Epic Adventure Through Indonesia – 16 Days

Set out at first light for Borobudur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built more than a thousand years ago. As you climb its terraces, carved relief panels tell the story of the Buddha’s teachings, rising to 72 bell-shaped stupas, each sheltering a seated Buddha, with views over palm forests and volcanoes.

After lunch, a horse-drawn cart carries you to Candirejo, a peaceful village where life follows the rhythm of the rice harvest. Meet the villagers, see their crafts and try your hand at the gamelan, the shimmering bronze orchestra of Java.

Begin at the Kraton, the Sultan’s Palace, a complex of pavilions and courtyards where the royal family still lives. Nearby, the Taman Sari water castle reveals the pools and gardens where the sultans once relaxed and meditated. Then browse Beringharjo Market, a busy maze of batik, spices and crafts.

After lunch, explore Prambanan, a UNESCO-listed Hindu temple complex dedicated to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, whose slender spires are covered in carvings from the Ramayana epic.

Cycle along quiet lanes through the villages around Yogyakarta, waving to farmers in the fields. At a local fish farm, meet the families who run it and join them in trying traditional fishing methods.

Cool off in fresh spring water and let the tiny fish nibble your feet in a natural fish spa, then sit down to a generous lunch of local dishes.

Fly from Yogyakarta to Makassar, once known as Ujung Pandang, on the island of Sulawesi, where your guide meets you on arrival.

Drive to Rammang Rammang, one of the largest karst landscapes in the world, where jagged limestone towers rise from rice fields and mangroves. Glide along the river by small boat, then walk through a village surrounded by stone pinnacles.

Continue to Sengkang for dinner and the night.

Board a long-tail boat on Lake Tempe and cruise out to its floating village, where a close-knit community lives in stilt houses on the water and fishes much as their grandparents did. Join a local family for tea and pisang goreng, crisp fried banana.

Drive north into the mountains of Tana Toraja.

Spend your first night in a Tongkonan, a traditional Torajan house with a great sweeping roof shaped like the bow of a boat.

Meet the tau-tau, wooden effigies of the dead that gaze out from balconies carved into the cliffs, and visit royal burial caves and hanging graves set high in the rock.

Arrive in a traditional village near Rantepao and check in to a Torajan house.

Enjoy the warmth of local hospitality over a home-cooked Torajan dinner.

After a homemade breakfast, set off for Pana and its ancient graves, hidden among the trees.

Lunch is served out in the countryside.

Trek through green groves of bamboo and cacao to the mountain village of Salu.

Your Tongkonan house looks out over the rice paddies, a beautiful setting for a freshly prepared dinner.

Visit the traditional villages of Lempo Parinding, Panawa and Tinimbayo, with their rows of carved Tongkonan and rice barns, and the megalithic site at Bori, where tall standing stones honour the noble dead.

Lunch comes with views across the rice paddies.

Return to Rantepao for the night.

Fly to Denpasar, where your guide meets you for the drive to Ubud.

Settle in to Ubud, a town of artists, rice terraces and temples, and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

In Batubulan, watch the Barong and Keris dance, a dramatic tale of the eternal battle between good and evil. Continue to the silversmiths of Celuk and the wood carvers of Mas, villages where crafts have been handed down for generations.

Stop for lunch at a local restaurant.

End at the ARMA Museum, with a collection that ranges from classical Balinese paintings to works by the foreign artists inspired by the island.

In Kemenuh village, join a local family for a cooking class, learning to make dishes such as sate lilit, sate tusuk, lawar, pepesan tum and gerangasem, before sitting down to eat what you have made.

Take part in a Melukat ceremony, a sacred Balinese water purification meant to wash away the old and welcome the new. If you are curious, an “open chakra” session and palm reading offer a deeper look at Balinese spiritual life.

End the day with dinner in a local home.

Leave Ubud for the drive to Jimbaran, a curve of golden sand on Bali’s southern coast.

Settle in and enjoy the beach, with restaurants, bars and plenty to do close at hand when you feel like it.

Enjoy the morning at your own pace.

Drive to Pura Luhur Uluwatu, a sacred temple perched on the edge of a sheer cliff high above the Indian Ocean, with sweeping views along the coast.

As the sun goes down, watch the Kecak dance, where a circle of chanting men tells a story from the Ramayana against a sky turning gold and red.

Lounge by the pool or on the beach and let the day unfold as you please. If the mood strikes, wander out to discover more of Jimbaran, from its fish market to the seafood grills that line the sand at sunset.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and a last look at the sea.

At the agreed time, your driver takes you to Ngurah Rai International Airport for your flight home.