I've already gotten some good ideas and advice for this trip, and I know we can't do and see it all. So, as much as it pains me, we're skipping Ijen (too long of a hike), Sulawesi (too big, too remote, too hard to get in/out), and any beach/snorkeling stay (too many "rare" shark attacks around the world, DH doesn't want to snorkel). We have about 30 days on the ground, but we'd like to keep the last 3-4 for Singapore. So maybe 26 days for Indonesia in July. We are interested in culture/temples, scenery/rice paddies/volcanoes/photography, and wildlife/birding. Here is a first high level draft, please let me know what you think and how to tweak it. We'll fly in and out of Singapore. I think/hope that the hotels will be able to arrange the transfer to/from the airports. If not, if you can suggest a travel agency for that, I would appreciate it.
Day 1-3: Fly from Singapore to Medan, then car to Bukit Lawang, and 3 nights there. I hope 2 full days in the park will be enough to see the orangutans, langurs, gibbons, hopefully a slow loris, hornbills, etc. Any wildlife guide recommendation? Birding guide? In all other SE Asia countries we've visited we did not need specialized mammals/birding guides, so hopefully that's true here too.
Day 4-6: Fly to Yogyakarta, spend 3 nights there, mainly for temples. Any recommendation for a hotel in the temples area, so we can avoid the traffic in the city?
Day 7-9: Transfer to Borobudur and 3 nights there. Sunrise at the temple, day trip to Dieng Plateau. Should I combine the Yogyakarta and Borobudur days, and stay around Borobudur only? Will this be too long of a drive for seeing Prambanan and other temples in that area?
Day 10-12: Fly from Yogyakarta to Surabaya, 3 nights at Bromo. Sunrise and sunset views + some birding in the Bromo Tengger Semeru NP. Maybe some temples in between. Maybe I should reverse Yogyakarta and Borobudur, so we're closer to the airport on day 10.
Day 13: Drive back to Surabaya for an early 8:50 am flight to Bali. Considering it's about 2.5 hrs drive, this will be a very early wake-up. Should we stay closer to the airport that night?
Day 14-20: Bali, that's 8 nights. Not sure if to base them all around Ubud, or pick 2 destinations for a 4-4 or 5-3 split.
Day 21: Fly to Flores/Badjo; 2 nights there
Day 22: Day trip with fast boat to Komodo island. A few that I'm looking at also stop 3-4 times for snorkeling, so they will be my choices.
Day 23-25: Fly to Ende, stay 3 nights around Kelimutu NP. Want to see the lakes, volcanoes, and do some birding. Or maybe switch the Kelimutu/Komodo days if I can find better flight options.
Day 26: Fly back to Badjo, stay there for 1 night. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find flights to get back in a single day. The goal here is to get to an airport from where to fly to Singapore.

Please let me know how this looks like and what thoughts you have about it. Thank you.

Just one comment for now: I was glad to have a chunk of time in Bali, but given your interests, you might trim your stay there a bit so that you have more time for your other priorities. Just something to consider.

kja Thanks, good point, I'll definitely consider that. Having said that, would you stay the entire time around Ubud, or split your stay? Although, you might not be the right person to ask
You don't mind moving around, we like staying longer in a place. So maybe in the middle of the trip, we should stay in one place.
I'll start my "must do" list of things for Bali, and take it from there. Good to know I have 1-2 days to play with, thanks!

CENTRAL JAVA
There are two airports serving Yogya: the older one Adisutjipto JOG and the newer Yogyakarta International YIA. JOG is closer to the city of Yogya and very close to Prambanan; however it’s mostly dedicated to Citilink, a low cost commuter airline. I believe all other airlines will fly in and out of YIA.

The driving time from the Borobudur area (Magelang) to YIA is more or less the same as from Yogya City (Phoenix Hotel). If you can find a flight to Surabaya out of JOG your travel time from Yogya city will be much shorter and you might be able to schedule a visit to Prambanan on the way.

