Indonesia in 3 weeks: Yogyakarta, Ubud, the Gilis, Lombok and Komodo

How the three weeks fit together

The route works because it uses each kind of transport where it is strongest. Within Java and Bali, the sights are close to the bases: the Ministry of Tourism puts Borobudur about 40 km and 1 to 1.5 hours by road from Yogyakarta, and Ubud's temples and rice terraces are a short drive from town. Between Bali, the Gilis and Lombok the distances are small enough for boats: fast boats run direct from Padang Bai and Serangan on Bali to the Gilis, and from the islands a short public-boat crossing and a drive take you to Lombok's south coast. Only twice is the sea or the road too slow, Java to Bali and Lombok to Flores, and there you fly.

Book an open-jaw international ticket, into Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) and home from Bali's Ngurah Rai (DPS). Wikipedia's route table lists international flights to YIA from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia Airlines) and Singapore (Scoot); from elsewhere, connect through Jakarta or one of those hubs. Ending in Bali gives you the widest choice of flights home, and the last night there protects you from the one risky connection on the route: a flight from Labuan Bajo on the morning of your international departure.

Pace matters more than the number of places. Each stop gets at least three nights, so that every move is followed by at least two full days without luggage. If you need to cut, take a night from Ubud or Lombok rather than from Labuan Bajo: the spare day there is what makes the Komodo boat trip dependable.

• Days 1–4 — Yogyakarta: palace, Borobudur, Prambanan and the Ramayana ballet. 4 nights.
• Days 5–8 — Ubud: fly to Bali, then rice terraces, temples and evening dance. 4 nights.
• Days 9–11 — Gili Air: fast boat from Padang Bai, snorkelling with turtles. 3 nights.
• Days 12–14 — Kuta, Lombok: local boat and car to the Mandalika coast. 3 nights.
• Days 15–19 — Labuan Bajo and Komodo: fly to Flores, two nights on a phinisi, a spare day. 5 nights.
• Days 20–21 — Sanur and home: fly to Bali, one night near the airport, then the flight home. 1 night.

Days 1–4: Yogyakarta, Borobudur and Prambanan

Land at YIA, which Wikipedia places about 45 km from the city in Kulon Progo, and take the airport train into Yogyakarta station; Wikipedia describes about 50 trips a day taking 35 to 39 minutes. Stay on or near Malioboro, the shopping street the Ministry of Tourism places within walking distance of Tugu station, or in quieter Prawirotaman south of the palace (see our Yogyakarta guide). Day one is for arrival and an evening walk down Malioboro.

Day two is royal Yogyakarta. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the palace's official tourism site listed the Kedhaton, the visitor area of the Kraton, as open from 08:30 to 14:30 and closed on Mondays, with a dress rule of sleeved clothing and no shorts or skirts. Go at opening time, walk on to the Taman Sari water garden, and keep the afternoon for a rest.

Day three is Borobudur. The site's operator sells two kinds of ticket: one for the temple grounds and one that also lets you climb the monument, and when we checked on 2026-10-03 its news page listed climbing every day from 09:00 to 17:00. Separate sunrise and sunset tickets are limited to 100 people a day. Buy the ticket you need on the official site before you go, and hire a car with a driver for the day.

Day four is Prambanan, the great Hindu temple compound east of the city. The official ticket site listed the gates opening daily at 06:30. On a show night, stay for the Ramayana ballet: when we checked, the site listed open-air performances in front of the temple on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 7.30 pm between May and October 2026, and indoor ones on the same nights from November to April, moved inside if it rains before the start. If your dates allow, plan Borobudur and Prambanan around the palace's Monday closure and the ballet nights.

• Day 1: arrive at YIA, airport train to the city, evening on Malioboro. Night: Yogyakarta.
• Day 2: the Kraton at 08:30 (not Monday), Taman Sari, dinner in Malioboro's lesehan tents. Night: Yogyakarta.
• Day 3: Borobudur by car, with a climbing ticket booked ahead. Night: Yogyakarta.
• Day 4: Prambanan from the morning, the Ramayana ballet on a show night. Night: Yogyakarta.

