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Sunday, 23 June 2013
Q: Yogyakarta to Bali overland - is it worth it?
Hi guys, apa kahbar? I am going to Indonesia where I will be visiting Yogyakarta (for Borobudur) and Bali over 6 days, but rather than fly from Yogyakarta to Bali, I was wondering if I could travel overland? I know, it's madness, there's an Air Asia flight for £21 but I thought it would be adventurous to try to do it overland. It would involve:
Leg 1: Yogyakarta to Surabaya by train: Depart 01:00 arrive 05:44
Leg 2: Surabaya to Banyuwangi Baru by train: Depart 09:00 arrive 16:04
Banyuwangi Baru to Ketapang, then ferry to Gilimanuk, then bus to Denpasar, arrive: 21:00 (approx)
I am wondering if it is worth the 20 hour hassle just for that 3 hour of spectacular views as one approaches the Eastern tip of Java at Banyuwangi? Have any of you taken trains in Indonesia before and can offer some advice? I do speak some Malay (but it is rusty, but I can understand more than I can speak/write). I would like to see more of Indonesia, not just chill out at the touristy places, I want to experience something off the beaten track and memorable.
Should I go for it and do this epic journey? Or shall I be sensible and get the Air Asia flight (it is at 6:25 am, ouch)? Please let me know, terima kasih! I am so looking forward to this trip, I am revising my Malay for the visits to Malaysia and Indonesia on this trip and I am ever so determined that Limpeh yang dari Singapura dan aku boleh bercakap (pasar) Melayu... well, it's rusty but I am going to make a valiant effort. I am not going to be one of those tourists from Singapore (or anywhere else) who refuses to speak the local language! I am going to speak it, make loads of mistakes and the locals are going to love me for trying so hard.
I have done the exact same route as you are planning in a recent trip. Some points:
1) It depends what experience your looking for. If you do not mind the discomfort of squeezing around with local small-town and peasant folk on the local bus, then ok. I am tall for an Asian and it was not comfortable at all. For reasons unbeknownst to me, sometimes the train would not be running at all (Wasn't a national holiday), so had to take the local bus. When I was much younger I used to do plenty of this in SE Asia, but as I realize I'm growing older my creaking limbs and body just don't take these punishing rides as well as they used to.
2) Of course, we all know the beware-of-touts-and-scam story so there, its a good idea never to take the first offer and go in there with a rough idea of market rates; they will never miss any opportunity to pull a fast one on you!
3) Scenery being awesome aside, I would only recommend this trip if your gonna sightsee and stopover at major destinations in between Yogya and Bali, eg. Mount Bromo, Dieng Plateau etc. Even Surabaya(not famous for tourism) does have its charms! Theres plenty to see and do in between those destinations that one should not miss out on! If not, suggest you take the plane, no point wasting 20 (uncomfortable) hours viewing scenery which can get little monotonous after a while.
4) Lastly, as I grow older, I find myself tiring of haggling with touts and train station masters and transport/tour provider who are all out to make a fast unscrupulous buck from you; so if you would wanna do this journey on a 4WD with driver provided (Unlike the bus, you can tell the driver to stop if you wanna go to the restroom/ feel like eating / buy fruits and local produce from roadside stalls/ bargain for you etc.) I can recommend you an excellent reliable agency that prices their packages very competitively. Enjoy yourself and stay safe!!
Hi there - I spoke to two friends who have lived in Indonesia for a total of 20 years between the two of them (one of them is a Malay-Singaporean married to an Indonesia, the other is a Russian working in Bali) and after my long chats with them, I gave in and booked the flight. Sorry! The point was that the scenic route is that it would take a lot of time and sitting 20 hours in a train/bus would get monotonous after a while and i said I wanted to see the REAL indonesia, not the touristy bits and my friend gave me a long list of things to do in Yogyakarta to get a taste of the real Indonesia and i am happy enough with that.
Ultimately i have only 6 days for this trip and there just isn't enough time for this kind of long overland journey, maybe next time when I have more time. i did travel around Sri Lanka like that on local public transport but i had far more time then.
