Round trip 22 days Java and Bali adventure and culture

Flight with Garuda Indonesia. Depart at the end of the morning with transfer in Medan. Arrival in the end of the morning.

Selamat Datang, welcome to Jakarta! After you have passed the immigration service and have taken your luggage off the belt, your driver or guide will be waiting for you at the exit with a name sign. Depending on the crowds, he will take you to your hotel in at least half an hour. Along the way you will see the skyline of Jakarta and the enormous bustle and activity of the city. In case of an early arrival you cannot check in directly to the hotel. You can already use the hotel facilities and acclimatize to the pool or enjoy a first "pijit" massage. Overnight in Jakarta.

Today you make a city tour through the former Batavia. You will visit the old harbor Sunda Kelapa where the beautiful proud Buginze ships are still loaded by hand. You will also walk through the old part of the city, the historical surroundings of Fatahillah Square and Café Batavia where we can find the fertility cannon and the Historical Museum. You will also visit the Monas with its gold leaf dome and the National Museum. After the city tour, your driver will set course for Bogor. The road from Jakarta to Bogor is not far, but due to the bustle of traffic, you will soon be 2 hours on the way before arriving in Bogor. Bogor, the former Buitenzorg, is the main attraction of the large botanical garden Kebun Raya. You will find flora from all over the archipelago. The complex also houses the Presidential outer palace of the President of Indonesia. It is the palace of the former Governor General of the Dutch East Indies. Overnight in hotel center Bogor.

After breakfast you will leave for Bandung. The ride goes through the Puncakpas with its many tea plantations. At the tea plantation Gunung Mas you have the opportunity to visit the plantation. From the tea plantation it is another 3 hours drive before you reach Bandung. Bandung, also called the Paris of Java, is a bit cooler than, for example, Jakarta. The city is located about 800 meters above sea level. The city still radiates much of the colonial past, many houses are built in Art Deco or Jugendstil. At half past three in the afternoon you can enjoy the Sundanese culture at Saung Angklung Udjo. Led by the descendants of the late Pak Udjo, a large group of enthusiastic children gives a dazzling show with a wayang performance, angklung music and dance. Note: It is advisable not to drive over the Puncak Pass due to the crowds on weekends and public holidays. In normal traffic, the journey takes at least 4 hours, often double on weekends. 2 nights in Bandung.

A whole day of discovery in the Southern area of Bandung. In the morning we visit the Kawa Putih volcano, the white crater with the lake just next to it. A mysterious place. The Kawa Putih is less known and above all less crowded than the famous Tangkungban Prau. Later in the day we go to the tea plantations of Malabar. We visit the tea factory and the house of the family Bosscha, one of the main characters in the novel ‘The tea merchants’ written by Hella S. Haasse. Overnight in Bandung

An early start today for a beautiful train journey from Bandung to Banjar, about a 4-and-a-half-hour ride. You travel comfortably seated in the air conditioned Kelas Eksekutif conditioning through the Preanger mountain area to Banjar. Here, your driver is already waiting for you and takes you to the fishing village Pangandaran, an almost 2-hour drive away. Y At the end of the afternoon you are invited to visit the school TK Meraih Bintang. The youth informs you in surprisingly good English what extracurricular activities they are developing here. You will also visit some small projects of Meraih Bintang foundation and in the evening you will have dinner together with local people associated with the foundation. If you are traveling with children, local peers will also join to exchange experiences. 2 nights in Pangandaran. Overnight in Pangandaran.

Pangandaran is located on a small peninsula on the south coast of Java. After breakfast you step into the becak (a bicycle taxi) and make a very nice trip through the dessas of Pangandaran. We see everyday life here, including how Javanese sugar is made and other cottage industry. Depending on the river, you can then go into the jungle or take a boat trip through the Green Canyon. If no large amounts of rain have fallen, you sail up the green river to the rock with waterfalls where you can swim. If the river flows too fast, take a walk through the Pangandaran National Park where you can encounter many wild animals. Overnight in Pangandaran

If the wind is not too strong you will sail from Pangandaran to Cilacap in about four hours today. The tour goes partly over the river Citanduy and then over an inland sea. Bring earplugs, because the diesel engine makes a lot of noise! In Cilacap, your driver will be ready to take you to Borobudur in about 3.5 hours. If the weather does not allow the boat trip, you can drive from Pangandaran to Borobudur in a few hours with a number of stops. You can discuss with your driver on the spot whether you are traveling by boat or car. Overnight near Borobudur.

You have to get up early for a sunrise... Between 4 and 4.30 am your driver will be waiting and will take you to a mountain with a beautiful view of Borobudur. Once the sun has risen, enjoy breakfast before heading to the temple complex. The Borobudur is the world famous and largest Buddhist temple complex in the world. A walk along the more than 1400 reliefs will take you to the highest terrace of the temple complex where the Buddhas sit under a stupa. After the visit to Borobudur we drive on to Yogyakarta. We will visit the old Sultans palace the Kraton, the water palace and the bird market Pasar Burung. Yogyakarta is known for its beautiful batik industry and fine silverware. You also have the opportunity to stroll through the famous shopping street Jalan Malioboro and shop in one of the many shopping malls. 2 nights in Yogyakarta.

One more day to enjoy Yogyakarta. There is plenty to do in this lively and enjoyable former sultanate city. In the early morning you will make a cycling excursion in the kampungs around Yogyakarta. You will pass rice fields, villages, temples and experience the central Javanese life. You can (optionally) attend a performance of the Ramayana ballet on one of the evenings in Yogya. Overnight in Yogyakarta.

