Itinerary:
Kuala Lumpur - Medan - Bukit Lawang - Yogyakarta - Solo - Bromo - Kalibaru - Pemuteran - Ubud - Sanur
Travel duration:
22 days / 21 nights
Travel fee:
from € 1,895,- p.p. at 2 persons
Optional :
domestic flights Kuala Lumpur - Medan and Medan - Yogyakarta from €220,- p.p. and international flights from €800,-.
Includes:
including jeep safari Bromo, snorkelling excursion and transport
With this roundtrip, experience the highlights of Indonesia in three weeks on Sumatra, Java and Bali with a stopover in Kuala lumpur at the beginning of your trip. Spot orangutans in the rainforest. From Yogyakarta, travel east from Java past magical temples and becak riders (bicycle taxis) to the smoking Bromo volcano. After crossing to Bali, you zigzag on a mountain bike through fresh green rice fields. End your Indonesia trip at a relaxed beach. You stay overnight in wooden jungle cottages and atmospheric bungalows.
In short: a three-week itinerary through Indonesia for the adventurous traveller who wants to see and do a lot and wants to end the trip nice and relaxed at a beach with swaying palm trees.
Day 1 and 2 - Arrival Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur
After a long flight, you land at Malaysia's airport, where our driver awaits you to transfer you to your hotel in bustling China town. Kuala Lumpur is a mix of typical Asian streets and stately skyscrapers. In the evening, feast at the Chinese food stalls on Jalan Alor street or the 'food courts' in the trendy shopping malls.
You can also go directly to Medan, just keep in mind that you will need two transfers or the flight will be more expensive, due to limited ability to fly to Medan from Europe.
Prefer a stopover in Singapore? This is also possible at an additional cost.
In the Bali leg of your trip, you'll have the chance to enjoy the tranquility and beauty of Ubud with its plush bungalows and villas. From the luxurious amenities to the lush green environment, every detail blends seamlessly with your experience. Ubud is a place where you can take time to rest, refresh, and rejuvenate from your adventures. Take a look at the range of options available here at https://www.all-balihotels.net/en/ubud-hotels-15271/type/villas-24/.
Day 3 - Arrival Medan - Sumatra
After a short flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sumatra, we recommend acclimatising before heading into the jungle. After arriving at Medan airport, your driver will take you to your hotel. It's only an hour's drive, you'll be in the middle of town and can take a refreshing dip in the pool. Want a little more comfort in a green oasis of tranquillity? Then check out our rural hotel outside the city below.
Day 4 - By becak to the kampung of Medan
Typical of Sumatra are the motorised taxis with sidecar, or becak, and the friendly locals. To feel - literally and figuratively - the warmth of Sumatra, a becak with guide will be waiting for you and you will take a peek into the life of the residents in the kampung. Just outside the city, with the wind blowing through your hair, you tuff through rice fields and past markets. Your guide takes you to a local family, who welcome you with their homemade banana chips. They sell these on the street for a few cents. The woman next door specialises in another delicacy: deep-fried mini donuts. Still quite a precise job I notice when she lets me try it.
Day 5 - Sleeping with the monkeys
Travel time: about 4 hours
Jungle time! After breakfast, set off for Bukit Lawang. The distance is not great (about 95 kilometres), but the heavy traffic and bad road mean you'll soon be on the road for hours.
In the afternoon, you reach the jungle. Via a suspension bridge over the river, you walk to your hotel on the edge of the jungle. Bukit Lawang is a popular base for orangutan trekking and has a cosy tourist street full of restaurants. You'll see cottages on stilts on the banks of the river, women doing laundry and people bathing. It's a busy place.
Day 6 - In search of orangutans during trekking
You leave early in the morning with your guide into the jungle. For the first stretch, the trail goes uphill. Will they be around this morning? After a while, the orang utans emerge from the jungle and watch us curiously. Some monkeys carry a little one on their back, a cute sight. Usually, the orang utans come very close so you have plenty of time and chance to take beautiful pictures.
Day 7 - Trip to Yogyakarta on Java
Travel time: about 10 hours
After breakfast, get into your private car and your driver will take you back to Medan airport. Here you check in for your flight to Yogyakarta on Java, with another transfer in Jakarta. In the early evening, you arrive in Java's second-largest city, Yogyakarta. Probably still a little tired from sitting in the car and on the plane, it's nice to unwind in the hotel's exotic garden, where you can also take a refreshing splash.
