Indonesia with Kids – A Family-Friendly Itinerary (4 Weeks)

Hanna Dilley lives in Harrogate, UK with her husband Mark and two boys Benji, 8, and Reuben, 6. Having always wanted to do Indonesia with kids, they jumped at the once-in-a-lifetime chance to take the boys to Indonesia for a month-long family holiday. Hanna is an active member of the Travelista community and now she contributes her first article, sharing this family-friendly 4 week itinerary for Indonesia with kids.

Why We Chose to Travel to Indonesia with Kids

Due to a change in jobs, our family recently had the unique opportunity to do some extended family travel. My husband & I have always travelled, so we wanted to give the children the opportunity to experience a really different culture, and knowing their love for animals, we also wanted them to see some incredible wildlife. Some parts of southeast Asia are very well trodden but for reasons of weather and climate, and a desire to go somewhere slightly off the beaten track, we found Indonesia offered a huge variety and ticked a lot of boxes – beaches, cities, wildlife, culture, food and friendly people. In this 4 week itinerary I have included where we stayed, what we did, how we got there and all of my top travel tips to help you plan your very own family trip to Indonesia, with kids.

4 Week Itinerary Overview

• Dubai – 3 days
• Bali (Jimbaran Bay) – 2 days
• Flores & Komodo National Park Boat Trip – 3 days
• Bali (Ubud) – 5 days
• Gili Asahan (off Lombok coast) – 5 days
• Jakarta – 2 days
• Yogyakarta – 4 days
• Borneo Orangutan Boat Trip – 4 days
• Top Tips for Visiting Indonesia with kids
• Packing Essentials for Indonesia with kids
• Budgeting for Indonesia with kids

Two-week itinerary suggestion

If you’ve only got two weeks to explore Indonesia, I’d recommend doing the Komodo Island boat trip for snorkelling, wildlife, and beaches, Ubud for culture, temples, food and wildlife and then Gili Asahan for some relaxing beach time

Stop 1: Dubai: Waterparks, sand dunes & the Burj Khalifa

How we got there: 7-hour flight from UK to Dubai with Emirates
How many nights: 3 
Where we stayed: with friends.
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We stayed in Dubai for a few days as we have close friends who live there. It was lovely to do local things rather than the main tourist options, although we did have dinner by the fountains at the bottom of the Burj Khalifa which was incredible. Every half an hour the fountains make displays to different music, and the light show is added as it gets dark. 

Our friends took us to a cool interactive museum for the kids, Olioli, their local beach and out to the sand dunes for sand sledging and sunset sausages. We also visited Wild Wadi waterpark (said to be the best water park in Dubai) which was so much fun and a highlight for the boys. It’s expensive but you could spend a whole day there. 

It was a great intro to the holiday and a good way to break up the time difference – it’s 3 hours ahead, then another 4 to Indonesia.

Stop 2: Bali – Jimbaran Bay: Seafood dinners on the beach

How we got there: 9-hour flight from Dubai to Bali (Denpasar) with Emirates, short car transfer 
How many nights: 2
Where we stayed: Chanteak Bali

We flew to Bali and spent a couple of nights near Jimbaran Bay, which is a short drive from the airport. We wanted to be near the airport so we could have a bit of chill time before flying again for our boat trip. We stayed at Chanteak Bali, which was perfect for recharging after a long flight. We could walk down to Jimbaran Beach, and it has loads of seafood restaurants right on the beach front. You go to the back of the restaurant and choose your fresh fish or seafood (some of which is alive!), then it is freshly cooked and served to you on the beach. It was delicious. We watched the sunset whilst we ate – just perfect.

