One month solo travelling in Bali and beyond, tips+advice?

[Bjornas]

Hey all!

26 year old male, AOW with 50 dives. In about three weeks I’m travelling to Indonesia (Bali) to spend a month with diving, surfing and some perhaps some partying. It’s my first visit to Bali and the first time I’ll be travelling on my own for a longer period of time, although I have some experience after two ~three week trips to Thailand with friends and a Liveaboard in the Red sea.

The current plan is as follows

1. Arrive in Denpasar wednesday 16th July.
I arrive late in the evening so I guess it’s straight to the hostel and maybe a nightcap. I’ll be staying two nights in Bali before moving on (see below). Here I’d really appreciate some tips on a good hotel/hostel to recover from the jetlag and maybe meet some cool people. I’d love to stay close to the beach aswell so I can get into the water as soon as possible when I wake up the next day, hehe.

2. Flight to Komodo/Labuan Bajo Friday 18th July.
After a day of recovery in Bali I’ll be heading to Komodo for a one week liveaboard (!!!) with Wicked Diving. It departs on the 19^th and is ofcourse probably the highlight of the whole trip. Since I will be spending Friday night and the night after coming back from the liveaboard in Labuan Bajo, I’d love some advice on a good hostel to spend these two nights in.

3. Back to Bali July 26th.
With roughly 2,5 weeks left to spend in Indonesia (I’m going back home to Sweden on August 13^th) I thought I’d share the time between Bali and Gili, and possibly anything else that you’d recommend. After a week of diving in Komodo I’ll probably enjoy a few days of land-based activities, such as the temples in Ubud (?) and some partying. Maybe it’s all accessible my transport? I’m also completely new to surfing, so if you could recommend me any good place to stay for 4-5 days of surfschool and meeting new people I’d be really grateful.

4. Gili.
I thought I’d spend atleast 4-5 days on the Gili Islands, depending on when I feel ‘done’ with them. Which of the islands do you think a guy like me would enjoy the most? Are they all easily accessible from each other? Any activities here you’d recommend? There will also probably be a handful of dives here, so for a guy like me who’s just been to Komodo, what sites would you recommend?

5. Rescue Diver-certificate.
At some point during this trip I thought I’d take the RD certification, and possibly also Nitrox. If you were me, would you do it on Bali or Gili and do you have any operator you’d recommend?

6. Other vital stuff.
Medicines that are useful, lessons you’ve learned, sites to visit, “golden rules” of Bali that you simply don’t break, any experience you might have or learned the hard way would be really appreciated!

Thankful for all the advice I can get,

/Bjorn of Swedenland

 

[Tippytoes12]

Indonesia is a fantastic destination , but be ready for some strong currents in Komodo. The Gilis are awesome , we have stayed and dived with Manta on Gili Air on several occasions, they also have a shop on Gili T which as you know is more lively. Five days is really not enough as the Gilis are truly magical . There is some dead coral but the fish numbers and especially the turtles are impressive.

I would also consider going to Nusa Lembongan which is a lovely little island with superb diving and where there is a very high chance of seeing mantas and Mola Mola. We have stayed and dived with both World Diving and Two Fish...both are excellent. Another area to consider is Tulamben for the Liberty Wreck, which is superb.

Have a great trip.

 

[andrethediver]

+1 for Nusa Lembongan. Its a short ride from Bali and diving is amazing. I would recommend 2Fish. There are multiple other options. Mola-molas are in season July- September.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[modustollens]

I stayed about a month In Labuan Bajo. Dove with Bajo Dive Club. Stayed at a place called The Garden I believe. It was up on the hillside and consisted of little huts.

Some advice: bring a bug net for sleeping. And 4 pieces of small cord 3 to 4 metres long for suspending the net over your sleeping area. And ear plugs. The mosques can be very loud at night, especially in Labuan Bajo.

Rinka island Is nice for seeing the dragons; apparently it is less crowded than komodo.

The current in the water there is the strongest current I have so far encountered. But the dives were great!

MT

 

[MA]

try do nitrox on the live aboard!!

 

[matts1w]

I have been solo traveling to dive all over Indonesia for the last five years, so I think I have a pretty grip on this. Scuba diving and nightlife are all about compromise in Indonesia. Simply stated, if you want the best diving Indonesia has to offer, there aint going to be much to do above water or a ton of travellers in the 20s to hang out with at the bar. Still, I can share my experience...

