HomeSouth East Asia3 Weeks Sabah (Borneo), Brunei & Indonesia Itinerary – Solo DIY Tips By Marcos Detourist on July 10, 2012 Here goes my three-week solo backpacking trip to Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. I spent a couple of months cooped up at home so I can save money for this trip along with many others I had planned this year. It was finally time to implement my plans and personally see and experience places I’ve been ogling behind a computer screen for a long time.I booked (very) cheap plane tickets a year prior to three main “areas”: Sabah in East Malaysia, Java Island in Indonesia, and Peninsular Malaysia. Three weeks was definitely not enough to visit ALL of Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. I only picked a few places to visit because I wanted to take my time in each destination and not skim through too many places. I was still unable to avoid hectic overnight itineraries because of uncooperative flight schedules, though. Traveling more slowly was the reason why I didn’t go to Bali despite its easy accessibility from Java Island. Rough itinerary map of my three-week solo backpacking trip in Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia Although I prepared a somewhat thorough itinerary before the trip, I had to make changes along the way. Most of them were borne out of pleasant surprises like choosing to visit a place earlier after meeting a cool group of travelers headed there or overstaying in a place because I liked it so much. On the other hand, I also experienced disappointment from trying to visit a volcanic crater only to find out later that it was closed to visitors due to high-risk volcanic activity. It was on this trip that I received the worst news that will definitely negatively affect my future travels.All of these unforeseen circumstances made me learn to keep going (self-motivation), not dwelling too long on bad thoughts or things we can’t change, being flexible, having an open mind, and enjoying the moment while we are still able.Itinerary SummaryPart 1: Kota Kinabalu and Brunei: 5days backpacking in Sabah, Borneo, MalaysiaKota Kinabalu, Sabah, West Malaysia (Day 1 to 2)Clark to Kota Kinabalu flightKota Kinabalu Airport LCCT Bus commute to KK City CenterHostels in Kota KinabaluKota Kinabalu Island HoppingWalking tour around Kota KinabaluLabuan Island (Day 3)Kota Kinabalu to Brunei via Labuan/MenumbokA night in Labuan: duty-free island in MalaysiaFerry to Brunei: Labuan to Serasa to Bandar Seri BegawanBrunei (Day 4)Brunei Backpacker hostelProboscis monkey spotting in Brunei: BSB River TourWalking tour of Brunei capital, Bandar Seri Begawan overnightLawas, Sabah (Day 5)Ferry via Lawas: Brunei to Kota Kinabalu, mainland SabahKota Kinabalu to Jakarta flightPart 2: Java Island, Indonesia DIY ItineraryJakarta (Day 6)Around Jakarta: Kota Tua, Jalan Jaksa, Jalan TharminYogyakarta (Day 7 to 10)Jakarta to Yogyakarta FlightWalking tour of YogyakartaBorobodur Temple CompoundsPrambanan Temple CompoundsDay 11 to 14: Mount Bromo (Day 11 to 14)Yogyakarta to Malang TrainMalang to Ngadas Land CommuteNgadas Walking Tour and HomestayNgadas to Cemoro Lawang, Mount Bromo on foot / hikeThree days in Mount BromoMount Bromo to Probolinggo to Bondowoso by BusAround Bondowoso; Failed plan to Ijen craterBaluran National Park (Day 15 to 17)Bondowoso to Baluran by BusWildlife Encounters in Baluran National ParkSurabaya (Day 18)Baluran to Surabaya by “travel” vanQuick walking tour of SurabayaSurabaya to Kuala Lumpur FlightGeorgetown, Penang (Day 19 to 22)Kuala Lumpur to Georgetown, Penang by busWalking tour of GeorgetownAfternoon in Penang HillKuala Lumpur (Day 23)Georgetown to Kuala Lumpur by busOne night in Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur to Clark Airport Flight Don’t leave yet. There’s more!3 Weeks Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia ItineraryTwo Weeks Java, Indonesia Itinerary — Jakarta,…5 Days Kota Kinabalu & Brunei Itinerary –…5 Days Borneo Itinerary — Kota Kinabalu & BruneiKota Kinabalu Island Hopping — Around Tunku Abdul…Kota Kinabalu Hostel Search & ArrivalComments Doc Wends saysJuly 10, 2012 at 10:21 am this is a very useful and insightful post. I never realized Id be mesmerized by Yogyakarta as much as the other areas in SE Asia. Salamat Marcos for this! Marcos saysJuly 12, 2012 at 3:40 pm Me too and there’s much more places to explore in this area. Febry Fawzi saysJuly 10, 2012 at 12:03 pm Hey… glad you come to Indonesia. haha Marcos saysJuly 12, 2012 at 3:41 pm I’m glad too :D Hope to come back again and explore much more of Idonesia. Saw your posts during your visit to the Philippines too. Feel free to drop me a message when you come back. paul | walkflypinoy saysJuly 10, 2012 at 10:59 pm great itinerary! great photos, too. must’ve been an epic three weeks. now subscribing to