Days 5–8: fly to Bali and settle into Ubud

On day five, fly from YIA to Denpasar; Wikipedia's route table lists Garuda Indonesia on the route. International visitors pay Bali's tourist levy, which the provincial Love Bali site listed at IDR 150,000 when we checked on 2026-10-03; pay it online before you arrive. Ubud has no airport or railway, so the last stretch is by road: the Ministry of Tourism mentions prepaid airport taxis (it warns they can be expensive), regular taxis and rental cars.

Give Ubud four nights, because it is where Bali makes the most sense to a first-time visitor. The ministry's own advice on where to stay is the right one: in the centre if you want to be close to the action, further out if you came for quiet and rice fields. Central Ubud lets you walk to the evening dance performances; a guesthouse on the edge means a taxi or scooter each night.

Spend day six in town on foot (the Monkey Forest at opening time, the palace, the market, a museum and a dance after dark), day seven on the rice terraces at Tegallalang early in the morning and the temple road through Goa Gajah, Tirta Empul and Gunung Kawi, and day eight however you like: a sunrise on Mount Batur, a cooking class or simply a day by the pool before the boats. Our Ubud guide has the details and the dress rules for the temples.

• Day 5: fly YIA – DPS, pay the levy, road to Ubud. Night: Ubud.
• Day 6: Ubud on foot, a dance performance at night. Night: Ubud.
• Day 7: Tegallalang at first light, then the temple road north-east. Night: Ubud.
• Day 8: Mount Batur, a village or a free day. Night: Ubud.

Days 9–14: a Gili island and Lombok's south coast

On day nine, drive from Ubud to Padang Bai on the east coast and take a fast boat to the Gilis. The Ministry of Tourism describes direct fast boats from Padang Bai and Serangan, and when we checked on 2026-10-03 its Gili Trawangan guide listed fares of IDR 350,000–600,000 depending on the operator and the season. Standards vary, so choose a boat by its operator and safety equipment rather than price, and book a morning departure so that you reach the island well before dark.

This plan suggests Gili Air, which the ministry describes as the closest island to Lombok and the most populated; it is quieter than Trawangan but has plenty of places to eat, and the departure for Lombok is short. Cars and motorbikes are banned on all three islands, so you walk or cycle. Use one of the three days for a snorkelling trip round all the islands: the ministry listed shared trips of three to four hours at IDR 100,000–150,000 a person, typically stopping at Coral Garden, Turtle Point and the Bounty wreck.

On day twelve, cross to Bangsal harbour on Lombok, where the ministry listed public boats at Rp 20,000–30,000 and speedboats at Rp 85,000–150,000, and drive south to Kuta on the Mandalika coast. Wikivoyage puts the taxi ride between Bangsal and the airport at 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours, and Kuta lies a little further south, so book a car in advance and leave the island in the morning. Spend days thirteen and fourteen on the south coast: Tanjung Aan's white sand, Mawun beach, Selong Belanak for a beginner surf lesson, and Merese Hill near Tanjung Aan for the view over the coast.

Mount Rinjani is not part of this plan. A trek takes two to four extra days, and when we checked on 2026-10-03 the national park's website carried notices that trekking was open only on a limited basis and that the Torean trail was temporarily closed. If you want to climb it, read our Lombok guide and the park's latest notices before you add the days.

• Day 9: road to Padang Bai, morning fast boat to Gili Air. Night: Gili Air.
• Day 10: a snorkelling trip around the three islands. Night: Gili Air.
• Day 11: cycle the island, sunset on the west coast. Night: Gili Air.
• Day 12: boat to Bangsal, car to Kuta. Night: Kuta, Lombok.
• Day 13: Tanjung Aan and Merese Hill. Night: Kuta, Lombok.
• Day 14: Mawun and Selong Belanak, or a surf lesson. Night: Kuta, Lombok.

