21 daysBali & IndonesiaAges 18–40
21 days · Java, Bali & Komodo
Indonesia Complete is a 21-day group trip for solo travellers aged 18 to 40 who want the whole archipelago, not just Bali. You start with two volcano sunrises in Java, at Bromo and Ijen, then settle into Bali's rice fields and beaches, cross to the car-free Gili Islands, and finish with a three-day boat trip through Komodo National Park to see wild dragons, pink sand and manta rays. Your Trip Host is with you for all 21 days.
Updated
From, per person
$2,520 / £1,885 / €2,210 / A$3,580 / CA$3,560 / NZ$4,440 / ₹2,41,500
Free to reserve
Sarthak's best travel memories come from going solo: hostel dorms, a new activity most days, new cultures and new food. SoloNomads grew out of that.
Sarthak travels with every group, from the first day to the last, so there's always someone on hand to sort things out when plans change and to make sure nobody gets left out.
In every country, a licensed local agency and licensed local guides look after the ground services, so you get local know-how too.
Yogyakarta to Labuan Bajo, 9 stops in 21 days.
9 stops
21 days
Day 1
Arrive whenever your flight lands into Yogyakarta. The Trip Host meets everyone at the hotel in the afternoon for introductions and a run-through of the next three weeks, then we walk out for a welcome dinner nearby.
Day 2
A pre-dawn drive to Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist monument, for one of the limited early-access climbs to the upper terraces, with a guide and the cloth sandals that protect the stone included. After breakfast we visit Prambanan, Indonesia's tallest Hindu temple complex, in the afternoon. The evening is free in Yogyakarta.
Day 3
A long travel day by private van from Yogyakarta to Cemoro Lawang, on the rim of the Bromo caldera. It takes most of the day, with a lunch stop on the way, so bring something to read. We arrive in the afternoon with time to settle in before an early night, because the volcano starts before dawn.
Day 4
A 4WD jeep collects us in the middle of the night for the short, bumpy ride up to the viewpoint, where the sun comes up over Bromo's smoking crater and the sea of volcanic sand below. Back at the guesthouse for a late breakfast, then a van transfer east towards Ijen. The drive takes most of the rest of the day.
Day 5
Another very early start, this time on foot: a torchlit climb to the Ijen crater rim with a local guide. You need a respirator with a gas filter, and your Trip Host will explain what to bring. We stay at the rim for sunrise over the crater lake and the mining trail below. We don't descend into the crater. Back down by mid-morning, then a long transfer by van and ferry across the Bali Strait, arriving in Canggu by evening.
Day 6
A morning surf lesson at Batu Bolong beach, with a local instructor, boards and rash vests included. After lunch our own van drives us inland to Ubud. The evening is free; the Campuhan Ridge walk is a good option just before sunset.
Day 7
The morning starts at a local market with a Balinese cooking school. You pick up spices and vegetables, then cook a full spread of dishes in a family compound, and that's lunch. The afternoon is free for cafes, a massage or the art market. Get to bed early, because the volcano starts again in the middle of the night.
Day 8
We leave Ubud in the early hours and drive to Mount Batur, 1,717 metres high. With local Batur guides we climb for about two hours by torchlight to watch the sun come up over the crater lake, with Mount Agung beyond. Breakfast is at the top. On the way back we stop at Tirta Empul, a water temple where you can join the line under the holy spouts (sarong provided). We're back in Ubud by early afternoon, which leaves time for a long nap.
Day 9
A slow morning, then our van to Sanur harbour and a fast boat of 30 to 45 minutes to Nusa Penida. Penida's roads are steep and broken, so we get around by car with a local driver, not by scooter. After lunch we drive to Broken Beach, a sea arch around a lagoon, and to Angel's Billabong if the tide is low enough to be safe. We finish at the Kelingking viewpoint in the late light. We stay at the top: the path down is steep and the beach below is closed to swimming.
Day 10
A morning snorkel trip by boat. The main stop is Manta Bay or Manta Point, where reef mantas come in to be cleaned. Sightings are common but never promised. We also snorkel reef stops such as Crystal Bay, depending on the swell. The afternoon is free for the pool or a swim.
Day 11
A direct fast boat from Nusa Penida to Gili Trawangan, about two hours, so we skip a night back on the Bali mainland. There are no cars, scooters or motorbikes on the Gilis, so once you land you get around on foot, by bike, or by boat between islands. The rest of the day is free to explore.
Day 12
A boat trip around all three Gilis, taking in a few reef sites and a good chance of green and hawksbill turtles. The rest of the day is free; a bike ride to the quieter side of the island or a try dive with a local PADI dive centre are both good options if you've never dived before.
Day 13
Another day at your own pace: a boat over to the quieter Gili Air or Gili Meno, more snorkelling, or just the beach and a hammock. In the evening we get together for a farewell-to-the-Gilis dinner.
Day 14
A short public boat from Gili Trawangan to Bangsal on the Lombok mainland, then a van south to Kuta Lombok, a laid-back surf town with a much quieter scene than its Bali namesake. The afternoon is free to settle in.
Day 15
A free day before the flight east. Selong Belanak is a long, gentle beach that's good for a first surf lesson, and Tanjung Aan is a strong pick for an afternoon swim. Sade, a traditional Sasak village, is a common half-day stop if you'd rather keep it low-key.
Day 16
A short flight from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, the harbour town on Flores that's the gateway to Komodo National Park. We settle in and walk up to one of the hills above town for sunset over the harbour, ahead of an early boat departure tomorrow.
