Tour Overview
From Sumatra, home to Southeast Asia’s largest lake, dense jungles and the orangutan, Indonesia stretches 5000km to Papua; the largely unexplored eastern province home to the once ‘headhunting’ Asmats, peaceful Dani and breathtaking mountain ranges. Indonesia is as varied as it is unique, from the Hindu-Buddhist monuments of Borobudur to the famous Komodo Dragons, countless deserted beaches and natural wonders grace an archipelago filled with mystique and beauty.Bali is the jewel in the crown of Indonesia’s 17,000 islands. It is an island where the mystical and magic define everyday life in a paradise framed by sweeping beaches and natural wonders. The rich and intriguing culture is at once enthralling and hypnotic, with the island’s beauty exceeded only by the friendliness of its charming people. Sun drenched beaches and exotic temples, thrilling adventures and world-class spas are all within proximity to boutique hotels, resorts and private villas, made famous by their Balinese designs.
From the primal jungles of Sumatra to the lavish luxury of Nusa Dua, Indonesia is unique in its diversity. For those of us who are searching for the true exotic, who challenge themselves with experiences that are rare and magical yet appreciate service, quality and an unique insight into a destination, Indonesia presents an opportunity to fulfill the ultimate travel experience. The adventurous will experience exhilarating white water rafting on either the Ayung or Telaga Waja rivers and downhill cycling on volcanic Mt. Batur.
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1: Jakarta, IndonesiaWelcome to Jakarta! Today when you arrive at Jakarta Airport and after clearing customs and immigration, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for check-in and overnight. Enjoy the balance of your day at leisure. You will be confirmed for the night at the Shangri-La Hotel in a Deluxe Room including breakfast. The Shangri-la Jakarta is a quiet luxurious oasis in the center of the business district just 30 minutes from the Soekarno-Hatta airport. All guest rooms are beautifully appointed with rich fabrics and dark wood furniture. When it is time for relaxation a spacious pool - three tennis courts - spa - and 9-hole putting green await. If you want a more vigorous workout, there is a fully equipped health club.
Shangri La Hotel- Deluxe Room Day 2: Jakarta- Pangkalan Bun, Kalimatan
After breakfast you will be picked up at your hotel for the transfer to airport for your flight (Riau Air #161, departing at 9:50 and arriving at 11:20) to Pangkalan Bun. Upon arrival you are met by our local staff and transferred to the Kumai boat dock for cruise to Tanjung Harapan. Your boat, a traditional Klotok wooden riverboat, measuring 6 by 2 meters, with roof that forms the upper deck where you can view the rain forest as it glides by. The boat crew includes boatman, cook and expert guide. Lunch is served en route to Camp Leakey (3 hours from Kumai), a rehabilitation center for orphaned orangutans. Here the playful and friendly baby orangutans are taught to fend for themselves in the jungle. In the peaceful afternoon you have a chance to observe monkeys along the riverside. Disembark at Rimba Lodge. The word Rimba means great wilderness or forest on the Indonesian language. Strategically located besides the orangutan sanctuary, the Rimba Lodge is simple, clean and comfortable. Its Dayak architecture, spaciousness and airiness, as well as bright surroundings combined to give you an enormous feeling of serenity and harmony with nature. There are 15 river-edge bedrooms and 20 rooms inland, all with teak bathroom. The restaurant is superb and catered successfully for the hundred delegates who attended the great apes conference. You will be confirmed for three nights at the Rimba Lodge in an Emerald Room inclusive of daily breakfast.
Breakfast, Lunch
Rimba Lodge- Emerald Room Days 3 & 4: Tanjung Puting National Park
Enjoy two full days exploring with your guide in Tanjung Putting National Park. Trek deep in to the jungle on the different trails with lunch provided. Located in the Tanjung Puting Reserve, Camp Leakey was established in 1971 by Dr. Biruté Galdikas. It was named after the legendary anthropologist, Louis Leakey, who was both mentor and an inspiration to Dr. Galdikas, as well as Drs. Jane Goodall and Diane Fossey. Originally consisting of just two huts, Camp Leakey is now an assemblage of permanent wooden structures designed to provide a base for scientists, staff, students, and PHPA guards. Over the years, Camp Leakey has supported the research efforts of dozens of scientists and graduate students from Indonesia and North America.
