The Java and Bali Tour
Discover the Wonders of These Indonesian Islands for Yourself
The Java and Bali Tour
12 days / 11 Nights
About this Tour
Please note that the tour described here concludes with 3 nights at Nusa Dua, which is a beautiful beach resort area in Bali.
Some travelers may prefer to spend more time in the artistic center of Ubud and increase the opportunities to tour cultural landmarks around Bali.
We can discuss that option and advise you according to your interests. You can also extend the length of your tour or include both options.
Tour Prices*
2-person private tour
$5,095per person
(2 people sharing 1 room)
4-person private tour
$4,195 per person
2 rooms (2 people per room)
6-person private small group tour
$3,895 per person
3 rooms (2 people per room)
8-person private small group tour
$3,695 per person
4 rooms (2 people per room)
* Please note that there is a $225 high-season surcharge for this tour. The high season is July and August. Also note that a single room supplement charged for all tours is $595. For example, if two people travel together but each person has his or her own room, the cost is an additional $595.
Included in the tour price:
- Meals as mentioned in the itinerary below
- English-speaking guide and private vehicle
- Assistance in getting a visa, but not the cost of a visa
- Entrance fees for all museums and tourist attractions
- Train tickets
- 2 In-Country Flights
Not included in the tour price:
- Tipping
- Extra beverages
- Mini Bar at hotels
- Personal services such as laundry, etc.
Java and Bali Tour: Day 1
Arrival in Jakarta
Upon your arrival at Jakarta International Airport and clearing customs, you will head over to the Anara Airport Hotel, which is right at the airport.
- Overnight at the Anara Airport Hotel
Java and Bali Tour: Day 2
Jakarta to Yogyakarta
Today will be a very full day, and you’ll need to get an early start. The day will begin with a short (45-minute) domestic flight to Yogyakarta, in Central Java, the cultural heart of Java.
The first site you will be visiting is Kraton, the former home of the Sultan of Yogyakarta, built in the mid-1700s. From Kraton, it is only a short distance to the batik market.
Yogyakarta is a center of batik production, and you can learn something about the process, including the difference between the more commercial ‘stamp’ batik and the more exclusive ‘tulis, or hand-drawn batik.
After some time at the batik market and perhaps some shopping there, it will be time to leave for the major experience of the day, a trip to the Prambanan Temple Complex.
Prambanan Temple is a Unesco World Heritage Site and is the second-largest Hindu temple in Southeast Asia (next to Angkor Wat). It dates back to the 9th century. Your Yogyakarta tour is structured in such a way that you are able to visit Prambanan and Borobudur on separate days.
The two famous sites are each around a 1-hour drive from Yogyakarta but in completely opposite directions. Seeing them all in one day would be a tourist overload.
Returning to town after visiting Prambanan, you will have time to rest up somewhat at your hotel, which is the beautiful Melia Purosani, an urban resort-style hotel with lush tropical gardens and a lagoon-style swimming pool.
Topping off this full day will be a full Indonesian buffet dinner followed by a performance of the traditional Ramayana Ballet.
- Overnight at the Melia Purosani Hotel
- Meals: Dinner
Java and Bali Tour: Day 3
Yogyakarta and Borobudur
After breakfast, drive to the west of Yogyakarta to visit what is perhaps the most famous single site of your tour, the World Heritage Site of Borobudur.
It is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and dates back to the 9th century.
You will be able to climb up through all nine levels of Borobudur if you decide to do so. After leaving Borobudur, there will be a tour of nearby Candirejo, a traditional Javanese village.
You can travel by bicycle or horse-drawn cart along small lanes lined with typical Javanese houses, stopping to see village activities.
- Overnight at the Melia Purosani Hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Java and Bali Tour: Day 4
Yogyakarta – Mojokerto – Mt.Bromo
After an early breakfast, transfer to the train station and board the morning train for Mojokerto. You will enjoy the volcanic landscape of East Java from your executive-class seat on the train. Upon arrival, you will be picked up at the station and driven to the Bromo area. You will be spending the night at the beautiful Jiwa Jawa Resort, over 6,500 feet above sea level on the slopes of Mt. Bromo.
- Overnight at the Jiwa Jawa Resort
- Meals: Breakfast
Java and Bali Tour: Day 5
Mt. Bromo – Surabaya – Bali
You will have to rise very early today if you want to view the sunset at one of the most spectacular volcanic landscapes in the world. Leaving your hotel in the early hours, you will travel by jeep and pony cart to the slopes of Mt. Bromo for, we hope, a great sunrise. The view from Penanjakan Hill is otherworldly.
Then it’s time to return to the hotel for breakfast and check out. The next step will be to drive to the Surabaya airport for a short flight to Bali.
You will be met at the Bali Airport (DPS), where your approach will be over the Indian Ocean, and drive inland for around 1 hour to the famous art center of Ubud. Upon arrival, you will check into the beautiful Komaneka Bisma Resort.
Dinner will be at your hotel. Dinners in Bali feature a wide array of tropical fruits and dishes, with terrific fresh seafood always available. You will even find very good Dutch-brewed local beer.
Breakfasts are usually served buffet-style and are excellent. With fresh tropical fruits and juices, made-to-order omelets, and wonderful Balinese coffee, breakfast can be a feast in itself.
- Overnight at the Komaneka Bisma Resort
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Java and Bali Tour: Day 6
Bali – Candi – Gunung Kawi
Today will be devoted to seeing some of the most interesting parts of the island of Bali. This will be a very full day with a lot to see. A string of 8,000-foot mountains and volcanoes (some of which are active) cut through Bali from east to west. The scenery is spectacular. The terraced rice fields, using every inch of available space and watered by bamboo pipes, are a particular favorite of ours.
