Roundtrip 23 days Sumatra, central and east Java and Bali

Medan

Medan is the capital of the province of North Sumatra and has more than 2.5 million inhabitants. In the Dutch East Indies period there were many plantations outside the city, especially rubber did well. The 1965 book "Rubber" by M.H. Szekely-Lulofs gives a good picture of what the world looked like at the time and how the Netherlands was firmly in control around the Deli river. Later it was mainly the Chinese who attracted trade and power. Now Medan is a modern city, where many old buildings still remind of the colonial period.

For the western tourist, Medan doesn't have much to offer: the Sultan's palace is nice to visit, as is the Chinese temple. Take a look at the great mosque Masjid Raya Al-Mashun, you will be welcomed (outside the services) and shown around.

Our favorite Deli River hotel is located just outside the city, on the Deli River. The accompanying restaurant Omlandia serves delicious Indonesian, Indian and Western dishes. The pecel (kind of gado-gado with delicious sauce) is a must!
In the center there is also a wide choice of hotels, but they still lack the atmosphere. Perhaps the former hotel de Boer, now Grand Inna, will come close.

Samosir

Lake Toba is the largest lake in Indonesia with a length of about 100 km and a width of 30 km. It originated from a volcanic eruption, roughly 75,000 years ago. The Toba Batakkers live around the lake, a people of predominantly Christian faith, mixed with a kind of animistic ancestor worship.

Samosir is the famous peninsula in the lake. An island tour of Samosir lets you see and experience the culture of the Batakkers. A boat trip on Lake Toba, along the island, is also a lot of fun and shows almost the same sights.

It is special to take a day trip to Tatea Bulan. 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.

What you should not miss is a dinner with a vocal group. The Batakkers are known for their polyphonic singing, accompanied by guitar and simple local musical instruments.
The culinary specialties of the Batakkers are not always in the taste of western visitors: dog is not exactly what we are waiting for and the Ikan Mas (kind of goldfish) takes you more time to get rid of bones than it is tasty. Fortunately, Saksang remains, a Batak dish that should not be missing during a wedding. There are two variants, of which we ignore the dog and go for the Saksang Babi of pork.
Of course you are going to eat at my kake-pinjum, my borrowed brother Rony. Together with Rosinthan he runs the Marysca Restaurant. All our Sumatra travelers get a free dinner here with a warm Batak welcome. Rony, his friends and family like to take you musically through the Batak culture with the vocal goup.

Our favorite hotels are Tabo cottages (Junior suite or Villa) and Samosir Villa resort (VIP room. At weekends the resort is overcrowded by local tourists).

Brastagi

The mountain village of Brastagi is often visited as a stopover on the long route between the jungle and Lake Toba. The village is wonderfully cool at 1,300 meters above sea level. Surrounded by the volcanoes Sibayak and Sinabung, the soil is very fertile and various vegetables, fruit and flowers are grown here.

Volcano enthusiasts can climb the Sibayak volcano early in the morning and take a warm bath at the hot springs of Lau si Debuk-Debuk on the way down.

Tangakahan

From Medan to Tangkahan it is about a 2 hour drive and 2 hours bump through endless and desolate palm oil plantations. When you arrive at the river you can see that the rainforest hood has also stopped here. The forest of the Leuser National Park starts at Tangkahan. You cross the river via a suspension bridge or with the bamboo ferry. And then you are really in the jungle.

The elephant shelter is located near the hotels, upstream on the Kualsa Buluh River. The elephants are mainly used to patrol the jungle. In the morning and late afternoon they are washed in the river and tourists are welcome to help. From the center you can tube downstream to the hotels with large tires.

Must do's in Tangkahan:
At least a jungle trek. Under the guidance of a local ranger you take a brisk walk through the jungle and see, hear, smell and experience the jungle.
A walk by or along the river to the waterfall is also recommended. At the waterfall you see a lot of butterflies and you can of course also take a refreshing bath.

Tangkahan has some very basic accommodations, of which Mega Inn is our favorite. Do not expect hot running water, air conditioning or any luxury. Do expect to wake up to jungle sounds, helpful staff and reasonable and inexpensive food.

Bohorok

Bukit Lawang is the place that is often called Bohorok, the river of the same name. Bukit Lawang is located in the Gunung Leuser National park and is mainly visited to spot the orangutans. The former orangutan rehabilitation center is located directly on the river. Until a few years ago, the great apes were trained here to be able to live from nature after a life as a pet. That is now a thing of the past. No orangutans have been kept in captivity for years and the work of the rehabilitation center is about to end.

Until recently, the monkeys were fed on the "piets time", a name that you have to understand. For many Indonesians, the "F" is a difficult to pronounce consonant that is corrupted into a "P". Feeding time is already more understandable then, but for us Europeans still strange. A time to go. But it is still customary for the premises to go to the feeding time, because then you can be sure that you can see the monkeys up close.

However, the pied time is also a thing of the past. If you want to spot orangutans, make a jungle trek of 3 or 4 hours, together with a local ranger, who will bring some fruit or vegetables in his backpack to lure the famous orangutans.

Bukit Lawang is approximately 3 hours drive from Medan and 2 hours (via bumpy roads) from Tangkahan. It has some nice accommodations, of which the Eco Lodge and Sam's bungalows are our favorites. For those traveling with growing youth, the Bukit Lawang children's home, with 2 bedrooms, is a nice alternative.
Keep in mind that on weekends Bukit Lawang is overrun by local tourists and the Saturday nights are noisy!
You don't have to travel to Bukit Lawang for special food.