Stop 3: Flores & Komodo Island: Boat trips, beaches & Komodo Dragons

How we got there: 1.5-hour flight from Bali to Labuan Bajo (Flores) with Batik Air
How many nights: 3 
Where we stayed: Ayla Boat, Boat Komodo Tours

A short flight to Flores and we were met at the airport by our boat trip company. They took us straight to the boat, called Ayla, a beautiful wooden boat. There was just the 4 of us staying on the boat, plus 3 crew and our guide. The boat had 3 sleeping cabins (one with bunkbeds), two toilets with showers overhead and a top deck for us to relax and have our meals. The boat was basic (and the promised air conditioning didn’t work) but it was still lovely. The crew were great and so good with the kids. They let them drive the little speed boat and jump off the top deck into crystal-clear waters. The food was amazing, so tasty and fresh, and a good variety over the three days. There was always plenty that the boys would eat. We spent two nights onboard.

We visited Rinca Island and Komodo Island to see Komodo dragons. The area is a national park, so you have to pay fees to enter both islands. If you could only do one, I’d recommend Komodo Island as it was a better place to see the dragons up close.

We also visited a number of other islands including Pink Beach (the shoreline has a pink hue due to the colour of the shells and coral), Padar Island where we got up at 4:30 to climb to the top of the cliff for an amazing sunset and did some amazing snorkelling – we even saw a manta ray! The currents in the water were quite strong so children need to be confident swimmers, but the boats provide kids life jackets. 

Stop 4: Bali – Ubud: Cookery courses, Monkey Forest and Waterfalls

How we got there: 1.5-hour flight from Labuan Bajo (Flores) to Bali with Batik Air, 1-2 hour car transfer to Ubud (depending on traffic)
How many nights: 5
Where we stayed: Swasti Eco Cottages

We then flew back to Bali and got a driver to take us north to Ubud, the cultural centre. We stayed in a lovely relaxing place called Swasti Eco Lodge – it was so peaceful it was hard to believe you were only a minute’s walk from the hustle and bustle of the streets. The staff were really friendly and attentive, and we booked a couple of massages in their relaxing spa, which were such good value. Even the boys had a massage each! 

Swasti was located to the south of the Monkey Forest, so we had to take on the monkeys and mopeds to get to the more central area with the markets, shops and restaurants. The first time we went, we walked through the monkey forest (you have to buy tickets) which was good fun, but you have to hold your bags and belongings close as we saw many monkeys trying to pinch things! They even tried to take my bag – they come very close to you! It’s definitely worth going into the forest as it’s great to be surrounded by all the monkeys, including some very cute baby ones. Whenever we walked after that, we found an alleyway that took you round the forest – there were still plenty of monkeys to see and you also had to dodge the many mopeds! 

The best thing we did in Ubud was join a cookery class. We used Ketut’s Bali Cooking Class and would highly recommend it. It’s his own family run business and Ketut is a hilarious man who still runs the classes. It was very child friendly – we all had our own cooking station, including the boys, and we made an array of Balinese delicacies including chicken satay, bumbo bali, mee goreng and fried bananas. I’d say Reuben, aged 6, was the youngest you’d want them to do it. In Ubud we also hired a driver to take us to a few different local waterfalls, some of which you could swim in, a local temple, a butterfly park and to try the infamous cat poo coffee!

Stop 5: Gili Asahan (Lombok): Snorkelling & Beach

How we got there: 1-hour flight from Bali (DPS) to Lombok with CitiLink, 2-hr car transfer
How many nights: 5 
Where we stayed: Gili Asahan Eco Lodge

We wanted some beach time during this trip for a bit of chill, but we didn’t particularly want to go somewhere really touristy or for partying backpackers! Whilst researching, I came across the ‘Secret Gili’s’ of which Gili Asahan was one. It’s a very small island just off the coast of Lombok. We flew to Lombok airport, then it was a 2-hour car ride and a 10-minute boat ride to the island. There were only a few places to stay on the island and there was no transport, which made for a very peaceful stay! 

We stayed at Gili Asahan Eco Lodge in a cottage less than a minute’s walk from the shore. The boys had single beds on the mezzanine, and we slept downstairs. The cottage had a lovely outdoor bathroom and outdoor space to relax with a couple of hammocks for the boys to play in. The restaurant was right by the beach with amazing food, heavily influenced by the Italian owner. 

