Bali

Depart for your flight to Pangkalanbun (approximately 30 minutes). Upon arrival at the Pangkalanbun Airport you will be greeted by your local guide and transferred to the Kumai port to board a local Klotok boat for a scenic boat journey along the Kumai and Sekonyer River. Start your navigation first on the wide Kumai River and after 30 minutes enter the smaller Sekonyer River that marks the boarder of the Tanjung Puting National Park. The lush vegetation along the river bank first consists of Nipa palm (a palm tree only found near estuaries as they grow in salty water), slowly giving way to Pandans trees.

After 2 hours of navigation you’ll reach the Rimba Lodge, an eco-lodge located on the edge of Tanjung Puting National Park and only accessible by boat. This area is notable for its ecologically and biologically diverse areas with mangrove swamps, rainforest, and dense jungles filled with primates, leopards, lizards, and more than 250 bird species. Check in at the lodge. The rest of the evening at leisure. Dinner is served at the lodge restaurant. Overnight at Rimba Lodge.

 

• Accommodations: Rimba Lodge 
• Meals Included: B,L,D

After breakfast at Rimba lodge, board the Klotok boat and begin your navigation upstream the Seikonyer River. After an hours journey, the boat will turn off the main Seikonyer river and enter a small narrow branch of the river. Along the way your guide will point out the various birds that live in the jungles around the river such as kingfishers, broadbill, and hornbills.

Continue the journey for about 2 hours to reach Camp Leakey, the most famous place for orangutan research in the world. Over the years as many as 200 orangutans were gradually reintroduced to the wild since the camp was founded in 1971. Today the camp operates mainly as a feeding platform; with orangutans being fed and medically monitored by the local rangers. Over the past few years the overall population of Orangutans have reached a sustainable number; between 5000 to 6000 individuals spread across the 4,000 square kilometer area of the park. Most of the orangutans in the park are born in the wild and the ones that do come to the feeding sites are generally mothers with young offspring and animals that have been recently released.

Lunch is served on board before arriving at Camp Leakey. Disembark at Camp Leakey for a 30 minute walk along a wooden pontoon, then follow a jungle path with a chance to observe more wild animals on the way: gibbons, long tail macaques as well as wild pigs. The Orangutan feeding at Camp Leakey takes place daily in the afternoon when rangers bring bananas or other fruits to a wooden platform inside the jungle. Watching the Orangutans emerge from the jungle as they swing branch to branch is an unforgettable experience! You will be near the platform, supervised by the rangers as the Orangutans can come from anywhere around you! Return to the boat in the late afternoon and start your navigation back to Rimba Lodge. At this time of the day many proboscis monkeys, an endemic species of Kalimantan and easily recognizable by their long red nose, come close to the river banks to spend the night in large groups. You will also have a good chance to watch wild Orangutans coming down to the riverside to pick up the fruit of the pandan trees, one of their favorite foods.

 

Dinner is served at the lodge. (B,L,D)

• Accommodations: Rimba Lodge
• Meals Included: B,L,D

After breakfast, travel upstream for about an hour to reach Pondok Tanguy, the second feeding center of orangutans. The platform is located down a half mile walk on a wooden pontoon then past a sandy path surrounded by ferns and lush vegetation.

After feeding time, return to the boat and travel downstream to Pasalat Rainforest Station where several institutions and NGO are working on conservation efforts with a strong focus on reforestation, in order to preserve the natural habitat of the Orangutans. You will get an opportunity to plant trees during your time at Pasalat Rainforest station.

Return to your Klotok for a trip down to Tanjung Harapan Camp, where you will visit the third and most remote of the Orangutan feeding platforms.

Afterwards, take a short crossing to Harapan village, one of the only settlements along the river. Have a walk through the village and visit with the Malayan families and observe their daily activities. Return to Rimba Lodge, just over the river from the village. Dinner at the lodge.

• Accommodations: Rimba Lodge
• Meals Included: B,L,D

After breakfast at the lodge, return by boat to Kumai and transfer by private vehicle to the Pangkalanbun Airport for your flight to Surabaya. Transfer to a flight to Denpasar, Bali. The main tour starts today.

• Meals included: B

After breakfast, head for the Sultan’s Palace. Situated in the heart of the city, the building still holds its function as a royal palace. Learn about Javanese palace architecture and pass by the market, shops, batik, silver studios, and mosques serving the area’s residents and preserving Java’s cultural heritage.

From here, continue to the Sonobudoyo Museum; the region’s most comprehensive exhibit of Javanese art. See its vast collection, including wayang kulit (shadow puppets), topeng (Javanese masks), kris (religious knives), and batik.

After lunch at a local restaurant, travel to Kota Gede, a handicraft district of Yogyakarta with fascinating architecture and great bargains for anyone looking for high-quality goods. Stroll the narrow alleyways and dip into the silversmith shops, reminiscent of the lively silver industry established in the 1930s.