your awesome blog. :) Marcos saysJuly 12, 2012 at 3:46 pm It was one of my best trips, hehe. Thanks Paul ^_^ Dropped by your blog, I’ve had lots of epic trips as well! janet saysJuly 12, 2012 at 12:30 am “It was on this trip that I received the worst news that will definitely negatively affect my future travels” —- why what happened? chismosa lang :D this post made me interested in visiting yogyakarta :D now i wanna go there too! and yeah your “final” itinerary looked very tiring :D but im sure those unexpected things made your trip more fun :D Marcos saysJuly 12, 2012 at 3:51 pm Something concerning my main source of online income. I’m still struggling right now to get back on my feet financially. Yeah, all in all it was a great trip. Misadventures make trips more interesting :D Renevic Amago saysJuly 12, 2012 at 9:10 am wow, great. 3 weeks of traveling solo. that’s awesome! Marcos saysJuly 12, 2012 at 3:52 pm Yes hehe :D Robbie saysJuly 15, 2012 at 1:00 am Marcosssss!!!! I really can’t wait to read more about this series!!! :D Marcos saysJuly 18, 2012 at 2:37 pm Sige sige, I’ll post more about it. Still have to organize my photos/ annncash saysJuly 15, 2012 at 2:29 pm Wow, congrats, I wish I could go there too. Marcos saysJuly 18, 2012 at 2:41 pm With all the new budget airline flights from the Philippines to South East Asian countries, pwede talaga! killerfillers saysJuly 17, 2012 at 4:04 pm wish I have 3 weeks leave for this trip as well. Yogyakarta and Mount Bromo are in my bucket list Marcos saysJuly 18, 2012 at 2:43 pm Both are really beautiful places to visit, you’ll love it :D Sky|Boundfortwo.com saysJuly 18, 2012 at 1:39 pm Borobodur is one of the temple that I want to visit when I was still in HS. Somehow, you just reminded me. As always, nice capture Marcos!We add you into our blog! :) Can’t wait to read the series. ^_^ Marcos saysJuly 18, 2012 at 2:56 pm Thanks Sky :D I also got to know about many of the places I visit when I was in school … our out of school watching NatGeo/Discovery Channel, SkyscraperCity and other geeky mediums. Sky|Boundfortwo.com saysJuly 18, 2012 at 4:46 pm Same with us, Nat Geo and Travel Mags, Nat Geo, Discovery and Travel Asia Channels and other bloggers! We’re now excited on your Borobodur post. :) Marcos saysJuly 18, 2012 at 5:53 pm Haha, classmates! Thanks :D Just starting to review my photos, it might take a while before I can post about everything. Jherson saysJuly 19, 2012 at 9:55 pm Grabe ka Marc! Im dreaming of doing this! Hangang panaginip nalang ata… Haha… Magkano budget mo dito? Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 7:08 pm You can! It’s just a matter of saving up and planning the trip well.I didn’t actually kept tab on the exact amount this time but I spent around $20 to $30 per day. It’s possible to spend less … though generally, I found Indonesia to be a bit more expensive for solo travelers (a situation similar to the Philippines) and Malaysia was overall a bit more expensive to backpack (compared to other countries in South East Asia). Leic saysJuly 20, 2012 at 10:01 pm Your post reminded me of our travel to Surabaya and Bromo. I wish we had the time to do slow travel too.Will wait for the rest of your Indonesia post. I’d be traveling solo to Yogyakarta come October. :) Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 7:10 pm Yeah, not of Filipinos traveling to these parts. If I saw a post about Bromo and Surabaya somewhere else, I think I’d also feel a bit nostalgic :D …especially because I want to come back to Bromo. The weather was so awful when I went there, no sunrise at ALL. miguel saysOctober 1, 2012 at 4:59 am marcos you’re the best..thank you for sharing this my idol!.. #no1follower myla saysOctober 28, 2012 at 7:29 pm wow i run out of words to describe your trip. You really made me uber inspired. These places are on my wishlist too. I hope i can travel these places too. Post more pics and good luck to your future travels. Im just at your back following u always. kris saysNovember 23, 2012 at 4:13 am Just wondering if this post is everything for the said 3-week trip. I’m not sure if I just don’t know how to browse your website, is this just a summary..or is there more? Thanks! :) Marcos saysDecember 4, 2012 at 6:29 pm This is still a summary. I haven’t posted about the rest of my trip yet. Posting of new comments is disabled temporarily.Connect with Marcos on:Detourista.comMarcosDetourist.comFacebookInstagramTwitterDetourista.comDiscover more travel guides and blogs about the Philippines and beyond by Marcos DetouristChoose your next destination: Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Doc Wends saysJuly 10, 2012 at 10:21 am this is a very useful and insightful post. I never realized Id be mesmerized by Yogyakarta as much as the other areas in SE Asia. Salamat Marcos for this!
