Highlights of Indonesia Tour

On arrival at Jakarta airport you'll be met by your guide and proceed on a brief city tour on the way to your hotel. See the National Museum, the old harbour at Sunda Kelapa and the National Monument (Monas) among many other sights before checking in at your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before departing for a four hour drive to Bandung, deep in the heart of West Java. Visit the city's famous Botanical garden with its collection of more than 10,000 species of tropical plants and catch a glimpse of the Presidential Summer Palace and tea plantation. End the day on a cultural high at the Saung Mang Udjo Theatre to attend a performance of traditional west Javanese angklung bamboo instruments.

Explore Bandung after breakfast, taking time to appreciate its distinct 1930's feel before heading to the Tangkuban Perahu Ciater Hot Springs, about an hour's drive north of the city. These warm, sulphorous springs are located in the midst of a verdant tea plantation and feature a number of pools in which you can relax and swim. Return to the city and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. If you want to see how Bandung comes to life in the evening, head for a stroll to Cihampelas Walk, a famous shopping area, which is extremely popular with the locals.

This morning head to the train station to catch the 07:00 train to Yogyakarta, arriving approximately 14:00. Check-in at the hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. You might like to explore the famous Malioboro Street where you can enjoy the hustle and bustle as you trawl through myriad of outlets and maybe find some souvenirs. At night, this street is famed for lesehan resto, where a lot of local artists will come to you and perform their music.

After breakfast at the hotel, visit Yogyakarta Sultan's Palace, built in the 18th Century in grand Javanese architectural style. Afterwards, continue to the famous Taman Sari Water Castle, which also dates from the mid-18th Century, and then on to the historic district of Kotagede. This picturesque area was the seat of the once mighty Mataram Kingdom. Nowadays it is famous for being the centre of a thriving silversmiths industry and its charming Javanese-Dutch colonial homes. You will have the opportunity to explore and make some purchases at the silver gallery if you wish.
Just under an hour's drive north-west of Yogyakarta, you will find the vast and brilliant Borobudur, a Buddhist temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site standing majestically and serenely on a small hill overlooking lush green fields and distant hills. Return to Yogyakarta in the evening with the rest of the evening at leisure.

After breakfast drive to Solo. Arguably the epicentre of Javanese identity and tradition, Solo is one of the least westernised cities in the island. On arrivial in Solo, visit the Mangkunegaran Palace, a classical repository of Javanese art and culture. Proceed to the Sukuh Temple, which is decorated with stone carvings of Hindu origin. Afterwards, continue to the city of Kediri in the Brantas valley.

After breakfast continue your journey through Java's multicultural past. The day's first stop is at the Hindu temples of Panataran, which are the largest intact Majapahit Empire era temples and also the finest example of east Javanese architecture and sculpture. Construction began in 1197, during the Singosari dynasty, with building work continuing for another 250 years. Some 30 km directly north of Panataran is Gunung Kelud, which is one of Java's most active volcanoes. It is also very accessible and rewarding to visit, with a plunging crater, steaming vents and a small crater lake.

Proceed to Bromo, perhaps Java's most famous region. Here you will encounter a lunar-like landscape of epic proportions and surreal beauty. Rising from the guts of the ancient Tengger caldera, Gungung Bromo (2,392 metres) is one of three volcanoes to have emerged from a vast crater, stretching 10 km across. Flanked by the peaks or Kursi (2,581 metres) and Batok (2,440 metres), the smouldering cone of Bromo stands in a sea of ashen, volcanic sand, surrounded by towering cliffs of the crater's edge. Afterwards continue to your hotel.

Mount Bromo really is something else and there is no better way to appreciate it than at the break of dawn. It's not the mountain itself but the sheer majesty of the experience; the immense size of entire Tengger caldera, the supernatural beauty of the scenery and the dramatic highland light. Leave the hotel very early in the morning to catch an excursion to Mount Bromo so you can experience the dramatic moment when the sun rises and breaks over the caldera. This trip is reminiscent of an Indiana Jones adventure as it involves a pony ride crossing a sea of sand to reach the base of Mount Bromo. After the magnificent sunrise (weather permitting), return to the hotel for breakfast before driving to Ijen in the far east of Java.

This morning also starts with an early rise to witness a spectacular sunrise over a caldera. The fabled Ijen plateau is a vast volcanic region dominated by the three cones of Ijen, Merapi and Raung. After driving through a landscape of rice paddies and pine forests, reach Paltuding a beautiful wooded alpine area. These thinly populated highlands host coffee plantations and a few isolated settlements - Gunung Ijen is Javanese for 'Lonely mountain'.

Once you have reached the edge of Ijen crater after about 90 minutes walking on a good pathway, you can rest while admiring the fantastic of the caldera, the magnificent jade coloured lake, and the deep yellow of the continuously spouting sulphur springs. Return to the hotel to enjoy your breakfast before heading to Katapang port to catch the ferry to cross the Bali Strait to Gilimanuk with drop off at your selected accommodation in Bali included.