1. Choosing the Wicked trip was a great idea. I enjoyed my time on their boat, they have solid safety standards, good guides, and you will see they do a great job marketing to singles and backpackers. The diving through the Komodo park will put you on some of the best diving in the world.

2. If I were in my 20s and wanted to dive and party a bunch Gili T would be my first choice. The diving is decent, affordable, and there is much to do at night. You will find a bunch of people in the 20s and 30s working in or training to work in the dive industry. The Gili's are my go-to trip when I want to travel alone, do some diving, and not be completely isolated. I like Gili Air, but I am way older than you. Remember, Indonesia is all about compromise and the Gili's feature decent diving and solid nightlife.

3. Lembongan is another good option. The diving is some of the best around Bali, and the nightlife is...there are a couple of places. There is a surf scene there so that absolutely helps. Again compromise. Seeing how you are coming in late July you need to make some contacts if that is the plan as that is the start mola mola season and ops will be busy. I have nothing but good things to say about Two-Fish Divers.

4. If you go up to Tulamben you will find fantastic, affordable diving. But know it is very, very quiet.

5. Go to BALI SURFCAMP 2014/15 presented by KIMA and learn to surf with them. They are good people.

6. When you are traveling in Indonesia it is the fasting month of Ramadan. All will be business as usual in Bali, Lembongan, Flores, and the Gili's, but if you decide to head into other areas be certain you have solid plans and contacts.

7. Do your rescue training back at home. You will want to be underwater in Indonesia, not doing surface skills. Same with nitrox. No one else will be on the voodoo gas, so the benefits won't really matter.

8. The golden rule- Respect the locals. Rule #2- Respect the locals.

Have an amazing trip. I hope this helps.

 

[victor]

Ramadan and point 8 above.
Remember that the Muslim population will be fasting (niothing to eat or drink from before sun up until after sundown, times changes as you move) and they may be a bit cranky.
Be polite, it's rude to eat or drink in their face's, be patient, everything moves a little slower during Ramadan. Muslims can't dive during Ramadan (except night dives).
Bali is 85% Hindu but Indonesia in general is 87% Muslim.
Not sure about the regions around Komodo but you won't have a problem on the liveaboard.

 

[Bjornas]

Alright, less than a week to go! A big thank you for all the replies, and sorry for this late getback!

I found a nice hostel in Sanur called Big Pineapple which I’m staying in for the first two nights. I’m still homeless for one/two nights in Labuan Bajo however. Would it be just as easy to book a LB hotel/hostel from Sanur compared to looking for one on the internet?

I’ve heard of the currents in Komodo and feel a bit extra safe knowing that it’s Wicked that I’m diving with. I went on a 2 night liveaboard with them in Thailand (Surin islands) with only 9 logged dives and felt completely safe, so I’ve firsthand experience of their great staff and philosophy on diving. Diving with them again was partly what drew me towards diving in Komodo in the first place! I also have *some* experience of currents after diving Elphinstone in the Red sea.

Definitely gonna try to check Nusa Lembongan out. Mola molas sound awesome. Would 2-3 nights suffice?

As for the Rescue Diving cert, you have a valid point matts1w (extra thanks for a very helpful reply). However diving in Sweden is not something I “do” necessarily and it’s hard to get hold of rented gear (drysuit) etc, not to mention dive sites that are not 50 miles away and dirty pitch black water. That’s the reason I’ve been meaning to do it on my vacation. I think it would be a great next step for me as a diver (not to mention any future buddies!) but my days in Indonesia are at the same time precious, so I guess it boils down to how many of them it would take to go through the RD education. Nitrox sounds like it can wait for another day though.

Cheers!
/Björn

 

[jake11]

Have a great trip! Indonesia and its people are the BEST!!

 

[CamiloPlonger]

Hello Bjorn,
Your trip sounds great. I'll will be going to indonesia in september for two weeks and I'm planning to do similar things. Since I'll be there for only two weeks I'm only going to Gili T and I'm doing a liveaboard in Komodo. Probable I'll spend one or two days in Jakarta and then going back home.
Please post any comments/advises based on your trip. That could guide a bit my trip (and also to others)

Thanks to all the others who posted as well!

I have a question I would like to ask: how do you book domestic flights in Indonesia? I've heard you can't do it if you are not in the country. Do you know if if it is easy to book the domestic flights once I arrive to Jakarta?
And what about accomodation? Is it easy to find once I'm there?

Cheers
Camilo


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