Marcos saysJuly 12, 2012 at 3:41 pm I’m glad too :D Hope to come back again and explore much more of Idonesia. Saw your posts during your visit to the Philippines too. Feel free to drop me a message when you come back.
paul | walkflypinoy saysJuly 10, 2012 at 10:59 pm great itinerary! great photos, too. must’ve been an epic three weeks. now subscribing to your awesome blog. :)
Marcos saysJuly 12, 2012 at 3:46 pm It was one of my best trips, hehe. Thanks Paul ^_^ Dropped by your blog, I’ve had lots of epic trips as well!
janet saysJuly 12, 2012 at 12:30 am “It was on this trip that I received the worst news that will definitely negatively affect my future travels” —- why what happened? chismosa lang :D this post made me interested in visiting yogyakarta :D now i wanna go there too! and yeah your “final” itinerary looked very tiring :D but im sure those unexpected things made your trip more fun :D
Marcos saysJuly 12, 2012 at 3:51 pm Something concerning my main source of online income. I’m still struggling right now to get back on my feet financially. Yeah, all in all it was a great trip. Misadventures make trips more interesting :D
Robbie saysJuly 15, 2012 at 1:00 am Marcosssss!!!! I really can’t wait to read more about this series!!! :D
Marcos saysJuly 18, 2012 at 2:37 pm Sige sige, I’ll post more about it. Still have to organize my photos/
Marcos saysJuly 18, 2012 at 2:41 pm With all the new budget airline flights from the Philippines to South East Asian countries, pwede talaga!
killerfillers saysJuly 17, 2012 at 4:04 pm wish I have 3 weeks leave for this trip as well. Yogyakarta and Mount Bromo are in my bucket list
Sky|Boundfortwo.com saysJuly 18, 2012 at 1:39 pm Borobodur is one of the temple that I want to visit when I was still in HS. Somehow, you just reminded me. As always, nice capture Marcos!We add you into our blog! :) Can’t wait to read the series. ^_^
Marcos saysJuly 18, 2012 at 2:56 pm Thanks Sky :D I also got to know about many of the places I visit when I was in school … our out of school watching NatGeo/Discovery Channel, SkyscraperCity and other geeky mediums.
Sky|Boundfortwo.com saysJuly 18, 2012 at 4:46 pm Same with us, Nat Geo and Travel Mags, Nat Geo, Discovery and Travel Asia Channels and other bloggers! We’re now excited on your Borobodur post. :)
Marcos saysJuly 18, 2012 at 5:53 pm Haha, classmates! Thanks :D Just starting to review my photos, it might take a while before I can post about everything.
Jherson saysJuly 19, 2012 at 9:55 pm Grabe ka Marc! Im dreaming of doing this! Hangang panaginip nalang ata… Haha… Magkano budget mo dito?
Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 7:08 pm You can! It’s just a matter of saving up and planning the trip well.I didn’t actually kept tab on the exact amount this time but I spent around $20 to $30 per day. It’s possible to spend less … though generally, I found Indonesia to be a bit more expensive for solo travelers (a situation similar to the Philippines) and Malaysia was overall a bit more expensive to backpack (compared to other countries in South East Asia).
Leic saysJuly 20, 2012 at 10:01 pm Your post reminded me of our travel to Surabaya and Bromo. I wish we had the time to do slow travel too.Will wait for the rest of your Indonesia post. I’d be traveling solo to Yogyakarta come October. :)
Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 7:10 pm Yeah, not of Filipinos traveling to these parts. If I saw a post about Bromo and Surabaya somewhere else, I think I’d also feel a bit nostalgic :D …especially because I want to come back to Bromo. The weather was so awful when I went there, no sunrise at ALL.
miguel saysOctober 1, 2012 at 4:59 am marcos you’re the best..thank you for sharing this my idol!.. #no1follower
myla saysOctober 28, 2012 at 7:29 pm wow i run out of words to describe your trip. You really made me uber inspired. These places are on my wishlist too. I hope i can travel these places too. Post more pics and good luck to your future travels. Im just at your back following u always.
kris saysNovember 23, 2012 at 4:13 am Just wondering if this post is everything for the said 3-week trip. I’m not sure if I just don’t know how to browse your website, is this just a summary..or is there more? Thanks! :)
Marcos saysDecember 4, 2012 at 6:29 pm This is still a summary. I haven’t posted about the rest of my trip yet.