We spent 5 days here and it was great to live at a slower pace for a while. You could borrow snorkelling mask, SUPs and kayaks for free, so we got out into the water quite a bit. Indonesia does have a bit of a problem with plastic being washed up onto the beaches however, the Eco Lodge staff made sure that wasn’t an issue on their beaches. The staff at the Eco Lodge were brilliant and so friendly with the children, so this one is a really great recommendation for Indonesia with kids. There is a dive centre on the island, so I did a couple of boat dives and saw sharks, turtles, eagle rays and loads of amazing fish and coral. Benji, aged 8, also did an introductory dive from the shore and loved it, so I can’t wait until he’s older and can be my scuba diving buddy!

Stop 6: Jakarta: Markets & Mosques

How we got there: 2-hour domestic flight from Lombok to Jakarta with Garuda, short car transfer to hotel
How many nights: 2 
Where we stayed: Ashley Tang Mentang

After our relaxing time on Gili Asahan, we took the boat and car back to Lombok airport and flew to Jakarta. Here we were meeting up with my husband’s older children, aged 20 and 23, who joined us after they finished University for the summer. I found Jakarta quite busy and sprawling, and there didn’t seem to be a ‘hub’ or distinct areas to visit, although we were only there for one day, two nights so didn’t explore in great detail. 

We ticked off some of the main tourist hotspots, such as the National Monument and a tuk tuk ride to the old part of the city. The Chinatown market was great to wander through and a visit to the Istiqlal Mosque is definitely worth it. It’s the third largest mosque in the world and they do a free tour, which was really interesting. 

Stop 7: Yogyakarta: Temples & Jeep Tours

How we got there: 6.5-hour scenic train journey to Yogyakarta, short taxi ride to Airbnb
How many nights: 4 
Where we stayed: Heritage Airbnb

One of the main reasons we went to Jakarta is so that we could experience the wonderful train journey from Jakarta to Yogyakarta. It’s 6.5 hours but the train is comfortable, and the scenery is amazing. The boys had plenty to entertain themselves so for the majority of the train journey, we listened to music and looked out the window. We passed many paddy fields, and it was so interesting watching the farmers at work in the rice fields. 

Yogyakarta is a fairly big city, and again is quite sprawling so it’s hard to know where the best places to explore are. We stayed in a great Airbnb with a small pool and a kid’s playroom (pictured above) and I’m glad we had a relaxing base as it was so hot. Yogyakarta is worth a visit so you can go to the two famous temples nearby. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and is pretty spectacular.

I’d definitely recommend doing the full tour to the top of the temple to see the 72 stupas (bell shaped structures each housing a Buddha statue). Prambanan is equally as interesting architecture, although not quite as impressive. It’s the second largest Hindu temple in SE Asia after Angkor Wat. We hired a driver for the day (organised by the Airbnb owners) to take us to both temples with a lunch stop at a local Warung (local streetside restaurant). We also did a Mount Merapi jeep tour. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, so we didn’t get to see the volcano, but the jeep tour was fun, and ended with the jeeps driving through water and getting soaked, which obviously the kids loved! Yogyakarta is also the base for those wanting to visit the Mount Bromo volcano, although this involves leaving about 3am to get there for sunrise so we decided against it with kids! 

Stop 8: Borneo: Orangutans & Jungle boats

How we got there: approx. 2-hour car transfer to Semarang, 1-hour flight from Semarang to Pangkalunbuun with NAM Air (book through Tiket.com)
How many nights: 1 in Pangkalunbuun, 3 on the boat tour 
Where we stayed: Mecure Pangkalan Bun
Tour:  Local Guides Orangutan Boat Tour

One of the main things that attracted us to Indonesia as a destination was the opportunity to see Orangutans. There are two main places to see them – on the island of Sumatra or the Indonesian part of Borneo, Kalimantan. We chose Borneo as it was a boat-based tour, whereas Sumatra requires some long jungle treks which we didn’t think would work with the kids. For the Orangutan tours, you fly into Pangkalanbun, which is a small town set up mainly for the tours. We booked a 4 day / 3 night tour, staying on a Klotok – a traditional river boat. 