Whether you’re based in the Borobudur area or split your stay between Magelang and Yogya city really depends where you want to spend your time: rural or urban or a little of both. You probably won’t know which is better for you until you’ve actually been there. Either way, tryto squeeze in more than one visit to Borobudur itself. Note: avoid Borobudur on Saturday and Sunday.

Other than Prambanan — which is a must see — and nearby Plaosan, there aren’t a lot of temples or archeological sites near Yogya city. The Kraton/Sultan’s Palace and the Water Palace are more historical/cultural, but still interesting. Of course Yogya city is a shopping haven for Indonesian handicrafts and textiles. This, I think, is its main draw.

BROMO
I wouldn’t choose to spend a night in Surabaya just to arrive earlier in Bali. Your resort can pick you up at Bali airport and even though it means an another longish drive, you can relax and start enjoying Bali. (Note that Bali time is an hour later than Surabaya.)

BALI
On a map, Ubud is only about a quarter of the way north from the southern coast. There’s a lot more of Bali to the north, east and west. If you’re looking for a second place to stay I’d suggest you research Sidemen to the northeast and Munduk to the northwest. These are both nature rich areas. I especially like the Munduk Moding Plantation Resort but there are many other choices in both directions.

Adjacent to Ubud town are several “banjars” which are separate neighborhoods, like Niyuh Kuning, Penestanan, Pengosekan, Lungsiakan and many others. These are all pleasant communities either within walking distance or a short taxi drive of Ubud town. There are dozens of places to stay at all price ranges.

If you want real countryside, but still within ~30 minutes drive from Ubud town, look at places in Sayan along the Ayung River ridge or Keliki for rice terraces. I like the Alila Ubud (which is now a Hyatt) for both beautiful natural surroundings and accessibility to cultural attractions.

You’ll find both nature and culture attractions in every direction from Ubud central so it really doesn’t matter which outlying place you choose. You’ll still end up driving to another place in another direction.

marmot
As always, great advice, thank you!!
I think I have a better idea now of the geography of Java. I'll research the flights from the 2 airports, but we favor direct flights, so that will drive our decision. I'm not into shopping, but seeing the textiles in their multiple forms is on my list of things to do.

Bromo - the idea to stay the last night closer to the airport was not to get early to Bali. The only direct flight out of Surabaya is at 8:50 am. Considering that we'll have...what, maybe a 2 1/2 hr drive if google is correct, probably longer if what I know about driving in SE Asia is correct, that would make for a very early wake up call. Not sure what's best.

Bali - I think 2 locations will be our best choice. Plus, Munduk Moding Plantation Resort looks amazing! We prefer rural settings, but mix them with cities for the cultural aspects. Thanks!

I have a good idea of what we want, I think I can do it myself, I just wonder if I need to work with a local agency, to help us in case things go wrong. We have 7 domestic flights in Indonesia 😱

Central Java is the epicenter for batik and some other resist dye techniques. Most of the long established batik organizations will have waxing and dyeing workshops adjacent to their showrooms,
though the majority is done in the surrounding villages.

Flores is known for complex natural dyed ikat, but I’m not sure how viable it is to visit the workshops.

Some fine weaving is still being done in Bali mostly in east Bali around Sidemen and in the traditional villages around Tenganan. Threads of Life outside of Ubud is a wonderful source of information on all Indonesian textiles.

You should be able to find more direct (nonstop) flights SUB to DPS. For short hop inter-island flights smaller domestic airlines are your best bet. Millions of Indonesians use them every day. I believe Lion Air, for example, has several nonstops SUB-DPS.

If you do decide to overnight in Surabaya look at the Majapahit hotel, a renovated Starkies property from the same era as Raffles, the Strand, and the E&O.

You can use Google Maps to get a general idea of the location of the sites you’re interested in visiting in relation to each other. The drivers will know the ways
around and over the mountains as well as the most scenic shortcuts.

I used to find travel agents indispensable, but in the last 10 years or so I’ve segued into doing it myself on the various internet sites, like Traveloka. For contacting resorts, guides, drivers etc directly I can’t stress enough how dominant the use of WhatsApp has become in Indonesia, more so than email or text messages.