Breakfast
Rimba Lodge- Emerald Room Day 5: Camp Leakey- Semarang- Yogyakarta
After breakfast, you will be met at your hotel and driven to the Pangkalan Bun Airport for your flight (Riau flight #162 11:50/12:50) to Semarang. When you arrive, you are met and transferred to your hotel for check-in. Enjoy the balance of the day at leisure. Or, perhaps you would enjoy an optional Semarang city tour (no included- additional cost applies) You will be confirmed for two nights at the Hyatt Regency in a Regency Club Room, including breakfast. The hotel is situated in the scenic outskirts of northwestern Yogyakarta. The idyllic location affords stunning views of Mount Merapi (the sacred mountain of Java), Seribu Mountain and Java's beautiful landscape. It is also strategically situated near the main highway with convenient access to Borobudur Temple, the city center and many other places of interest. Adisucipto Airport Yogyakarta is just a 15-minute journey by car. The hotel offers a full range of hotel recreational facilities including a nine-hole golf course and floodlit driving range, floodlit tennis courts, a multi-level free-form pool, and a hotel health club that hotel guests may enjoy.
Breakfast
Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta- Regency Club Room Day 6: Borobudur & Prambanan
Enjoy breakfast at hotel before departing for a full-day tour of Borobudur and Prambanan including lunch. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple and one of the best-preserved ancient monuments. The architectural style found at Borobudur has no equal throughout the world. The Prambanan temple is regarded as the most elegant of Hindu shrines and the largest Hindu structure in Java. The Prambanan temple complex originally comprised of over 54 smaller surrounding temples, with three main temples in the center, is located near Loro Jonggrang and was started in the 8th century under the Mataram Hindu kingdom. Today only the three main temples, and three of the smaller temples, are standing. The reconstruction process is slow and extremely difficult. The temples have severely deteriorated since they were abandoned in the 13th century, when the Javanese Hindu kings began migrating from Central to East Java fleeing the Muslim conquerors.
Breakfast, Lunch
Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta- Regency Club Room Day 7: Yogyakarta- Denpasar- Ubud, Bali
After breakfast at your hotel, you’ll be transferred to airport for your flight (Garuda #252 12:55/15:10) to Bali. When you arrive, you will be met by a local iExplore Representative and taken to your hotel in Ubud. You will be confirmed for two nights at the Maya Ubub in a Superior Garden Villa, including breakfast. The Maya Ubud Resort & Spa is set in 10 hectares of hillside garden, stretching 780 meters along a peninsula set high above two river valleys. It flows from hilltop down to riverside hideaway, 30 meters below. Just minutes by foot from Ubud, with all its cultural and dining attractions, The Maya Ubud Resort & Spa provides a spacious, stylish, luxurious environment in which to enjoy some of life's better moments. Enjoy the remainder of day at leisure.
