Indonesia Expenses, Travel Tips and Itinerary

Indonesia was the least expensive place I visited on my trip, and I have to laugh when I compare my New Zealand trip expenses to my Indonesian expenses as they were very similar style adventures with shockingly different price points. The two week experience was spent island hopping, exploring on a scooter and enjoying the inexpensive cuisine and tropical fruits. This post is geared towards the analytic planning types, if that’s not you, you might enjoy my top 20 photos from Bali and Lombok, instead.

The Quick Break Down

Total Spent: 2,422,950 Rupiah ($242.30 USD)

Total Distance Driven: 1,078.7 km (670 miles)

Average Fuel Efficiency: 74.96 km/L (176mpg)

Average Daily Spending: $18.64 USD

Top 10 Experiences I’d Recommend

• Rent a scooter and experience Balinese driving first hand
• The water blow hole at Nusa Dua and walking around the beach resorts (look for the Bali Conrad Wedding Chapel)
• Uluwatu Temple at sunset
• Jatiluwih rice paddies
• The night market in Gianyar
• Tegallalang rice paddies
• The Gili Islands
• Stop at a local fruit stand and buy every tropical fruit you’ve never tried
• Stop at a local restaurant and order a plate of Naci Champur with a fresh juice to drink (I recommend avocado)
• Senggigi Beach and Malambu on Lombok Island

Travel Tips

• If you want to do a tourist activity (like surfing), the price can be haggled.

• Do NOT rent a car in Bali. Either rent a scooter or pay a driver to drive you around.

• If you’re driving yourself don’t be afraid to use your horn and drive aggressively.

• You might have to bribe the police. Be prepared for this. You shouldn’t pay more than 5USD. Don’t let the cops see the rest of your money. You can read about my experience here.

• The streets aren’t marked well and the maps aren’t very good. If you’re driving yourself, learn how to say “Where is..” in Balinese (it’s “de mana”).

• If you can, travel with a local. I used couchsurfing.org to find people to meet up with. You don’t have to worry the maps/directions AND if you’re in more touristy areas you’ll get charged the local price instead of the tourist price.

• If you like to try new food order “Naci Champur” it means mixed rice dish (more or less). Most local restaurants cook up many different items every day. When you order Naci Champur they take a little bit of everything they cooked that day and put over rice. What they cook changes day to day and from restaurant to restaurant.

• You might see flowers, candy, food, etc placed on the ground. Do not touch them, they are religious offerings.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Flew into Bali from Singapore and found my couchsurfing host’s house in Panjar.

Day 2 – Panjar – Kuta Beach – Panjar

Day 3 – Panjar – Nusa Dua – Dreamland Beach – Uluwatu Temple – Panjar

Day 4 – Panjar – Sanur – Ketewel – Lebih – Kusamba – Pura Goa Lawah – Panjar

Day 5 – Panjar – Jatiluwih Rice Paddies – Panjar

Day 6 – Panjar – Gitgit (couchsurfed for the night here)

Day 7 – Gitgit – Kintamani – Batur – Penelokan – Besakih – Gianyar (couchsurfed for the night here)

Day 8 – Gianyar – Ubud – Tegallalang – Panjar

Day 9 – Panjar – Padangbai – Kuta Beach on Lombok Island (camped on the beach for the night)

Day 10 – Kuta Beach – Bangsai – Gili Trawangan – Mataram (couchsurfed for the night here)

Day 11 – Mataram – Senggigi – Malambu – Lembar – Padangbai – Panjar

Day 12 – Panjar – Denpasar – Panjar

Day 13 – Panjar – Singapore

Expenses

Food – Food and Beverage (Excluding Alcohol)

I ate out for every meal, bought meals for my couchsurfing hosts and friends and still averaged a little over $6 USD per day on food.

Accommodation

I couchsurfed or camped every night while I was in Indonesia so I didn’t have any hostel fees. The $24.76 USD came from buying products like toothpaste and soap, my police bribe, etc.

Transportation

This includes all of my gas ($13.7 USD), my 10 day scooter rental, taxi rides and ferry rides between islands

Alcohol and Entertainment

I didn’t drink much while I was here, and most of my entertainment came from free, exploring type activities. However, I did have to pay a few entrance fees, parking fees, etc.

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The Featured Image was taken at the Tegallalang Rice Paddies near Ubud in Bali