Discovery Tour In Indonesia

Our tour starts late afternoon in Medan.The capital of North Sumatra, Medan was founded during the latter years of the 16th century. Passengers arriving early can take the opportunity to explore a little of this bustling city.

Overnight Simple Hotel

This morning we enjoy a tour of some of Medan's historical highlights, including the beautiful rococo architecture of its Mesjid Raya Mosque and the 19th century Maimun Palace. In the afternoon we drive through some of Northern Sumatra's vast palm oil plantations to the Gunung Leuser National Park on the outskirts of the small village of Bukit Lawang, home to the Bohorok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre.

Overnight Simple Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we set off on a walk through the jungle to the Bohorok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre. On a good trail, the hike may take us up to 2 hours and good walking shoes are advised. Established in 1973, the centre cares for ex-captive and orphaned Sumatran orang-utans and provides us with an incredible opportunity to view these remarkable primates in the semi-wild. These jungle landscapes are one of the last strongholds of the Sumatran orang-utan, Sumatran tigers and sun bears. The remainder of the afternoon is free to relax and explore the surrounding villages and rubber plantations.

Overnight Simple Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

After breakfast we drive to Brastagi, occupying the fertile volcanic plains to the south of Medan. Dominated by the volcanic peaks of Gunung Sibayak and Gunung Sinabung, the region is North Sumatra’s main fruit and vegetable growing area and our journey this morning takes us through a collection of traditional Karo villages en route to the town. Brastagi lies on the northern edge of the Karo plateau, at some 1330 metres above sea level, and was once a Dutch administrative centre. The town today attracts farmers and tourists alike from all across the area and during our stay we recommend a visit to its large fruit market where truck loads of produce, from flowers to enormous yellow passion fruit wait ready to be traded and transported up to Medan.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

To start the day there's the option to climb one of Sumatra's active volcanic mountains, Mount Sibayak. The trek to the summit in time for sunrise rewards with breathtaking views of the valley below and several other volcanic mountains around including views across to Mount Sinabung. Moving on from Brastagi we drive our way to Parapat on the shores of Danau Toba, the largest lake in South East Asia and the biggest volcanic lake in the world. Site of an enormous eruption some 70,000 years ago, the lake stretches for 100 km and drops to over 500 metres at its deepest point. The eruption that created it covered southern Asia in ash 15 cm thick and ejected over 10,000 million metric tons of sulphuric acid into the atmosphere, wiping out much of the human population living here at the time. We stop en route at the impressive Si Piso-Piso Waterfall and the palace of the Simalungun Kings at Pematang Purba, before catching the afternoon ferry across to the island of Samosir. Lying in the middle of the lake, Samosir is around the same size as Singapore and is home to the Batak people, whose villages lie scattered across the island, making it a rich centre of traditional Batak culture.

Overnight Simple Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

We spend today exploring Samosir Island by boat, visiting some of the typical Batak Toba villages that dot the volcanic landscape. The Batak traditionally occupy the highlands of northern Sumatra and their cultural beliefs are rich in symbolism and creation myths. A patriarchal society, the Toba Batak are organised into individual clans known as Margas, whom they believe all descended from one ancestor - Si Raja Batak. Once fierce warriors with a reputation for cannibalism, the Batak of today follow a more pastoral existence and the clans that occupy Samosir are renowned for their skills at weaving and wood carving.

Overnight Simple Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Taking a ferry back to the mainland this morning, we drive back to Medan for our flight to Yogyakarta. Situated almost exactly half way along the length of Java, Yogyakarta lies in an area considered to be the heartland of the Javanese. Home to some of the island’s oldest traditions and blessed with a rich fertile soil that is the product of centuries of volcanic activity, Yogya (as it is affectionately known), is the cultural capital of Java, with a mix of Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and Euro-pean influences. We are scheduled to arrive mid evening.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we head west to Borobodur, the largest and most impressive Buddhist monument in the southern hemisphere. Constructed in the 8th century this incredible monument – a petrified vision of the Buddhist cosmos – was lost for 900 years, when Mt Merapi erupted and covered Borobodur in a layer of volcanic ash. The structure itself is immense, a gigantic Buddhist stupa constructed from two million blocks that covers an area of 200sq metres and rises some 34.5 metres above the Kedu Plain. Older by nearly half a century than the site at Prambanan, Borobodur is believed to have been built on the top of the foundations for what was originally a temple dedicated to Shiva, abandoned by the Hindu Sanjayas when their Buddhist rivals the Saliendras swept through the Malay peninsula during the 8th century. A combination of earthquakes, subsidence and the mass migration of the Javanese to the east of the island saw the temple abandoned sometime during the 9th century, to be rediscovered again later by the British. After exploring this impressive temple complex we head back to Yogyakarta in the evening.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we enjoy a tour of Yogyakarta by Becaks, a type of cycle rickshaw where the driver sits and peddles behind the passenger. The ride will take us to the Kraton Palace and Taman Sari Water Castle. Built by Java’s first ruling sultan, Mangkubumi, the palace lies at the heart of a walled city that houses tens of thousands of people, whilst parts of the outer walls are still occupied by Javanese royalty. The rest of the day is free to relax and enjoy the city at your own pace. There is the opportunity to view a performance of ‘Ramayana Ballet’, an adaptation of the Hindu epic in the evening.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we head out of the city for the Hindu temple complex of the Prambanan Plain. This remarkable area, one of the most fertile on the island, is home to an incredible array of temples and palaces from the 8th and 9th centuries. Wandering amongst the temples, we enjoy some of the finest samples of Hindu sculptural detail left on the island. Moving on we drive to Solo where we visit the Palace of Puri Mangkunegaran, which has the largest pavilion in Indonesia. A cavernous structure, with a vividly decorated ceiling depicting figures of the Javanese zodiac, the palace also houses an excellent museum containing some quite unique artefacts, including gold-plated dresses, unfeasibly large Buddhist rings and his and hers golden genital covers! After our visit we drive to Candi Sukuh from where we hike through the rural villages of Java to Tawangmanggu where we spend the night. The temple at Candi Sukuh is a mysterious structure that sits some 900m above the surrounding countryside. Built during the 15th century this unusual pyramid seems to bear little resemblance to the earlier structures that we have seen and indeed there is still some mystery as to who built it and why. Its remarkable carvings would seem to indicate that the temple was dedicated to a fertility cult and it is believed that part of the temple’s purpose was to determine the faithfulness of existing wives and the virginity of potential ones.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today sees a full day drive through the countryside to Malang, established in the 18th century by the Dutch this city has some wonderful colonial architecture and interesting markets.

