Compare Global Explorer by World Travellers' Club vs Taste of Indonesia by TravelLocal

Day 1

Leave Los Angeles or New York for your overnight flight to Tahiti in French Polynesia, the island paradise in the South Pacific.

Day 2

After an early morning arrival in Papeete, take a short flight to the neighbor island of Moorea. Enjoy a half-day sightseeing tour of Moorea in the afternoon and experience the mythical "Bali Hai", made eternally famous by James Michener in his book, Tales of the South Pacific.

Day 3

A free day for you to relax on the beach or explore Moorea on your own.

Day 4

Your flight leaves Moorea early this morning, connecting in Papeete to your nonstop flight to Auckland. Crossing the International Date Line you will arrive in Auckland the next day.

Day 5

Kia Ora - welcome to New Zealand. Arrive in Auckland in the early morning. The cosmopolitan city center of Auckland is complemented by great escapes in the charming countryside within half an hour of downtown.

Day 6

A full day trip to some of New Zealand's prime attractions awaits you today - visit the glow worm caves of Waitomo and then on to Rotorua, the center of Maori culture in New Zealand, also famous for its geothermal activity. Sheep-shearing demonstrations a well as a visit to Rainbow Springs & Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve are all included.

Day 7

Enjoy a free day in Auckland - take an optional cruise to nearby Waiheke Island or play a round of golf perhaps!

Day 8

Leave Auckland this morning and fly across the Tasman Sea to Sydney - arguably the most beautiful city in the world! You might want to take an afternoon coffee cruise (included in your package) on Sydney's beautiful harbor.

Days 9 – 10:

A half-day tour covering the highlights of the city is included - visit the historical "Rocks", the spectacular area around the harbor including the Opera House, the famous Bondi beach as well as other landmarks of the city. The remainder of the time in Sydney is free for you to spend as you wish.

Day 11

Transfer to the airport for your short flight early afternoon to Melbourne. After arrival, transfer to your hotel; the afternoon is free.

Day 12

In the afternoon visit Warrook Farm, a working cattle ranch and enjoy the opportunity to feed kangaroos. At Philip Island visit the Koala Conservation Center, where a treetop boardwalk allows close-up views of the cute critters! Later, head to the beach to see the vast seal population on the island and at dusk, enjoy the famous parade when fairy penguins make their way from the sea to the to dune burrows on the beach. Return to Melbourne late this evening.

Day 13

A free day in Melbourne for you to enjoy cosmopolitan city - try one of the many restaurants or visit the Arts Center as well as the museum.

Day 14

Leaving Australia today, fly from Melbourne to Denpasar, Bali. Welcome to this lush green tropical island paradise, where the afternoon is free for you to relax and perhaps check out the beach.

Days 15 - 16

A half day's sight-seeing in Bali is included in the package: Visit Ubud - a town in the highlands of Bali, famous for its artists, as well as the neighboring villages of Celuk and Mas, famous for their sculptors and goldsmiths. The next day is free to relax, go shopping or enjoy an optional tour for more sightseeing.

Day 17

Leave Bali today and fly to Bangkok in Thailand this afternoon, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel after a late evening arrival.

Day 18

A half-day tour of the Grand Palace in Bangkok and the Emerald Buddha is included - marvel at the splendor of an ancient Siamese court with numerous palaces used for different Royal occasions. The remainder of the day is free to explore this fascinating Asian city on our own, take an optional tour or simply hunt down some of those fabulous bargains.

Day 19

The day is free in Bangkok for some last minute shopping or sight-seeing, before your late evening flight on to Athens.

Day 20

Arrive in Athens early this morning. Transfer to your hotel, the afternoon is free.

Days 21 - 22

Take in some of Athens' rich cultural heritage with a tour - the mighty Acropolis looking down on to the city, the Pantheon, the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Arch. The rest of the time is free - just watching the world go by from a sidewalk cafe or enjoying the Plaka come alive in the evening.

