Round trip 16 days adventurous Sumatra and cultural Bali

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Round trip 16 days adventurous Sumatra and cultural Bali

This Bali & Beyond trip will take you to the jungle of North Sumatra and the beautiful Lake Toba to the Gods Island Bali where you will enjoy a wonderful beach and cultural holiday.

You’ll stay 8 days on Sumatra and 6 days on Bali

This trip has a nice mix of beach, nature and culture.
The favourite tour for nature and adventure lovers! A must for families with teenagers.

Experience the culture on the island of Samosir in the large lake Toba, experience the adventure of rainforest, jungle trekking and elephant washing in the jungle of Sumatra and enjoy the beautiful culture and white beaches on Bali.

There is plenty of time for stops along the way, your driver knows all the nice and photogenic ones.

Target prices

€ 1.350 p.p. op basis van 2 personen in laagseizoen
€ 1.100 p.p. op basis van 4 personen in laagseizoen
Exclusief vluchten

Included and excluded

Offerte

Day 1 flight Amsterdam-Medan

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.

Day 2 Arrival Medan, transfer to hotel

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.

Day 3 Medan - Lake Toba

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.

Day 4 Lake Toba - Samosir island tour and dinner at Marysca restaurant

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.

Day 5 Free program Lake Toba

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.

Day 6 From Lake Toba to Bukit Lawang

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.

From Bukit Lawang to Tangkahan: Orangutans

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.

Day 7 Day 8 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.

Day 9 From Tangkahan to Medan

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.

Day 10 From Medan to Ubud - Bali

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

Flight Medan-Denpasar Bali via Jakarta (Garuda)

Day 11 Ubud - free day

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.

Day 12 Excursions on the way from Ubud to Sanur

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.

Day 13 Sanur - free day

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.

Day 14 Sanur - free day

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?

Day 15 Pulang kampung, going back home

Well in advance, about 3 hours before the departure of your flight, your driver picks you up for your transfer to the airport.

flight Denpasar-Amsterdam via Jakarta

Flight with Garuda Indonesia with transfer in Jakarta. Departure Denpasar early evening, arrival Amsterdam in the early morning.

Day 16 Arrival Amsterdam

In the morning arrival at Schiphol. The end of a beautiful trip...

Offerte

Deli River

Small and clean hotel, just outside de bustle of Medan. Spacious and beautifully situated on the river Deli. From the swimming pool view on the river. Friendly and helpful staff. Number of rooms: 8 Facilities: swimming pool, good restaurant Deli River is managed by Tri Jaya Tour & Travel, our agent on Sumatra. meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Samosir Villa resort

Samosir Villa resort is quite recent (2012) and beautifully situated in the village TukTuk on the island Samosir. Of course it’s very nice to go for a swim in lake Tobe, but there’s also a great swimming pool. All rooms have a small balcony with view on Lake Toba, TV and a safety box. VIP rooms have also a small fridge. WiFi available. At weekends and on national holidays there can be many local tourists at the hotel. meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Tabo cottages - Samosir

The cozy and small-scale Tabo cottages is located directly on the Toba lake. The hotel has around 40 rooms, ranging from Superior (Basic, private bathroom with hot water), Deluxe (spacious with private veranda and fan), Batak cottages (separate cottages with the same Deluxe amenities) and Junior suites, overlooking the lake and an extra sofa bed and coffee-tea facilities. The hotel has its own bakery, restaurant and swimming pool with views over the lake. meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Bukit Lawang Cottages

Simple but clean hotel, with cottages on the ground floor. A hanging bridge over the river Bohorok is the entrance to the hotel. In the open restaurant there’s plenty of choice. The spacious rooms are equipped with a fan, no air-conditioning and there is an outdoor shower. In the vicinity you can go on a hike to the orang-utans. meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Mega Inn, Tangkahan

Simple but very cosy accommodation on the edge of Leuser National Park. The simple cottages are directly situated on the river. There’s no hot water, but there is delicious food and there is Mega, your very caring host . meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Deli River