Days 15–19: Labuan Bajo and a boat trip in Komodo National Park

On day fifteen, fly from Lombok to Labuan Bajo on Flores. When Wings Air launched a direct Lombok – Labuan Bajo service in July 2025, Tempo reported three flights a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with the Lombok departure at 11:10 local time. Check the current schedule before you fix your dates: if the direct flight does not fit, fly via Bali, which Wikipedia's route tables list as the main connection for Komodo Airport. Lombok's airport is in Central Lombok, the same regency as Kuta, so the morning transfer is a short one.

Book the park before the boat. Since 1 April 2026 the Komodo National Park office has limited visits to 1,000 people a day, ANTARA reported. Choose an operator who confirms in writing which day your park entry is booked for and whether fees are included. A boat trip usually builds around Padar's viewpoint and a ranger-led walk to see Komodo dragons; the ministry describes Rinca's treks as one to three hours, always with a ranger. The Ministry of Tourism describes the climb at Padar as about 30 minutes on a steep path without handrails, best at sunrise or late afternoon.

Spend days sixteen to eighteen on a phinisi liveaboard. The regional tourism authority BPOLBF describes the phinisi as a traditional boat from Bulukumba in South Sulawesi, many of them rebuilt for tourists, with up to 14 cabins for two people each, and warns that facilities differ between operators. Two nights on board let you reach Padar at dawn without a night drive from town. Before you pay, compare the cabins, the bathrooms, the number of guests, the life jackets and radio, and what happens if the harbour authority stops sailings for weather.

Day nineteen is the spare day, and it is there on purpose. If the boat was delayed by wind or your quota slot moved, this is when it happens; if not, see Batu Cermin cave, about 4 km from town, and eat grilled fish at Kampung Ujung, the food centre the ministry recommends. After the M7.7 earthquake that shook East Nusa Tenggara on 15 August 2026, ANTARA reported on 23 August that the park, the boats and Komodo Airport were operating normally.

• Day 15: fly LOP – LBJ (direct on some days) or via Bali. Night: Labuan Bajo.
• Day 16: board the phinisi in the harbour, first island and snorkel stops, sunset at anchor. Night: on the boat.
• Day 17: Padar at dawn, a ranger-led dragon walk, snorkelling stops. Night: on the boat.
• Day 18: last snorkel, back in the harbour by midday. Night: Labuan Bajo.
• Day 19: spare day: Batu Cermin, Kampung Ujung, or the boat trip if it was postponed. Night: Labuan Bajo.

Days 20–21: the last night in Bali, and the rules to check before you book

On day twenty, fly back to Denpasar and sleep in Sanur, which the Ministry of Tourism describes as a 20-minute taxi ride from Ngurah Rai, with reef-sheltered lagoons and a paved beachfront path of about 5 km. A quiet last evening there protects your international flight from any delay on the way out of Labuan Bajo. If you would rather fly home from Flores, Wikipedia lists international flights from Komodo Airport to Kuala Lumpur (AirAsia) and Singapore (Scoot).

Check the entry rules for your passport. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the UK government's advice said British visitors can get a 30-day visa on arrival, also available online as an e-VOA through Indonesia's immigration site; the passport must be valid for at least six months after arrival and have two blank pages; and travellers should fill in the free All Indonesia arrival card within 72 hours before arrival. Thirty days covers this route. Use only the official immigration and All Indonesia sites; the UK advice warns of fake visa agents.

Mind three dates. Nyepi, Bali's day of silence, closes the island's airport for 24 hours; in 2027 it falls on 8 March, in the same week as Lebaran (Idul Fitri on 10–11 March 2027), according to the government holiday decree reported by ANTARA; book transport early if your dates touch that week. And in Komodo, the ministry advises against Rinca in June and July, the dragons' mating period, when they stay near their nests. The Ministry of Tourism gives April to October as the dry season for Java and Bali.

• Day 20: fly LBJ – DPS, then Sanur's beachfront path at sunset. Night: Sanur.
• Day 21: fly home from Ngurah Rai (DPS).