Java in Depth with Borneo Rain-forest Adventure
Bespoke Holiday Itinerary / Experience Tour

This itinerary offers you the opportunity to experience the stunning scenery, breath-taking culture and fascinating history of Java as well as rainforests, waterways and orangutan sightings in Indonesian Borneo.

Highlights include:

• Start the holiday with two nights to explore the bustling city of Jakarta.
• Spend three nights in a lodge in the Borneo rainforest, with the chance to see orangutans and a huge range of wildlife.
• Explore the magical temples of Borobudur and Prambanan and the city of Yogyakarta, the cultural heartland of Java.
• Take a train through the stunning mountain scenery of central Java
• Climb Mount Bromo and watch the sun rise over its dramatic volcanic peak.

Your personalised quotation with Experience Travel Group will include.

• International Flights (which can be omitted from your quotation if you prefer)
• Accommodation as described
• Privately guided tours and transfers 
• Original Experience Travel Group "Signature" experiences 
• Full financial protection (full ABTA and ATOL bonding)
• Meals as described
• 24 hour in-country backup whilst away
• Your own dedicated travel expert in the UK 

For more on our pricing policy read here.  

DAY 1 - DEPART THE UK

Depart the UK.

DAY 2 - JAKARTA

You will be met by your guide when you arrive at the airport, where they will assist you with immigration and your visa procedures. You will then be transferred to your hotel in Jakarta where you can spend the rest of the day relaxing at leisure.

DAY 3 - JAKARTA

Enjoy a full day city tour of Jakarta, the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Head to Liberty Square where you visit the National Monument, a 450-foot-tall pillar erected in 1961 as a symbol of Indonesia’s independence. Explore the neo-Gothic Catholic Cathedral, consecrated in 1901. You continue across the street to enormous Istiqlal Mosque, capped with a spherical dome, the biggest mosque in Southeast  Asia.

DAY 4 – indonesian BORNEO

Transfer to the airport and take a short flight to Pankalan in Indonesian Borneo. Then take a small local ferry across the Seikonyer River to a small harbour, where you will join another boat and cruise for 2 hours to reach Rimba Lodge, your base in the Borneo jungle for exploring and looking for orangutans.

DAY 5 – indonesian BORNEO

After an early breakfast at the lodge, a 2.5 hour cruise up river will take you towards Camp Leakey for a chance to see proboscis monkeys, macaques, crocodiles, lizards and numerous bird species. From the camp, you will be led by a local ranger and your guide on a trek through the jungle. It is possible that you will get a sighting of Tom, the King orangutan; he is over 30 years old and weighs over 100 kilograms. You can also see and help with the feeding of these amazing creatures.

DAY 6 – indonesian BORNEO

This morning you will head to Pondok Tanggui orangutan breeding station. You will witness the feeding of, and have the opportunity to interact with, the young orangutans. After a short walk through the jungle, a simple lunch will be served on the boat while cruising to Tanjung Harapan village, where you can meet the Dayak ethnic tribes and see them producing local handicrafts. You will stop at Tanjung Harapan rehabilitation camp to see orangutans that are being prepared for release back into the wild.

DAY 7 – BOROBUDUR

Transfer to the airport by ferry and car to take a short flight back to the island of Java. Start your journey towards Borobudur by car, stopping en route at Gedong Songo. Rising about 900 metres above sea level, on the slopes of Mt. Ungaran, you will ride on horse-back up to Gedong Songo, which is a group of nine small 8th century Hindu Javanese temples. The temples belong to the earliest antiquities of Java and are spread over the higher parts of the mountains, which guarantee a splendid views.

DAY 8 – BOROBUDUR

Leave your hotel before sunrise and head to Borobudur temple, a stunning Buddhist temple on a forested plateau surrounded by dramatic volcanic peaks, including the highly active Gunung Merapi. Watch the sun rise majestically from in between the two volcanic peaks and then explore the temple in the misty morning light.

In the afternoon, your guide will return to take you to Candirejo, a traditional Javanese village in a beautiful natural setting. Take a ride in an “Andong”, a Yogyakartan horse-drawn carriage.

DAY 9 – yogyakarta

Transfer by road to the historic capital city of Yogyakarta, where the rest of the day can be spent at leisure.  

DAY 10 – YOGYAKARTA

This morning visit the Kraton; the traditional home of the sultan and the royal court. After a tour of the site, you will then visit the Taman Sari Complex, also known as Water Castle. After lunch at a local restaurant and a few hours rest at your hotel, visit the Sambisari temple and then set off on an hour-and-a-half bike tour through back roads ending at the Suryo Cultural Center behind Perambanan temple. Renowned as one of the most beautiful Hindu temples in the world, you will have special access to visit the temple at sunset for breath-taking views.

DAY 11 – MALANG

Take the Sancaka Express Train to Jombong, East Java. Then drive through beautiful countryside to Malang, via the small plantation villages of Pujon Batu, where you will have a chance to stop and take in the scenery and explore the villages. The drive takes about 3 hours.

DAY 12 - MALANG

Explore the ancient city of Malang, sometimes referred to as the Paris of East Java and famous for its cool mountain air and the breath-taking surrounding countryside. Soak up the interesting mix of traditional Javanese temples, Dutch Colonial architecture and modern Indonesia society. You will visit two 13th Century temples and have the opportunity to experience the contrasting architecture of the city and the dramatic volcanic peaks and lush countryside that surrounds it.          

DAYS 13 – mount BROMO

Transfer by road for 3 hours to the foot of Mount Bromo.

DAY 14 – mount BROMO

Today you'll take a jeep ride to Bromo, visiting Bromo crater and Penanjakan Mountain, where you can take in the magical experience of the sun setting behind the mountains. 

Day 15 – Surabaya

Transfer to Surabaya by car and explore with your guide. Whilst it may seem busy and business-like from the outside, there is plenty to discover in Surabaya including the labyrinth warren of lanes that make up to Old Arab quarter, colonial Dutch mansions and one of Indonesia’s biggest Chinatowns.

Day 16 – Fly Home

Transfer to the airport for your flight home.