After dinner, finish your day at the famous shopping street of Malioboro where you can test your bargaining skills on handicrafts, Batik clothing, and Javanese snacks. (B,L,D)

• Accommodations: Eastpark Hotel
• Meals Included: B,L,D

Start your day with a community batik workshop to create your own batik designs. During the two hour class you’ll see how batik is created from designing a meaningful pattern, to carefully adding hot wax to the fabric, and receiving the final product. You will also learn about the history and symbolism behind the batik technique.

Lunch is at a local restaurant. In the mid-afternoon, head to Prambanan Temple. These huge ancient Hindu temples were built in the 9th century and the three main inner shrines are dedicated to the Hindu trinity: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Prambanan became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. Your guide will explain the history and symbolism of the temples as you walk around.

After the visit, continue to a nearby local restaurant where you will enjoy an early dinner followed by a traditional performance of the Hindu epic tale Ramayana. The play takes place at an opened theatre with the illuminated temples of Prambanan as a background.

• Accommodations: Eastpark Hotel 
• Meals Included: B,L,D

Wake up in the early hours of the morning to reach Borobudur Temple for sunrise. This is the most mystical time to see the temple as the sun rises over the structure in the tranquil morning air with very fewer tourists at the temple. Built around 800 A.D., this colossal Buddhist relic is one of Indonesia’s marvels and is considered the largest Buddhist temple in the world. After the decline of Buddhism and the shift of power to East Java, the monument was abandoned soon after its completion. For centuries the complex lay forgotten, buried under layers of volcanic ash.

Lunch is on the way back from Borobudur Temple. This afternoon is free for shopping, sightseeing or relaxation at the hotel.

• Accommodations: Eastpark Hotel
• Meals Included: B,L

After breakfast at the lodge, return by boat to Kumai and transfer by private vehicle to the Pangkalanbun Airport for your flight to Surabaya. Transfer to a flight to Denpasar, Bali. The main tour starts today.

• Meals Included: B

The beautiful Phinisi schooner Plataran Felicia awaits at the private jetty near Labuan Bajo. Your journey starts as you sail over the blue ocean to Rinca Island (approximately 3 hours), part of the Komodo National Park with its famous inhabitants – the Komodo Dragons. The trek starts at the ranger station near the jetty in a small lagoon, and is guided by experienced rangers. The trek will lead to the unique lizards, who relax hidden among the large trees or under the local people’s stilt-houses.

Afterwards, enjoy a session of snorkeling and some relaxation at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pink Beach (Pantai Merah). The beach gets its color from small red coral fragments that mix with the white sand.

After snorkeling, the cruise continues to Kalong Island where the Plataran Felicia will be mooring for the night. Kalong Island is known for its mangrove forest and the “house of thousand bats”. After sunset, witness thousands of bats fly overhead out of the mangroves.

 

• Accommodations: Aboard Plantaran Felicia 
• Meal included: B,L,D

Early in the morning the boat will set-off to Komodo Island. After breakfast, another trek awaits on Komodo Island, offering a different landscape and features from Rinca Island. Besides the dragons, other animals can frequently be observed in Komodo, such as deer, wild boar and various birds. A local ranger will lead you through this nature reserve.

Take a tour of a village nestled in Komodo National Park. Get a glimpse of life in this remarkable setting and learn how the community manages to live among the dragons.

In the afternoon proceed to Manta Point. Manta Point (Karang Makassar) is a spot where manta rays can often be encountered (Although manta rays spotting isn’t guaranteed, Manta Point offers excellent snorkeling as well!). These huge marine creatures can grow up to 4 meters in width and are extremely friendly to swim with. They are endangered, and efforts are made to protect them from illegal fishing practices. Turtles, eagle rays, giant trevallies, huge clams, various kind of sponges, and cuttlefish are frequently seen on the reef.

Back on board enjoy a drink for sunset. Dinner is served on board as you slowly sail to Siaba for an overnight stay.

• Accomodation: Aboard Plantaran Felicia 
• Meals included: B,L,D

After breakfast, enjoy snorkeling at Kanawa Island, a beautiful small island with amazing corals. Afterward the Plataran Felicia will bring you to another beautiful snorkeling spot at Sabolon Island. Sabolon is one of the best snorkeling areas in Indonesia. The islands itself is uninhabited (except for goats!) and is only accessible by a small beach wreathed by a spectacular underwater reef.

Continue sailing to Labuan Bajo and disembark around noon. Transfer to the hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner is at the hotel. (B,L)

• Accommodations: Bintang Flores
• Meals included: B,L

After breakfast at the lodge, return by boat to Kumai and transfer by private vehicle to the Pangkalanbun Airport for your flight to Surabaya. Transfer to a flight to Denpasar, Bali.

• Meal included: B