Day 01: Arrive Medan

Welcome to Indonesia! Arrive in the northern city of Medan, where we are cordially welcomed and transferred to our hotel. Hotel check in starts at 2PM. Medan is well connected with flights from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali). The city is home to several ethnic groups, including Javanese, Batak, Chinese, Mandarin, Malay, Minangkabau, Karo and South Indian. Evening, we are introduced to Sumatra and this beautiful city, visiting the majestic 30-room Maimoon Palace, built in 1890. Then, we explore the Palace of Sultan Deli and the Grand Mosque of Medan, both known for their architecture and colours. Our day culminates with a delicious welcome dinner of local and regional specialties.

Overnight: Arya Duta Hotel (Deluxe Rooms), Medan (1 night) (D)

Day 02: Medan/Samosir Island (Drive)

After breakfast, we explore Medan further, seeing more sites and street scenes. Following a lunch consisting of typical Sumatran specialties, we take a scenic drive to Parapat Mountain and stunning Lake Toba. En route, we see the North Sumatran rubber, oil palm and cocoa plantations depicting the lifestyles of rural Sumatra. We meet with Indonesians from all over the country and different walks of life as we cross Lake Toba by ferry, reputed to be the largest volcanic lake in the world. Enjoy a 2-night stay at a beautiful resort.

Overnight: Samosir Villa Resort (Standard Rooms), Samosir Island (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 03: Samosir Island

Today, we spend time in Samosir Island with its traditional villages of Tomok (the place of the old tombs of the Sidabutar Kings). At Ambarita, we see stone chairs and tables where the fate and execution of enemies took place. At this time, during the era of the Sialagan kings, cannibalism was still being practiced. At the Simanindo Batak Museum, we will see a compact exhibition illuminating Batak tribal culture, with wood carvings and traditional costumes. Lunch at a local Samosir restaurant. (B, L, D)

Day 04: Samosir/Parapat/Berastagi (Drive)

After a short ferry ride to Parapat, we continue to Berastagi in the Karo Highlands. En route, we visit the historical village of Pematang Purba. Here, we can take in tribal houses of the Simalungun Batak chiefs that are now part of a museum. After touring the Palace of King Simalungun, we visit the Sipiso Piso waterfall, where we have a magnificent view of the falls. At Berastagi, we visit the traditional fruit market, truly a lively place. Time permitting, we will also view Gundaling Hills, known for its two active volcanoes. Hot lunch at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Hotel Sibayak (Superior Rooms), Berastagi (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 05: Berastagi/Medan (Drive)/Jakarta (Flight)

After breakfast, a leisurely drive to Medan, where we experience the Tjong File Mansion, former residence of a famous Chinese merchant. The architecture here is exceptionally interesting - a mixture of Victorian and Chinese with a notable collection of art works. We now bid farewell to Sumatra with a short flight to Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta.  We are transferred to our hotel for an overnight stay.

Overnight: Swiss Bell Bandara Bandara Hotel (Superior Rooms), Jakarta (1 night) (B)

Day 06: Jakarta/Pangkalan Bun (Flight)/Orangutan Sanctuary (Boat)

An early morning flight gets us to Pangkalan Bun, gateway to the world of the orangutans. We drive to the pier in Kumai from where we board our Klotoks - a traditional wooden river boat specially designed to help navigate along the streams of Tanjung Putin National Park. The park serves as an orangutan rehabilitation centre, where orphaned or formerly captive orangutans are trained to live in the wild. We view the daily hour-long feedings of the orangutans from the jungle platforms. The river cruise will be our first of many experiences in the rainforest watching birds and wildlife. Enjoying a delicious Indonesian lunch cooked onboard, we navigate the river while taking in the birds and wildlife. The two-hour boat cruise gets us to Tanjung Harapan, where we enjoy a short walk in the jungle to reach the feeding station. We will be looking out for close range views of orangutans in their natural habitat as we navigate up river to the Rimba Lodge for our two-night stay.

Overnight: Rimba Eco Lodge (Emerald Rooms), Pangkalan Bun (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 07: Pondok Tanguy and Camp Leakey (Boat)

Spend the day exploring nature at its best! We are in for more exciting sightings of orangutans as we take our boat to the feeding station at Pondok Tanguy. Here, orangutans are fed in the mornings. After a short jungle walk, we return to our boat and continue to explore the rainforest, enjoying another delicious lunch prepared by our boat crew. Arrive at the famous Camp Leakey, established in 1971 by orangutan researcher Biruté Galdikas. Trek through the jungles using an easy path directly to the feeding station located here. After an exciting day, we take our boat back to our lodge for the evening. (B, L, D)

Day 08: Pangkalan Bun/Semarang (Boat)/Yogyakarta (Flight)

After a three-hour boat cruise and drive appreciating the rural landscape, and a hot lunch at a Semarang restaurant, we take a flight to the historical city of Yogyakarta. Welcome in the traditional Javanese style. Evening is free. Located in the heart of Yogyakarta, The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta – an MGallery Collection, is luxury accommodation built in a colonial landmark from the early 1900’s. We will enjoy a comfortable three-night stay.

