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Best time
Apr-Oct
Price
From £ 3,250 pp
Ideal length
14 days
Flight time
16 hrs 30 mins
Currency
Indonesian rupiah
Language
Indonesian
A mesmerising kaleidoscope of culture, Indonesia is like a hundred countries rolled into one. For an all-encompassing dive, you’ll explore a pair of its most history-laden – Java and Bali – on this Indonesia itinerary as you witness volcanoes, temples, lush jungle and the local life that knits it all together.
The country’s largest island and beating heart, Java is where Indonesia’s arts, landscapes and history collide in captivating fashion. At the centre of it all is Yogyakarta, Java’s cultural core, and a local guide will ensure you see (and taste) the best of its eclectic art, palaces and street food before. Then, for the next part of your Java itinerary, leave the city and feel your jaw hang low as you absorb the gargantuan temple complex of UNESCO-listed Prambanan – Indonesia’s largest Hindu site. You’ll get the skinny on its history and significance to Hinduism as you wander with your guide around a site that’s second only to Borobudur as Java’s most famous. Speaking of which, Borobudur is your next stop and its bell-shaped stupas rise high as the world’s largest Buddhist temple to serve up paddy-filled vistas.
But it’s not just historic sites you’ll see in Java. Catch a train to the island’s eastern reaches and see nature’s own conical masterpieces, first with a sunrise Jeep tour to the steaming Mount Bromo before an exhilarating trek to the cyan-tinted sulphur lake atop Mount Ijen. After an action-packed few days in Java, you’ll board a boat bound for Bali. Your itinerary in Bali will begin with a day of complete chill before setting off to explore, spying Brahma Vihara Arana (Bali’s biggest Buddhist temple) before slinking in the hot springs Banjar – thought to possess healing qualities.
You’ll hike the waterfall-striped jungle and plantations surrounding Munduk as you make your way to the mystical town of Ubud, a place whose colourful streets are alive with artisans channelling Balinese culture. You’ll be given plenty of time to soak up Ubud’s unique atmosphere but you’ll also roam the mossy temples and cheeky macaques of Ubud Monkey Forest and pore over one of the finest collections of Balinese art at the Agung Rai Museum of Art.
Wind through pea-green rice terraces as you take in two more of Bali’s atmospheric temples – Pura Gunung Kawi and Pura Tirta Empul – on your way to the golden sands of the island’s south-west coast. After your whirlwind adventure, you’ll appreciate some time to relax among the tropical gardens and exotic beach seclusion (ideal for any Bali honeymoon itinerary) at The Samaya Seminyak, a resort that embodies the peace and tranquillity Bali is known for.
Experience highlights
- Wander the cultural melting pot of Yogyakarta with your guide, which will include an exploration of the Kraton (Sultan’s Palace) by becak (cycle rickshaw); you’ll whizz around the laneways of the Kauman village that lie within its walls.
- Visit the gigantic Hindu complex of UNESCO-protected Prambanan. Comprising nearly 250 temples, Prambanan dates back to the ninth century and over the centuries has become a wonderland of carved masonry, staircases, courtyards, palaces and temples.
- Explore the largest Buddhist temple on the planet: Borobudur. Your guide will unfurl the incredible history behind this mesmerising structure, built using thousands of volcanic and river stone blocks, many of which have been carved into the iconic bell-shaped stupas Borobudur has become known for.
- Wake up early to watch the sunrise rising up over Mount Bromo, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes. Head towards its mist-shrouded slopes in a Jeep before riding on horseback to the rim of the volcano’s crater.
- Another early start (we promise it’s worth it) is in store as you trek to the summit of Mount Ijen. At the top you can gaze out over the milky turquoise crater lake, which is surrounded by still-active sulphur mines busy with miners hauling sulphur blocks up its slopes.
- Take a dip in Banjar’s hot springs, whose green-tinted milky waters are thought to have healing powers. Its three pools were built by the Japanese centuries ago and, thanks to the water’s sulphuric content, delivers a therapeutic experience that has been revered by locals for generations.
- Lace up for a two-hour hike in the rainforests surrounding Munduk. Pass by cooling waterfalls and plantations of avocados, coffee, vanilla and more, where your guide will tell you more about how they’re grown and harvested.
- Stroll through Ubud Monkey Forest, a jungle that almost feels like a lost world with its vine-wrapped Hindu temples, mossy statues and troupes of mischievous long-tailed macaques.
- Kick back and chill at one of the most exclusive beach resorts in Bali, The Samaya Seminyak. A true cocoon of tranquillity, you’ll be steps from the honey-hued sands while also mere minutes in a taxi from Seminyak’s hip beach bars and restaurants.
