10 things you should know before travelling to Indonesia

Published: 19. August 2025 • Updated: 18. September 2025 • Category: Asia

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Indonesia is a beautiful and diverse country that really has it all. Whether we’re talking about beautiful beaches, waterfalls and nature, interacting with animals, or adventurous climbs up to peaks and volcanoes. However, it is important to keep in mind that this is an Asian country with a specific culture and lifestyle that you as a tourist have to adapt to.

Travelling in Indonesia is truly an adventure and with these 10 tips, you’ll be ready for your holiday. We’ll talk about what to look out for, how you can save time and money, and also how to enjoy your holiday in Indonesia to the fullest.

1. Indonesia has more than 17 000 islands

Did you know that Indonesia is more than just the world-famous Bali? Many people who come to Indonesia stay all the time only in Bali. It’s a beautiful island, but there’s so much more to see in Indonesia! Moving between islands is really easy and often cheap, so it would be a shame if you stayed in one place all the time.

Our proven combinations:

• Bali + Nusa Penida
• Bali + East Java
• Bali + Gili Islands
• Bali + Komodo National Park
• Bali + Lombok

No matter how long you travel for, with a good itinerary you can see a lot! If you’re looking for inspiration for your holiday, don’t miss our Complete Guide to Indonesia, which is now at a special price and can be found at this link.

2. Visa + Forms

You must have a valid tourist visa to enter Indonesia. You can apply online before your arrival at https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/, or you can arrange it directly at the airport. The fee for a 30-day visa is 30€ per person. You can extend your visa for another 30 days without leaving the country. You can do this again online or visit an immigration office.

There are also 2 forms to fill in before entering the country:

• Health Pass – which can be found at this link https://sshp.kemkes.go.id/ and you need to save the QR code, which you can then show at the airport.
• Customs Declaration – can be completed upon arrival at the airport or online 2 days prior to arrival in Indonesia. The form can be found here: https://ecd.beacukai.go.id/

3. When to travel to Indonesia

The advantage of Indonesia is that the high season there is right during the European summer holidays. As a rule, there is an alternating rainy season and a dry season. The dry season begins in March and ends in October. The main season is considered to be the months of May – September, when the weather is most stable. However, if you arrive between March and May, you will avoid the crowds of tourists. You will enjoy better prices for accommodation and the advantage is also that the nature is green after the rainy season and the waterfalls are massive.

This does not apply in specific areas such as Raja Ampat, where the high season is mainly determined by animal migration. You can read all about the last paradise of Raja Ampat on this link.

4. Transport via 12go.asia

Many times you will be moving between the islands by boat. If you want to make it easier for yourself, we recommend downloading the 12go.asia app, where you’ll find a list of all the carriers in the area. You simply choose a price, date and time that suits you and off you go!

Our tip is to choose transports in the morning, when the weather is much more stable, so the sea conditions are better.

5. The best local specialties are in Warungs

If you are coming to Indonesia to taste local specialties, warungs will be your best friends. These are small local restaurants or shops where you can get tasty and cheap food. Typical Indonesian specialities include Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Mie Goreng (fried noodles) or Chicken Satay (chicken skewers in peanut sauce).

6. How to Avoid Bali Belly

Many people are discouraged from going to Indonesia by the so-called Bali Belly. These are stomach problems that can affect tourists travelling to Asia for the first time. Your body can react very sensitively to certain things. We spent 4 months in Indonesia and never had any such problems. Here is some advice on how to protect yourself from health problems as a precaution:

• Never drink tap water or use it to brush your teeth. Our organism may not be used to the bacteria that are in it and this can cause health problems.
• Bring probiotics. We brought local probiotics on our travels.
• Read restaurant reviews – in today’s modern age, it’s really easy to avoid places where you may be in danger of spoiled food.
• Order local food at local restaurants. In some warungs they have
  international dishes such as Spaghetti Bolognese or pizza. It is not, of course
  rule that these dishes must be bad, but there is of course a higher chance than when
  you get e.g. rice with chicken, of which they sell hundreds every day.

7. Search for accommodation on the AGODA platform

Even though people often use Booking or Airbnb to travel, things work a little differently in Asia. Agoda is a very popular platform in Indonesia, where you can often find the same accommodation offers, but at much better prices than on other platforms. You can save tens of euros.

8. Local SIM cards

If you’re travelling outside Europe, you’ll probably need to address the issue of mobile data sooner rather than later. In Indonesia, we recommend buying a local SIM card, which usually has a limited validity (e.g. 30 days). Here you can buy different packages that contain different amounts of data. You can find it in small tourist stands – look for the TELKOMSELL sign – it’s the best operator with the best coverage all over Indonesia.