But despite the small size of the island, there is an awful lot to see. And, as mentioned above, if there is a ceremony scheduled, we will make sure that you are able to be there to see it. After breakfast, the tour will begin with a visit to a beautiful traditional Balinese village, Penglipuran.
Our next stop is the 11th-century temple complex of Gunung Kawi, where 10 niched shrines are cut into the sheer face of a cliff. (‘Gunung’ means ‘mountain’ in the Indonesian language.)
We then drive to the Tirta Empul water temple. Tirta Empul is a Hindu-Balise water temple. The temple compound consists of a bathing structure, famous for its holy spring water, where Balinese Hindus go for ritual purification. The temple is very active, so you will be able to observe the worshippers as they perform their rituals.
Our next visit will be to the town of Kintamani, up in the mountains and situated inside the huge caldera of Lake Batur.
On your way down the mountain and back to Ubud, we will stop to see the Tegalalang Rice Terrace, a huge, lush rice terrace where you will be able to walk among the rice fields and get a close-up view of the ancient traditional Balinese system of irrigation (subak).
- Overnight at the Komaneka Bisma Resort
- Meals: Breakfast
Java and Bali Tour: Day 7
Bali Rafting Trip and Monkey Forest
When you return to Ubud, there should be enough time for you to make a visit to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, which is in Ubud not too far from your hotel. This temple is devoted to and essentially owned by monkeys. They are not in cages; they just wander around, trying to get food from the many tourists.
The monkeys are very tame. Don’t be surprised if they jump on your shoulder or even put their hands in your pockets, looking for food. You can buy food to feed the monkeys yourself. But be careful about keeping anything of value in your pockets. We once had some money stolen by a monkey, who refused to give it back.
After breakfast, we continue our tour of Bali, starting with a drive to the village of Bedugul, which is situated on a high mountain lake.
Bedugul is famous for being the home of the Ulun Danu Bratan Temple, one of the most famous and striking temples in Bali. It is located on the shores of Lake Bratan.
Next, there will be a visit to the Jatiluwih Rice Terrace, the oldest rice terrace in Bali and one that is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We end the day at Munduk Village, across the mountains on the north side of Bali. We will be spending the night there. Munduk is famous for its waterfalls and is in a more rural and less touristy part of the island. You will be spending the next two nights at the Munduk Moding Nature Resort. This is another one of the incredibly beautiful hotels that are included on your tour.
- Overnight at the Munduk Moding Nature Resort
- Meals: Breakfast
Java and Bali Tour: Day 8
Munduk Brantan – Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan Temple
After breakfast, it will be time to set out on a hike to see three nearby waterfalls. The hike is flat and fairly easy. You will be passing through some local villages as well as beautiful tropical landscapes. You will be rewarded with close-up views of three wonderful waterfalls.
Leaving the waterfalls, the next activity will be a walk through the thick tropical jungle to Tamblingan Lake. This is another lake built into the crater of an extinct volcano, and it is the site of Ulun Danu Tamblingan, a beautiful 10th-century temple. You will cross the lake in a dugout canoe.
At the end of this fairly active day, it will be time to return to your luxurious hotel for a nice dinner and relaxation.
- Overnight at the Munduk Moding Nature Resort
- Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Java and Bali Tour: Day 9
Munduk – Nusa Dua Beach
After breakfast today, you leave for Nusa Dua Beach, back on the south side of the island. On the way, there will be visits to three more fascinating places: two more temples and another monkey forest.
The first stop will be at the Sangeh Monkey Forest, a 35-acre forest with 17th-century Hindu temple ruins and loads of tame gray macaque monkeys.
After spending some time with the monkeys, you will next stop at Pura Taman Ayun, a compound of temples and gardens with water features. This 17th-century complex was built as a family temple of the Mengwi Empire and was accessible only to the royal family for many years.
The last stop of the day before reaching Nusa Dua is the Tanah Lot Temple, one of the most famous and beautiful on the island of Bali. Tanah Lot is a place of pilgrimage for the Balinese. You can stand above the cliffs and watch the waves crash below you.
Finally, it will be time to check into your new hotel, the luxurious Melia Bali Resort, where you will enjoy a premier garden-view room. The hotel is located in Nusa Dua, which is a fairly isolated and private luxury resort area. Nusa Dua became famous in 1986 as the area where Ronald Reagan stayed on his visit to Indonesia.
The Melia Bali Resort features five restaurants, a large lagoon swimming pool, and a landscaped tropical garden. It is located along the shores of Nusa Dua Beach. The hotel features complimentary resort activities ranging from canoeing, paddle surfing, bicycling, archery, and various daily kid activities.
- Overnight at the Melia Bali Resort
- Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Java and Bali Tour: Day 10
Exploring Nusa Dua Beach Resort
You have the whole day free to enjoy all the available activities at your resort hotel. You can also just relax on the beach or by the pool.
But if you feel that you need more sightseeing, it will be possible to arrange some excursions.
- Overnight at the Nusa Dua Beach Resort
- Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Java and Bali Tour: Day 11
Nusa Dua Beach Resort
Another day exploring the wonderful beaches and views found at the Nusa Dua Beach Resort.
- Overnight at the Nusa Dua Beach Resort
- Meals: Breakfast
Java and Bali Tour: Day 12
End of Tour & Departure
The tour ends after breakfast at the hotel. You will be transported back to the airport today for your return flight home.
If you have time you might be able to get in some quick gift shopping.
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