There are lots of tour companies offering similar Orangutan tours so it can be hard to choose but we went with ‘Local Guides’ as the cost was reasonable and they had excellent reviews. Our guide, Feetre, was so lovely and she knew a lot about the area and wildlife. There were also three other crew onboard, and the food was amazing. We slept in the open air on mattresses on the deck of the boat, with mosquito nets. At first, I was quite nervous about the boys sleeping on the deck so close to the edge of the boat, but we each shared a bed with them, and the mosquito nets were tucked under the mattresses which made them secure. Even so, there were crocodiles in the river so you really couldn’t risk falling in the water! 

The boat cruises down the rivers in the Tanjung Puting National Park, stopping at some of the feeding stations. The orangutans are all wild in Borneo so there is never a 100% guarantee you’ll see them, although the orangutans are rehabilitated, and they take you to some of the feeding stations where we saw orangutans and other monkeys each time. They come swinging through the trees after the rangers have left the food out, but all wait until the King orangutan has had his feed before tucking in themselves. You get really close to them – they are incredible creatures. We also saw orangutans in the trees as we were sailing down the river, as well as macaques and gibbons. There was an abundance of wildlife, as well as the Orangutans we saw gibbons, macaques, probiscis monkeys, flying foxes, lizards, snakes and all sorts of insects! 

During the trip we also did jungle treks, a night hike and got to plant our own trees in the jungle. We also visited a local village, Sekonyer, and the local children loved showing our boys around their village and school. The jungle was hot and humid, and we did lots of activities and walks, but there were plenty of opportunities for some downtime on the boat.

Top Tips for Visiting Indonesia with Kids

• Learn a few basic phrases – even just knowing ‘Terrima Kasih’ (thank you) went a long way. The locals loved it when we said it, especially the boys.
• Pre-arrival prep – do an e-visa (EVOA) 30-day visa, customs declaration and & Bali tourist tax online before you leave as this really helps speed up the airport process on arrival
• Booking trips – book multi-day boat trips in advance as they can get booked up, especially in peak season. But if you’re in a place for a few days, book a local guide or driver once you’re there (through your accommodation) so you can choose when you want to do things. There is a huge amount of tours to book in advance via our partner GetYourGuide.com.
• Borobudur – they only let 150 people up the temple per hour, so book in advance to get the time slot you want (booking opens 7 days before)
• E-sim card – buy an e-sim online before you go. WhatsApp is the chosen method of communication in Indonesia so being online when out and about is useful, plus you need it for Gojek/Grab apps (see below). We used Holafly and paid £55 for 25 days unlimited data but you can get them cheaper than this if you shop around
• Packing – keep your packing light. Laundry is really cheap and available in most places
• Local taxis – download and use taxi booking apps Gojek or Grab – they’re like Uber. We used Gojek and could get a taxi pretty quickly most of the time, the cost is reasonable, and no haggling is required. You can also order food delivery on the app too!
• Get a massage – they’re really good and cheap. Most places do them and cater for children too.
• Teach the kids to haggle – we gave our boys some spending money and they had to decide how much they wanted to pay for something at a local market. A great life skill, plus the kids act as a great bargaining chip!
• Safety – we all felt very safe throughout our travels, and the locals are lovely, happy and welcoming. However just a few things to watch out for. Be careful of traffic, there are lots of cars and mopeds all vying for road space. Not all cars have seatbelts, and some only have lap belts. We were ok with this for short journeys around cities as the traffic never moves that fast but something to be aware of
• Drinking water – most accommodation and restaurants offer filtered water, and many have it in your room. Take a refillable water bottle (or a Water to Go filter bottle, see below) to reduce your single use plastics usage
• Food – we had some very delicious food on our trip, although there isn’t a lot of variation so it can get a bit repetitive. The main dishes are chicken satay, Nasi Goreng (fried rice & veg) and Mee Goreng (fried noodles & veg). I’d recommend choosing some of the smaller, local ‘Warungs’ as they offer the cheapest and tastiest food
• Airport transfers – where possible ask your accommodation to arrange a driver to pick you up from the airport. It was always good value and so much easier with the kids
• Watch out for hotel bookings – we got caught out a couple of times we stayed in hotels as they assume children under 12 will share your bed! When booking, make sure you’ve added extra beds if necessary
• Sign up to the Booking.com Genius Loyalty Programme – it’s free and the more hotels you book, the more reqards you unlock including 10%, 15% and 20% off rooms as well as free upgrades.

