15D14N Sumatra Adventure with Java Bali

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arrive at Kualanamu Airport – Transfer to Medan.

  You will be warmly welcomed at Kualanamu International Airport (KNO) and transferred to your hotel in Medan. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the city by night and make your own impression. Accommodation: Swiss-Belhotel Medan 4* / Deluxe Room

• day 2

  Medan – Bohorok (B, L)

  Today, we will have a short city tour of Medan with visits to the Maimoon Palace, the colonial post office, and the black-domed Mesjid Raya (Grand Mosque). Maimoon Palace is an istana (royal palace) of the Sultanate of Deli and a well-known landmark in Medan, the capital city of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Today, it serves as a museum. It is one of the most beautiful palaces still in existence in Indonesia. Its unique architecture and interior design give this palace a distinctive character. The Medan Post and Telegraph Office is a historic building in Medan, Indonesia. It was designed by Ir. Snuyf from Burgelijke Openbare Werken (BOW) and opened in 1911. The post office remains in operation and includes a stamp collection exhibit. A fountain in front of the post office was a tribute to Jacob Nienhuys. The Grand Mosque of Medan is a mosque located in Medan, Indonesia. The mosque was built in 1906 and completed in 1909. At the beginning of its establishment, the mosque was part of the Maimoon Palace complex. Its architectural style combines Middle Eastern, Indian, and Spanish elements. The mosque has an octagonal shape and has wings to the south, east, north, and west. Afterward, lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Then, we continue to drive to Bohorok. Spend the rest of the day on your own to explore this city or simply relax along the river. Accommodation: Heritage Hotel 3* - Deluxe Room

• day 3

  Bohorok – Gunung Leuser Orangutan Trekking (B, L)

  After having breakfast, you will start a 3-hour trekking trip in the Gunung Leuser National Park. This is one of the largest national parks in the world, containing over 800,000 hectares of virgin rainforest. The park is home to orangutans, gibbons, tigers, elephants, and the last of the Sumatran rhinos. You are likely to see orangutans and perhaps gibbons, but tigers, elephants, and rhinos are very rare to spot. At the beginning or end of the trek, you will visit the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, where formerly captive apes are reintroduced into the wild. Watch their feedings in their natural environment. Then, you will have lunch at a local restaurant and drive to Medan for an overnight stay. Accommodation: Heritage Hotel 3* - Deluxe Room

• day 4

  Bohorok - Berastagi (B, L)

  After enjoying a leisurely morning, in the evening you will transfer to the cool and picturesque hill town of Berastagi. Situated at an altitude of 1,300 meters, the town has a cool climate. The town developed in the 1920s as a Dutch hill station and today has become a popular weekend destination for Medan residents. The landscape here is dominated by distant views of the smoking volcanoes Mt. Sinabung and Mt. Sibayak. Berastagi is famous for its flowers, vegetables, and fruits, and its markets constantly hum with activity. Continue with a visit to the local market. Here, you will find many exotic vegetables and spices unique to Indonesian cooking, as well as seasonal tropical fruits. The second floor is dedicated to the tradition of jamu in Indonesia—a traditional medicine and beverage based on locally blended herbs and spices, used to treat a variety of ailments. Check in at your hotel in Berastagi and spend the rest of the day at leisure. Accommodation: Grand Mutiara Berastagi 3* - Deluxe Room

• day 5

  Berastagi – Karo Batak Village – Sipiso Piso Waterfall – Toba Lake (B, L)

  Breakfast will be provided at the hotel. After that, our driver will pick you up and take you to Samosir Island in the center of Lake Toba. On the way, we will stop to visit the traditional Karo Batak Village, Simalungun King’s Palace, and the Si Piso Piso Waterfall to gain a deeper insight into Indonesian culture. Afterwards, lunch will be served at a local restaurant, and in the afternoon you will cross Lake Toba with the local ferry to Samosir. Samosir Island is located in Lake Toba, a large crater lake in northern Sumatra. At 630 square kilometers—slightly smaller than Singapore—Samosir is the world’s largest island within an island. The island was formed by a pair of dramatic prehistoric volcanic events and was technically a peninsula until 1906, when the Dutch dug a canal through the narrow isthmus that attached it to the mainland. The cool air, laid-back pace of life, and absence of crowds provide a welcome respite from the heat and commotion you normally encounter in Indonesia. Lake Toba is one of the incredible natural wonders of the world. This enormous crater lake has an island almost the size of Singapore in its center. At more than 1,450 square kilometers and a depth of 450 meters, Lake Toba is more like an ocean. It is the largest lake in Southeast Asia and one of the deepest lakes in the world. Accommodation: Samosir Villa 3* - Deluxe Room

• day 6

  Toba Lake (B, L)