Hi Gringo 777, I realise it's been a long time since you posted but I'd be very interested in travelling by 4wd from Yogya or Surabaya to Bali if it's possible to get a one way hire. You said you could recommend a reliable agency?
I did overland from "Jogja" (That is how the locals call it) to Bali recently and it was amazing. Airasia flight looks very attempting but trains are still affordable even for executive class in Java. A side trip to Mount Bromo, the active volcano in Probolinggo,East Java will be nice. This route also allow you to explore the remote northern and eastern side of Bali before heading to the crowded Kuta Beach in Depasar.
Why even ask?
ReplyDeleteJUST DO IT!!!!
Then come and share with us ;)
See my longer reply below, I am not going to do it after having discussed it with 2 friends who live in Indonesia. If only i had more time. Sigh.
DeleteI have done the exact same route as you are planning in a recent trip. Some points:
ReplyDelete1) It depends what experience your looking for. If you do not mind the discomfort of squeezing around with local small-town and peasant folk on the local bus, then ok. I am tall for an Asian and it was not comfortable at all. For reasons unbeknownst to me, sometimes the train would not be running at all (Wasn't a national holiday), so had to take the local bus. When I was much younger I used to do plenty of this in SE Asia, but as I realize I'm growing older my creaking limbs and body just don't take these punishing rides as well as they used to.
2) Of course, we all know the beware-of-touts-and-scam story so there, its a good idea never to take the first offer and go in there with a rough idea of market rates; they will never miss any opportunity to pull a fast one on you!
3) Scenery being awesome aside, I would only recommend this trip if your gonna sightsee and stopover at major destinations in between Yogya and Bali, eg. Mount Bromo, Dieng Plateau etc. Even Surabaya(not famous for tourism) does have its charms! Theres plenty to see and do in between those destinations that one should not miss out on! If not, suggest you take the plane, no point wasting 20 (uncomfortable) hours viewing scenery which can get little monotonous after a while.
4) Lastly, as I grow older, I find myself tiring of haggling with touts and train station masters and transport/tour provider who are all out to make a fast unscrupulous buck from you; so if you would wanna do this journey on a 4WD with driver provided (Unlike the bus, you can tell the driver to stop if you wanna go to the restroom/ feel like eating / buy fruits and local produce from roadside stalls/ bargain for you etc.) I can recommend you an excellent reliable agency that prices their packages very competitively. Enjoy yourself and stay safe!!
Hi there - I spoke to two friends who have lived in Indonesia for a total of 20 years between the two of them (one of them is a Malay-Singaporean married to an Indonesia, the other is a Russian working in Bali) and after my long chats with them, I gave in and booked the flight. Sorry! The point was that the scenic route is that it would take a lot of time and sitting 20 hours in a train/bus would get monotonous after a while and i said I wanted to see the REAL indonesia, not the touristy bits and my friend gave me a long list of things to do in Yogyakarta to get a taste of the real Indonesia and i am happy enough with that.
DeleteUltimately i have only 6 days for this trip and there just isn't enough time for this kind of long overland journey, maybe next time when I have more time. i did travel around Sri Lanka like that on local public transport but i had far more time then.
Terima kasih.
Hi Gringo 777, I realise it's been a long time since you posted but I'd be very interested in travelling by 4wd from Yogya or Surabaya to Bali if it's possible to get a one way hire. You said you could recommend a reliable agency?
DeleteMany thanks in advance,
Felix
Hi there Gringo 777, I'm interested in the 4wd idea. Could you please post details of the 'reliable agency' you mentioned.
DeleteMany thanks in advance,
Felix
I did overland from "Jogja" (That is how the locals call it) to Bali recently and it was amazing. Airasia flight looks very attempting but trains are still affordable even for executive class in Java. A side trip to Mount Bromo, the active volcano in Probolinggo,East Java will be nice. This route also allow you to explore the remote northern and eastern side of Bali before heading to the crowded Kuta Beach in Depasar.
ReplyDeleteHi Nel, thanks for your comment.
DeletePlease see my reply to Gringo above, I have decided to fly, maybe next time but I have so little time for this trip I am afraid.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete