Java to Bali overland holiday: volcanoes, temples and beaches

Itinerary in brief: 

• 2 nights Yogyakarta
• 2 nights Borobudur
• 1 night Surabaya
• 1 night Tosari Bromo
• 1 night Banyuwangi
• 2 nights West Bali National Park
• 2 nights Ubud
• 2 nights Uluwatu

Day 1: Depart UK

Depart the UK from your chosen airport.

Included: International flights 

Day 2: Arrive in Yogyakarta

On arrival in Yogyakarta, you'll be met at the airport and driven to your hotel in the city, checking in for two nights. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, touring, 5* hotel

Day 3: Yogyakarta

Spend the day exploring Yogyakarta with your guide. Known as the cradle of Javanese culture, to this day Yogyakarta is still an important centre of art and education. You'll visit the Sultan's Palace, which is one of the best examples of traditional Javanese architecture, and enjoy cultural performances like puppet shows and poetry readings. Next you'll visit the Taman Sari Water Palace, where the bathing pools were built for the women of the Sultan's household. After a local style lunch, you'll head to Prambanan, a complex of ancient Hindu temples outside of the city. Over a thousand years old, these sharp and jagged temples have three shrines, each dedicated to the Hindu trinity of gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. 

In the evening, you'll enjoy a Royal Javanese Rijisttafel for dinner. You'll enjoy deliicous special dishes, beginning with the Jodhang ceremony, a procession of staff carrying the wooden box with the meals and offerings, including delicacies of the Sultan's favourite dishes. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, touring, 5* hotel

Day 4: Travel to Borobudur

After breakfast, you'll head to visit the local factory of Ms Chaliet and Mr Bambang, a lovely couple who are true masters in the art of batik. You'll learn about this fascinating art form, from pattern making, waxing and colouring the cloth to create a personalised piece of batik to take home with you. 

Next, you'll head to the old town of Yogyakarta, taking a leisurely cycling tour on a vintage bicycle. This charming area is know as the 'Silver Village' due to it's high concentration of silver artisands. You'll visit a master baker's house to sample kembang waru, a type of cookie that is only sold in the old town, before arriving at the oldest mosque in Yogyakarta to don a traditional Javanese outfit and visit the Royal Cemetery of the First King of the Mataram Kingdom. 

After a delicious lunch, you'll be driven to Borobudur, where you'll check into your next hotel for two nights. Head out to visit the Mendut Temple, a pyramid-shaped temple with impressive carved statues, before relaxing in the hotel for the rest of the evening. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, touring, 5* hotel

Day 5: Borobudur

Waking up early today, you'll head out to witness the beauty of the sunrise over the world-famous Borobudur Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Watch the sun awaken the ancient temple before enjoying a delicious picnic breakfast, hearing traditional stories and gamelan music while you eat. Spend the rest of the morning exploring the temple, admiring the intricate architectural features and soaking up the thousands of relief panels and statues. 

You'll return to your hotel by lunch time to spend some time relaxing, before heading outo discover the scenic villages around Mount Sumbing. You'll hike through beautifully terraced rice fields, enjoying the lush landscapes as before arriving at Selogriyo Temple. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, touring, 5* hotel

Day 6: Train to Surabaya

Enjoy a relaxing morning before heading to the train station to catch the train to Surabaya. Travelling by train in Java is a wonderful way to meet local people and admire the volcanic landscapes of the island along the way. On arrival in Surabaya, you'll be met at the train station and driven to your hotel, checking in for one night. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, dinner, 5* hotel

Day 7: Travel to Tosari Bromo

After breakfast, you'll be driven towards Mount Bromo. After a long drive, you'll transfer into a shuttle bus,  which will take you to the access points of Boromo-Tengger National Park. From here, you'll journey by old-schoool Toyota jeeps through the sea of sand to the active and smoking Mount Bromo. Gazing out of over the volcanic cone is nothing short of spectacular, with smoke rising from the surface as you come face to face with Indonesia's most famous volcano. 

