, and you will be treated hospitably.

For your flight from Jakarta to Bali on the evening of your arrival, I would definitely choose Garuda. You can check your luggage through from the U.S. and your arrival and departure will be in the same terminal. AirAsia is cheaper but they won't check your luggage through from the U.S., and they're in a different terminal from international arrivals.

But it would still be better to avoid Jakarta altogether by flying from the U.S. to Bali through Hong Kong or Singapore.

Thank you so much for the wonderful advice! I will look into the Makassar option.

Marmot, you mentioned AirAsia and Garuda. What is your opinion of Lion Air?

If anyone else has any advice, I welcome it.

Might I suggest you fly into Denpasar directly?

Jakarta is choked with traffic, it's horrendous to get around, and there's really nothing to see apart from the very interesting old port of Batavia. That would be my "must see."

We have travelled around Java and many other islands of Indonesia over the years, most other parts of SEA, can't say anything less than they are lovely places, but that's Asia all over, all good, just don't carry pharmaceuticals without a doctor's prescription, or expect to give away big money or big years.


We're off to Penang next month and East Timor in May, and back to Darwin for June.

Aside from Garuda and air Asia, I'd put Lion Air and all the other domestic Indonesian carriers in the "proceed with caution" category. Safety of course is the primary concern, but the most likely issue will be delay or cancellation. Because these smallish airlines have few flights you can get stuck in transit.

But the fact is that sometimes if you want to get from A to B there's no other choice. Millions of Indonesians fly these airlines every year, and one way or another they're getting the job done, but I would only choose them if there was no other option.

Thank you all so much for the advice! I will be posting another question about Jakarta soon.