Day 8 - Staying in Yogyakarta
Awakened by the shouting from the mosques, the day starts early. Plenty of time to wander the streets of Yogyakarta. Outside the hotel, there are often several becak drivers ready to show you around the city. We advise you not to walk too much. This is because from the bicycle taxi you can let everything sink in and it really doesn't cost anything. You will ride through the small working-class streets and the friendly driver of the bike will know where to find the main sights. He will also show you various batik workshops. At various places in the city, you can watch the (hand) production process and there are certainly some beautiful paintings on display. Just keep in mind that your driver has often made arrangements with the owner of the shop and so you pay a bit more. Bargain away...
Day 9 - Cycling to Borobudur with a guide
Start with a good breakfast as the day gets off to a pretty active start. You will be picked up by a car with driver who will drop you off just outside Yogyakarta. Here it is quiet and provincial, a more pleasant start to the bike tour. Soon you pedal between rice terraces surrounded by fresh green banana trees. You pass through small villages where children stand to greet you enthusiastically. The rice was harvested which is a special scene to see.
In the distance, you can already see the top of Borobudur sticking out. This temple is a place frequented by Buddhist pilgrims and tourists alike. Your guide will tell you the meaning of the stories illustrated in stone. Dream away at the serene view with mystical hills often shrouded in a small layer of mist. You end the afternoon with a typical Indonesian rice table, before returning to Yogyakarta by car. Read more at the building block Borobudur in Yogyakarta.
Day 10 - Trip past Prambanan and Solo, arrival Sukuh
Travel time: approximately 3.5 hours
You leave colourful Yogya behind today to continue your journey further east. The first stop is the Prambanan temple, unlike the Borobudur, this is a Hindu temple. Walk around among the eight temples and discover the various Hindu deities inside.
The road continues in two hours to Surakarta, or Solo. In the various rooms of this royal palace, you'll see paintings in gold frames, traditional musical instruments and a large family gift collection. Opposite the craton is a small antique market with stalls full of trinkets, fun for those who love collecting.
After visiting Solo, it is about an hour's drive to Sukuh. This village lies at the top of the mountains and is best known for its 'erotic temple'. You will sleep tonight in an atmospheric cottage.
Day 11 - Tawangmangu hike and stay in Malang
Travel time: approximately 9 hours
Today's scheduled hike takes you past a pristine part of Java. The route starts at the temple and continues over the hilly landscape towards Tawangmangu, where your driver will be waiting for you. We will give you a route description so you can easily find your way.
On the way, you'll pass plantations growing carrots, red peppers and green beans. We were kindly greeted and given directions to the next village. Once you arrive in Tawangmangu (a little before noon), continue your way east. Prepare for a drive of about 9 hours. In the evening you will arrive in the big city of Malang, where you will sleep in a simple but cosy hotel.
Day 12 - Arrival and ascent crater Bromo volcano
This morning you will depart early from Malang for the Bromo volcano. Most hotels near Bromo volcano are located northeast of the mountain range. While many travellers approach the volcano via the north, today your driver will set course towards the south. Again, you're certainly not alone here; the Bromo volcano is a highlight for many Indonesia travellers. After a few hours, you transfer to a jeep, which is allowed in this area. You cruise across a vast plain to the foot of the Bromo volcano. This is your encounter with the impressive lunar landscape. You won't see lava, but thick clouds of smoke and dust. You drive on to the northeast side of the mountain range where your jeep climbs up a narrow and steep tarmac road. This is where your simple but atmospheric hotel is located. It's pitch black here at night, hence a hearty dinner and early to bed.
Day 13 - View of Bromo volcano and journey to Kalibaru
Travel time: approximately 6.5 hours
Today is an early wake-up call. Before your alarm clock rings, you'll probably be woken up by the mosque nearby. Our tip: bring earplugs with you as you travel across Java. Today, you'll be on top of the viewpoint before sunrise. Again, you are not the only one who likes to enjoy the sunrise and the plateau is crowded. Bring a torch and a thick jumper, as it can be quite chilly at this altitude. Your early rise is rewarded with breathtaking views over the valley and the increasingly orange-red volcanoes in the middle. Now that the sun is up, make the descent down in your chauffeur-driven car. Rinse off the dust of the volcano and depart for your next destination after breakfast.
