Round trip 16 days adventurous Sumatra and cultural Bali

Garuda Indonesia flies non-stop from Amsterdam to Jakarta with its new Boeing 777-300 ER. Experience the hospitality of Indonesian culture on board at Garuda Indonesia, the national airline of Indonesia. With more than 65 domestic destinations Garuda takes you to Jakarta, Bali, Lombok, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Ambon and many remote destinations. The direct connection will take you from Amsterdam to Jakarta in just 13.5 hours. Departure from Amsterdam around midday, arrival in Jakarta early in the morning. Your connecting flight departs about 2 hours later and takes about 2.5 hours.

Selamat datang, welcome to Medan! Upon arrival in Medan you walk straight to the immigration booth to get your visa free stamp in your passport. It is valid for 30 days maximum, calculated from the first day you arrive in Indonesia regardless of the time of arrival or departure. In Medan your driver is waiting for you with a piece of board with your name on it. He will drive you to Hotel Deli River, a little family hotel just outside the big city Medan. The hotel is surrounded by a beautiful tropical garden and has a swimming-pool. Depending on the time of your arrival you can make a short city tour or acclimatise at your hotel.

After breakfast we leave for a long ride of about 4 hour to lake Toba. On our way we drive past endless rubber, cacao and palm oil plantations. We stop for lunch in Pematang Siantar. After lunch the landscape becomes more varied and we drive slowly up into the mountains. In the afternoon arrival in Prapat on the edge of Lake Toba from where you cross the lake to the island Samosir, in the centre of Lake Toba.

We visit several authentic Batak villages with their typical saddle back roof houses. The Batak people were among the first people that settled in Indonesia. They came by boat from Indo China. The houses are still built in the shape of a boat – saddle back roof. The population here is Christian and the Batak people are known for their beautiful voices and music. Today you can visit the characteristic Toba Batak villages Tomok, with the King’s Tomb, Ambarita with its execution tables and Simanindo for traditional Toba dances. Dinner in the cosy restaurant Marysca's with Rony’s vocalgroup.

Another full day on the island of Samosir. You can (optionally) take a boat trip on the lake, cycling, hiking or just swimming at the hotel. It is special to take a day trip to Tatea Bulan with your driver and Rony. High in the mountains there is a pilgrimage site of the Batak kings and the ancestors are honored. A very devout visit, with beautiful panoramas. Along the way you will also visit the sacred sources of AEK Sipitu Dai. During our visit, the washing place was quickly emptied in order to show something of the sacred.

Today a long way of at least 8 hours via the plantation route to the jungle near Bukit Lawang. Arrival in Bukit Lawang in the afternoon. Bukit Lawang is situated on the beautiful Bohorok rivier. It is really an impressive natural area with an impenetrable jungle above a noisy wild water river. In this nature reserve you can see the orangutans in their natural environment. To get there you have to make a tough climb through the jungle. Overnight stay in Bukit Lawang, directly on the banks of the Bohorok river.

After breakfast you will be picked up by a local ranger for an approximately 3-hour jungle trek. The rangers know most of the orangutans and vice versa. The ranger always takes some fruit or vegetables with him to lure the great apes, so that you have an almost 100% chance of coming face to face with them. In the afternoon we drive in a couple of hours to the real untouched part of the jungle: Tangkahan.

The sounds from the jungle will wake you up early in the morning. The program in Tangkahan is never a really fixed program; most of the days we can walk to the elephant camp in the morning or in the late afternoon. The rangers wash the elephants every morning and late afternoon (except on Fridays) in the river at the camp. These elephants patrol in the jungle to prevent illegal logging. They also clear up the jungle from fallen trees. On the days the elephants are in the camp we can help the rangers washing them, a nice way to interact naturally with these animals. What’s sure is that we can swim in the river or ‘tube’ ,floating down the river on a tractor tube. We walk back to our hotel through little villages. The jungle in Tangkahan is also perfectly suited for a half day or a whole day trekking through the jungle. An experienced ranger walks with you at an easy pace through the rainforest and draws your attention to all kinds of animals living in the jungle. You’ll also walk past a waterfall where it is swarming with butterflies.

In the morning we can wash the elephants in the river, see program Tangkahan. The elephants are not available on Friday. At the end of the morning we cross the river with the raft and then drive through endless palm oil plantations to the capital city Sumatra: Medan.

After an early breakfast you will be transferred to Medan airport for your domestic flight at 7 am with Garuda from Medan to Denpasar-Bali. Your driver will be waiting in Denpasar to take you to the artists' village of Ubud. You arrive at the beginning of the afternoon

Ubud is known as the artist center of Bali. It is the cultural heart of Bali and especially famous for its painting. Many religious ceremonies, dance performances and feasts for the gods are held in the numerous temples. Before World War II, Walter Spies started painting here, inspired by Balinese art. The Neka Art museum Ubud shows work by Spies and the Dutch painter Rudolf Bonnet, among others. In addition to countless trendy shops and restaurants, Ubud is home to the Monkey Forest, where cheeky monkeys try to take everything that is edible. In the surroundings of Ubud you can also make beautiful walking and cycling trips, the Campuhan Ridge is the most famous walk. The way to enjoy the beauty of nature and to get acquainted with the daily life of the Balinese on the way back. Overnight in Ubud area.

On the way from Ubud to Sanur you will experience a day full of beautiful pictures of enchanting Bali: We start with a walk through the beautiful rice terraces of Tegallalang. Here you will experience the daily Balinese farmer life. Then we visit the more than a thousand year old Hindu temple Tirta Empul. Nearby is also the temple complex Gunung Kawi with 10 Candi's sculpted from the rocks. We continue the road to the mountain village of Kintamani, where you have a beautiful view over the volcano Gunung Batur and the Batur lake. A very nice place to have lunch. After lunch we visit the mother temple of Bali, the Puri Besakih. Ceremonies are daily held at the temple complex. From Besakih we drive to the south coast and you check in at your hotel in Sanur. Sanur is a former fishing village on the southeast coast of Bali. This town is less crowded than Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. The lively Sanur is a pleasant destination. It has beautiful sandy beaches and many shops, restaurants and terraces. Most beachfront hotels are located on a long footpath along the sea.

There’s nothing on the program today. You can lounge around the swimming-pool or on the beach. Sanur has got a very nice street with lots of little shops and restaurants. In some restaurants performances are given during your dinner. You find the most delicious small fish restaurants along the beach. Overnight in Sanur.

Like yesterday there’s nothing on the programme today. You can relax at the hotel or use the following link for an excursion Bali excursies Maybe a full day snorkeling trip to Nusa Penida?

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...