Sulawesi, Java and Bali. Indonesia's best kept secrets

Days

Tour description

To discover authentic Indonesia we take off to places without glamorous hotels and crowds of tourists. On Sulawesi we will witness ancient and very unusual funeral ceremonies. On Togean islands - enjoy unspoiled beaches and unique underwater world. On Bunaken island - swim with turtles in coral gardens. No trip to Indonesia would be complete without visiting the best of Java island - iconic complexes of Borobudur and Prambanan and active volcanoes Bromo and Ijen.

Tour departures

The price of the tour includes

Is this trip for you?

This trip is of average difficulty. It includes walks in cities, easy walks to two volcanoes. This trip involves three short domestic flights, one night bus trip and one night ferry, as well as several bus rides. We will be staying in simple hotels of 2-3 stars with air conditioning / fan, hot water and wi-fi (Manado, Toraja, Java, Bali). On Togean islands we will live in beach bungalows, without hot water and the Internet, with electricity from the generator available only during nighttime. Between the islands we will be taking ferries, speed boats and motorboats.

Price of the trip includes:

Three domestic flights;
Accommodation during the entire trip;
All transportation;
All meals during our stay on Togean islands
Professional guiding services.

To be paid separately:

Flight to Manado and from Denpasar back home. (Let us know if you need help finding the best deals);
Insurance (mandatory);
Entry tickets to temples, parks and other places of interest ($150) and additional excursions on Togean islands ($40-100);
Snorkeling equipment ($7-10 per day) and diving (from $39 per dive);
Food ($8-15 per person per day).

Tour map

Tour itinerary

Day 1-3

Arrival in the city of Manado - the capital of the province of North Sulawesi. We check into a hotel, walk around the city and begin to get acquainted with the famous cuisine of the Minahasa people. We will visit the seafood restaurant and enjoy a fresh catch with traditional spicy sauces. In the morning we will visit the world famous market in the town of Tomogon and stock up on the most delicious fruit in Sulawesi, and then go to Tangkoko National Park. This 8 thousand hectares of rainforest boast unique animals that can not be seen anywhere else in Asia: black crested macaques, bear cuscus, and maleo birds. Relax on the beach with black sand. Tourists never get here! Closer to sunset, we go into the thick of the equatorial forest to see the mysterious tarsiers - some of the smallest primates on Earth. During the day they sleep in tree hollows, and in the evening begin hunting for grasshoppers. On the third day we board a speedboat and go diving or snorkeling near the island of Bunaken. If you're lucky, we'll see sea turtles, and even reef sharks. We return to Manado and meet the sunset on the bridge of Soekarno.

Day 4

In the morning we fly to Gorontalo. From the airport we go swimming with whale sharks. These sea giants reach 8 meters in length, they are the biggest fishes on Earth! Sharks are attracted to the smell of a nearby fish processing factory, and they swim a few dozen meters from the shore. They feed on small fish, so they are absolutely safe for humans. And swimming next to them in the open sea is an amazing experience! In the evening we will explore Gorontalo, an authentic Muslim city, where foreigners rarely come, and take a night ferry (13 hours on they way) across the equator to the mysterious Togean Islands.

Day 5-8

Pristine beaches, clear turquoise water, picturesque wild jungle - all this we will enjoy on amazing Togean islands. Did we mention that there are no roads, Internet and mobile coverage? This is the true paradise! We will spend three days here, exploring tiny uninhabited islands, enjoying cozy beaches and secret lagoons. We will also visit a jellyfish lake, explore the virgin jungle, see hornbills and hunt for coconut crabs. And of course we will discover unique underwater world - after all, these waters are home to 96% of the coral species existing in the world! Another high point of our stay - is the visit to the settlement of the last sea nomads, Sama Bajau people. Some of them live in the villages on the water in small wooden houses on stilts. We walk along the streets of this unusual settlement, play with curious children, see the local life and climb the hill to appreciate the local views. On the fourth day after breakfast, we say goodbye to Togeans, take a boat to the port city of Ampana and drive to Tana Toraja (15-17 hours on the way).

Tour leaders

Oleksandr Levytskyi

tour leader