After breakfast departure to the tobacco town of Kediri. You drive along the volcano Merapi and via the Sultansstad Solo, the former Surakarta. In Solo you can visit the old Mangkunegaran Palace and the famous antique market. The route continues this day along beautiful views with many rice fields, forests and plantations. Surrounded by many plantations, Kediri has the largest cigarette factory in Indonesia. Here hundreds of women roll the famous Kretek (clove) cigarettes by hand. The cigarette factory can no longer be visited today. Overnight in Kediri.

After breakfast you drive via Malang to the Bromo volcano, a trip of more than five hours. In Malang you take a city tour through the city and the volcanic neighborhood, where most houses still date from the colonial period. You can (optionally) have lunch at the nostalgic restaurant Toko Oen, where only prices have changed since 1930. For real adventurers, an hour and a half before the Bromo volcano is another wonderful challenge: the Madakaripura waterfall. If you would like to visit, please discuss this with your driver the day before. The waterfall is not easy to reach, from the parking lot you go with an ojek (moped taxi) 4 kilometers into the forest. The trek to the Madakaripura waterfall is heavy and goes through (sometimes strong flowing) rivers, muddy trails, under smaller waterfalls and over slippery rocks. After more than half an hour of scrambling you will reach the magnificent waterfall and you can take a dip in the water. Slippers and a poncho are indispensable for this trek. Also put on shorts because you regularly walk more than knee deep through the water. From the waterfall you drive on to the Bromo volcano. The volcano is located in the Tengger Mountains. There are four peaks and it is one of the most beautiful volcanic landscapes in the world. The area around the Bromo is very fertile. You will stay in a simple hotel in the Bromo area

Around three o'clock you will be awakened to make a trip to the Bromo. With a jeep you will be taken to the viewing area on the edge of the Tengger kaldera. Although you are certainly not alone, in the high season there can be more than 500 visitors, there is a serene tranquility at the viewpoint. Everyone comes for the beautiful and mystical sunrise. From the platform you have a view of the sand sea and its four craters and in the background you can regularly see the Semeru volcano blowing a thrust into the air. Bring your sweater and windbreaker, it is very cold in the early morning! After the sunrise, return by jeep to the sandy sea. Here you can walk or on a horse (about 100,000 rupia) to the foot of the Bromo. Via about 300 steps you climb the Bromo crater to look from the crater rim into the crater of the volcano. After the Bromo, return to the hotel for breakfast. Then continue the journey to our next destination, the rural village of Kalibaru. A drive of about six hours. Overnight in Kalibaru.

After breakfast, depart by jeep to the Meru Betiri National Park. Along the way you will witness life on the rubber, cocoa and palm plantations and see how in the last century the irrigation works still prove their service. Lunch is taken in a fishing village on Rajekwesi Bay. In the afternoon you arrive in Sukamade, where you will stay in the very simple pondok Wisata Baru or the Sukamade Mess (no hot water, sometimes no shower but a mandibak, sometimes yes and sometimes no electricity. Take toilet paper from your hotel). You visit the turtle nursery here and you can usually release young turtles on the beach. Around six o'clock you will have a simple dinner in the Pondok. Then you travel by jeep for half an hour towards the beach. The last kilometer has to be covered by foot through the forest. The local guide goes looking for nests on the beach. Once he has found a nest he will pick you up. The turtles that come to lay eggs here range from 150 - 350 kilos and lay about 100 - 150 eggs in about two hours, which hatch after 8 weeks. To prevent poachers and increase the chances of survival of the young turtles, the eggs are dug up and transferred to a shed near the Pondok. After hatching, the young turtles keep strengthening for a few days before they are released into the sea. Very simple overnight stay in Sukamade!

After breakfast you will visit the old factory where latex is produced. Then you drive back to the fishing village, where around that time the fishermen come home and land their catch. With the jeep you leave the Meru Betiri park and transfer back to your car or van. Your driver takes you to Ketapang, a harbor town on the coast, from where you cross by ferry to the island of the thousand gods Bali. The driver from Java will take you to your hotel on the north coast of Bali in about two hours. You say goodbye to your Javanese driver and possibly guide at the hotel. The further transport in Bali is carried out by a Balinese driver. Overnights in Pemuteran

Pemuteran is a small fishing village in the northwest of Bali, located on the Bali sea. It is located on the edge of the West Bali National Park and near the beautiful sea gardens of the Menjangan island, one of the most beautiful diving locations in Bali. There is not much to do in the village of Pemuteran, but almost all hotels offer plenty of facilities to fulfill your wishes. There is nothing on the program this day. You can spend the day relaxing by the pool, snorkeling directly in front of the hotel, or book a snorkeling or diving excursion at the island of Menjangan at the reception. Overnight in Pemuteran.

Another delicious free day. You can hire a bike or a moped at the hotel and be your own tour guide today. The north of Bali is very nice and quiet. You could also make a walk in the National park. Overnight Pemuteran.

During your transfer from your accommodation in north Bali to the south coast you will experience a day full of beautiful pictures of enchanting Bali: You’ll visit the fruit market of Bedugul, the monkeys around the temple of Alas Kedaton. Beautiful rice fields near Munduk and the Ulun Danu temple. Overnights in Seminyak.

Around the hotel and on the white beach you will certainly enjoy yourself. Outside the hotel you find lots of nice small shopping streets where you can buy souvenirs for next to nothing. On the beach at Kuta you can take surf lessons or just relax and enjoy the sun and the sea.

Another day to relax or make an excursion to, for example, the Uluwatu temple, the Kecak dance and enjoy a delicious dinner with fresh fish on the beach of Jimbaran.

Well in advance, about 3 hours before the departure of your flight, your driver picks you up for your transfer to the airport.

Flight with Garuda Indonesia with transfer in Jakarta. Departure Denpasar early evening, arrival Amsterdam in the early morning.

In the morning arrival at Schiphol. The end of a beautiful trip...