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Hiking with kids in Indonesia

Planning to take your kids to enjoy the clean air and be an outdoor savvy? We have several tips to ensure that the trip will be entertaining both for you and your kids, particularly if you planned to do the hiking in Indonesia

Before the Trip :

Choose the destination wisely.  Choosing the destination for hiking in Indonesia may be challenging as some of the infrastructures are not too well developed thus may not be kids-friendly.  Areas in West Java typically offer more well-developed facilities (treks, accommodations) given its proximity to the country’s capital, Jakarta. The temperature is also usually pleasant even during summers. Check with your local provider on when is the best time to visit for each specific area 

Choose short trek with variety of objects to see. Depends upon your kids’ familiarity with trekking activities, for beginners, you will want to choose a short trek (not more than 5 km) with variety of objects to see in multiple stops for example: waterfalls, creeks, paddy-fields, wildlife etc.

Planning it with the whole family. Who knows that your kids may have better insights of the destinations! (Or might have googled and found more information than you!). You can also foresee what may become a problem for your kids when the trip is executed by discussing it in advance.

Prepare games or activities that can be done while trekking. You can play scavenger hunt for your kids to collect fallen leaves, flowers or other items in the nature. Do some research on the local or indigenous animals in the area that you are about to visit. Rainforest in Indonesia typically will have varied species of birds and primates. Don’t forget to bring along your binoculars and magnifying glass to ease your kids in observing the animals and plants. You can also find ideas of outdoor games to play on multiple sites on the internet.

Be sure that you are rain and mosquito-proofed. Some areas particularly in eastern part of Indonesia are still considered malaria-prone. Make sure your family took anti-malaria pills before doing the excursion. Preparing mosquito repellent and raincoat is a must

During The Trip :

Be a happy camper! Show enthusiasm and positive attitude, it is usually spread to the other members of the family. Yes, things may not always go as planned, but you as the focal point of the family needs to keep it going. Try to always have Plan B, Plan C and so on, so you really know what to do if Plan A does not work. Rain could be your biggest enemy in Indonesia, particularly during rainy season. So make sure you have a back-up plan when rain is really coming

Stop and see Yes you will have a few kilometers to walk, but do allocate time to stop and see the surroundings. Kids usually get bored easily, so a stop at least every 45 minutes to see different objects will help them regaining their interest to the activity

Say “hi” to people When hiking in Indonesia, most likely you will meet with locals who are working on the paddy fields, tea-farms or herding their cows/goats. Try to say “hi” and greet them. While language may be a barrier if you do not speak Bahasa Indonesia, but they will usually respond with smiles and not be reluctant to take wefie with.

Don’t try too hard to be gadget-free Some kids are natural born adventurer and some just need to be encouraged to be more adventurous. With today’s kids tend to be too attached to their gadgets and social media; you may want to refrain from trying too hard to make the hiking as a gadget-free outing.  Spare some stops for them to make Instagram-able photos or IG stories. Although some of the good hiking areas in Indonesia are out of phone/internet connection anyway, it is always good that parents realized and acknowledged that in today’s kids’ world the following principle applies: “I share on social media, therefore I am.”  Thus, make sure that after the hiking, they will have some cool pictures or videos to share

No littering please Basic rule when you are out there:  take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but trace. You may also want to check with your local provider on their plan to handle the post hiking trash. Do choose a provider with environment-conscious attitude, so while hiking, you can send consistent message to your kids to preserve the nature

In our latest trip, Climb Indonesia arranged family hiking to Mount Halimun Salak  National Park in West Java, Indonesia. Located approximately 125 km from Jakarta, with 3.8 kilometers trek and various objects to see, range from dense rainforest, river creeks, waterfalls, tea-plantation, and canopy trail to observe the indigenous animals (i.e: gibbons, eagles), Halimun Salak is an ideal location for family adventure, particularly with younger children. We can help you with the pre-trip preparation and happy to ensure that during the hiking your kids shall have enjoyable and memorable experience with the Mother Nature. Contact us for further inquiries on family hiking in Indonesia.

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