Ananda cottages - Ubud

Ananda Cottages is situated in the middle of the rice fields, very quiet and calm in the north of Ubud at 25 minutes walking distance of the centre of Ubud. The hotel offers a lot of ‘cool’ activities, such as yoga, meditation, Balinese music and dance, wood-carving and cooking-course. All rooms have got a private terrace or balcony, AC, bathroom and mini-bar. No TV. Number of rooms : 58 Facilities; Restaurant (Indonesian and European dishes), 3 swimming pools with view on garden and rice fields. Daily Yoga program and besides that even a Bali offer workshop. Spa & massages, badminton, baby-sitting service on demand, room-and laundry service. meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Furama Xclusive resort & spa - Ubud

Het luxe Furama Xclusive resort & spa ligt ongeveer op een kwartier rijden van Ubud centrum bij het dorp Mambal. Het resort heeft een hoofdgebouw met nette 'Premier' kamers en twee villaparken. Onze keuze viel direct op de Lagoon private pool villa's, die behalve een privé zwembad een terras hebben aan het enorme lagoon zwembad. Maar ook de overige private pool villa's kregen onze goedkeuring... Het resort beschikt over een spa, restaurant en een groot zwembad voor wie geen privé zwembad heeft. meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Mercure Sanur - Sanur

Superb resort built in Balinese style. In a beautiful garden, right on the beach and near the centre of Sanur. All rooms have AC, telephone, TV, bathroom, hairdryer, coffee and tea making facilities, minibar, safe, wifi and balcony or terrace. Number of rooms: 189 Facilities: Restaurant (Asian and European cuisine), 3 bars, swimming pool with children's pool, Spa, Tennis, volleyball, table tennis, bike rental, jogging track, darts, billiard, meeting room, gift shop, beauty salon, 24-hour room service, laundry service and wifi. Mercure Sanur has 2 wheelchair accessible rooms meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Puri Santrian - Sanur

Lovely spacious and quiet 4 * hotel, in the south of Sanur. Right on the beach and with all the facilities you could wish for. All rooms have AC, telephone, TV, bathroom, hairdryer, coffee and tea making facilities, minibar, safe and balcony. Number of rooms: 182 Facilities: 2 restaurants, various bars, coffee shop, 2 swimming pools, children's pool, Spa, fitness center, 24-hour room service, laundry service, babysitting service, Cooking classes, yoga, water sports, diving lessons, billiard, tennis courts, library, wifi, bike rental, meeting room, gift shops, tour desk. meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Griya Santrian - Sanur

All rooms have AC, telephone, TV, bathroom, hairdryer, coffee and tea making facilities, minibar, safe and balcony or terrace. Number of rooms: 117 Facilities: 3 restaurants (Indonesian, Balinese, Italian, Japanese, Western and Asian cuisine) and bar, 3 swimming pools, fitness, tennis, spa, sauna, yoga, offer-making and cooking workshops, bicycle excursions, every Monday and Friday fish barbeque on the beach and every Thursday meat barbeque with Jazz music, art gallery, 24 hour room service, laundry service, Kids club, surf lesson, WiFi meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Besakih Beach resort - Sanur

Het Besakih Beach Resort is een goed middenklasse Beachfront resort in het centrum van het rustige Sanur. Het resort biedt een mix van Balinese architectuur en heeft een heerlijk zwembad en een kinderbad. De kamers zijn voorzien van AC, telefoon, tv, badkamer, haardroger, koffie-en thee faciliteiten, minibar en hebben alle een eigen balkon of terrasje. Aantal kamers: 80 De Run of House kamers zijn verdeeld over 2-verdiepingen bungalows in een tuin bij de ingang van het hotel en kamers in een gebouw dichtbij zwembad, restaurant en het strand. Sommige kamers uit de laatste categorie hebben weinig uitzicht. Faciliteiten: restaurant (Indonesische en Westerse keuken), bar, zwembad, vergaderruimte, massages, room service, laundry service, kluisjes en wifi. meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Offerte

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).

Bukit Lawang

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.

Video Gunung Leuser park

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.

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.