Overnight: The Phoenix Jogja (Superior Rooms), Yogyakarta (3 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 09: Borobudur Excursion

Our tour of this historical city starts with a visit to the Kraton, the Sultan’s Palace located in the city centre. The palace was the hub of the Mataram Islam kingdom and is now a center of Javanese arts and culture. We then head to the Borobudur Temple complex (visit currently limited to the outside walls). This famous Buddhist temple dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built in three tiers: a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms and, at the top, a monumental stupa. The walls and balustrades are decorated with fine low reliefs and around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of Buddha. After lunch, at a local restaurant we visit the 9th century Mendut Buddhist Temple. Evening, we are in for a treat of a delicious Yogyakarta dinner followed by an artistic theatre performance featuring a beautiful ballet of Ramayana. (B, L, D)

Note: Temples and King Palace are closed every Monday.

Day 10: Prambanan

Today, we visit the stunning Prambanan Temple Compounds, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consisting of 240 Hindu temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the Indonesian version of the Ramayana epic (please note that we can only visit the temple until its outer trench). We will also see  masterpieces of stone carvings dating back to the 8th century. Lunch at a local restaurant with the afternoon free to enjoy and explore Yogyakarta. Perhaps visit Malioboro, a well-known shopping promenade that sells all sorts of beautiful Indonesian batiks and carvings. Evening is an optional Wayang Kulit performance, the famous shadow puppet theatre of Java recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The stories are usually drawn from Hindu epics, like the Ramayana or Mahabharata. (B, L, D)

Day 11: Jogjakarta/Makassar (Flight)

Today, we fly to the island of Sulawesi. Upon arrival at Makassar, we embark on an exploration of the city. First, visit Paotere Harbour, which is usually full with Pinisi, the traditional Buginese sailing boats. Bustling with men carrying loads of cargo across narrow wooden planks that acts as bridges from the boats to the dock, the harbour is always a lively and fascinating place. We then see Fort Rotterdam, which was rebuilt by the Dutch on the ruins of an old fort in the 17th century.

Overnight: Hotel Aston, Makassar (1 night) (B)

Day 12: Makassar/Paolopo (Flight)/ Toraja (Drive)

A great adventure ahead as we take a 55-minute flight to Palopo, where our transport will be awaiting us to bring us to Torajaland. En route, we visit Londa, the famous cave tombs where Tao Tao dolls, made in the likeness of the deceased, are placed. Upon arrival in Tana Toraja, we check into our hotel. Tana Toraja offers a unique culture set in stunning scenery, with bright green rice terraces, tall limestone outcrops and bamboo graves set against a backdrop of blue misty mountains. Traditional Tongkonan houses stand proudly in this setting and, in many ways, globalisation and tourism have not impacted the way of life here. In fact, very little has changed in the last 100 years. Evening is free to visit the local bazaar and have personal encounters with the friendly Sulawesi people.

Overnight: Toraja Heritage Hotel, Toraja Land (3 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 13: South Toraja

After breakfast at our hotel, we take a day trip to South Toraja. Discover Lemo, where we will see a rock burial site that is approximately 40 meters high, and Suaya, where we see a royal tomb complex. We also explore Karuaya, an old traditional Tongkonan house that is still standing today. Our final stop is Kote, the unique resting place of babies and small children that pass away. Here, babies are buried in trees because it is believed that they will keep on growing with the tree. We will be back at our hotel early evening, with some free time to enjoy our unique surroundings. (B, L, D)

Day 14: North Toraja

After breakfast, we see make an excursion in the other direction to discover North Toraja. We first visit Pallawa, a village with beautiful scenery and equally fascinating traditional Tongkonan houses, which are decorated with buffalo horns. We then continue to Bori, the site of a collection of more than 100 huge megalithic stones into an ancient burial site. We also visit Batutumonga Village, a traditional cotton weaving village that is surrounded by beautiful highlands landscape. En route to Batutumonga, we will pass by small villages with beautiful Toraja houses and terraced rice fields. Our final stop is Lokomata village, known for its unique graves placed on rocky slopes. Upon return to our hotel, remainder of the day is free. (B, L, D)

Day 15: Toraja/Palopo (Drive) /Makassar/Bali (Flight)

Ending our Toraja experience, we drive to Palopo town, where we take our flight to Makassar and connect with our flight to Denpasar, the capital of Bali. We should reach Bali by mid-afternoon. Upon arrival, we are met at the airport and transferred to our hotel. Balance of the day is free. Enjoy this well-known island with its many attractions, activities and of course, beaches.

Overnight: Puri Santrian Hotel, Sanur (B)

Day 16: Depart Bali

Breakfast at the hotel. Afterwards, we check out and bid farewell to Indonesia's interesting and remote cultures as we are transferred to Denpasar Airport. For those wishing to extend their stay, kindly contact us. (B)

Optional Extension: Add-on an experience in famous Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park is the only place on Earth where we can see the world’s largest lizard, the komodo dragon. It also boasts jaw-dropping scenery and ocean waters packed with marine life, offering potential sightings of manta rays, turtles and more.

With direct flights from Bali to Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo National Park, it’s easy to add this region to your itinerary if you have an extra two or three days’ time. Take day trips into the park, or travel on a luxurious, multi-night boat trip to see the area’s highlights – see your options here!

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

Departure Dates & Prices

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Notes

Inclusions

Participants

This tour operates on a minimum of 02 and a maximum of 08 participants

Customised Itinerary

If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you.

Contact Info
You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call 1-604-264-7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1-800-663-0844.

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