Backpacking Solo in Indonesia for One Month
I have decided to go backpacking around Indonesia for about a month, using up the 30 days visa requirement and be in time to come back and celebrate New Year with family and friends, to bring stories and experiences into this blog. I am so excited thinking about this! I do hope that my travels and solo backpacking this round would bring lots of stories and information for sharing. So please do stay tuned for my backpacking travels across Java, Bali, Lombok and beyond (where I haven’t decide yet, any suggestions?)
But once I told them about my idea to backpack solo in Indonesia, I have a wide mixture of responses. Most of them are used to me backpacking alone, even my sister asked “Only one month?”. But there are a few, inclusive my dear parents of course who are very concerned. They have preconceptions and gave comments like “It is dangerous in Indonesia”, or “Indonesia is not safe for solo woman”, or “I heard there are some terrorists activities in Indonesia”.
Solo Travel on a Bicycle
Of course going to popular travel places like Bali would definitely garner more peace in them but for me, I do want to go off the beaten tracks a bit while covering the important must see places. I also want to experience people and culture in depth, like the other time one of my favourite experience in Cambodia was when I went off the tangent to a remote Kampong (village) on the way to the touristy Siem Reap and enjoyed myself immensely, even getting to know a local brother and sister that went around with me for a day. These are the things that truly make a travel special for me.
So what do you think? Is my travelling solo as a woman across Indonesia for a month safe? Any Itinerary suggestions?
Tips: Get a Travel Insurance just for the peace of mind, especially when you are travelling solo because you need all the help you can get if anything happens.
Update: Read about my solo travel account in Indonesia here – Me, the Solo Female Traveler in Indonesia
hi, I’m Vira from Indonesia.
safe or not, it’s relative. it depends on how you go about the country. I say it’s mostly gut feeling, but there are things you just have to use common sense. Like, walking alone in the middle of the night in alleys? it calls for trouble almost anywhere in the world.
about terrorists, I’m so sick of people calling us all moslems and indonesians as terrorists. these people need to go abroad more!
people might say Italy has a lot of handsome pickpockets, but my friend’s mobile got stolen in Lisbon, Portugal. so you’ll never know. just travel!
indonesia is such a beautiful place, you must go and see it. it is very important not to generalise all of indonesia seeing as its just so so big and all the islands have rich and varied cultures and history. there are places that are pretty safe, but some parts i would be cautious of, the urbany parts of the less-well-heard-of islands in particular. in those the parts that are out of the way, being a foreign woman alone travelling will definitely attract a lot of attention mostly because it is so rare to them. this does not mean its dangerous per se but you probably will not feel comfortable at all and may not make friends so bear this in mind. there are certainly some places where it is fine though. all over bali (as you mentioned) plus there are some v hidden away places that are uncorrupted by tourism still beutiful beautiful. and tiny islands. rinjani on lombok is great and there are some great rainforest tours (you have to do with a guide)/ ecovolunteering in places like kalimantan.
Hi Rachel! i would love to know the place in the photograph with the cycle.
Hi Greta, that picture is in Kampong Cham, Cambodia