Discovery Tour In Indonesia

Overnight Standard Hotel

The capital of North Sumatra, Medan was founded during the latter years of the 16th century and this morning we take a tour of some of its historical highlights, including the beautiful rococo architecture of its Mesjid Raya Mosque and the 19th century Maimun Palace. Later in the afternoon we drive to Bukit Lawang.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we start our day driving through the palm oil plantations to the Gunung Leuser National Park on the outskirts of the small village of Bukit Lawang, home to the Bohorok Orangutan Centre. 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. Rest of the afternoon is free to relax and explore the surrounding villages and rubber plantations.

Overnight Standard 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 we will pay a visit to its large fruit market this morning, where truck loads of produce, from flowers to enormous yellow passion fruit wait ready to be traded and transported up to Medan.Depending on our time of arrival we might get to explore more of the town and its environs enjoying the views of the smoking volcanoes and soaking up the atmosphere of this busy market town.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we head for 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’ll 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 Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

We spend today exploring Samosir 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 Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Taking the ferry back to the mainland this morning, we then drive on to the village of Sipirok, famed for its traditional Ulos weaving. Enroute we will make stops at the bustling local market at Balige and the colonial influenced regional capital of Taruntung for a local style lunch. 

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Driving up into the Minangkabau highlands today, we head for the town of Bukittinggi, one of western Sumatra’s largest cities. Our journey takes us to the the town of Bonjol, where we cross the Equator into the southern hemisphere. Whilst here we will visit the Imam Bonjol Museum, dedicated to a 19th century hero in the Indonesian struggle for independence against the Dutch. A leader of the Paderi movement (staunch Islamists who have been compared with the Wahhabi sect of Islam in Saudi Arabia), Tuanku Imam Bonjol led the struggle against the Dutch for years, until his final capture and exile in 1837. After visiting the museum we continue on to Bukittinggi, arriving in the busy market town late this afternoon.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

The Minangkabau are indigenous to the highlands of Western Sumatra. A matrilineal society with a rich cultural tradition that encompasses elements of both Islamic and animist beliefs, they can trace their arrival on the island back to the 6th century BC. Today we will have an opportunity to learn something of their customs and traditions as we tour through the fertile highlands and explore the landscapes of the Harau Valley. Home to wild boars and Sumatran tigers, the Harau Valley is a wonderful mix of cascading waterfalls and traditional rural communities, where lush green fields of rice lie encircled by steep granite walls. We’ll visit some of the villages today, including Sungai Tarab, which is known for its traditional coffee milling and Balimbing, whose old traditional houses date back some 3 centuries. We also visit Batusangkar, the former home of the Minangkabau royalty and the capital of the Tanah Datar regency of West Sumatra. On the outskirts of the town lies the old Pagaruyung Palace, where the Minangkabau Kings ruled over their people for centuries, before the arrival of the Dutch in the 17th century.

Later in the evening we might get the chance to enjoy a Minangkabau cultural performance this evening (optional).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we drive to Padang to fly to the city of Yogyakarta in Central Java, via Jakarta , the Javanese capital, to arrive in the city in the evening.

