Java is perhaps our favorite island in Indonesia. It is what Bali used to be before tourists took over. It is filled with anything you could want out of a Southeast Asian vacation–beautiful spots in nature, incredible temples, and great food. Flores is just a plane-ride away, and is home to Komodo National Park. If you’re looking to see a beautiful and authentic part of Indonesia, add Java and Flores to your list. 

WHEN TO VISIT: We traveled to Indonesia in September, which is the end of the dry season. The temperature was also SUPER ideal. Since there is so much to do outside, we recommend traveling during the dry season, which is from May – September.

yogyakarta.

Words cannot express how much I LOVED Yogyakarta. It is such an artsy and interesting place. The restaurants are amazing, it is surrounded by the most beautiful temples, and it is so easy to explore. I recommend staying in Yogyakarta for at least 3 days. We stayed at Pondok Ijo Guesthouse. It is in a great location and has a beautiful ambiance. They also have motorbikes for rent to make it easier to visit the surrounding temples.

DAY 1: If you arrive in the evening, head to SateBar for dinner. Make sure you work your way to the secret garden in the back. They have great food and host live music most nights.

DAY 2: For your first day, head to Sultan’s Palace. The palace itself isn’t that exciting, but you should plan to coordinate your visit with a traditional puppet and gamelan performance. The musicians are FANTASTIC. You will get to experience a full orchestra for less than $5 USD. Most travelers just passed by, but the performance was one of our favorite finds in Java.

Next, head to Sumur Gumuling. It can be a little difficult to find, but is BEAUTIFUL when you do. You’ll then walk through some underground tunnels to arrive at the water palace, Taman Sari.

We recommend heading back to your homestay and relaxing a bit by the pool.

Once you are ready to head back out, grab dinner at Yam Yam. It is an awesome Thai restaurant. It is always packed, but it is worth any wait that there might be. I’m a sucker for Pad-Thai, and the noodles here are made fresh in-house! For something sweet to cap it off, go to Tempo Gelato. You might just think that you’re in Florence.

Next, head to TapHouse Beer Garden. We loved this find! It is a massive beer garden, where you can enjoy a drink on some beanbags under the stars. It definitely seemed like a favorite local spot. We couldn’t get over how unique the bar was. We were so glad we made the trip over, and think it’s a must while visiting. Afterwards, stroll down Malioboro Street and enjoy the street performers and late-night eats.

DAY 3:

A lot of people visit the temples for sunrise, but the absolute best time to go is for sunset. So, enjoy a nice sleep-in. Once you roll out of bed, walk over to Via Via. They have great, fresh options that we enjoyed for breakfast and lunch. Walk next door, and pick up a sweet for the road at their bakery.

Then, start motorbiking or driving to Prambanan, the Hindu temple. Students should bring an ID to get a discount. Take time to explore the temples and the grounds before heading over to Borobudur for sunset. When you first arrive at the temple complex, there likely will be large crowds. Don’t worry, security will require them to leave a little after the sun starts setting. Then, you will basically have the place to yourself. When we were there, there were maybe only 5 people with the sunset pass. BEST TRAVEL DECISION WE EVER MADE.

When you arrive back in the city, the perfect spot to end the evening is Agenda Resto & Vibes. They have nice cocktails and wine, and also have live music (you’ll notice that this is a theme in Yogyakarta). Agenda was probably my favorite hidden gem of the city.

malang.

Next, take the train to Malang. Salt in Our Hair recommended Malang, and we are so glad we made it a part of our trip.

When you arrive, head to Jodipan to travel through the rainbow town. It used to be part of the slums of the city, but local students painted the area to make the area more beautiful and livable. Across the river, you can also walk through Kampung Biru Arema. It is very similar, but all blue.

When you finish exploring, head to SaigonSan for dinner. We recommend working up to the rooftop to enjoy some al fresco dining. Head to bed early, because you will be picked up around midnight for your trek to Batur.

mount batur.

Make sure you have arranged for a guide to take you to Mt. Batur. With the multiple early morning wake-up calls, it makes traveling a lot more manageable. They will pick you up early, and drive you to Mt. Batur. There, you will get to ride in a brightly colored jeep to see sunrise over the volcano. Dress warmly, because it is super cold. There are also people renting jackets for a few bucks. After sunrise, they will take you to the volcano itself to hike.

ijen crater.

Make sure that your trek includes Ijen Crater. You will travel to it the next day. It is a bright blue crater lake that will TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY.

At this point, you’ll have to make a decision. You can either just do the sunrise hike, or include venturing into the sulfur mines to see the miners. I heard about a lot of bad experiences in the mine, so I opted to just do the hike. Adrian chose to visit the mines before sunrise, and was glad that he did. Bottom line is, do your research and figure out what is best for you. Also, if you opt to do the mines, start out extra early. A lot of the people who ventured into the mines missed sunrise altogether because they couldn’t move quickly enough through the mines to do both.

We the stayed the day and night in Banyuwangi so that we could fly to Flores. At this point, you will no doubt need some coffee. So, head to Roaster Club. The shop take so much pride in their coffee, and will walk you through their scientific and artistic process step-by-step. Then, spend the afternoon and evening just relaxing and catching up on some sleep.

flores and komodo.

Finally, if you enjoy scuba diving, head to Flores. Some of our favorite spots while relaxing in Flores were Bajo Taco and Le Pirate. Check the schedule at Le Pirate, because they may be doing a movie screening.

We did a live-aboard with Wicked Diving. They used reef-safe sunscreen and do a beach clean-up one evening, so you know that they care about you and the ocean. The food was great, the diving was BEAUTIFUL, and the staff was incredibly professional. While I didn’t get to finish the live-aboard with the group because of a medical emergency, I would recommend them to others.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions! We’d love to hear from you.