Roundtrip 23 days Sumatra, central and east Java and 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.

Beautiful route through the Karo Highland along pineapple, clove and ginger plantations. Along the way stops at the Kingshouse of the Batak Simalungun tribe in Pematang Purba and the Sipisopiso waterfall. arrival in Brastagi In the afternoon. Brastagi, a mountain village in the Karo highland, has been a popular ‘tourist resort’ since the twenties for its pleasant cool climate and its beautiful setting. In Brastagi you can go to the fruitmarket to buy delicious mangistan, rambutan, marquisa and other tropical fruit. You can also go to the Karo Batak Dokan Traditional Village where the people still live in traditional Karo houses. Travel time circa 5 hours

Sportievelingen stappen ruim voor dag en dauw uit bed om in ongeveer 3 uur de Sibayak vulkaan te beklimmen. Rond zonsopkomst heeft u vanaf de kraterrand een prachtig uitzicht op de omgeving. Onderweg terug naar de voet kunt u nog een bad nemen bij de hotsprings. Minder sportief ingestelde reizigers bezoeken na het ontbijt de bloemen- en fruitmarkt. U vervolgt daarna de route via Medan en eindeloze rubber- en palmolieplantages naar de overweldigende regenwouden van het Gunung Leuser park: Tangkahan. 2 overnachtingen in 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.

At the end of the morning you travel through plantations and forests to Bukit Lawang. 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.

After an early breakfast, drive back to Medan airport for your direct 12:55 Air Asia flight to Yogyakarta, arriving around 4 PM. At the exit of the airport, your Javanese driver or guide will be waiting for you to take you to your hotel near Borobudur. 1 night at Borobudur.

Flight with Garuda Indonesia

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 an early breakfast you leave at 07:15 with the Sancaka train to Mojokerto, near Surabaya. You arrive at 11:00. Your driver has already arrived and is waiting for you at the railway station. From Mojokerto it is another 3 hour drive to the hotel at the Bromo. Overnight in hotel close to the Bromo vulcano.

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 Ubud, 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. 2 nights in Ubud.

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.

Departure from your hotel after breakfast. You have access to a car with driver throughout the day. The driver is from Bali, but note: he is not a guide. For an additional fee you can also book an English speaking guide. Entrance fees to the sights to be visited are exclusive. Along the way you will visit the towns of Celuk & Mas. In Celuk you will find numerous workshops where the jewelry is made of silver. The village of Mas is known for its excellent carvings. Here you can see in the workshops how beautiful sculptures and other works of art are carved by the Balinese. You can also visit the 11th century elephant cave Goah Gaja today. You will find, among other things, a statue of Ganesha with four arms (the Hindu god with the elephant head). Goa Gaja is a beautifully crafted cave with a medley of Hindu and Buddhist elements. Your driver will take you to your hotel in the late afternoon. Overnight in Sanur.

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.

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...