Day 23

Late this morning transfer to the airport in good time for your flight back to New York or Los Angeles

Day 1: Magelang

Accommodation: Rumah Dharma

Arrival Yogyakarta, transfer Magelang

Upon arrival in Yogyakarta you'll be picked up by a driver and driven to your hotel in Magelang. Estimated travel time - 1.5 - 2 hours.

Day 2: Magelang, Yogyakarta

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Dusun Jogja Village Inn

Borobudur sunrise by bicycle

Be up early today to witness the superb Borobudur with the sunrise. You will head to the foot of the hill by bicycle, then after a short hike of 15 minutes you arrive at the top and wait for the sun to rise. The atmosphere as the sun casts its golden glow over these ancient ruins is thrillingly mystical. Even though the sunrise might not always be perfect, the special mood of this historic site certainly makes up for it. The bike trip ends at your guesthouse where you can enjoy your breakfast.

Selogriyo walk

You drive to the village Selogriyo, the starting point of your walk. A visit to a hidden temple is your goal, but it is the journey to it what makes the hike so special. Surrounded by hills and slopes made of beautiful rice terraces you follow a path with breathtaking views. After arriving at the temple, a well-deserved picnic lunch with delicious Indonesian dishes will be set for you.

Transfer from Magelang to Yogyakarta

Leave the beautiful Borobodur temple complex and its surroundings behind and travel north towards Yogyakarta, one of Indonesia's most bustling and artistic cities. Travel time: Approx 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Notes: breakfast in bike trip, picnic lunch

Day 3: Yogyakarta

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Dusun Jogja Village Inn

Yogyakarta, culinary trip

In the afternoon you will explore culinary Yogyakarta on the back of a motorbike. You will visit some special food stalls and push carts and of course taste everything! This trip ends on the square in front of the kraton that gets more alive in the late afternoon.

The morning is free for you to spend (no car available).

Day 4: Yogyakarta

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation: Dusun Jogja Village Inn

Afternoon visiting Prambanan and other temples for a Ramayana Ballet performance

In the afternoon you will be driven to the Prambanan. Admire this marvellous architecture and the other fascinating temples that surround it, such as the Ratu Boko and Candi Plaosan. After a lovely dinner at a beautiful Javanese restaurant, you will enter the Prambanan complex to enjoy a Ramayana Ballet performance with the stunning temple as backdrop. The performance is based on an epic Hindu story, translated into Javanese music, dance and drama. Please note: Entrance fees for the temples are not included. It's usually only a small amount, but at the Prambanan Temple and Ratu Boku you pay a higher amount; 25 US$ per person. At the bigger temples you can also hire a guide for around Rp 100.000 per hour. Dinner beforehand is included (drinks however are at own expense). An open air performance is not held every evening. If there is no performance we will move you to the Purawisata Theatre in the centre of town where every night a performance is held in a semi open theatre.

The morning is free for you to spend (no car available).

Notes: Buffet dinner at Ramayana performance

Day 5: Solo

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Roemahkoe

Economy train from Yogyakarta to Solo

A fun & active day today! You take the train to Solo in the morning. It is not only faster by train than by car, you will also experience the local way of traveling in this ride of about 1 hour. For your comfort, you do not have to carry your luggage onto the train, this is taken by car and driver directly to your hotel in Solo.

Cooking class & city tour Solo

In the morning you will be picked up by the guide and some local women. Together you visit the market to do some shopping for the cooking class. The cooking class takes place within the walls of the craton and you cook with real descendants of the royal family. Of course you will learn traditional techniques, but what is special about this cooking class is that you will not only cook for yourself, but for all the neighborhood kids! You fold as a 'nasi Bungkus’ the lunch in a banana leafs and cardboard and share this with the children. After lunch you visit some of the sights in the city, taste the typical Solo pancake 'serabi' and optionally end your afternoon with a ‘Wayang Orang Sriwedari’ performance. Contrary to the Ramayana performance in Yogyakarta, this performance is held especially for the locals and not for the tourists. If you don’t have too much energy anymore after this intensive day, you can also just visit the dressing room of the dancers and leave the theater after a short attendance. It's quite common at a folk theater to leave before the end of the show! Note: The performance is not held every day: not on Sundays and public holidays and sometimes when the theater is used for other productions.

