Java & Sulawesi Adventure

On arrival in Yogyakarta, you’ll be welcomed to Indonesia by your private driver and taken to your first hotel near Borobudur.

You’ll have plenty of time to relax after your flight, taking in the beautiful green surroundings of paddy fields and volcanoes, before exploring this unique and memorable region.

Climb to the top of a nearby hill to take in an epic vista of Borobudur Temple and Mount Merapi with a scenic forested plateau to the east. Built in the 8th century and constructed from two million individual bits of stone, the Buddhist temple comprises 6 square and three circular terraces with 72 small stupas.

After breakfast, you’ll head into Yogyakarta, part of the only sultanate remaining in Indonesia. Visit the Kraton, the traditional home of the sultan and the royal court, and the elaborate two-storey mansion retreat known as the Water Palace. In the afternoon, you’ll leave the city and visit the magnificent tenth-century Hindu temple, Prambanan. While not as well restored as Borobudur, it is a splendid piece of architecture consisting of eight primary and eight lesser temples around a central courtyard, surrounded by 244 small temples in the outer compound. Stay at the temple until the sun sets when, on a clear day, the temple will appear as a silhouette against the backdrop of a sky of bright reds, pale blues and wisps of white clouds.

Next, you’ll set off through the dramatic volcanic peaks of East Java towards your hillside hotel in Bromo.

After some time settling in, take a sensational walk around the mountain as the sun sets. By this point, you’ll have reached a vantage point to see the sun go down over the magnificent Mount Bromo.

On the second day, following an early rise, you will be taken to view the spectacular sunrise over the crest of the volcano. Climb to the peak of Bromo, where you can take in the magnificent view of its crater lake and the surrounding mountains.

This morning, you’ll meet your driver to begin the journey to Tana Toraja: it’s a long but scenic drive to reach this fascinating part of the world with stops along the way. (There are now 50-minute flights between Makassar and Tana Toraja, but they are few and far between, so speak to your Indonesia expert for details).

The scenic drive follows the coast to Pare-Pare, where you’ll stop for lunch. From there, head inland up into the incredible mountains before arriving, late afternoon, at your hotel. Unwind in your traditionally-styled Tongkonan house or take a refreshing dip in the pool.

Today, you’ll explore the eerie yet beautiful traditional ancestral hanging graves, effigies and cave tombs of Lemo and Londa. On their death, Toraja people are entombed in caves or hanging graves on the cliffs around these sites, which are guarded by tau tau (life-sized wooden effigies) carved in their image. Learn about the intricate Christian and ‘animalism’ hybrid religion that has developed uniquely in this region of Sulawesi.

You will also visit Kete Kesu, a beautiful Toraja village, where you can see the incredible Tongkonan houses and rice barns, designed to look like boats.

The next day, you’ll begin with a walk around the markets to see the local farmers selling their wares—among them coffee, cloves, and nutmeg. Every sixth day, cattle are brought to market, and though traditional money is accepted in Toraja, on this day, you can see that the real local currency in Toraja is cattle! You will then head to Batutumonga for scenic views across the countryside surrounding Rantepao, one of Tana Toraja’s main towns.

The conditions of the waters around Sulawesi nurture some of the best marine life in the world (as seen in the ‘Blue Planet II’ series). Think turtles, dolphins and exceptionally vibrant coral.

There are several options for the beach part of your holiday, and discussing the pros and cons with your consultant is best.

You can fly north to Manado, where a car and boat ride will take you to Gangga Island or Bunaken. Alternatively, you could fly to southeast Sulawesi and head to Wakatobi.