Looking for some wisdom! First timer...
Flying to Singapore in February. 13 days, thinking of two nights in Singapore then heading to Sumatra and making my way down the islands to Komodo. Flying back to Singapore from Bali with 2 nights left.
Tips?
How to get around?
Places need to go?
Do I have the time?
Thoughts? Ideas?

Singapore is really small. You can get everywhere on the metro system.
No problem. I think we spent about 2 days. Gardens by the bay is a must
there’s also a very cool cloud forest and like flower dome !

Made similar trip last year. In Bali Ubud is a must....get off Island and go to Lombok. Bali is overrun with Tourists. Book a reliable boat to Komodo. Many of them are substandard without navigation. To save time you can dly to Flores and do a daytrip to Komodo.

I agree. I flew from Bali to Flores and hopped on local boat to go to Rinca (closer than Komodo, same dragons). My friend and I were able to hire a local captain and crew to take us for under 80 bucks total. Takes about 2 hours on the small boats each way but totally worth it. For the price you pay to join in on a tour, you can actually get your own private boat. Might not be super safe mechanically, but it's part of the adventure. Met some Brits that paid 500 bucks each for a speed boat ride. Shop around and book when you get to Flores.

No need to prebook a visa for Singapore

You don’t need a visa for a few days. We’ve been twice, 3 nights and 2 nights. That is enough time to explore. I would recommend staying by the bay as it’s really nice to walk around at night and see the laser show. Not sure of your budget but we stayed at the Pan Pacific Singapore and it was awesome! Last time we explored the Arab district as well. That was really interesting. There are many districts. Do a bit of research and see what interests you. Make sure you eat at the Hawker centres. The Maxwell Center has one of the most famous chicken rice stalls called “Tian Tian”. We walked there from downtown. I would also check out the botanical gardens. Its free admission and beautiful. Go early or bring an umbrella to shade you from the heat/rain showers. Take their subway. It’s very easy and the staff are so friendly. They will help you. Plus you want to see the subways to compare with Vancouvers. They are absolutely spotless. You could eat off the floor on them. A very touristy thing to do is have a Singapore Sling at Raffles Bar. This is where the Singapore sling was created by the bartender many years ago. Stupid expensive but it was an experience. Singapore is one of our favourite cities in the world. Very clean and very safe. You will love it!

We used Grab ( like uber) - so convenient and not expensive. National Museum also worth a visit

I think your timeline is a bit short for what you propose. Remember that everything takes longer in Indonesia. If you try to accomplish too much you will not get to do much in each place. If you're going to Sumatra and Komodo then you should consider doing some diving. Hopefully you have certification, or can get it when you're there. Basic open water takes 2-3 days.

I agree. This is so fast for such a long journey. But that is what we are here for. What is a must see along the way.

If you have time, a visit to
Sentosa (Official) is a must!

I love Clarke Quay at night

The zoo at night

Flying into YVR Hit the facilities on the plane first, as it’s a heck of a walk to the next bathroom.!

I agreee!

The Kimodo Islands seemed to be one of the few remaining healthy ecosystems for now. The corals were astonishing. Try not to leave any garbage on the boat...they toss a lot of it overboard....

Travel in Singapore by MRT so get a EZ Link card to tap on and off. There is a $5 deposit but you get a refund when you return. Besides, trains and buses, the EZ Link card can be used to pay various food and beverage places, retail, taxis, etc. https://www.ezlink.com.sg/use-your-ez-link-card/where-to-use. You can pay for the Sentosa Express with your MRT card too so you do not have to line up...very busy on weekend. You can buy tix to attractions (S.E.A. Aquarium, Universal, Sentosa and Gardens by the Bay) at local travel agencies to save money. Eat at hawker centers for really good and cheap food.

Following

Check out travelfish.org. Good current info by good writers. I use a lot when I’m in Asia.
TRAVELFISH.ORG
The independent travel guide for Southeast Asia. Travelfish.org

That’s a very short time to make it from Sumatra to Komodo. In Sumatra, if you want to see the last of the orangutangs in the wild go to Bukit Lawang. There is an amazing hidden hotel on the river called Back to Nature. Amazing!

Eat everything in Singapore. Trekking in Bukit Lawang is unparalleled -make sure your company is ethical and that they don’t feed the animals. We loved our experience. Komodo if you can gather a few people -a small boat is amazing. Snorkeling, diving and dragons. We did two nights and three days on a simple local boat -just us and crew- and it was inexpensive and one of the best experiences in my life (and we travel a lot!)

Alicia Agreed. I’d go back to Indonesia in a heartbeat.

