Family Java Explorer and Indonesian Borneo

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. Transfer to your hotel in Jakarta where you can spend the rest of the day relaxing at leisure.

Day 3 – Rimba Lodge

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 4 – Rimba Lodge

After an early breakfast at the lodge, a 2.5-hour cruise up the Leakey River will take you towards Camp Leakey for a chance to see proboscis monkeys, macaques, crocodiles, lizards and numerous bird species. From the base, led by a local ranger, you can explore the Jungle. You may get a sighting of TOM, the king orangutan; he is about 30 years old and weighs over 100 kilograms. You can also see and help with the feeding of these amazing creatures.

Day 5 – Rimba Lodge

This morning you will head to Pondok Tanggui orang-utan breeding station. You will witness the feeding of, and have the opportunity to play 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 see the Malayan and Semi Dayak ethnic tribes and see them producing local handicrafts. Leaving Tanjung Harapan village you will stop at Tanjung Harapan rehabilitation camp to see orangutans that are being prepared for release back into the wild.

Day 6 – 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 ruins are spread over the higher parts of the mountains, which means many splendid views.

Day 7 – 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 sunrise 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 Yogyakarta horse-drawn carriage.

Day 8 – Yogyakarta

Transfer by road to the historic capital city of Yogyakarta and explore at your own pace.  

Day 9 – 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 of Jogjakarta, ending at the Suryo Cultural Center behind Prambanan temple. Renowned as one of the most beautiful Hindu temples in the world, you will have individual access to visit the temple at sunset for breath-taking views.

Day 10 – 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 11 - Malang

Explore the ancient city of Malang, sometimes referred to as the Paris of East Java and famous for its fresh mountain air and the breath-taking surrounding countryside. Soak up the 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 architecture of the city and the dramatic volcanic peaks and lush countryside that surrounds it.          

Day 12 & 13 – Mount Bromo

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

During your stay 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 14 – 15 Surabaya

Transfer to Surabaya by car and spend a day with your guide exploring Surabaya before flying back to the UK overnight.