Notes: Lunch at local family

Day 6: Solo

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Roemahkoe

Countryside bicycle ride in Solo, and walk in Sukuh

In the early morning you will go on an exciting bicycle trip through the Solo countryside. You will stop regularly at small house industries and have a chat with the locals. The tour ends with a nice lunch at a local home. Afterwards you continue to the Sukuh area, towards Mount Lawu. Here you will visit the so-called erotic Sukuh Temple (named so for its themes of sexual education and fertility). Then go for a walk of about 1.5-2 hours. If there is still time, you can visit a further nearby park with a waterfall. Entrance to the waterfall is Rp 110.000 / 160.000 pp; entrance fees for temples are approx. Rp 25.000 pp. The driver then picks you up and drive you back to your hotel in Solo.

Notes: Lunch at local home

Day 7: Malang

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Tugu Malang

Solo to Malang by train with snackbox

In the morning your driver will take you to the train station in Solo. You will take the Malioboro Ekspress train in the morning, to arrive in Malang late afternoon (the current schedule is: 08:52-15:43 hrs). We have reserved first class tickets for you. Before the train journey you will receive a snack box filled with delicious specialties from Solo and surroundings. The train also has a restoration wagon where you can buy some Indonesian dishes. Upon arrival in Malang you will be picked up and driven to your hotel.

Day 8: Malang

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Tugu Malang

Sightseeing Malang by walks & public transport

You will be picked up by a guide in the morning and begin with a tour of Malang, sitting in bentors (motorbikes with front seats). It's a great way to see the beautiful colonial buildings and local markets in the city. You will also visit the old part of Malang, enjoy breakfast in a local place, then walk over a train rails to a local market. On the left and right side of the rails you can see the kitchens of the local people living there. After having visited the city center, you continue with the bentors to the suburbs, and see, among other things, how traditional cookies nd krupuk are made following ancient recipes. In a local restaurant you will enjoy a delicious lunch with traditional dishes. After lunch, you will be returned to your hotel.

Notes: Lunch at local restaurant

Day 9: Bromo

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Lava View Lodge

Transfer from Malang to Tumpang

The approach of the Bromo via Tumpang (northern side) is not often used, but it is perhaps one of the most scenic ways to reach the Bromo. From Malang it takes around one hour to reach the small town of Tumpang by car, where you will change to special jeeps: the back part has been left open and a railing makes it possible for you to stand in the back part relatively comfortable.

 Tumpang to Bromo by jeep with picnic lunch

In Tumpang you will change to special jeeps: the back part has been left open and a railing makes it possible for you to stand in the back part relatively comfortable. In this way you can really enjoy the beautiful scenery you are going to pass on the way to the Bromo. You will drive on a mountain rim with at the left and right site primary tropical forest. After half an hour you will stop and walk through forest to a well hidden waterfall. Continuing your tour it takes you another half hour to reach the village of Ngadas, the highest village in eastern Java. With clear weather views are amazing here, you will see agriculture fields against the mountain slopes, just like a mosaic. In the background the Semeru volcano is well visible. Around Ngadas a special lunch will be served: nasi tumpeng. Nasi Tumpeng consists of a cone of yellow rice with all kinds of side dishes. The cone symbolizes the sacred Semeru mountain, which can be seen from Ngadas (if weather permits). Nasi Tumpeng has been named one of Indonesia's national dishes. After Ngadas you reach the edge of the mother crater within 15 minutes. Here you will descend and drive through an amazing landscape. You can leave the car and walk through the so called padang rumput (fields of herbs) and laut pasir (sea of sand). Stop at base of the Bromo and have a look at its crater. Afterwards continue to the edge of the mother crater and drive up to the village of Cemoro Lawang. There is no guide joining you and the driver does not speak English, but he is very used to bring foreign guests without a guide. Your car driver will take your luggage and drives to Bromo via an alternative way (takes longer, so he will probably arrive later then you at the hotel, so make sure you separate luggage you need at your hotel, for instance a warm sweater). To enter Bromo you need to pay an entrance fee of around Rp 220.000 per person (Rp 320.000 during weekends and long holidays), you also need to pay for the use of a camera (photo camera / film camera Rp 50.000 / Rp 150.000). Take with you: rain clothes; walking shoes; warm sweater; long trousers. It can be cold standing in an open jeep.