Packing Essentials for Indonesia with Kids

• Good quality backpacks – my husband & I took Osprey backpacks (70L and 55L) with day backpacks that attach to the straps, so you have your hands free to hold onto your child. They also fully unzip like a suitcase so you can easily get to all your belongings. Use packing cubes to make it easier to find things. The boys took a small backpack each with their toys and books
• Portable car seats – whilst most of our transport was planes, trains and local taxis, we had a few long transfers by car. Knowing the chance of getting a car seat was highly unlikely, we took two inflatable booster seats with us. Bubble Bum booster seats deflate and pack down fairly small and gave us that extra reassurance.
• Cooling towels – it was hot in Indonesia, as we expected, but most of the time we avoided the direct sun. Although for times when we were out in the sun, or it was particularly humid, these cooling towels were great for the boys to have round their necks (or heads like a ninja!) to cool them down
• ID wrist bands – whilst we generally felt safe throughout our trip, some places were really busy and chaotic so we got some rubber ID wrist bands with the boys name and my husband’s phone number on. The boys wore these bands the whole trip
• Water to Go bottles – there are always places to buy bottles of mineral water in Indonesia, but we hate to use single use plastic if we can avoid it. We each had a Water-to-Go bottle that you can fill with tap water (or river water if you need to!) and it filters out bacteria and viruses, as well as heavy metals
• Hand fans – we had an electric hand fan which was really useful to give some instant relief from the heat. They also sell traditional hand fans everywhere, so we picked up a few and they are just as effective at cooling you down
• Straw in a tin – most cafes and restaurants have paper straws but we took our Silicone Straw Company reusable straw in a tin – the boys love using them
• Kids headphones – we took an iPad with us for when they boys needed some downtime, but mostly they used it to listen to audiobooks on long journeys. These POGS headphones are interconnecting so both boys can listen to the same thing
• Small digital clock – we always take a small digital clock, so the boys know when an acceptable time is to wake up in the morning, especially with jetlag!
• Kids entertainment – as well as reading books, colouring books, audiobooks and card games, we took with us Paint by Stickers books, Usbourne Pencil & Paper Games pad, Plus Plus construction pieces, Magnetic fidget pen
• Tropical travel essentials – we took Altruist factor 50 sun cream for the whole family (its great for my youngest’s eczema), and Pyramid Trek DEET free mosquito repellent which is so much nicer than DEET and proven to be equally effective, lightweight raincoats, comfy shoes, sun hats and cover ups for women when visiting temples

Budgeting for Indonesia with kids

This family adventure was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and therefore wasn’t cheap. The biggest expenses were flights for 6, some of the nicer accommodation we stayed in and the multi-day boat trips. Once you’re over there, food, taxis and trips are generally quite cheap, especially if you go for the local eateries and use local taxi drivers. Here’s what we paid for our Indonesia with kids adventure.

International return flights for 4: £3,375 (inc seat reservations & baggage)

Local taxi rides: most were a few pounds for local rides booked through the Gojek app

Food: meals can vary a lot in price from £10 for a meal for 4 in a local Warung. Some places in more touristy areas are more expensive but there is normally always a cheaper option 

Accommodation: you can choose from a wide range of accommodation options to suit your budget so it’s best to do your own research. Booking.com and Air BnB are good places to start.

Orangutan boat trip: £1,500 for 6 (4 days /3 nights), private boat 

Komodo boat trip: £1,500 for 4 (3 days /2 nights), private boat

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We hope you’ve enjoyed this itinerary and comprehensive guide to Indonesia with Kids. From the pristine beaches to the water sports, coral reefs and outdoor activities, Indonesia has proven itself to be an exciting family-friendly destination.