Travel with children

Hi everyone,

We’re heading to Java and Bali this coming July/August with our daughters, aged 9 and 6.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on our itinerary. There are as many possible trips as there are travelers, and everyone will have their own preferences, but the goal is to get a general feel and see if there are any major incompatibilities or mistakes that could prevent us from making the most of this exceptional trip.

Here’s our plan:

Day 1: Arrival in Jakarta at 7 PM, overnight in Jakarta Day 2: Flight from Jakarta (8 AM) to Karimunjawa for rest and adjusting after the journey and time difference Day 3: Karimunjawa – beaches, snorkeling, boat trip to a deserted island Day 4: Karimunjawa – beaches, snorkeling, boat trip to a deserted island Day 5: Morning flight from Karimunjawa to Semarang, transfer to a guesthouse in Borobudur for rest and early night Day 6: Borobudur sunrise visit, transfer to Prambanan for a tour, then to a guesthouse in Yogyakarta Day 7: Train from Yogyakarta to Probolinggo, transfer to Cemoro Lawang for the night Day 8: Bromo sunrise hike, then trip to Kawah Ijen (Brondowoso or Banyuwangi depending on the tour, ideally arranged through our Yogyakarta guesthouse) for the night Day 9: Early morning hike up Kawah Ijen to avoid the heat (no blue flames with the kids), boat to Bali, transfer to Pejarakan for rest after three early mornings Day 10: Pejarakan/Menjangan – beach, snorkeling, boat trip to an island, diving, turtle arch (details to be confirmed) Day 11: Pejarakan/Menjangan – beach, snorkeling, boat trip to an island, diving, turtle arch (details to be confirmed), transfer to the Munduk area in the late afternoon Day 12: Munduk – lake and Ulun Danu Temple Day 13: Munduk/Jatiluwih, transfer to Amed in the late afternoon Day 14: Amed/Jemeluk – details to be confirmed, including sunrise at Mount Agung Day 15: Amed/Jemeluk – details to be confirmed, transfer to Keliki painting school in the Ubud area in the late afternoon Day 16: Keliki painting school activities/rice terraces/Tirta Empul (details to be confirmed) Day 17: Keliki painting school activities/rice terraces/Tirta Empul (details to be confirmed) Day 18: Ubud – Monkey Forest, overnight in Ubud Day 19: Ubud, transfer to Nusa Lembongan Day 20: Nusa Lembongan Day 21: Nusa Lembongan/Nusa Penida/Manta Point (details to be confirmed) Day 22: Nusa Lembongan/Nusa Penida/Manta Point (details to be confirmed) Day 23: Transfer from Lembongan to Gili Asahan via Gili Gede (1h20 + 30-minute boat ride) Day 24: Gili Asahan – beach, snorkeling, boat trip to a deserted island Day 25: Gili Asahan – beach, snorkeling, boat trip to a deserted island Day 26: Transfer from Gili Asahan to Serangan via Gili Gede (30 minutes + 2h15 boat ride), then from Serangan to Denpasar Airport, flight from Denpasar to Jakarta Day 27: Jakarta, then return flight at 7 PM

We chose Gili Asahan over the "other three Gili islands" based on recommendations from Lonely Planet and these sites: - www.onedayonetravel.com/...secrete-bali-lombok/ - petitesbullesdailleurs.fr/...i-asahan-ile-lombok/

Our goal is to end the trip in a beautiful, less touristy spot (only three accommodations on the island) known for its tranquility as of 2017, so it’s recent. With accommodation and boat transfers costing 950 € for three nights, we really don’t want to make a mistake!

Starting with Karimunjawa was a deliberate choice—it’s a quieter island, and we wanted a calm place to acclimate, rest after the long trip and work, before heading straight to Borobudur from Jakarta to avoid wasting time "in the city."

Given the events of the past two years, the distance, and our non-extendable vacation budget, we had to rule out Lombok, Flores, and Sulawesi, despite their many attractions.