Your Day-by-Day Journey Through Indonesia

We begin in Yogyakarta, the cultural soul of Java—where batik patterns still tell stories, and shadow puppets whisper ancient myths. After a welcome lunch with your expedition team, we journey to Prambanan, a soaring Hindu temple complex carved with tales of gods and demons. As the sun sinks low, we sip cocktails beneath the stone spires, then watch the Ramayana Ballet unfold under floodlit temples—an epic of love and war, danced in the open air beneath a Javanese sky.

We rise before the world stirs, chasing first light to the mist-wrapped terraces of Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist temple. As the sun crests the horizon, shadows soften over ancient stupas, and the stone whispers centuries of devotion. It's a stillness you feel in your chest. Later, we trade silence for adrenaline as we board open-air jeeps and climb the blackened slopes of Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes. The air shifts, the earth speaks—and we ride straight into the raw, living edge of Java.

A quick flight and a winding drive bring us east across Java, where mist rolls over farmland and volcanos loom at the horizon. By late afternoon, we arrive in the highlands near Mount Bromo—a desolate beauty rising from the Sea of Sand. As golden hour hits, we walk to the crater’s edge and watch the landscape transform in the light. This is the moment where Java becomes myth.

At dawn, we climb to the viewpoint as Bromo wakes beneath a blanket of fog, its cone glowing in the first warmth of day. Then it’s jeeps across the surreal Sea of Sand, past windswept ridges and blackened earth to the crater rim. Later, we cruise through high-altitude savannahs and volcanic valleys before resting with the quiet hum of heat and altitude still buzzing in our bones.

From the smoking volcanos of Java, we fly to the jungles of Borneo, where rivers wind through emerald silence. We board our private klotok, a traditional riverboat turned floating sanctuary, and glide into Tanjung Puting National Park. As shadows stretch over the canopy, we visit a rehabilitation center for our first face-to-face moment with the orangutans—expressive, gentle, unforgettable.

The river narrows, the jungle thickens, and life emerges at every bend. We visit a Dayak village, where we’re welcomed with stories and smiles, and where World Untouched’s 5+5 Program supports local conservation and culture. As dusk settles, we hike to a high ridge for a sunset above the trees, the calls of gibbons and the rustle of leaves stitching the jungle shut around us.

One last breakfast on the river, then we board a flight across the archipelago to Flores, gateway to Komodo National Park. From the sky, the islands look untouched, like ancient creatures themselves. That afternoon, we ferry to a remote island resort where the water turns gold at sunset and the sounds of the jungle give way to crashing waves.

We set sail aboard our luxury liveaboard and head for Rinca Island, where Komodo dragons roam beneath sun-scorched trees. After a ranger-led trek, we cruise to Pink Beach—a surreal stretch of coral-tinted sand—and snorkel among vibrant reefs teeming with tropical fish. That evening, we dine on the beach with toes in the sand and stars overhead.

We make landfall on Komodo Island for another chance at dragon sightings, this time in a deeper, wilder forest. On the return, we dive into the current with manta rays, drifting alongside these ocean giants. By afternoon, we’re airborne once again, flying west to Bali, where culture, beauty, and spiritual rhythm await.

We begin with a morning at Uluwatu Temple, perched atop sheer cliffs with the Indian Ocean crashing below. Then it’s on to Ubud, Bali’s cultural pulse, where we explore rice terraces, artisan villages, and hidden temples. After dinner, we witness a Barong dance, where myth and movement blur beneath the trance of gamelan.

Our last full day takes us deep into Bali’s backcountry—through sacred springs, tiered rice paddies, and forested paths lined with offerings. We close the journey with a farewell dinner, followed by one final performance where story, spirit, and gratitude linger in the night air.

We gather for one last breakfast, exchanging hugs, contacts, and promises to return. Then it's off to Denpasar Airportand out into the world—changed, charged, and carrying something wild that wasn’t there before.