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.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we start our day with a visit to the stunning ruins of the 9th century Hindu temple of Prambanan en route to the hotel. Dedicated to the 3 deities of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the temple is one of the largest Hindu shrines in Southeast Asia, with towering 47m high temples and a vast complex of smaller shrines and carvings that sit on the volcanic plains to the east of Yogyakarta. Moving on we visit the spectacular 9th century Buddhist temple at Borobudur, to the northwest of Yogyakarta. This extraordinary structure is composed of 55,000 square metres of volcanic rock that is erected in the form of a stepped pyramid, with 6 rectangular storeys, 3 circular terraces and a central stupa, all in the shape of a lotus, the sacred Buddhist flower. Abandoned and left to the jungle sometime between the 10th and 11th centuries, the temples was rediscovered by the British following the end of the Anglo-Dutch Java War. Following the intervention of UNESCO in the latter part of the last century, the site has been renovated and is again a place of pilgrimage, as well as one of Indonesia’s most popular attractions. We will also include a visit to the Kraton Palace complex in Yogyakarta, which traditional beliefs hold to be the capital of the kingdom and the hub of the cosmos. Built by Java’s first ruling sultan, Mangkubumi, the palace lies at the heart of a walled city that houses not only the palace buildings, but also everything you would expect of a small town, including markets, mosques, schools and an assorted array of artisans and traders. This evening there should be the opportunity to view a performance of ‘Ramayana Ballet’, an adaptation of the Hindu epic (optional).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we head for the city of Blitar, the birthplace of Kusno Sosrodihardjo (Sukarno), the first president of Indonesia. We travel first via 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! As we approach Blitar we come across the largest temple complex in East Java, the Penataran Temple, which contains a collection of temples, reliefs and shrines which span some two and a half centuries of continuous construction. Dating from the end of the 12th century, inscriptions within the site show that work was still being carried out here as late as the middle of the 15th. Continuing into the city from here we make our final stop at the grave of President Sukarno, Indonesia’s founding father, who led the country’s struggle for independence against the Dutch. President from 1945 until 1967, he was finally forced from power by General Suharto. After our visit to the grave we continue to our hotel to check in.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we head first for the city of Malang, to visit its large bird and flower market and discover something of its colonial heritage. Colonised by the Dutch during the 17th century, the city grew to be a popular destination amongst the Europeans, its cool climate and its close proximity to the major port of Surabaya making it an ideal place to escape the oppressive heat. Today it still retains something of its colonial charm and we will get an opportunity to see some of its old Dutch colonial buildings.  We continue on to the village of Cemoro Lawang on the slopes of Mount Bromo.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we make a very early start to take an excursion by jeep and on foot to the slopes of Mt Penanjakan for some breathtaking views of Mt Bromo just before sunrise. Later we drive across the "Sand Sea" towards the crater itself, admiring the beautiful pink glow of our surroundings as the sun slowly rises. Following volcanic activity at Bromo in 2010 and 2011, the authorities imposed an exclusion zone around the crater itself, which, at the time of writing (April 2012), has not yet been removed from the rim of the crater itself. We aim to walk to the crater base and depending on the restrictions in force at the time of your tour we may be able to climb up the crater of Bromo.
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

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 sole irrigation source for the local farming community. We continue to Besakih, the 'Mother Temple' on the slopes of Mount Agung. Besakih is home to Pura Penataran Agung, a stunning structure with 7 tiered terraces and over 50 seperate figures, thrones and shrines. In the afternoon we drive to Candidasa on Bali's southern coast.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we head inland to the cave complex of Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave). Once a sanctuary for Hindu priests, it was carved by hand from the surrounding rock and entered through a giant mouth that early visitors thought looked like an elephant. The interior of the cave houses the bathing pool and a number of carvings of Shiva and Ganesh. With a chance to visit the caves and the nearby bathing pools,we then continue by foot to the rockcut panels at Yeh Pulu, a 25 metre long series of carvings that date back to the 14th or 15th centuries, believed to depict a story of life amongst these rich landscapes. We then drive on to the temple complex at Pejeng, where we visit the three main temples. In the Moon Temple we find the unique bronze gong that is believed to be the oldest cast drum anywhere on the planet (dating from sometime during the Balinese bronze period of the 3rd century BC). At the Pura Kebo Edan (Crazy Buffalo Temple) we find the famous statue of the Giant of Pejeng, a 3 metre tall statue with a somewhat daunting looking phallus (one of the six that the giant is meant to possess). Our final temple is that of Pura Pusering Jagat (The Navel of the World Temple), housing a large urn carved with relief details taken from the Hindu myth of the Mahabharata. From here we continue to Ubud, where the rest of the afternoon is free. Nestling amongst the lush slopes of the central mountains, Ubud is a rich collection of museums and temples, galleries and craft centres that has seen local artists thrive and grow over the years, turning the town into a haven for local arts, crafts and Balinese dancing. Many of Bali’s artisans were farmers and merchants, earning their living from working the land and dedicating their skills to the gods and ruling elite free of charge. Painters, sculptors, masons and woodworkers would donate their time, decorating temples and palaces, without any thought of financial gain. That is until the demise of the rajahs and the arrival of colonial overseers. These interlopers became patrons of the arts, encouraging local craftsmen to produce work on demand and for profit, which they did with gusto! 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

This morning we drive to Tirta Empul Temple which is a holy spring water temple and of great religious value to the locals. Located in a peaceful environment with shady gardens and clear pool the spring water of the temple were once the bathing places of eastern Bali’s Kings. The name of tirta empul temple derives from large spring in the center of the Temple. Tirta means Holy Water and tirta empul mean Holy Spring Water. The holy spring water at Tirta Empul temple are relived to have a magical power. The legend has it that 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. The Tirta Empul water flowing down to the Pakerisan Rivers. After our visit we move to the royal tombs which essentially is associated with the 11th century king Anak Wungsu and his wives.Thereafter we get back to Ubud where the rest of the day is free for you to explore Ubud at your own pace.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Our tour ends after breakfast this morning, but clients on the group flight to London have some free time in Ubud, before the late afternoon transfer to the airport for the flight home.

Included meals: Breakfast