Experience highlights
Arrive at the Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta, a whitewashed hotel encased by lush tropical gardens
Embark on a guided tour of Yogyakarta, beginning with Kraton, the home of the city's sultan
While at the Kraton, you'll witness a cultural performance like wayang golek menak (a rod-puppet performance)
Whizz around the Kauman village encased within the Kraton on a becak
Nearby lies the Taman Sari water palace, the Sultan's former playground with its bathing pools and pleasure rooms
Explore the sprawling temple complex of Prambanan
Admire the bell-topped stupas of Borobudur, Indonesia's most enigmatic Buddhist site
Ride through Candirejo village on a horse cart, spying locals playing gamelan music and making cassava crackers
Get the train from Yogyakarta to Jombang in East Java
Spy the red-brick temples of Candi Tikus and Candi Bajang Ratu
Presiding over rolling hills and pristine Javanese scenery, there are few better located resorts than the Jiwa Jawa Resort in Bromo
Travel by Jeep to a panoramic viewpoint overlooking Mount Bromo
Drive to the mist-shrouded caldera, before riding on horseback to Mount Bromo's rim
Nestled within thick rainforest, bed down at the Jiwa Jawa Resort in Ijen
Hike to the top of Mount Ijen, spying its turquoise sulphur lake from its rim
Cross over to Bali and stay at the eco-lodge Plataran Menjangan Resort & Spa in West Bali National Park
You'll have a day to explore West Bali National Park, whether it's hiking through the jungle or snorkelling its coral reefs
See Brahma Vihara Arama, Bali's largest Buddhist monastery
Enjoy a soak in the natural sulphur hot springs of Banjar
Be dazzled by the countryside panorama from Munduk Moding Plantation
Pass by clove, vanilla and avocado plantations on a two-hour trek through Munduk's jungle
Spy the lakeside temple complex Pura Ulun Danu Beratan
Get a total immersion in Balinese culture with a stay at Maya Ubud
Wander around Ubud Palace in the heart of the town
Witness authentic local life in Ubud's buzzing market
Take a walk through the virgin jungle of Ubud Monkey Forest
Pore over the Balinese sculptures and paintings on display at the Agung Rai Museum of Art
Visit Pura Gunung Kawi, encased among rice terraces
See how water is so important to Hindu culture at the water temple of Pura Tirta Empul
End your Indonesian adventure at the elegant beach escape The Samaya Seminyak
Unwind beside its palm-flanked pool or on the golden sands of one of Bali's best beaches
Request your tailor-made itinerary to Bali & Java
Where you’ll stay
Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta
Paying homage to the magnificent Borobudur with its staggered storeys, the Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta peeks above twenty two hectares of manicured tropical gardens like an elegant white goddess. Resting on the outskirts of Yogyokarta, the sweet scents of lemongrass and cinnamon will waft through your nostrils from the moment you step into the marble lobby, while your balcony serves up splendid views of the gardens unfolding towards the misty Mount Merapi in the distance – Java’s most sacred volcano.
Jiwa Jawa Resort, Bromo
If location was the luxury, then the Jiwa Jawa Resort would be drenched in opulence. A mountain lodge sitting pretty two thousand metres above sea level, it’s pitched amid a panoramic tapestry of rolling hills, green forests and spluttering volcanoes. The farm-to-table Indonesian cuisine is not only plucked straight from the scenic landscape surrounding you, it’s tasty fuel for a sunrise visit to Mount Bromo – just fifteen minutes away in a Jeep.
Jiwa Jawa Resort, Ijen
Snuggled among the thick rainforest of East Java and in the middle of nowhere, you will really feel like you’ve stumbled across the Jiwa Jawa Resort. Climb the entrance steps, built to resemble a rice terrace, and discover a treasure of art, sculptures and photography inside that pay tribute to East Javanese culture. Edging above the jungle canopy, the luxury lodges feel more like treehouses and your balcony is a view over what’s in store for you, including hikes to Mount Ijen’s crater lake.
Plataran Menjangan Resort & Spa, West Bali National Park
Cradled by the pristine rainforest of unheralded West Bali National Park, Plataran Menjangan Resort & Spa is an eco-resort that lives in tandem with nature. From the traditional joglo villas to the farm-to-fork cuisine and the tree planting programme, everything is geared towards leaving no footprint in this wild corner of Bali. And when you’re waking up to the chirps of endangered Bali starlings and watching deer trot past your dinner table, you’ll realise how special – and crucial – this place really is.
Munduk Moding Plantation, Munduk
If you’re looking for Bali’s best view, we’ll make it easy for you – Munduk Moding Plantation already has it nailed. Perched on northern Bali’s temperate hills, the resort looks out over stupendous vistas of hillsides wrapped in coffee plantations, virgin rainforest and rice terraces. The sunsets are even better. The unmistakable Balinese villas are enveloped by the jungle and while a roster of activities get you out and about in this untouched environment, we really wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t move a single inch from your vantage point.
Maya Ubud, Ubud
Sitting high above the Petanu River Valley and encased within ten hectares of parakeet-green hillside gardens, Maya Ubud Resort & Spa has classic Bali written all over it. It presides over Peliatan’s sprawling rice paddies, lush jungle and the snaking Petanu River, an emerald oasis of tranquillity you can’t help but be swept up by. A stay here is a bath-like immersion into Balinese culture, with an eclectic display of Indonesian heritage antiques and thatched villas suitably minimalist so not to distract from the spellbinding view.
The Samaya Seminyak, Seminyak
If you were to look up the word 'samaya' in a Sanskrit dictionary, it would refer to an inner sanctum of wellbeing. It might as well be talking about The Samaya Seminyak, a resort that oozes Balinese opulence and tranquillity in equal measure. You'll feel your pulse slowing the moment you stroll through its perfectly manicured tropical gardens, while all of the contemporary chic villas come with private lap pools, perfect for watching the fiery sunsets play out each evening – they’re reputedly the best in Bali.
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