Borobudur

The Borobudur is a famous temple complex built in the 9th century. It’s situated on a small hill near Yogyakarta and surrounded by other temples and volcanoes. The complex is 47 meters high and consists of nine stacked platforms. The platforms represent the Buddhist cosmos. On the top floors there are 72 small stupas, which are built around one large central stupa, which symbolizes Nirvana.

The Borobudur is best visited during sunrise. The Sarasvati Borobudur hotel is a 1.1 kilometer walk. There are several hotels and resorts within 10 minutes, of which both small scale Rumah Dharma I and II are our favorites. For the traveler with a well-filled wallet, the Plataran Borobudur resort & spa is the ultimate choice (not to be confused with the big brother Plataran Heritage hotel, which is mainly geared towards wealthy local tourists).

Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta is the cultural center of Java, the soul of the island. It is also one of the nicest and most interesting cities in Indonesia. Partly because of the walled royal palace, Kraton, which is already a town in itself. You will find countless historical works of art and paintings. The gamelan is rehearsed daily in the morning hours, some days with dance and / or singing. The current sultan still lives on the palace complex.
The Water Palace, which can only be visited in the morning, is within walking distance.

For shopping you can visit the Marlioboro street with numerous stalls during the day and tasty food stalls in the evenings. Also visit the bird market Pasar Burung, one of the many batik galleries or go to the silver town of Kota Gede. In the evening you can attend a performance of the Ramayana ballet in the center.

Yogya surroundings

An hour from Yogyakarta is Borobudur, the world-famous Buddhist temple from the 8th and 9th centuries.
Closer is the Hindu temple Prambanan, where the Ramayana ballet is regularly performed.

Towards the coast is the town of Imogiri. Here is the final resting place of the rulers of Mataram, the Susuhunans of Surakarta, the sultans of Yogyakarta and other high Javanese nobles. The name comes from Sanskrit and means "Snow Mountain". You can decide to visit the sultans graves on the spot.

Especially on Sunday go to the beach of Parangtritis. You will be amazed how the locals enjoy the beach and get through the day taking selfies (preferably with you)!

Favourite restaurant

Yogyakarta has a lot of delicious restaurants, from murah (cheap) to mahal sekali (very expensive). The latter category includes Gadjah Wong , but the choice is huge and I believe I've never eaten such a tasty sambal goreng tempe Nice ambiance too!

If you are staying in the Prawirotaman district you should definitely visit Via Via for lunch pr dinner. Very nice atmosphere, not expensive and very tasty and you can find a lot of information about Yogya. They also give cooking classes.

The most authentic is to eat Nasi Gudeg at one of the lesehan (food stalls) at the Jalan Malioboro, a jackfruit stewed in coconut milk.

Favourite restaurant

According to Vera, the tahu and tempeh goreng with saté and gado gado are delicious!


Warung Makan Nengah

What to see

Diving or snorkeling at Nusa Menjangan is the must-do in Pemuteran. Book at your reception a day in advance and you will be taken by boat to the island of Nusa Menjangan. We bet you will meet Nemo and some turtles?
Hiking in the National Park west Bali. Not the breathtaking tropical rainforest of Sumatra or Kalimantan, but you will always encounter some strange birds, monkeys, deer and pigs.
Dolphin spotting at Lovina. You don't have to stay in Lovina for the dolphins. Almost all hotels offer a dolphin excursion. You leave around 5 in the morning by car to Lovina and go there on the boat to the dolphins.
Turtle Hatchery Project. Within walking distance, between the Taman Sari an Adi Assri resort is the turtle center, where the eggs wait in a kind of hatchery for the young sea turtles to hatch. They are protected there for the first few weeks of their lives, until they are large enough to be released on the beach and choose the full sea.

Ubud

Ubud is called the artist village in central Bali. In and around the busy center are numerous sewing and art studios and several museums and theaters. Dances are performed daily, including in the palace. A visit to the art-market opposite the palace is also definitely worth it.

You can choose a hotel or resort in the busy center, somewhere quiet in the middle of the rice fields or on the border of the river.

Things to see and do

Too much to mention all...
Ubud Palace and Puri Saren Agung Temple: Here you can marvel at traditional Balinese architecture. Daily also the scene of Balinese dances
The Monkey Forest Monkey Forest: A must see for many, personally a torment for me to watch monkeys that have become more than brutal.
Agung Rai Museum of Art houses artworks by, among others, Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet and many other artists. The museum's goal is to keep Balinese art alive.
Museum Puri Lukisan specializes in modern Balinese paintings, sculptures and carvings
The Blanco Renaissance Museum is mainly focused on works by the Spanish painter Don Antonio Blanco
The Campuhan Ridge Walk is a must do: Take an early morning hike for this 2 hour hike across the ridge to the village of Bangkian Sidem
And there is much more to see in the Ubud area!

Favourite restaurant

The specialty of Ubud is crispy fried duck, Bebek Bengil. There are several restaurants where "Dirty Duck" is on the menu. Our favorite is restaurant Bebek Bengil at the Jalan Hanoman in the center.

Another great restaurant in the center is Cafe Lotus , with a very extensive menu and a beautiful pond at the Jalan Raya Ubud, close to the Royal Palace .

Many trendy and cozy restaurants can also be found in the quieter Pertiwi district.

Sanur

Sanur is located directly on the Indian Ocean.
The beach of Sanur beach is protected by a reef at some 100 meters off shore, which means that the waves are much gentler than in Kuta.
Sanur is a quiet old fishing village with lots of hotels, restaurants and shops

Favourite restaurant

My own experience: Mades Restaurant, in the centre of Sanur. Delicious Balinese food and Indonesian dishes!

Mades Restaurant - Sanur

Denpasar

Denpasar is the busy capital of Bali.
Besides some museums and the market there aren’t many tourist attractions in the capital, though you can do some great shopping for cheap prices.