Day 17
We board a shared wooden phinisi boat for a three-day, two-night trip through Komodo National Park. Day one is a walk with a ranger among wild Komodo dragons, either on Komodo Island or Rinca depending on conditions, followed by a snorkel stop and dinner on board as we anchor for the night.
Day 18
An early climb to the Padar viewpoint for sunrise over its three curved bays, then a swim and snorkel at Pink Beach, its sand tinted by red coral fragments. More snorkel stops through the afternoon, with a second night anchored on the boat.
Day 19
A morning snorkel at Manta Point, where reef mantas gather to feed, then a stop at Kanawa, a small island for an easy swim before the ride back to Labuan Bajo. We're back on land by the afternoon. In the evening we get together for a farewell dinner.
Day 20
A buffer day, built in because Komodo's boats sometimes can't sail in bad weather. If the sea and the schedule allow, it's free for a waterfall walk at Cunca Wulang, a quiet day by the pool, or simply resting up before you fly home.
Day 21
After breakfast the trip ends at your hotel in Labuan Bajo. Komodo Airport has several flights a day back to Bali and on to Jakarta, so most people can catch a same-day onward or international connection; check your flight times against the schedule when you book.
Prices are per person, and reserving is free. A date goes ahead once about 10 travellers have joined. You pay nothing until then. Once it's confirmed, we send you an invoice for the full price, and you have 7 days to pay it (or until the trip starts, if that's sooner).
8 May – 28 May 2027
AvailableDry season, generally calm seas for the Bali and Komodo legsMax 16 people
Price
$2,520 / £1,885 / €2,210 / A$3,580 / CA$3,560 / NZ$4,440 / ₹2,41,500
5 Jun – 25 Jun 2027
AvailableDry season, good conditions for the Java volcanoes and KomodoMax 16 people
Price
$2,520 / £1,885 / €2,210 / A$3,580 / CA$3,560 / NZ$4,440 / ₹2,41,500
4 Sept – 24 Sept 2027
AvailableDry and clear, with slightly smaller crowds than July and AugustMax 16 people
Price
$2,520 / £1,885 / €2,210 / A$3,580 / CA$3,560 / NZ$4,440 / ₹2,41,500
You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join, and reservations close 7 days before the start date. Once enough travellers have signed on, usually around 10, we confirm the departure and email you a confirmation with an invoice for the full trip price. You pay it by card or bank transfer within 7 days, in US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees, and the price shown for each date is what you pay.
Solo travellers aged 18 to 40. Most people come on their own, and some come with a friend. The maximum for each departure is shown with its dates, and it's never more than 16.
The Trip Host travels with the group for all 21 days, sorts out every transfer, boat, flight, ticket and check-in, and is the person you go to if anything goes wrong. Licensed local agencies and licensed local guides run the ground services in Java, Bali and Komodo, including the volcano treks and the dragon walks.
It starts at our hotel in Yogyakarta on the afternoon of Day 1, and we send the address when you book. It ends in Labuan Bajo on the morning of Day 21, near Komodo Airport.
The dry season, roughly April to October, is when the volcano sunrises are clearer and the boat crossings are calmer, so that's when we run this trip. In the wet season, Bromo and Batur are often in cloud, boats to Komodo run less reliably, and the crossings get rougher.
Most visitors, including those from the UK, US, EU, Australia and India, need a visa on arrival, which you can buy online in advance as an e-VOA. It gives you 30 days, which covers this trip without needing an extension. You also fill in the free All Indonesia arrival card within 72 hours before you land, and pay the Bali tourist levy online. Rules change, so check our Bali visa guide and the official Indonesian immigration site before you book flights.
We can't promise it, and reports say it hasn't been reliably visible this year. We climb Ijen for sunrise over the crater lake from the rim and don't go down to the crater floor, which isn't suitable for a group trip. You'll need a respirator with a gas filter, and a cloth mask or bandana isn't enough; your Trip Host will explain what to bring.
We build in a spare day in Labuan Bajo for exactly this. If the harbourmaster closes the park's waters, which happens even in the dry season, we shift the boat trip into that buffer day. On rare occasions the itinerary changes on the day; the Trip Host handles it.
Indonesia's fast boats have a mixed safety record, so ask the Trip Host about the operator for your departure. We book daytime sailings, and in big swell crossings are delayed or cancelled. If that happens, we wait it out and adjust the plan.
Layers. It's cold before dawn at Bromo and Ijen, so bring a warm jacket, long trousers and a head torch, plus sturdy shoes with grip for the volcanic ground. For the rest of the trip you'll want light, breathable clothes, a swimsuit, reef-safe sunscreen, a refillable water bottle and a dry bag for boat crossings. Bring a soft bag rather than a hard suitcase, since you carry it onto boats. Carry some rupiah in cash, especially in Java and on Nusa Penida and the Gilis, where cards and ATMs are less reliable, and change money only at licensed money changers.
Fairly fit, and ready for several early starts in a row. The Bromo, Ijen and Batur mornings each involve one to two hours of uphill walking on loose or steep ground, usually in the dark. If you can manage a long uphill walk at your own pace, you'll be fine. For Ijen especially, tell us in advance if you have asthma or another respiratory condition, because of the sulphur gas.
Yes, it's a condition of joining. It must cover medical treatment and evacuation, and you should check that it covers volcano hikes, snorkelling and any optional diving.
Ask here and someone on the team will email you back within 1 to 2 business days.
From
$2,520 / £1,885 / €2,210 / A$3,580 / CA$3,560 / NZ$4,440 / ₹2,41,500