Wow, great textiles info, I have to make a list and organize it, then plan our visits. I guess they all have shops where they sell their products, and that's dangerous.
Yes, I see that now, Lion Air has a lot more direct flights, I guess they don't all appear in the google flights list. But that is great news, as it makes the travel day less crazy. Phew! In this case, I don't think we need to stay the night near Surabaya, although the Majapahit looks amazing.

I've always planned our trips myself, and had no issue. It's just that the big number of flights this time makes me nervous. How reliable are these local airlines? When traveling in Vietnam earlier this year, Vietnam Airlines canceled out flight just a couple days before our flight. Thankfully our wildlife guide was able to help us get train tickets instead, and I don't know if we would've been able to do it ourselves. We were in a very remote area, in a very basic hotel, so no access to a concierge to help us. Plus, the receptionist's English was not great. These are the situations when I think a local somebody might help. Except of Bukit Lawang, Bromo and Kelimutu we'll be in relatively urban areas, so probably easier to find a plan B if there's a flight cancelation. And for all airports, I think I'll just need a list of hotels, to have some options in case a flight is significantly delayed. I convinced myself, I think I'm good without a local TA 😀

There’s no simple answer to your question “How reliable are these local airlines?”

The odds of encountering flight delays in Indonesia are high on any airline. Cancellations are rare but they happen, usually due to bad weather or mechanical problems. (Or the occasional volcanic eruption!)
Basically, all modes of transportation in Indonesia have downsides so it’s difficult to endorse any one over another. Personally I would choose Lion Air or other local carriers over travel by surface (car, motorcycle, bus, train) or water (boat, ferry). Your preference may be different. You have to weigh the alternatives, and, as you note, have a Plan B thought out in advance.

Thanks, marmot. Your opinion reinforces mine.
At this time, no airline anywhere is 100% reliable, and we still fly. So I'll make my plans with the best info I have at the time, but have an alternative if things go wrong. Fingers crossed.

Great itinerary! If you like wildlife I would definetly recommend going to Borneo to see the orangutans. It would only use 3 days of your time and you can easily fly from Surabaya or Jakarta to Pangkalan Bun. We did the 3 days tour on board of a klotok (boat) through the jungle and we slept there 2 nights. They organize the transfer to airport and all meals and drinks are included. The experience was incredible, we saw lots of orangutans and other animals such as long-nosed monkey, kinfisher, crocodiles or snakes.

In addition, if you don´t like snorkell it is not an option, but let me say it here in case it helps others. I would definitely add Raja Ampat as well. It is a paradise on land and under the water. However, it is far and more expensive than the rest of Indonesia.

Finally, a mention of Raja Ampat here!!!!!

I asked about it on another thread a few months ago.....would love to learn more!




RAJA AMPAT for non-divers?

@Liam_95,
Sorry it took me so long to respond, we were traveling
Please tell me more about your klotok experience, which company did you use?

Ahh, Raja Ampat....I've been looking at it for a while, but it seems so complicated/long to get there...

Unfortunately, due to some medical issues we need to rethink this trip. It will still happen, but we need to stay closer to places that have a hospital, in case of emergency. I think 3 days in Borneo might be doable, Bali and central Java too, but probably not Flores. Not sure about Komodo yet... and definitely, not Sulawesi or Raja Ampat.

Hey there,
just wondering how did your trip go?

I am planning a trip to Bukit Lawang in the beginning of January, for 5 days. Mostly for birdwatching and trying to see orangutang in a wild. Just wondering how is the weather in the end of December beginning of January usually there, also any recommendations on bird guides or orangutang trekking guides? So far considering website Sumatra Orangutang Explore. They have nice itineraries and price seems to be not bad.

any suggestions would be much appreciated!!

Your plan looks great—diverse, well-paced, and realistic. I'd suggest:

• Combine Yogyakarta & Borobudur to avoid too much moving.
  
• Stay near Surabaya airport before your Bali flight.
  
• In Bali, split time between Ubud and a second location.
  
• Swap Komodo/Kelimutu if flights work better that way.
  

Let me know if you want help with guides or hotel picks!