A pretty long drive to Kalibaru (read more about this East Java building block) is on the programme. Much of the drive will be through mountains, so the roads can be quite winding. In the late afternoon you will arrive in Kalibaru and take up residence in the comfortable hotel.
Day 14 - Stay Kalibaru with walk through herb garden
Today is a day of not getting up so early on the tour. Accompanied by a guide, you'll take a walk through the plantations around Kalibaru today. The English-speaking guide will tell you more about the products that are grown. Locals make full use of nature by using plants and fruits for shampoo and medicine. You will pass through a coffee plantation and see how cocoa, rubber and cloves (for cigarettes) are grown. Furthermore, today you will visit a small factory where you can witness the rubber process.
The comfortable hotel, in the small mountain village, features a swimming pool. The rooms are set around an interesting garden, with different plants and tree species, all bearing their Latin and Indonesian names. Enjoy the special surroundings and explore the small village. There will be little to do, but that has its charms too.
Day 15 and 16 - Arrival and stay in Pemuteran on Bali
Travel time: approximately 3.5 hours
Today you will travel to the last island of your Sumatra Java Bali trip. From Kalibaru, you will drive to the town of Ketapang, where the ferries to Bali depart. The crossing takes about half an hour. Arriving in Gilimanuk, you drive on to Pemuteran.
In the far northwest of Bali lies the laidback fishing village of Pemuteran. The perfect place for lovers of natural beauty and tranquillity. Off the coast is the uninhabited island of Menjangan, where you won't find so much of a bounty atmosphere as a colourful underwater world. We arrange a snorkelling tour here to snorkel at your leisure in Bali. The whole area is the Bali Barat national park where you walk among greenery with monkeys and tropical birds next to the coral reefs, right off the coast. You will stay here in a comfortable and cosy hotel within walking distance of Pemuteran beach.
Day 17 - Arrival Ubud
Travel time: approximately 3 hours
From the far northwest of Bali, it's a short drive to Ubud. Upon arrival, you see the green rice terraces all around you where ducks balance on the edges of the rice paddies. Ubud is the green, artistic heart of Bali. In the village, you will find small shops where painters are working and selling their work. Nearby, sculptors are making Buddha statues and carvers are carving to make masks. During the day, you can visit temples in the area where Balinese women bring daily rice offerings.
You spend the night in a cosy hotel overlooking the rice terraces. Take a refreshing splash in the pool or get a massage overlooking the rice fields. Read more at our Ubud building block or read traveller Mariëlle's Ubud tips.
Day 18 - Cycling between the rice fields in Ubud
Around 8 o'clock you will be picked up and taken to the starting point by a minibus. Once you have your helmet on and cycling gloves on, the whooshing through this beautiful country can begin.
Cycle through the hills and hinterlands of Bali with an experienced guide. Ride your mountain bike through farming villages while the guide tells you hundreds of stories about typical Balinese life. Learn how rice is made during a short walk. Along the way, you pass small family temples where women in colourful clothes bring rice offerings.
Cycle along winding paths with bright green rice fields to the left and right to the guide's house. In the garden, enjoy a well-deserved lunch with the family before heading back.
Day 19 and 20 - Arrival and stay beach Sanur
Travel time: approximately 1 hour
After Ubud, you'll travel to the lively beach resort of Sanur. You'll sleep in a small-scale hotel 15 minutes' walk from the seafront. It has a lovely pool with Balinese frills. The rooms are spacious and atmospheric. Of course, there is air conditioning.
Many people like to visit Kuta, which is surely Bali's tourist paradise, although you probably wouldn't want to stay there. Below Kuta is Jimbaran where you can eat delicious seafood on the beach in a long line of seafood restaurants.
Day 21 and 22 - Flight home
Today is immediately the last day of the stay, but if you wish we can extend by a few days. If not, you will be transferred to the airport and unfortunately your roundtrip across Sumatra, Java and Bali ends. On day 21 you'll arrive back home.