Arrival Yogyakarta – Yogyakarta                                                                                [-]

Guests will be warmly welcomed upon their arrival at Yogyakarta’s International Airport our own Asian Trails’ representative before guided to their air-conditioned vehicle. Assuring that your transfer to your awaiting, cooled down vehicle will be swift, we arrange express immigration (when needed) all the way to the luggage carrousel.

Directly upon arrival, we head over to one of Java’s main landmarks, the Prambanan Temple, a ninth-century UNESCO World Heritage Site and is seen as the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia. The complex comprises three key temples: Candi Shiva Mahadeva, Candi Brahma and Candi Vishnu, all of which are dedicated to respected Hindu gods. The compound covers almost 40 hectares, and despite centuries of neglect, all eight major temples and shrines have been restored, although there are also 224 perwara temples to explore which are in various states of repair. Tourists are encouraged to dedicate plenty of time to admire the beautiful carvings and sculptures of the temples, which depict the Ramayana story. No lunch included.

After this extensive visit, your guide and driver for the day bring you to your overnight address in downtown Yogyakarta. No dinner is included on this day (on own arrangement)

Overnight at your booked accommodation in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta                                                                                                                           [B]

An early wake-up call (around 4 am) welcomes the start of a new day and the perfect time to discover what lies beyond the city borders of Yogyakarta, together with your guide when the sun rises in the East. We drive straight to the Borobudur. A truly magical way to start the day is to see the world’s biggest Buddhist monument, Borobudur Temple, as the sun comes up. Using a torch to climb up to the top of the complex in the dark, tourists can see the sunrise with views of Mount Merapi in the distance. The morning is the quietest and coolest time to visit. It is an otherworldly experience and well worth the early start. Depending on the weather conditions, the contours of the ‘Mountain of Fire’, Mount Merapi, are visible.

Breakfast near the Borobudur is included.

Our morning drive brings you towards Candirejo to watch the equally impressive Pawon and Mendut temple. The Pawon Temple is located between two other temples: Borobudur and Mendut. All three temples were built in the Sailendra dynasty, in the eighth to ninth centuries. Carvings on the walls of Pawon Temple suggest that it was built slightly earlier than Borobudur Temple, the world’s biggest Buddhist monument. Nearby, to compliment the main temples surrounding Yogyakarta, the Mendut marks the end of the morning.

A ninth-century Buddhist temple, the Mendut is situated approximately three kilometres east from Borobudur. Mendut, Borobudur and Pawon, all of which are Buddhist temples, are located in a straight line. It features a prayer hall, a well-manicured garden and many statues of Buddhas. There are several pools and courtyards where visitors can reflect and meditate, which is a common activity here as the temple is known for its strong energy.

To add to the experience, using an Andong (horse-drawn carriage) for the duration of 1.5 hours guides you leisurely through the Javanese landscape with ample moments to fully enjoy the morning.

No lunch included.

Together with your guide and drive, you head back to Yogyakarta, where the rest of the day is at leisure. A hub for fine arts and culture, Yogyakarta is a thriving destination in its own right and also a main gateway to Central Java. Featuring many open-air concert venues for the celebration of music, ballet, drama, poetry, the cultural activities here are plentiful and the city also offers UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the palace where the current reigning Sultan of Yogyakarta and his family live. No dinner is included on this day (on own arrangement)

Overnight at your booked accommodation in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta                                                                                                                        [B, D]

Breakfast is included at your hotel in Yogyakarta

After exploring the unmissable surroundings that lie beyond Yogyakarta, today’s explorations move into the very heart of Java’s largest city. We commence in the morning with a visit to the Sultan Palace (or Keraton). The royal palace, known as the Keraton Yogyakarta, was originally built in 1755 for the first Sultan of Yogyakarta, Hamengkubuwono I, and remains to this day as the residence of the royal family. The kraton, or palace, features a mixture of Indonesian and colonial architecture, spanning a series of courtyards, halls and pavilions, with the main attraction being the intricately-decorated Golden Pavilion reception hall. Guests can explore a museum dedicated to royal artefacts and also enjoy performances of gamelan, wayang puppetry, macapat poetry recitals or Javanese dance, depending on the day of the visit.

Nearby, the grandeur of the Taman Sari cannot be skipped when in Yogya. This former royal gardens and UNESCO World Heritage Site is located two kilometres south of Yogyakarta’s royal palace, or kraton. The name roughly translates into English as ‘beautiful flower garden’ which aptly describes its nature. Built in the mid-18th century, the site is also known as the Water Castle due to its series of water gardens, artificial lakes and swimming pools, which help to comprise the total of 59 buildings in the complex.

No lunch is included (own arrangement)

In the afternoon, the Kota Gede is on the programme, and this region is explored aboard at a Becak or by bicycle. During this culturally thrilling afternoon, you will discover some of Java’s finest artisan craftsmanship in Kota Gede, the historic suburb of Yogyakarta. Originating in the 16th century as the home for the upper classes and merchants, the district is today best known for its many silversmiths, which are dotted around the patchwork of narrow streets and mosaic-tiled houses. Tourists will visit the workshops and witness first-hand the creation of stunning works of art using the precious metal, which is known as ‘Yogya Silver’. Along the way we also visit one of the oldest mosques in Kota Gede, and the Royal Cemetery where the first king of Mataram and his family lay to rest. We end the day at a Joglo, a fine example of blending Javanese and colonial architecture merging into one building.

At the end of the afternoon, we head back to your hotel in Yogyakarta to end this enthralling day out and about in Yogyakarta. No dinner is included on this day (on own arrangement)

Overnight at your booked accommodation in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta – Departure Yogyakarta                                                                        [B]

Matching breakfast with your scheduled departure time from your hotel to our next destination will be something worth considering on the final day of this culinary package. Following the resort’s check-out times and conditions, the deluxe vehicle, accompanied by an Asian Trails representative, will be waiting for you at the resort to bring you in comfort back to Yogyakarta’s International Airport.