David yep. Back to Malaysian Borneo this year. If you haven’t been it’s pretty fantastic too

In Singapore have Chili crab
and cereal prawns
, you will dream about them forever after. Also go see the gardens by the bay and walk Clark quay at night.

Singapore Botanical Gardens and gardens by the bay... satay street at night only.... outside of the market called Lau Pa Sat.

Wow ambitious

If you want to see it all as fast as you can then plan it really well and allow for tonnes of traffic and slow transportation. Also allow for a high budget
If you are going by boat from Singapore, I am not sure if you will stop of in Batam the boat across to Sumatra. If you do, there is a nice hotel in Batam that you should check out. It is called Hotel 01 and it is very close to Batam Center Port, but to go to Sumatra you might have to get to Harbour Bay. I can't remember. Batam Fast, Majestic, Horizon, and Sindo Fast Ferries. I found Batam to be a bit boring and lacking special things to see. Basically all they have is a bit of a night life which may or may not be your thing. Shopping in Nagoya Hill Mall is nothing special because they love to over charge foreigners. Grab is your go to for fair rates. Please tip them really well, because they deserve it. Grab rates are ridiculously low. Just remember that Taxis have laid claim to areas such as airports or shopping malls and they have turf wars so if you want to save money walk away from the mall before hiring Grab and if your grab trip is a long one many drivers will cancel on you. Offer them double fare to convince them if you don't have time to keep trying. Not much else to say for Batam.
Bali is similar for Grab and I imagine most of Indonesia. There is tons to see in Bali. I can't even think of the best place to recommend. It really depends on your interests. In Bali, the best way to get around is motorbike so if you can pack really light this is good but it will be hard to find places that rent you a bike for $6/day for just a single or double day. You probably will have to pay more. Use google maps in your pocket with headphones to guide you on your bike. Be careful of KFC knock off fast food. Food safe is not a course they teach in Indonesia apparently. By the way, cell phone plans. Watch out for home zone plans where the deal sounds good but it is specific to one region and other regions incurr their roaming rates. Make sure you get data that is useable anywhere in Indonesia.
If you go to Lomboc remember they were just recently hit with massive earthquakes.
Be really careful and be safe. Don't be surprised if a guy on a motorcycle follows you relentlessly trying to offer you a ride for an excessively high price.
Good luck

By the way, I would really love to hear about your adventure. If you are going to be sharing it socially, let me know if there is a way I can follow you. Maybe add me as a friend here. I love this kind of adventure

Randy I second your observations. Would love to hear about the trip.

Indonesia is my favourite playground ( seeing as I'm married to an Indonesian!) and we spend many holiday breaks there. We haven't done Komodo yet, but plan to dive there soon.

I would plan to visit the islands assuming Komodo as well, such as Flores and Zumba. Look up the resort on Sumba, voted best island resort in the world.

Shabir you get to see the flying bats at sunset and sunrise, plus swim with Manta Rays at Manta Point, see a rate "pink" beach and view the stunning coral gardens...

Sumatra to Komodo by land/sea I think you would need 3 weeks. In 11 days I had 2 nights Bali, bus/ferry to Java, crosses Java by land (all rail except to Mt Bromo), Borobudur, Jogjakarta, few nights exploring Jakarta, then flew to Medan to go to Bukit Lawang for a 2 nights. Travel is slow and distances are far.

Exactly

Nicholas totally agree with Nicholas. You need to budget twice the time for travel than you would expect. And be prepared to change your plans at short notice of the transport doesn't pan out

Or the next best thing is to just go with no plans and go as far as you can then bounce back to your return flight. Just remember that Lion Air is notorious for several hour flight delays especially on domestic flights so allow for that.

Singapore has great subway system and of course taxi is an option as well as just walking the city sights which are many!

I just wrote a story about Gardens by the Bay... I have never been myself, but I've heard it's pretty awesome.

A bowl of Laksa at Lau Pa Sat and a visit to the botanical gardens. The metro for easy transportation

we did three nights in Singapore in December/17and that was great.(next time we will stay longer)Definetly do Gardens By The Bay.AHHHMAZING! Go to Sentosa Island and take the gondola over there.What an amazing ride and view.Once on the island there is a bus that takes you to the different beaches on the island.(I can't remember if it's free or a few bucks) Make sure you get a ticket for the WINGS OF TIME light show at night. 30 minute show.(Depending on your seat it was around $15-20 something like that) FANTASTIC.There is also universal studios (we didn't do that one.We were on a budget and that was about $65C.Lots to do in singapore if you have the cash.

Explore Kerinci in Sumatra