Backpacking in Indonesia: Top Sights When Touring Bandung

Indonesia is a huge country and would take a lifetime to explore. So far, my trips to this country have only see me tour Java and Bali and I hope there will be more to come. I had a wild time in Yogyakarta which is in the heartland of Java and blessed with an impressive brace of world heritage sites as well as the water castle and the quirky silver factory.

Prambanan is an epic Hindu Temple complex and Borobudur is simply the world’s largest Buddhist structure. Both places attract millions of tourists per year and are well worth a shout, but there are ways to escape that kind of madness.

To escape the tourist crowds of Jakarta and Yogyakarta, it’s a great idea to head overland to Bandung. Although be warned, Bandung is almost just as manic, it’s Indonesia’s third biggest city and housing a mouth whopping 2.5 million people. But yet you can somehow escape the madness.

The city is big and to get your bearings, get a good hotel booked. I’d recommend basing yourself in the v Hotel-Bandung which you can see now has its own cool website. Once you’re based here, get backpacking through these top 5 sights and have a great time.

1.Geology Museum
If you’re into dinosaurs and exhibits in geology, the famous Geology Museum here is the place to head. With regular quirky exhibits and long standing dinosaur fossils, you won’t fail to be impressed. Jurassic Park!

2.Bandung Grande Mosque
Indonesia is a majority Muslim country and so a visit to a Mosque is an excellent local cultural thing to check out. For sure, just head to Bandung Grande Mosque. The impressive twin towers against a remarkable sunset are not to be missed. Don’t forget to respect the culture by removing shoes and being appropriately covered. It’s especially epic around the time of the call to prayer.

3.Museum of the Asian-African Conference
Head to this excellent museum to get to grips with the history of the close African – Asian links. Indonesians are a welcoming bunch and this is a great place to learn more about their culture. This conference was the first of its kind in 1955 and remains an important part of history.

4.Gedung Sate
Put simply, this is the most impressive building in the city of Bandung. The Gedung Sate is of expert neoclassical design which mixes Dutch architecture with the local native Indonesian elements. It was open in 1920 and acts as the seat of parliament for the region of West Java. Get snap happy as it’s a gem, you see what I mean?

5.Ciater Hot Springs
You might have read my stories about bathing, swimming and the classic hot springs experience. I’ve been to hot springs all over the world but mostly in Bolivia, Taiwan and Iceland. The Ciater Hot Springs are a great day trip adventure outside of Bandung.

So what are you waiting for? Get your Indonesian visa on arrival sorted and head to vibrant Bandung!