Head out of the national park to your hotel, getting an early night before your very early start tomorrow morning. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, lunch, tour, dinner, 5* hotel

Day 8: Sunrise at Mount Bromo, travel to Banyuwangi

A 3am wake up call this morning will be a hard one but we promise it will be worth it! You'll depart by jeep to catch the sunrise, travelling across the ash covered ground as if driving across the moon. You'll head to a secluded viewpoint, from which one of the most iconic views of Indonesia will emerge from the mist. As the light rises, you'll be able to take spectacular photos of the national park, with the incredible volcanoes across the landscape. 

Head back to the hotel to enjoy breakfast and freshen up, before beginning the long journey to your next destination, the landscapes of Mount Ijen. On arrival in the small local village, you'll check into your hotel and relax after your epic day. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, lunch, dinner, 5* hotel

Day 9: Mount ljen, travel to West Bali National Park

Another early morning today to enjoy an excursion up to Mount Ijen. After breakfast at the hotel you'll head up the volcano in a 4x4 jeep, reaching the base camp around 1,850m above sea leve. The trek to the top is then around 3km, taking around 1.5 hours along the pathway. At the top, you'll gaze out over the large crater lake, surrounded by sulphur mines and filled with millions of litres of steaming, bright-blue, acid water. It's an incredible sight of the volcanic nature of Java. 

In the afternoon, you'll be driven to Banyuwangi Harbour for the short ferry to Bali, before being driven to the West Bali National Park. Here you'll check into your hotel for two nights. Relax by the beach, enjoy the swimming pool or enjoy snorkelling directly off the sands. 

Included: Breakfast, tour, transfers, 5* hotel

Day 10: Menjangan Island

Today you'll head out for a snorkelling trip to the nearby Menjangan Island. World-famous for dicing and snorkelling, this area has some incredible underwater marvels to discover, from electric disco clams and scorpion fish to eels, reef fish and incredible starfish. Swimming in the turquoise water is a wonderful way to spend the day after your time in the volcanic landscapes of Java. 

Included: Breakfast, tour, transfers, 5* hotel

Day 11: Travel to Ubud

After breakfast, you'll travel through the island of Bali towards Ubud, passing by two volcanic lakes - Buyan and Tamblingan. Enjoy the lush scenery before descending into the thriving village of Bedugul. Stop in at the iconic water temple of Pura Ulun Danu on the shores of Lake Batur and the vast rice terraces of Jatiluwah, where you'll enjoy an e-bike tour of the region. Watch local farmers going about their daily routines and tuck into lunch at a local restaurant in a bamboo forest. In the afternoon, you'll continue on to Ubud, checking into your hotel for two nights. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, tour, 5* hotel

Day 12: Ubud

Ubud is the cultural heart of Bali; full of local galleries, traditional jewellers and tiny restaurants serving up delicious Balinese delights. Spend the morning exploring the city – make sure you visit the pretty Water Temple - before heading back to your hotel, set in the lush green paddy fields that surround Ubud.

You could easily devote a whole afternoon to wandering the rice fields, watching the farmers plough through the water and ducks waddling along the edge of the pools. Make sure you’ve reached the village of Petulu by dusk so you can witness the white herons descending on the trees to roost through the night. Ubud is also a great place to try a cooking class – learning to whip up a bowl of traditional Indonesia nasi goreng will be a good idea once you’re home and missing all the tasty Indonesian food - so if you’d like us to book one for you, just ask!

Included: Breakfast, transfers, tour, 5* hotel

Day 13: Travel to Uluwatu

Spend the morning relaxing at your hotel or exploring Ubud further, before being driven south to Uluwatu for some beach time. Why not head straight to the beach, to sink your toes into the sand and sip a cold cocktail as you watch the sun set into the ocean. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, tour, 5* hotel

Day 14: Uluwatu

Relax on the beautiful beaches of Uluwatu; strolling along the sand, swimming in the ocean and feeling the breeze in your hair. In the afternoon, you'll head with a guide to visit Uluwatu Temple, found on a cliff-top overlooking the Indian Ocean, with breath-taking views over the water. After visiting this unique temple, you'll enjoy a delicious dinner inside a cave restaurant, admiring the stunning natural rock formations as you raise a glass to toast your incredible journey through Indonesia. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, tour, 5* hotel

Day 15: Depart Indonesia

After breakfast, you'll be driven back to the airport for your international flight home.

Included: Breakfast, transfers, international flights

Day 16: Arrive UK