Orangutans, Dragons & Volcanoes - 14 days Indonesia trip

Indonesia, "land of a thousand islands". The Indonesian archipelago consists of 17508 islands between the Asian continent and Australia. The largest island kingdom in the world offers an incredible variety of cultures, dreamlike tropical nature with jungle, rice fields and beaches, mystical volcanic landscapes and flora and fauna that is unique in the world. Almost every island or group of islands is like its own world.

Indonesia stretches more than 5000 km from east to west. With well-planned flights within Indonesia, some islands can be combined with each other to create varied itineraries.

Island Hopping: Java - Kalimantan (Borneo) - Komodo - Flores

ITINERARY:
✈ Yogyakarta ➝ Borobudur ➝ Semarang ✈ Pangkalan Bun (Kalimantan) ➝ Orang-Utans in Tanjung Puting National Park✈ Surabaya ➝ Volcano Bromo ➝ Surabaya ✈ Komodo National Park ✈ Bajawa ➝ Volcano Kelimutu ➝ Maumere ✈

Arrival in Indonesia ✈ Yogjakarta on Java Island

In Yogyakarta, you will be picked up from the airport and stay overnight in a first-class boutique hotel with a colonial ambience.

Yogyakarta City Tour ➝ Prambanan Tempel

Yogyakarta in the center of the Indonesian Java island, together with the neighboring city of Surakarta (Solo), the center of traditional Javanese culture. With several universities, Yogyakarta is also the educational center of Indonesia. Traditional Javanese culture and arts are firmly rooted here and Yogyakarta is home to several colleges of art, music and dance.

During the city tour in the morning you have the opportunity to visit the Sultan's Palace (Kraton) in the old town (Kota Gede) with 14,000 square meters of a kind of city in the city. The complex was built around 1750. Parts of the palace are open to tourists for sightseeing. Then visit Taman Sare. The moated castle (built from 1758 to 1765) served the sultan as a pleasure palace, where his harem was located. The castle was surrounded by a reservoir and could only be reached by water. The reservoir no longer exists and the actual castle is a ruin. The Taman Sare bathing pools have been preserved and can be visited. If you are interested, you can also stroll through the traditional Beringharjo market on Jalan Malioboro and also visit a batik factory and/or silversmiths. Yogyakarta is known for fine silver and batik work throughout Asia.

In the afternoon, at sunset, visit the vast Prambanan temple complex built in honor of the Hindu gods Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu. The Loro Jonggrang Temple, built in the 10th century, is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia. The temple consists of a main building in the center surrounded by eight smaller temples dedicated to different deities and countless smaller ones. All temples have a high pointed shape. In 2006 the complex was severely damaged by a strong earthquake and not all areas are accessible to visitors.

Then transfer to your accommodation near Borobudur. You can choose between family-run bungalows in a village and the Plataran Heritage Borobudur Hotel.

Borobudur Tempel ➝ Semarang

After a very early breakfast, drive to Borobudur Temple, which is only a few minutes' drive away. It is a Buddhist sanctuary and one of the largest Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia. The impressive Borobudur Temple is located on a hill and is designed like a step pyramid. There are nine floors on a square foundation of 123m length. Each higher level represents a further development of man. On the terraces there are many niches and Buddha statues and a total of 5 km long reliefs that tell about the life of Buddha. Six terraces are square and the top three are circular. On the top terraces, dedicated to enlightenment, are 72 stupas, each housing a Budda statue. From the top you have a fantastic view over the landscape and across to the mountains.

After visiting Borobudur, we'll drive to Semarang, which we'll reach after about 2-3 hours. Overnight in a city hotel in Semarang.

✈ Kalimantan Island (Indonesian Borneo)

Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) is one of the few places on earth where you can see orangutans in the wild. The name orangutan is derived from the Indonesian words "orang" (human) and "hutan" (forest). In addition to orangutans, other primate species and a rich birdlife can be observed in Tanjung Puting National Park.

A direct flight from Semarang will take you to Pangkalan Bun on the island of Kalimantan in the morning. You will be picked up from Pangkalan Bun Airport and transferred to the national park headquarters at the port of Kumai. Here, you will board a private klotok, a traditional river boat, and your jungle adventure begins. During a leisurely cruise along the Sekonyer River, you will immerse yourself in the beauty of Tanjung Puting National Park. Nipah palms line the riverbanks and are a favorite habitat for proboscis monkeys and long-tailed macaques.

Today you will visit the Tanjung Harapan Feeding Station, where you will have your first encounter with endangered orangutans. The station was built in the late 1970s and was the original settlement of Sekonyer Village. It now serves as a rehabilitation center. At 3:00 PM, you will arrive at the feeding platform, where you can experience the majestic orangutans up close in a wild environment. You may also (if you wish) visit the Sekonyer Village across the river and gain insight into the daily life of the villagers.

Depending on your choice, overnight stay in an ecolodge surrounded by rainforest on the banks of the Sekonyer River or on your private river boat (Klotok)

Tanjung Puting National Park - Camp Leakey

Today, you'll delve deep into the jungle of the 416,040-hectare Tajung Puting National Park and leisurely cruise along the Sekonyer River to Camp Leakey. The river narrows increasingly, and the jungle along the banks seems almost within reach. Camp Leakey is a research and rehabilitation center founded in 1971 by renowned primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas and her former husband, Rod Brindamour.