Overnight Simple Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we drive via Probolinggo to the village of Cemoro Lawang on the slopes of the Tengger Caldera. We plan to enjoy sunset views of the cone of Mount Bromo from the edge of the caldera.

Overnight Simple Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we have the option to take an excursion by jeep and on foot to the slopes of Mt Penanjakan (2770m) for some breathtaking views of Mt Bromo crater just before sunrise. The trip then drives across the "Sand Sea" of the caldera towards the crater itself, admiring the beautiful pink glow of our surroundings as the sun slowly rises. Volcanoes have mystified man since the earliest of times, and with this breathtaking scene laid out before us this morning it is easy to understand why. Later in the day we will continue our journey to Kalibaru for the night.


 

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

In Kalibaru we stay on a plantation where we enjoy a guided tour of the gardens where nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, cocoa, coffee and coconuts are grown. We also see how palm sugar is processed. Volcanic conditions allowing, there may be the opportunity to take an optional excursion to climb the crater of Mount Ijen. The trek up to the highest point (2300m) is undertaken in the early hours of the morning to see sunrise across the stunning sulphuric crater lake, its milky green waters surrounded by steep natural dams of craggy rock.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

We leave Java behind this morning and head to the neighbouring island of Bali, crossing the Bali Strait by ferry from the coastal town of Ketapang. It is just a short ferry ride from here to Gilmanuk on Bali’s western tip, from where we transfer along the island’s scenic coastal road to laid back Lovina Beach on the northern shore. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore our new surroundings, enjoying the long black, volcanic sand beaches and perhaps making the most of the warm, tranquil waters of the Bali Sea. 

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today has been left free for you to make the most of your time here. The reefs off shore mean that the waters around Lovina are generally calm, making swimming safe and offering some spectacular options for snorkelling. You could take a boat trip out to nearby Menjangan (Deer) Island, where some of the best reefs are found, or enjoy one of the early morning dolphin trips that the resort is famous for. Leaving the resort around dawn the boats venture out into the offshore waters in search of the schools of dolphins that play in these waters. An added bonus to an early start to the day is the chance of a magnificent sunrise over the surrounding volcanic peaks. Closer to home the area boasts some relaxing hot springs and Bali’s only Buddhist monastery, containing a golden Buddha and a vividly colourful grotto. Of course you may just prefer to relax by the pool and soak up the lovely ambience of this typically Balinese setting, perhaps trying the local catch at one of the resorts beachside fish restaurants.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

After breakfast we drive to nearby Kintamani where six traditional villages surround the lake at the base of Mount Batur. The lake is the largest in Bali and serves an important role as the sole irrigation source for the local farming community. We start our sightseeing today with a visit to the royal tombs of Gunung Kawi which are associated with the 11th century king Anak Wungsu and his wives. Later we move on to the Tirta Empul temple. Located in a peaceful environment with shady gardens and clear pools, the spring waters of the temple were once the bathing place of eastern Bali’s Kings. The name derives from the large spring in the centre of the temple, Tirta meaning Holy Water. The waters are believed to have magical powers, the legend has it that the God Indra, whose army had been poisoned by the Evil King Mayadenawa, pierced a stone here to produce magical water that would revive his men. We then continue on to Ubud, our base for the rest of the trip.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

We start our day with an orientation walk around the rice paddy fields, learning about local farming techniques and the life of the farmers here. The rest of the day is free to explore the town on your own. There's the option to visit some of the various handicraft workshops for which Ubud is famous, or cultural sites such as the Goa Gajah cave, Yeh Pulu rock carvings and the Pejeng Temple. Balinese art reflects many of the traditions and culture of the islands, recounting religious and historical epics, elements of puppet theatre and even real life, and in Ubud you can find some of the finest examples of the work anywhere in the archipelago.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today is left free for further explorations in Ubud or further afield.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

The tour ends after breakfast this morning, although clients on the Explore group flights to London will have some free time in Ubud before the late afternoon transfer to the airport at Denpasar.

Included meals: Breakfast