Tour 2

Borobudur Temple and Dieng Plateau
This tour requires an early start. We leave from Yogyakarta at about 5am, traveling for about an hour to Borobudur temple.
After a thorough look around the spectacular temple, we have breakfast cooked by a local
trader.
After breakfast we travel for about two-and-a-half hours to Dieng Plateau. Once there we explore a Hindu temple, a volcanic crater and a colorful lake. This really is a special part of Java that doesn't attract the same level of attention as other attractions in the region.
This tour can also be taken in the opposite direction, enjoying the fresh air of Dieng Plateau in the morning before watching the sun go down at Borobudur temple in the evening.

Tour 3

Imogiri, the resting place of Sultans, and
Parangtritis Beach
This tour is fun on motorcycle taxi for the more adventurous. It takes about 45 minutes to travel from Yogyakarta to the cemetery of Sultans - Imogiri.
To get to the top, there are several hundred steps to climb, and upon entry visitors must change into rented traditional Javanese costumes that must be worn by anyone entering the sacred site.
According to Javanese tradition, the sultans of Yogyakarta are like gods and most people believe they have supernatural powers.
After soaking up the surreal atmosphere of the cemetery, we get changed into our normal clothes and head back down the stairs before making our way to Parangtritis Beach.
The beach is very picturesque and there is the option to travel along it by horse and cart. For lunch, we can enjoy fresh catches from the ocean caught and prepared by local fisherman.

Tour 4

The Sultan's Palace (Keraton), The Water Castle (Taman Sari) and the bird market
The Sultan's Palace is located in the centre of Yogyakarta, not far from the famous street Jalan Malioboro. It is best to visit the palace at about 9am, before it gets too busy and the heat of the day becomes overwhelming.
A good look around the palace grounds takes about one hour, after which we make our way on foot to the bird market nearby. There are birds of all shapes and sizes for sale, as well as other animals.
This place is not for everyone, so if you have any concerns talk to me about them before we go.
After exploring the bird market, we make our way to Taman Sari, where past sultans used to bathe. In the laneways surrounding the fascinating water castle, there are traditional batik and puppet workshops and art galleries to browse through.
For those who like Indonesian food, I can take you to a delicious local "warung" before the tour ends.

Tour 5

Trekking at Mount Merapi
We leave for the foothills of Mount Merapi at 10pm from Yogykarta, driving one-and-a-half hours to Selo. We start our five-hour climb with a local guide from the area, eventually reaching Puncak Garuda. After enjoying the sunrise, we climb back down (about three hours), have a much-deserved breakfast and then travel back to Yogyakarta.
Alternatively, we can stay at Kaliurang in the foothills of Mount Merapi, where the air is fresh and the pace is slower.

Tour 6

Sukuh Temple, Ceto Temple, Mount Bromo,
Itjen Crater and Bali
This is an awesome journey over several days that takes in some fascinating sights in Central and East Java before culminating in Bali.
We leave from Yogyakarta and make our way to Candi Sukuh (Sukuh Temple). After looking around the mysterious temple in the foothills of Mount Lawu, we travel to nearby temple Candi Ceto.
While these temples are different aesthetically, they share a similar, eerie feeling. They are also well off the well-beaten track, meaning you are unlikely to see other travelers there.
We spend the night in Solo, sampling plenty of local cuisine from roadside stalls (where Indonesian food tastes best).
The next morning, we make our way to Mount Bromo. It is quite a long journey, but there is no shortage of picturesque scenery on the way.
After an early evening staying in the foothills of the mountain (bring warm clothes), we head off in a jeep bound for a lookout (Pananjakan) where we will watch the sunrise over the majestic craters of Bromo.
After the sunrise, we travel by jeep over what looks more like a lunarscape than anything else to the crater of Mount Bromo.
To walk to the top of the crater takes 20 minutes, but it is faster on horseback.
We go back to the guesthouse for breakfast and to pack our bags before traveling to Banyuwangi regency, from where we will travel to the sulfur mine of Itjen Crater.
We stay one or two nights in a small village in Banyuwangi. In the village we can hang out with local farmers and experience life working in rice fields and cacao plantations and learn how to make palm sugar the traditional way.
We can also enjoy traditional massage in the village -- two hours costs only US$5 (approximately).
We visit Itjen Crater after our stay in the village. Leaving early in the morning, we travel to the crater and walk to where we can see sulfur being mined and carried down the steep track. This work is very hard and dangerous -each basket load of sulfur weighs between 70kg and 100kg. We travel to Bali after our visit to the crater, which includes a fun ferry ride.