Breakfast
Maya Ubud- Superior Garden Villa Day 8: Ubud
After breakfast depart for a full day tour. First you will stop at the Arts & Craft Center of Kerta Langu where you will see local stone carvers at work, ceramic home wares, the recycled glass project and hand made batik. Continuing on to the village of Tenganan, said to be home to the ancient Balinese, the “Bali Aga”, this village remains unchanged after hundreds of years. After visiting the Karangasem Palace lunch will be enjoyed at a local restaurant, Mahagini. This afternoon pass though stunning rice paddy terraces before arriving at Kertagosa, the Hall of Justice in Klungkung, where you will see famous Kamesan paintings, which depict famous Hindu legends
Breakfast, Lunch
Maya Ubud- Superior Garden Villa Day 9: Mt. Batur- Volcano Cycling
Today escape from the tourist center to the cooler climates of the Bali Mountain region for a 3-hour (approximately 10 mile) cycling tour. Using brand new mountain bikes and safety equipment, the downhill trail from Mount Batur will lead through sleepy villages along little-used roads and tracks. Frequent stops are made along the way to view aged temple compounds and shady plantations bearing a variety of crops. Your guide will entertain and educate you by sharing his knowledge of the Balinese culture and lifestyle. Local women regally carry festive offerings of fruit and flowers to appease the Gods, while village ducks are herded in humorous orderly processions. Young boys cut grass to feed the family cow while weathered old men gossip at the roadside stall sipping glasses of aromatic mountain ground coffee. An air-conditioned escort vehicle is on standby at the end of your trip to take you to enjoy a replenishing buffet luncheon before returning to your hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch
Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa- Deluxe Room Day 10: Nusa Dua
Today is unscheduled. Enjoy the full day at leisure.
Nestled within lush tropical landscape gardens, the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa features all the elegance of a Balinese palace, and caters to those who enjoy sport, fitness and spa activities. A wide range of cultural, recreational, water, and children activities are present in the resort. Five minutes away from the resort is the Bali Collections Lifestyle and Entertainment-shopping and restaurant complex- and adjacent to that is the award winning 18-hole Bali Golf and Country Club overlooking the Indian Ocean to the south and Mt. Agung to the north. Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa is only a short distance away from the nightlife and shopping spots of Kuta beach and Legian street.
Breakfast
Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa- Deluxe Room Day 11- Nusa Dua- Whitewater Rafting
Today has a thrilling day in store for you as you experience white water rafting! You can choose one of the following two river options for this exhilarating sport: Option 1: The Ayung River will thrill you with Class II & III rapids as expert guides amaze you with their dexterity in steering through winding rapids beneath breathtaking jungle canopies. Enjoy waterfalls, majestic scenery and answer the call of the wild as you travel around 10km through Bali’s best and safest rafting adventure. Option 2: The Telaga Waja River with Class III and IV rapids takes you through rain forest, breathtaking waterfalls and wild countryside on this exciting adventure. The Spirit of Adventure begins in the hills below sacred Mount Agung, which you reach by a scenic ride through Bali's beautiful countryside arriving at the starting point in the village of Muncan in Karangasem. Once there you will be divided into groups of no more than 4 persons and your guide will hand out the rafting equipment for the day - helmets, life jackets and paddle.
Breakfast, Lunch
Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa- Deluxe Room Day 12: Nusa Dua- Uluwatu Kecak Tour
Enjoy the morning at leisure. This afternoon, depart the hotel and head to Bali’s southern tip. After a noon pick up from your hotel, your tour starts with a visit to Jenggala, a fine ceramic manufacturer, located in Jimbaran. Next stop at “Garuda Wisnu Kencana”, a fascinating cultural park, where a massive statue of the mythical Garuda bird and the God Wisnu is being created. When completed, this statue will dwarf the Statue of Liberty. Finally venture on to southernmost part of Bali, home of the famous Pura Luhur Uluwatu, undoubtedly the regions most illustrious temple perched on 100-foot limestone cliffs. Watch the huge waves roll in from the Indian Ocean and crash against the cliffs – and keep an eye out for the cheeky monkeys. One of today’s highlights is to see the Uluwatu Kecak dance performed in this unique setting. Afterwards, head to Jimbaran Bay, where you enjoy Bali’s most stunning sunset and a sumptuous fresh lobster-seafood dinner (non-seafood alternative available.) Situated on the beach in Jimbaran Bay, the Balinese style or BBQ seafood is a must for a trip to Bali.
Breakfast, Dinner
Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa- Deluxe Room Day 13: Nusa Dua- Ubud- Depart
The day at leisure until you are met at your hotel and taken to the airport for your departing flight.
Breakfast Every effort will be made to adhere to the itinerary as stated; however, due to schedule changes beyond organizers control, we reserve the right, without prior notice, to change the routing.