Notes: Picnic lunch nasi tumpeng

Day 10: Banyuwangi

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Transfer Bromo - Kaliklatak

From Bromo you take the route along the north coast near Probolinggo and from there on eastwards to your next destination: Ijen. This trip will take around 7 hours. You arrive in the afternoon.

Kaliklatak, plantation tour

You will get a tour of the stretched plantation. A local guide will show you around the coffee plantation and the factory.

Notes: dinner at guesthouse

Day 11: Ijen, Banyuwangi

Accommodation: Local home Kemiren

Visit Ijen

Early morning departure by local jeep with a local guide, it will take a 1,5 hour drive to reach Paltuding from where you start your ascend (currently the entrance fee is around Rp 100.000-150.000 per persoon). A one and half hour to two hour climb will take you to the crater lake, on the way passing the sulphur carriers. Views are spectacular. The Ijen volcano is a very active volcano with a crater lake. Sulphur is forced to the surface and the bright yellow solidified sulphur rocks are taken daily by carriers to a certain point where the rocks are weighed and the carrier paid according to the amount of sulphur taken.

Visit traditional village Kemiren & overnight

You will drive to the local village of Kemiren. Kemiren is a small vilage, home to the Suku Osing that still live traditionally. You will learn about the customs of the Suku Osing, a culture that has been shaped by both Islam and Hinduism, and walk through the beautiful surroundings of the village. A traditional, tasty Suku Osing lunch will be served in a local home. After lunch you have more time to explore the surroundings and interact with the villagers. Dinner is served outside at the ricefields whilst traditional music is performed.

Day 12: Ubud

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation: Inata Bisma

Crossing Kemiren to Bali, transfer Ubud

After breakfast you will be driven to the harbour and cross to Bali by ferry in about 1 hour. Please note the time difference: Bali is one hour ahead of Java time. From the harbour of Gilimanuk in Bali it takes about 4 hours to reach the town of Ubud. The driver will say goodbye and return to Java.

Dinner at night market Gianyar

In the afternoon you are picked up and driven to Gianyar's night market, a very special and atmospheric market where you can find the most delicious Balinese dishes. It is a market that is much visited by the local population.

Notes: dinner at market

Day 13: Ubud

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Inata Bisma

Cooking class in East Bali

In the morning you will be picked up by car and driver. You will drive towards the village of Bakas, near Klungkung, where the cooking class will take place. Together with your guide you will visit a market to buy ingredients for the cooking class. Afterwards you are taken to a small village where you will be taught to cook some typical Balinese dishes and at the same time you can experience the local life of a Balinese in a typical compound. The lesson ends with a delicious lunch! Whilst enjoying some coffee, tea and snacks after the lunch you will learn how to prepare the Balinese offerings. The women of the house will finish your offerings for tomorrow which they will bring to their temple. In the afternoon you are driven back to Ubud.

Notes: Lunch at local home

Day 14: No Locations For This Day

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Transfer Ubud to Denpasar Airport

You will leave the temples and jungle-clad hiking routes of Ubud behind and travel back across Bali towards Denpasar airport. You will arrive at the airport with plenty of time for your onward connection. Estimated travel time: 1 hour and 30 minutes