All the beauty of Java, the island with a thousand faces (21-day version)

Welcome by your English-speaking guide at Jakarta's international airport and transfer to the seaside, at the far western tip of Java.

In the early evening, you will be welcomed by a family of fishermen, who will invite you to taste crabs, shrimp and other grilled fish… a real delight!

You will then spend the night in a simple but very lively hotel (Indonesians come to spend the weekend there and contact is easy and cheerful)!

From the hotel, it is sometimes possible to hear the distant rumble of an explosion from Krakatoa volcano.

Mid-morning, you head towards the village port, where you board a speed-boat that takes you towards the mythical shores of A Short History of the Krakatoa Volcano… and Its Son!.

You tour around the island while maintaining a safe distance, depending on volcanic conditions (since the paroxysmal eruption in late December 2018, the volcano « Anak Krakatau » - as it is called by Indonesians - has been in an unstable phase where eruptions are random at present).

Bivouac at the foot of the volcano or on one of the neighboring islands.

The morning is dedicated to exploring Krakatoa volcano and its surroundings.

Depending on its activity, you will climb up the sides of the old cone to observe the new one, born in 2021 and regularly erupting. Swimming in the sea is possible.

Early in the afternoon, transfer by speed-boat to Ujung Kulon National Park, and more particularly to Peucang Island, located off the northwest coast of the national park, where the water is crystal clear and the sand is white.
Here, underwater life is thriving, but you will also be accompanied by grey monkeys, deer, wild boars and many bird species. In late afternoon, you will take a lovely hike to Cidaon, where you can observe wild bulls and some Java peacocks in particular.

After dinner, night-time hike to track the surrounding wildlife.

Early in the morning, you head towards the Cigenter River, which you explore by canoe, through thick tropical jungle. This will be an opportunity to track and observe local wildlife: the riverbanks are lined with footprints of banteng and Javan rhinoceros, for example. The tree canopy shelters many hornbills; it is also not uncommon to spot pythons clinging to tree branches, as well as monitor lizards rushing towards the banks.

Early in the afternoon, transfer to Handeleum Island. You then explore the surrounding jungle, as well as marine life. You also make a stop on the island of Badul, uninhabited and renowned for its white sand beaches.

Return to Carita in the late afternoon.

Early departure to the hills of the Malabar region, renowned for its tea plantations. Once settled in a room near the former Dutch planter's house, you will have complete freedom to explore on foot the vast green expanse surrounding you.

You will also pass by the tomb of Karel Albert Rudolf Boscha, the founder and patron of the surrounding tea plantations.

Early in the morning, you take advantage of the cool altitude to enjoy a lovely walk through the tea plantations and visit the processing plant where you will learn a lot about tea uses.

Late morning, return to Bandung, where you board a train heading to Semarang.

Early in the morning, transfer to the port and boarding on a "speed-ferry" that takes you to the paradise represented by the Karimunjawa archipelago (2 hours travel).

The rest of the day is free.

Free morning until the transfer to Karimunjawa port, where you board the "speed-ferry" back to Jepara (2 hours).

Transfer by private vehicle to Yogyakarta, the cultural capital of Java.

Early in the morning, transfer to the banks of the Kulon Progo river, where you will enjoy a pleasant countryside walk in a small Javanese village, from which you will discover the surrounding nature by bike (Dutch style). You will indeed discover the Javanese countryside at a leisurely pace, and you will make several stops in the surrounding villages, where you will have the opportunity to observe local artisanal work. Mid-afternoon, transfer to the Borobudur temple.

Return to the hotel in the early evening.

Bike ride: 2 hours

Then we embark on a walk towards the village of Tawangmangu, on the flanks of Lawu volcano. This walk is an opportunity to discover certain plant species present in this region but also to admire superb panoramas of the pine forest and the surrounding high altitude plantations. We will end our walk by crossing Tawangmangu park.
Our first steps in the park take us towards a superb waterfall (Grojogan Sewu) in the middle of a tropical forest inhabited by a large community of monkeys.

4 hours of walking –
Positive elevation gain: 400m
Negative elevation gain: 300m

In the afternoon, transfer to Tumpang, around Malang, at the western foot of the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru massif.

Early morning departure to the Lumajang region, bypassing the southern slopes of the majestic Semeru volcano. We then reach the "Tumpak Sewu" waterfall (in Javanese).
Descending into the gorge (via a slippery and sometimes steep path), we will indeed feel the force of these hundreds of streams that rush down "plunging" more than 100m. Viewed from above, the beauty of this waterfall seems moreover ephemeral as the fine mist soaks everything in its path. It is no wonder in any case that a photo of Tumpak Sewu with Mt Semeru in the background was awarded as "best aerial shot" in 2019. And, if you also bring your camera equipment, remember to protect it against moisture.

Return to Tumpang late afternoon.

In the early morning, 4x4s take us to the Tengger region, where the famous Mt Bromo (2329 m) billows its plumes, and the caldera surrounding it forms a gigantic sea of sand. During this journey, we cross the stunning forest of the Tengger-Bromo-Semeru National Park, also skirting part of the ridge of the Bromo volcano caldera, before descending towards the sea of sand to reach the village of Cemorolawang (located on one of the opposite ridges). Mt Bromo is the most venerated by the Hindu Tengger people who live in the region. We climb the Bromo volcano in the afternoon. We can thus admire its crater resembling a smoking cauldron. It is then easy to understand why the Javanese once considered this place as the entrance to purgatory.

Then we head to the summit of the Mont pananjakan (penanjakan)

(2,775m) to witness a fabulous spectacle. We witness the sunset in a lunar landscape, with an unobstructed view of Mt Bromo, its sea of sand, and the Semeru volcano, both releasing thick fumaroles. Unique!

Return to the hotel in the early evening.

Transfer to East Java, and more specifically to the village of Kalibaru, located in the midst of various plantations, which were once exploited by Dutch colonizers.

In the afternoon, you start a pleasant hike in the surrounding area.

Early morning departure by 4x4 towards the Meru Betiri National Park.

After approximately 5 hours of driving, sometimes chaotic but through magnificent rubber, cacao and coconut plantations, we arrive in the small village of Sukamade.

In the afternoon, first discovery hike of the surroundings, and we head, in the evening, towards Sukamade beach, where we witness a fabulous spectacle: the nesting of sea turtles.

Short morning hike to "Cap Vert", a superb white sand beach bordered by crystal-clear waters.

Swimming opportunity. Then drive to Licin, on the outskirts of Kawah Ijen.

Early in the morning, you head back by 4x4 towards the slopes of Kawah Ijen (the "green crater" in old Javanese), which you climb easily in the company of men who extract sulphur daily on the edge of the world's largest acid lake. These true "laborers" carry nearly 80 kg of ore on their backs over approximately 15 km to the processing plant! You then witness the weighing and various work contracts. A very striking and gripping image of your journey.

Late morning, transfer to Ketapang port or Banyuwangi airport.

End of services.