Sumatra Batak Towns, Yogyakarta Temples & Toraja Lands (16D/15N)

Today after having our breakfast, we go hiking in the jungle to explore the nature of Gunung Leuser National Park, seeing the orangutans. We have the possibility to see the place where there is more quantity of tropical Flora and Fauna than anywhere else in Indonesia. A wonderful experience with flora and fauna that we found during our walk, enjoy the singing of great birds like the Hornbill and apes like the Siamang or Black Gibbons, Orangutans and Macaques.

In the afternoon, we will look for an area next to a river to camp and spend the night, prepare the fire and dinner.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

Accommodation: Tent or Shelter

Today is another full day to explore the rain forest with its wildlife in their natural habitat. So we will enjoy the breakfast prepared by our trekking guide for quick energy boost. Immediately after breakfast, the trekking through the rain forest begins again. We will return to the hotel in the afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Bukit Lawang 

We have our breakfast at the hotel and at the indicated time, we will leave towards the direction of Lake Toba by Tebing Tinggi route. During the trip, we will stop at the plantation for rubber, palm oil and cocoa. As soon as we arrive at Parapat – a small city in the province of North Sumatra, on the edge of Lake Toba – we will cross to reach Samosir Island. Check-in at the hotel and free time.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Hotel in Samosir

As always, before we start our visits, we will have breakfast. At the indicated time, we start the excursion in Lake Toba, visiting many traditional towns of Batak Toba. The first town is Ambarita. In Ambarita, we find a stone chair and table from the ancient palace of King Sialagan. The next town is Simanindo, if you want to dance, you can dance because there we can see the traditional dance as well as the museum. After visiting Simanindo, the next destination is the Tomok village. In Tomok you can find the ancient tomb of King Sidabutar.

After visiting Samosir, we return to Parapat to continue our adventure to Brastagi. On the way to Brastagi, we will stop to visit King Batak Simalungun’s Long House, and the waterfall wonder of Sipiso-piso. Upon arrival in Brastagi, we visit the fruit market, there you can buy the fruits you like to take away or eat right there. Check-in at the hotel and rest.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Brastagi

Today is our last day in the Land of Sumatra, it is time to say goodbye to this beautiful land. After breakfast, at the indicated time, transfer to Medan by Sibolangit and the Sembahe river route. Our trip is approximately 2 hours. Upon arrival in Medan, directly to the airport to take your flight to Yogyakarta.

Arrival at the airport, meeting service with our guide and transfer to the south to reach the famous city of Yogyakarta (also known as Jogja, Yogya or Jogjakarta). Arrival at the hotel, check in and rest of the day at your leisure to begin discovering this historic city, the cradle of Indonesian culture.

In 7th century, Yogyakarta was the center of the Mataram Buddhist kingdom, a prosperous reign, largely based on rice cultivation thanks to the region’s fertile volcanic soil. The various bas-reliefs of its temples show the daily life of that flourishing period. During this reign, the Borobudur Temple Temple was built, which was the largest Buddhist temple in the world.

Mysteriously, in the 10th century, the old Mataram Kingdom moved its central government. The old headquarters, with its palaces and magnificent temples, were abandoned and partially buried by the eruption of the Merapi volcano, and by the thicket of the jungle. Six hundred years later, the Mataram Sultanate was founded and established in the region, making Yogyakarta once again the center of government for the surrounding island.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Hotel in Yogyakarta: Three options across different categories

You will have your well-deserved breakfast at the hotel. Today’s tour will make you enjoy the authentic Javanese essence.

Borobudur Temple

You will start your route towards the Borobudur Temple, the great Stupa. It is the largest Buddhist monument in the world and one of the seven wonders. We will tour the temple, observing the hundreds and centuries-old Buddha statues and observing how dozens of Buddhists come to preach from all over the world. Historically it was made during the relatively brief Sailendra dynasty of Central Java between 778 and 856 BC and is under constant restoration due to the breaks that the tremors of the neighboring Merapi volcano have produced during its history.

Traditional Villages

After visiting one of the most important Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia, and in a traditional Javanese horse-drawn carriage called Andong, we will visit the villages that surround this temple. They are authentic Javanese villages where culture and tradition are the protagonists. We will visit some place where they produce the Keropok, (a type of crackers) or we will see some of the local people where they meet for ceremonies and can teach us some of their musical instruments and including the Batik process, a method of dyeing fabrics unique to that area. Batik has become the Indonesian official costume. As you spend your days in this country and go around the different islands, you will realize how different Indonesians are among them in terms of clothing, food, architecture and even language. Today it is time to learn and share the day with the villagers of Central Java.

Mount Merapi

Then we will go to Kaliurang/Kalidalem to see Mount Merapi in constant activity. Here in a 4×4 jeep driven by specialized drivers, we will climb up its skirt to see the remains of the 2010 eruption such as houses buried by ashes, a multitude of objects paralyzed by lava, etc. In addition, an open-air tribute museum chaired by the clock that marks the time just as the lava passed by it has been improvised. Accompanied by photos of the rescues, it will make us feel very closely the experiences of that fateful day. After this day of emotions, we will take you back to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Yogyakarta: Three options across different categories

After breakfast and at the indicated time we will head towards the heart of the city. We will visit the Keraton known as the Sultan Palace. The palace is a complex building of two centuries old, located in the heart of the city. You will listen to the song of the “freedom” of the birds in the bird market, we will visit the Water Castle which occupies the highest part at the northern end of the vast complex of Taman Sari. Also, visit Malioboro Street, main street of Yogyakarta with its merchants, horse carts, bicycle taxis and markets. An incredible experience that will make the hours fly by.

Finishing the tour in the city center of Yogyakarta, we will go northeast towards Prambanan Temple, the temple of Hinduists and classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1991. This temple was completed around the year 856 to commemorate the return of Shailendra dynasty of Central Java. Take your time to enjoy each carving on the rocks and feel the spirituality that each of the perched stones gives off in this set of more than 200 Hindu temples. They are dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator, the Preserver and the destroyer. After this day that you will never forget, we will take you to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Yogyakarta: Three options across different categories

Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel, then at the appointed time we will transfer you to the airport and depart on a regular flight to Makassar, capital of the Sulawesi Islands, or Celebes, as they are also known.

Welcome to the island of Sulawesi, an exotic and wild island with a very particular shape. It has an impressive variety of animal species, tropical plants, and two extravagant ethnic groups; the mountainous Toraja, and the Bugis sailors. The airport of Makassar is the transit center for all planes moving from East to West of Indonesia (and vice versa). Upon arrival, a representative of the hotel will be waiting for you for the transfer and check in. Rest of the day for you.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Hotel in Makassar 

After enjoying your breakfast at the hotel, your guide will pick you up by car to Toraja Lands. The route, about 310 km is full of rice fields, Bugis towns, who are the owners of the famous and traditional Phinisi ships and for that reason they are better known as “sailors”. It will be 9 hours by car, so you will make a stop halfway for lunch or dinner. Arrival at the hotel, have a well-deserved rest after the long journey.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Rantepao

We will have two days of adventure in the Toraja Lands. It will be two days of exploring not only its incredible landscapes but its strange culture. And it is time to discover it during our stay in this magical land. The local people, mostly although Christians, still practice animism according to their original religion called Aluk Todolo.

Are you ready to soak up the Toraja culture? We will visit Lemo with the cemetery on the rock walls and all the wooden statues called Tau-Tau representing their deceased. The town of Ke’te Kesu, one of the oldest in Toraja where you will see the typical houses called Tongkonan. You will also see other hanging tombs in one of its caves. And in the villages of Bori, Nanggala, Suaya, there are the baby graves in the trees. It may seem strange to us but it is something that is part of this ancient culture.

During your stay in this land of spirits with “luck”, we can see up close their funeral rites. These picturesque funerals are frequent but not every day, so we cannot assure that we see them. When we attend them, as an Offering to the family tourists are asked to donate around 100,000 Rupiah.

In addition to these, we will visit its attractive markets where local people carry out their transactions daily. On Tuesdays and Thursdays a bigger market develops.

We return to the hotel to rest.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Rantepao

Today is our last day in this very special area of ​​Indonesia. The land of the spirits. Again we prepare the suitcases to leave, since after breakfast we will have a transfer to the Palopo airport (2 hours). Here we will take the flight to Denpasar (via Makassar). Upon your arrival at Denpasar airport, we will be waiting for you with a sign with your name to take you to your hotel. Welcome to the Island of the Gods.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Hotel in Sanur: Three options across different categories

After breakfast, your guide will pick you up and we will visit the places on the fantastic route of Come2Indonesia.

Taman Ayun Temple

The first site will be the Taman Ayun Temple (it was founded in the 17th century), located in the Mengwi Village. Until 1891, it was the seat of a powerful man who dates back to the Gelgel Dynasty, which is surrounded by a moat that looks like a sanctuary landscaped, which explains the term taman, or garden. The temple is a penyawangan or place to worship other sacred sites.

Jatiluwih Rice Terrace

From Taman Ayun, the compass heads towards Jatiluwih, where without a doubt we will admire and enjoy a beautiful view of rice terraces that cover the entire landscape of South Bali. The name of Jatiluwih is made up of two words, Jati which means truly and Luwih which means beautiful, good, special. Without a doubt, this place not only has a beautiful name but that beauty is really reflected in its landscape.

Ulun Danu Bratan Temple

From Jatiluwih, we will go to Bedugul where we will visit the Ulun Danu Bratan Temple, the famous temple that stands in a small development located on the shore of Lake Beratan and has the beautiful landscape with the lake and the mountain as a backdrop. It is without a doubt one of the most photogenic temples in all of Indonesia. This temple is dedicated to Dewi Danu, goddess of waters.

Sunset at Tanah Lot

We will close the visit on this fantastic route and end the day watching the sunset at the most famous and photographed temple in Bali, the Pura Tanah Lot. Torn from the ground on a stone pedestal sculpted by the incoming tides, the lonely black towers of the Tanah Lot and the plumes of foliage shed by the cliffs recall the delicacy of Chinese painting. The Pura Tanah Lot or the Temple of Earth in the Middle of the Sea was built in the 16th century. Then we return to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Hotel in Sanur: Three options across different categories

Today will be free for you. You will have your breakfast at the hotel then you can use the time for your personal things. You can hire a massage, shop, walk on the beach or just relax and enjoy the hotel facilities.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Hotel in Sanur: Three options across different categories

Today is the last day of your trip in Indonesia. After having breakfast at the hotel and according to the time of your flight, we will pick you up to take you to Denpasar airport to take the plane that will take you back home. We wish you a safe journey and thank you for marking your footprints in this land with Come2indonesia. Sampai jumpa!

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: –