  Today, we will spend the whole day exploring Toba Lake. Take a boat trip to Tomok, Ambarita, and Simanindo, where you will see traditional Batak houses, as well as graves and tombs in Tomok, stone chairs in Ambarita, and traditional Batak dancing in Simanindo. Return to the hotel and enjoy free time to relax. Accommodation: Samosir Villa 3* - Deluxe Room

• day 7

  Toba Lake – Medan (B, L)

  In the morning, after breakfast, we cross the lake again and drive back to Medan (travel time approximately 4 hours). Upon arrival in Medan, spend the rest of the day at your leisure. You can experience the city by night by exploring on your own. Accommodation: Swiss Belhotel Medan 4*/Deluxe Room

• day 8

  Medan – Morning flight to Yogyakarta (B, L)

  After having breakfast, we will drive to the airport for the morning flight to Yogyakarta. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel and have a free day to explore this impressive city. Accommodation: Neo Malioboro 3*/Superior Room

• day 9

  Yogyakarta (B, L)

  After having breakfast, you will be transferred to the Kraton. For the people of Yogyakarta, the Kraton, or Sultan’s Palace, has been the cultural (and mystical) heart and soul of the city since the mid-1700s. The Kraton is a physical representation of the Javanese cosmos, charged with the divine forces of the universe. Every detail, tree, and pavilion has mystical meaning, and if you take a moment, you can just, perhaps, feel a little spark in the air. Built on a north-south axis, the Kraton faces sacred Mount Merapi and backs onto the ocean, home of the Sultan’s mystical consort, Kanjeng Ratu Loro Kidul (the Queen of the Southern Seas). Continue your transfer by local cyclo, becak, to Taman Sari Water Palace and Garden. Located near the Kraton, this place was also known as the garden for the Sultan of Yogyakarta. Some of its original functions were as a place to rest, meditate, work, hide, and defend the Sultan’s family. In the present day, some of its buildings have now become homes for local residents, and only the mosque, resting and bathing spaces, and underground tunnels are accessible to tourists. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant in Yogyakarta. Return to your hotel and spend the rest of the day on your own. Accommodation: Neo Malioboro 3* / Superior Room

• day 10

  Yogyakarta – Bike Ride – Borobudur

  Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, then take a one-hour drive to Kaliadem for a two-hour cycling trip. Hop on a bike and pedal through the village, enjoying stunning views of Mt. Merapi until you reach the finish point at Candi Plaosan. In the afternoon, discover the UNESCO Heritage site of Borobudur, located 42 kilometres west of Yogyakarta. Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia, and is the world's largest Buddhist temple. It is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, each seated inside a perforated stupa. Return to your hotel in Yogyakarta and spend the rest of the day at leisure. Accommodation: Neo Malioboro 3* / Superior Room

• day 11

  Yogyakarta – Prambanan – Flight to Bali – Sanur (B)

  Having breakfast at the hotel. Today, we will participate in a Java overland tour with a short distance to Solo. On the way, we will stop to visit Prambanan Temple. Built in the 10th century, this is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. Rising above the center of the last of these concentric squares are three temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the epic of the Ramayana. These temples are dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma), as well as three temples dedicated to the animals who serve them. UNESCO named Prambanan a Heritage Site in 1991. After finishing the visit to Prambanan Temple, return to the hotel. In the afternoon, you are free at leisure. In the evening, there are great dining opportunities in the city or at the village center around the Alun Alun. Each day, there are theatre performances of Wayang Orang in the Sriwedari Theatre. Since Indonesians know the story by heart, they can follow it from any point during the performance. Accommodation: Puri Santrian Beach Resort 4* / Superior Room

• day 12

  Sanur – Free Days on the Beach (B)

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• day 13

  Sanur – Ubud Palace – Elephant Cave Temple – Rice Paddies – Holy Spring Temple Tour (B, L)

  Leave the hotel after breakfast for a day of sightseeing. We will stop at Ubud Palace, then continue driving to Elephant Cave Temple and the Tegallalang rice paddies. After lunch at a local restaurant, we will stop at a coffee plantation, and lastly, visit the Holy Spring Temple of Tirta Empul before returning to the hotel for the night.

• day 14

  Sanur – Kato Lampo Waterfall – Gunung Kawi – Tegenungan Waterfall – Batuan Temple (B, L)

  Leave the hotel early in the morning after breakfast. We will visit Kato Lampo Waterfall, then explore the classic Gunung Kawi Temple. After lunch, we will visit Tegenungan Waterfall, and our last stop will be Batuan Temple before returning to the hotel.

• day 15

  Sanur - Departure

  You will have free time until your transfer back to Bali International Airport, where you will take a flight returning to your hometown. End of service.