First, you'll visit Pondok Tanguy to explore the rehabilitation center for formerly captive orangutans. You'll then return to the houseboat and sail up the river to Camp Leakey, where the older orangutans are reintroduced into the rainforest. At this stop, you'll have the opportunity to hike into the rainforest with your expert guide to admire the flora and observe wild orangutans, gibbons, macaques, and birds. In the afternoon, you'll visit a feeding station to see how rehabilitated orangutans receive supplemental food. Afterwards, we'll sail back downstream and continue exploring the wildlife along the riverbanks.

Depending on your choice, overnight stay in an ecolodge surrounded by rainforest on the banks of the Sekonyer River or on your private river boat (Klotok)

Transfer to Pangkalan Bun Airport ✈ Surabaya

After breakfast, you'll take a leisurely boat ride to Kumai with Klotok. En route to Pankanlan Bun Airport, you'll drive through the town of Kumai. Listen to the sounds of Kumai from loudspeakers on tall buildings, where swallow nests are commercially harvested for swallow nest soup, one of the most expensive specialties in Chinese cuisine. Indonesia is the largest supplier, offering prices of 13 million rupiah per kg, and the trade has led to certain colonies being critically threatened.

In Surabaya, you will be picked up from the airport by your guide/tour guide, and after a three-hour drive, you will reach your accommodation at the foot of Mount Bromo. You will spend the night in a comfortable, scenic, and quiet hotel outside the touristy and not particularly attractive town of Cemoro Lawang.

Jeeptour & Hiking Bromo Volcano

Komodo National Park: Padar ➝ Komodo Island ➝ Pink Beach ➝ Rinca Island

On the islands of Komodo National Park, west of Flores, Komodo dragons, the world's largest prehistoric-looking lizards, live in the wild. On a day boat trip, you'll explore the islands of the UNESCO-protected Komodo National Park and almost certainly see Komodo dragons.

Very early in the morning we will pick you up from your hotel in Labuan Bajo and after a 15-minute drive we will reach the port of Labuan Bajo.. Here, we board your private speedboat. You'll first climb the lookout point on Padar Island, which offers a magnificent view. Then, you'll hike on Komodo Island, where you'll have a very high chance of seeing Komodo dragons as they emerge from their hiding places and head out into the sun. After returning to the boat, we'll sail to Pink Beach, where you'll have time to relax. We'll then sail to Rinca Island, where you'll have another chance to see Komodo dragons in the afternoon. The boat will then take you back to Labuan Bajo and your hotel.

Bajawa ➝ Bena ➝ Luba ➝ Ende ➝ Moni

After breakfast, we visit the village Bena, one of the best-preserved and most important traditional villages in Ngada District. The village consists of two rows of centuries-old, grass-roofed houses. In the center of the village are sacrificial stones and cult houses, formerly used for ritual ceremonies and offerings. The people who live and work in this heritage-protected village today are Christians, yet some of the old traditions and ancestor worship are still alive today. After visiting Bena, we visit the smaller traditional village Luba.

From Bajawa, we continue toward the town of Ende and stop at Penggajawa Beach, which is littered with colorful stones. The stones are predominantly blue to turquoise, but green and red are also found. The stones are collected by the local population and sold as building material. Lunch is available here or in Ende itself. We then continue to Moni, stopping at the market in Nduaria and rice fields near Detusoko. We also visit the village Wologai, with its well-preserved traditional houses in the Liberian architecture that was once typical of the Ende region. Accommodation is in a bungalow at a lodge in Moni, idyllically located just outside the village of Moni.

The 3-colored lakes of the Kelimutu volcano ➝ Maumere

Kelimutu is a volcano near Moni in central Flores, Indonesia. The Kelimutu volcano consists of three crater lakes, each with different colors due to minerals. The colors of the lakes have changed drastically several times over the years.

The lunar landscape of the craters is believed by locals to be a hideout for spirits. The name Kelimutu itself means 'keli' = 'mountain' and 'mutu' = 'boiling' in the local language.

Today, we'll wake up early in the morning. After a cup of coffee or tea, we'll drive to the Kelimutu volcano. After about 30 minutes, we'll reach the parking lot, where a pleasant 1.5-kilometer walk and 127 steps will take you to the Kelimutu viewing terrace at an altitude of 1,690 meters. From here, you'll have a wonderful view of all three of Kelimutu's differently colored crater lakes and the surrounding landscape. Amidst this lunar landscape, the colors of the lakes look spectacular. It's always a surprise to see what colors Kelimutu's crater lakes are at any given moment.

On the return journey from Kelimutu to Moni, you'll pass beautiful rice fields and tropical forests. Once in Moni, you can enjoy breakfast at the hotel before continuing on to Maumere. On the way to Maumere, you'll have the opportunity to visit very old traditional houses in Wolwaru, decorated with ornaments. Later, the route continues to Sikka, a village on the south coast of Flores, where you can visit an old church dating back to the 19th century.

Another stop is at the beautiful Koka Beach. Enjoy wonderful views of the landscape with plantations and small mountain villages. You can take photo stops and short walks as you wish. In Maumere, you'll stay in a comfortable bungalow at the beach.

Egon volcano, beach and the surroundings of Maumere

Departure from Flores ✈ Jakarta oder Bali

The tour ends with the transfer to the airport in Maumere for the flight to Bali or Jakarta..

All our tours are private and can be customized to your needs.