Practical Information
The everyday details: money, SIM cards, health, internal transport, accommodation, and safety. Six reference pages covering what every first-time visitor to Indonesia needs to know.
Indonesia airport arrival — the first 90 minutes
What to do at any Indonesian international airport — visa, customs, SIM, transport. Soekarno-Hatta, Denpasar, Yogyakarta, Surabaya.
Money in Indonesia — ATMs, Cards, Cash, and QRIS
How money actually works in Indonesia: rupiah denominations, ATM access, card acceptance, the QRIS digital-payment standard, money changers, and what to bring.
Bali airport arrival (DPS) — what to expect
Ngurah Rai International Airport practical guide. Visa lanes, Bali tourist levy, SIM, transport to your hotel.
SIM Cards, Mobile Data, and Internet in Indonesia
How to get connected in Indonesia: local SIM cards, mobile data plans, eSIM options, WiFi quality, and what to expect across cities and remote areas.
Indonesia e-VOA and Visa on Arrival — practical guide
How the 30-day VOA works, e-VOA online application, extending in country, eligible nationalities and the common mistakes.
Health in Indonesia — Vaccines, Hospitals, Bali Belly, and Insurance
Pre-trip vaccines, dengue and malaria, traveller's diarrhoea, rabies risks, hospital options, and travel insurance — the health bundle for travel in Indonesia.
Indonesia customs declaration (e-CD)
How to file Indonesia's online customs declaration before arrival, what to declare, and what's prohibited or restricted.
Safety in Indonesia — Realistic Risks and Precautions
What the actual safety risks are for visitors to Indonesia — road accidents, ocean currents, scooter falls, volcanic activity, scams, theft — and what to do about them.
Getting Around Indonesia — Flights, Ferries, Trains, Buses
How internal travel actually works in Indonesia: the cheap domestic flight network, ferries between the major islands, Java's train system, intercity buses, and the budget for each.
SIM cards and eSIM in Indonesia
Telkomsel vs Indosat vs XL. Tourist packages, eSIM options, where to buy, what to bring. Real data for tourists and long-stayers.
Accommodation in Indonesia — Hotels, Villas, Homestays, Hostels
What types of accommodation exist in Indonesia and what they cost: budget guesthouses (penginapan, losmen), homestays, mid-range hotels, boutique villas, luxury resorts. With booking platform notes.
Grab and Gojek in Indonesia
How to use Grab and Gojek for cars, motorbikes, food and parcels. Setup, payment, tipping, and the etiquette.
Indonesia domestic flights
Airlines, routes, baggage, safety and booking. Garuda, Citilink, Lion Air, Batik Air, AirAsia. Practical guide for inter-island travel.
Ferries and fast boats in Indonesia
How to book Bali-Lombok-Gilis-Penida fast boats, public Pelni ferries, and which operators to trust. Safety and value.
Trains in Java — KAI for tourists
How to book Jakarta-Yogyakarta-Surabaya trains. Eksekutif vs Bisnis vs Ekonomi. Comfort, food and scenery.
Private drivers in Indonesia
When to hire a private driver, what they cost, how to find a good one, and what's typically included.
Scooter rental in Indonesia
How to rent a scooter safely, what documents you need, typical costs, insurance, and common rental scams.
QRIS — the Indonesian QR-code payment system
How QRIS works, where you can use it, foreign-card compatibility and what to do at warungs and small shops.
Indonesia travel insurance — what to look for
What coverage you need (medivac, scooter, diving), which insurers handle Indonesia well, and what's typically excluded.
Indonesian temple and religious site etiquette
Dress code, behaviour and unwritten rules for Hindu temples in Bali, Buddhist sites like Borobudur, and Indonesia's mosques.
Indonesia emergency contacts — save before you go
Police, ambulance, fire, tourist police, embassy contacts and major hospital numbers across Indonesia. Save these in your phone.
Jakarta airport arrival (CGK) — what to expect
Soekarno-Hatta International (CGK) practical guide. Visa lanes, customs, terminal navigation, SIM, transport options into Jakarta.
Indonesian public holidays — what to expect when travelling
National holidays, religious observances and the practical impact on transport, shops, restaurants and prices. Plan around them or embrace them.
Nyepi — Bali's day of silence
What Nyepi is, why Bali shuts down for 24 hours, and how to plan around the airport closure. Plus the spectacular Melasti and Ogoh-Ogoh ceremonies before it.
Drone rules in Indonesia — registration, restricted zones and enforcement
What you can and can't fly, registration requirements, restricted areas around airports and temples, and the practical drone experience in 2026.
Galungan and Kuningan — Bali's most important festival cycle
The 10-day Galungan-Kuningan festival is the heart of Bali's Hindu calendar. What happens, when it falls, how it changes Bali for visitors, and how to witness it respectfully.
Bluebird taxi guide — the trusted Indonesian taxi
Bluebird is Indonesia's standard reliable metered taxi. How to spot the real Bluebird vs imitators, when to use it vs Grab, airport counters and the Bluebird app.
Travelling in Indonesia during Ramadan
What Ramadan actually changes for tourists in Indonesia — region by region. Eating etiquette, business hours, Lebaran travel chaos, and why Bali is unaffected.
Jakarta air quality: what the AQI numbers mean and how residents cope
PM2.5, the seasonal pattern, how to read Jakarta's AQI, and the practical mitigation stack — purifiers, masks and daily-routine tweaks.
Learning Bahasa Indonesia: schools, methods and a realistic roadmap
Why Indonesian is the most learnable major Asian language, what fluency actually takes, and the schools, tutors and apps that work.
Indonesia weather explained — the two seasons and what they mean for your trip
Why temperature barely matters, how the wet and dry monsoons actually behave, regional exceptions, and how to plan around rainfall.
Mosque etiquette in Indonesia — visiting respectfully
Dress, timing, shoes, photography and prayer-time awareness: how non-Muslim visitors can visit Indonesia's mosques the right way.
Travelling to Indonesia with medication — what's allowed and how to carry it
Prescription drugs, controlled substances, BPOM rules of thumb, and the documentation that keeps routine medication from becoming an airport problem.
Indonesian customs: what you can bring in, what you can't, and what to declare
Duty-free allowances, the e-CD declaration, IMEI registration for phones, restricted and prohibited items — arrival without surprises.
Basic Bahasa travel phrases — the 60 that actually get used
Pronunciation-friendly Indonesian for transactions, transport, food and courtesy — grouped by situation, with the grammar you can safely ignore.
Yogyakarta airport arrival (YIA) — the 45 km problem, solved
Yogyakarta International Airport is far from the city by design — the airport train, taxis, timing math and arrival essentials.
Lombok airport arrival (LOP) — routes to Kuta, Senggigi and the Gilis
Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport in central Lombok: transfer times and prices to each base, and how to time a Gili connection.
Indonesia liveaboard guide — Komodo, Raja Ampat and how to choose a boat
What a liveaboard actually is, the two great Indonesian routes, boat tiers and pricing logic, seasons, and the safety questions that matter.
Indonesia's rice terraces — Tegallalang, Jatiluwih and beyond
The subak system behind Bali's terraces, how Tegallalang and Jatiluwih differ, Java's contenders, and timing the green.
Pelni ferries — Indonesia's great slow boats, explained
How the national passenger shipping line works, when a Pelni crossing beats flying, classes and booking, and what life aboard is really like.