Indonesia Digital Nomad Review
Indonesia is a land of extremes. On the one hand, you have places with incredibly developed tourist sites, while at the same time, most of the rest of Indonesia is completely 'authentic.' This makes it difficult to review Indonesia as a whole. So, let's start by saying that we would 100% recommend staying in Indonesia. From the volcanoes in Java to snorkeling with Manta Rays near Bali, there are just so many unique things in Indonesia that make it totally worth it overall.
Visas
One general 'problem' to be aware of is that most westerners have 30-day visa-free access, and they can extend it to 60 days. However, even if you do everything correctly (in our case: ensure outward travel documentation within the first 30 days, despite planning to stay 60, and pay for a Visa On Arrival rather than visa-free access), the extension process is incredibly lengthy and unpleasant (basically, we spent two weeks in Yogyakarta to get it sorted).
Internet connectivity
Overall, internet connectivity in Indonesia was, in our experience, 'just decent.' We did have to fall back on our mobile internet hotspots from time to time, but all things considered, it was stable enough to consistently work on.
SIM Cards: I am not going to claim to understand the laws and rules involved here, but I can summarize that: 1) you can't buy SIM cards from all providers, even if you go to official stores (this is less bad on Bali), 2) Data packages are often for specific regions of Indonesia, 3) The airport surcharges (and allegedly even some official stores) for SIM cards are some of the worst in Southeast Asia.
Internet censorship in Indonesia was inconsistent, with the things blocked by one provider being different from another provider. As an example, Reddit was one of the main sites we noticed was banned in Indonesia. Nothing bad enough to get in the way of work, but good to be aware of.
Links to the tools/resources we used for Indonesia
Java in general
There are some incredible sights to be seen on Java, but they are spread out and not accessible through public transport. Add to this the general lack of small apartments, and you will probably be looking at a couple of weeks moving from hotel to hotel. We ended up getting a private driver together with another couple to see most of the sights in East Java over the course of a couple of days, so that's one option. Alternatively, Java has a good rail network connecting all major cities.
All of Indonesia, except Bali, is Muslim, and the main thing to note here is that unlike some Muslim countries, the call to prayer is not synchronized, nor particularly 'pleasant to listen to.' Add to this that locals get thrown into jail if they even so much as inquire whether the volume of the call to prayer couldn't be adjusted, and local mosques seem to compete to be the loudest... and you end up with a very overwhelming experience at 6 AM in the morning 😅 . Point in case: Make sure your hotel isn't next to a mosque. In our experience, it takes around three weeks before your brain starts to be able to ignore the call like most locals can do.
Java: Jakarta
We took a Pelni ship from Batam (right next to Singapore) to Jakarta, and although the ship ride itself was one of the most unique experiences we've had, the destination (Jakarta) was an all-around unpleasant city. There is basically nothing to see, and the only saving grace was the amazing sate we had here.
Java: Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta is a popular stop for tourists traveling through Java, and for good reason. The big 'problem' is that the same popularity has allowed the two most popular sites near Yogya - two temples - to go from charging around $10 per temple a couple of years ago to now charging $25 (compared to $3 for locals). As long as you know about this beforehand, it should allow you to plan an adequate amount of time to spend in Yogya, as you can decide whether it's worth it or not, but at least you won't be caught off guard (for comparison, all of Angkor Wat charges $37 and most temples are free or charge a couple of dollars).
Beyond that, from a Digital Nomad perspective, Yogya offered a good number of coworking-friendly cafes, so if you like working in those, that can be a great plus. We spend two weeks in Yogyakarta due to the visa extensino process and if you need a break at all we would totally recommend spending some time here.
Links to the tools/resources we used for Yogyakarta
Eastern Java
For practical reasons we rushed through Malang and eastern Java, so we can't really review those, but let us recommend both Tumpak Sewu and Mt. Bromo. They were absolutely highlights of our travel.
Bali in general
Bali - like Phuket in Thailand - is the overtourism central of Indonesia. Western culture - and how western culture imagines tropical culture - has basically replaced local sensibilities, and what is left is either paradise or hell depending on who you ask. Being a Digital Nomad on Bali is easy, but at the same time, our impression was that the same time is better spent elsewhere.
Links to the tools/resources we used for Bali
Bali, but not: Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan
Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan are two small islands connected by a foot/scooter bridge that are part of Bali province to the southeast of the Bali mainland. From the beautiful cliffs to the seaweed farms and the turtles that you can spot, they have surprisingly much to offer. They are similarly touristic to the Bali mainland, although - as far as we understand it - they developed later. Considering the prices, though, and the 'romantic' feeling of being on a smaller island, it would, however, totally make us recommend it over the Bali mainland.
Bali, but not: Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida is a larger island next to the aforementioned two islands that is also a part of Bali. Best we can tell, Nusa Penida is how Bali used to be not too long ago: Infrastructure and amenities are trying to catch up with the rapidly developing tourism. Nusa Penida is the target of the most popular tours from Bali, but in our experience, the amenities and internet quality are just about starting to be barely good enough for digital nomads. If you can handle a couple of days with slightly worse internet, we would 10/10 recommend Nusa Penida. However, from a digital nomad perspective, we don't think it's feasible to work there for a longer period.
One of the most unique things you can spot from Nusa Penida's cliffs is Manta Rays. We spent nearly two weeks on Nusa Penida (taking a decent number of vacation days due to the internet issues) and we got to spot them a couple of times. So, that's definitely a possible reason to spend more time on the island rather than doing a tour from the mainland. Ironically - as far as we can tell - if you want to snorkel or dive with Manta Rays, it's easier to organize from Nusa Lembongan, but it's also totally possible from Toyapakeh on Nusa Penida.
