Example Itinerary
Price is based on double or twin hotel room occupancy and includes accommodation, transfers, car/driver, English-speaking guide, activities and entrance fees, breakfasts and some casual lunches while touring. Flights and optional special activities will be quoted separately. Most personal expenses, including dinners, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities can be paid on the spot while traveling. Prices may vary depending on season, choice of accommodation and other factors.
This 10-day adventure brings you deep into Indonesian Borneo, the gorgeous natural habitat of colorful wildlife such as orangutans, hornbills and proboscis monkeys. When you’re not cruising through mangroves and rainforests, you'll be exploring some of the most prolific spiritual and historical sites in Yogyakarta, including ancient Hindu and Buddhist. You'll also enjoy downtime in the spectacular Karimunjawa Archipelago, where you'll have free time to dive local reefs and wrecks, and swim in the sparkling Java Sea.
This itinerary is an example. It’s designed to inspire you and provide you with thoughtfully curated ideas. You can choose to do this exact itinerary or completely personalize it. All trips are 100% bespoke.
You'll start your 10-day journey in Indonesia's frenetic capital, Jakarta. After being greeted at the airport, you'll be chauffeur-driven to your luxury hotel. Jakarta is a cosmopolitan city with plenty of great accommodation options. After check-in, enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure - shopping and fine dining are two popular activities in Jakarta.
Begin the day early with a gourmet breakfast at your luxury hotel before being transferred to the airport for your flight to the island of Borneo. You'll touch down in the riverside town of Pangkalan Bun, where you'll be greeted by your guide and transferred to Kumai, 20 minutes away. Here, you'll check into your live-aboard boat, where you can relax and enjoy lunch as you make your way along the river and begin your Borneo adventure en route to Tanjung Puting National Park stopping first at Tanjun Harapan, an orangutan rehabilitation center. After a short walk to the platforms, witness their feeding time. In the afternoon, explore the river observing its wildlife including proboscis monkeys with an optional night walk in the forest. Dinner and overnight on the boat.
One of the greatest experiences of any Borneo excursion is coming face to face with an orangutan. Today you'll do just that, meeting these gentle animals at Camp Leakey orangutan foundation located in Tanjung Puting Reserve. During your early breakfast, you’ll cruise slowly up the river, spotting wildlife in the forested riversides, and then turn from the muddy Sekonyer River into the narrow black water canal to access Camp Leakey. On arrival, you’ll walk along boardwalks into the forest to the wild orangutan feeding area, where orangutans can be observed making their way through the treetops to the echoing calls of the rangers. Continue walking through the forest to spot more orangutans in their natural habitat. Boarding the boat again, we resume our cruise downstream, animal and bird spotting along the way. The boat will tie up in the midst of the forest where you will enjoy dinner and overnight on board.
Today you'll leave your boat to make your flight to Semarang. As you cruise down the river you will stop at Pondok Tanggui, the rehabilitation center for new ex-captive orangutans. Take your final forest walk to observe these gentle animals in their natural setting. Enjoy lunch on the boat after which you’ll arrive in Kumai for transfer to Pangkalan Bun Airport. Upon arrival, you'll be met by a guide and escorted to your connecting flight to Karimun Jawa, 40 minutes away. In Karimun Jawa you'll board a speedboat and make the 45-minute trip to Kura Kura Resort on the idyllic island of Menjawakan. Kura Kura means "sea turtle" in Bahasa Indonesia, so-named after the turtles that used to lay their eggs in the sand nearby. After a period of absence, the turtles have returned and the resort has built a sanctuary for the babies where they can grow until they're old enough to be released into the sea. Enjoy a romantic dinner at Kura Kura, which serves up a variety of cuisines, including fresh seafood, authentic Indonesian and Mediterranean.
Preferred Hotel
Enjoy two days at your leisure at Kura Kura Resort, swimming in the beachfront pool, lazing on white sands, diving nearby reefs, and kayaking around the calm waters of the lagoon. The Karimunjawa Archipelago offers a wide selection of world-class diving sites, with wrecks, fringing reefs and barrier reefs within close range of Menjawakan Island.
Enjoy more beach time today, or some beach lounging under the tropical sun. Alternatively, you may choose to spend your time enjoying cocktails on your patio. Accommodation at Kura Kura Resort is stylish and luxurious, offering rooms equipped with all modern conveniences – many with their own private pool.
You'll depart Kura Kura Resort after breakfast today, taking the speedboat back to Karimun Jawa. From there, you'll fly to Semarang – a flight of just 40 minutes – where you'll be greeted by your guide and escorted to your hotel in Yogyakarta. The three-hour drive across Central Java provides beautiful scenery as you wind between the lush green hillsides of active volcanoes. Once at the Hotel Tentrem, rest and reshen up before going to see the Prambanan Hindu shrine. This intricately carved 9th-century structure bears stone reliefs that tell the story of Ramayana, an epic poem that acts as an allegory for ancient Hindu teachings. After seeing the Ramayana carvings in person, you'll be treated to a dance performance interpreting their meaning. Enjoy dinner as you watch the show in the garden restaurant of Purawisata. In the evening, head back to the Hotel Tentrem and enjoy some of their amenities, which include an art gallery, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and their Gahara Spa and Fitness Center.
Today you'll enjoy some sightseeing throughout Yogyakarta, starting with the Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat – the Sultan's palace, a living museum showcasing Javanese culture. Built between 1756 and 1790, the kraton's design replicates the Javanese-Hindu Kingdom, with each architectural feature representing a different mythical location. Next, you'll go to Taman Sari Complex – also known as the Water Castle – an 18th-century royal garden retreat with an artificial lake. Remarkable architectural features here include an underwater tunnel, sunken bathing pools and meditation chambers.
This morning, you will leave Yogyakarta for Borobudur, an approximate 75-minute drive. Today, you'll visit Borobudur's most famous landmark – the Borobudur Mahayana Buddhist Temple. This beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site was constructed in the 9th-century, and seeing the sunrise here is a profoundly spiritual experience. A private guide will walk you through the temple grounds, explaining the myths carved into its stone reliefs. Today, you'll also visit Mendut Temple in Candirejo Village, home to a large Buddha Sakyamuni statue.
Preferred Hotel
Enjoy a hearty breakfast at your hotel this morning before being transferred by private vehicle to the airport for your departing flight.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands - a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
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This was our second trip with Remote Lands... On Java, our guide was excellent and we loved being the only people at Borobudur after the monument closed to the public.
