Why should you holiday in Java?

Java is an island, located on the Indonesian “ring of fire”, a chain of volcanoes around the Pacific coasts. No matter where you are on Java, you will experience the fascinating volcanic landscape.

Java might be the world’s most populated island, but you are not aware of its dense population when you travel outside the big cities. On a holiday in Java, you will discover the island’s world-famous Buddhist and Hindu temples, charming towns and cities, and unique volcanic landscape.

Our holidays to Java

We currently offer Java in combination with a tour to Bali.

In Java, you can, for example, experience:

Yogyakarta

The royal city of Yogyakarta is one of Asia’s gems, where you will discover Java’s soul and personality, where art, culture and traditions shine through.

In Yogyakarta, you can visit the Sultan’s Palace, Kraton, which was founded in 1755. The elegant palace is one of the finest examples of Javanese architecture. Visit the beautiful Taman Sari, the water castle in the royal gardens, built in 1758 and used by the Sultan and his entourage as a place to relax.

In the area around the palace, you can also visit the workshops where the traditional craft Batik, which originates from Java, is produced. Learn how the beautiful patterns become costumes.

Borobudur Temple

North-west of Yogyakarta is the magnificent, UNESCO-protected Borobudur Temple, majestically located on the top of a hill, with a magical view over the green fields and distant mountains.

Borobudur was built under the Syailendra dynasty, in a period between the 8th and 9th centuries, and is one of the world’s largest Buddhist monuments. After being neglected and hidden away under volcanic ash for countless years, the temple was rediscovered in 1814 by the British, and from 1973 onwards, UNESCO began extensive restoration work on it to preserve the beautiful Buddhist temple.

Explore the magnificent temple on foot and learn more about Borobudur’s fascinating history.

Prambanan Temple

North-east of Yogyakarta, you will find another of Java’s magnificent temples, the Hindu counterpart to Borobudur, Prambanan.

The Prambanan is Indonesia’s largest Hindu temple, built in the 9th century and nestled between beautiful green fields and villages.

Visit the Shiva shrine, Lorojonggrang, which, with its 47 well-proportioned metres, is generally considered to be Java’s most elegant temple.

Java’s volcanoes

Java is a volcanic island with both active and inactive volcanoes. Consequently, a tour to Java is not complete without seeing the beautiful natural phenomenon at close range.

Mount Bromo volcano

In eastern Java, you will find the active Mount Bromo. The volcano is located in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, which boasts one of the most unique natural landscapes in Indonesia.

Most visitors to Bromo start the day at the viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan, located at an altitude of 2,770 metres. From here, you can enjoy an amazing sunrise over Mount Bromo.

Before reaching Mount Bromo, you will ride past the spectacular “desert of sand” on horseback before climbing just shy of 300 steps to the edge of the crater. With a height of 2,392 metres, Mount Bromo is smaller than some of Java’s other volcanoes, but its spectacular views do not disappoint.

The Ijen crater

In eastern Java, you will also find the Ijen crater, which is located at an altitude of 2,300 metres on the 2,799-metre-high mountain.

From the top of the crater edge, you will enjoy a truly wonderful view of the surrealistic turquoise-blue crater lake, the largest of its kind. The lake is filled with acidic water which gives the lake its unique colour.

Contact us if you have any questions

If you have any questions about Java or our other tours to East and South-east Asia, please feel free to contact our travel specialists.

We look forward to helping you on your holiday of a lifetime.

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller