Highlights of Java & Sumatra — Self-Launched

Land at Kualanamu International Airport and take the Damri airport bus or a Grab car into the city centre (~£2-4). Settle into a budget guesthouse or hostel around Jalan Sisingamangaraja in the Merdeka area, grab a first mie goreng or nasi padang from a local warung, and rest up. If you have energy, wander the Merdeka Walk food strip in the evening.

🚌Airport bus or Grab from Kualanamu (~£2-4)

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel, Medan (~£10-14)

• →Arrival and check-in
• →Evening walk around Merdeka Walk

Do the Medan city circuit on your own: the grand Al-Mashun Great Mosque, the 30-room Maimun Palace (small entry fee), the Chinese-style Vihara Gunung Timur temple, and the Pajak Ikan Lama historic market. Have lunch at a local Padang restaurant. In the afternoon take a shared minivan or bus to Bukit Lawang (~2.5-3 hrs, ~£3-5); local tourist shuttles can be arranged through your guesthouse. Check into a riverside guesthouse in the village.

🚌Local shared minivan Medan to Bukit Lawang (~£3-5)

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Bukit Lawang (~£10-15)

• →Al-Mashun Great Mosque
• →Maimun Palace
• →Vihara Gunung Timur temple
• →Pajak Ikan Lama market
• →Padang lunch

Book a licensed local guide through your guesthouse for a half-day or full-day trek into Gunung Leuser National Park — the park is one of only two places on earth with wild orangutans. Guides are required and cost roughly £25-40 depending on group size and duration; aim for a small group to split the cost. Look for Thomas leaf monkeys, macaques, hornbills and gibbons. Cool off afterwards with the classic river tubing float back to the village. In the evening join a village cooking class to make Batak dishes like arsik fish stew or rendang chicken with acar campur (pickled veg salad), roughly £10-15.

🚌On foot; tube float on the river included with trek

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Bukit Lawang (~£10-15)

• →Guided orangutan trek, Gunung Leuser NP
• →River tubing
• →Batak cooking class

Take a local bus or shared car toward Berastagi in the Karo highlands (~4-5 hrs with changes, ~£6-9). En route or on arrival, stop at Gundaling Hill for views of the two volcanoes and browse the local fruit market (passion fruit, avocados, markisa). Check into a guesthouse, then head out to the Sibayak hot springs to soak in volcanically heated water — a cheap, blissful reward after the trek (~£3-5).

🚌Local bus/shared car Bukit Lawang to Berastagi (~£6-9)

🛏Guesthouse, Berastagi (~£10-14)

• →Gundaling Hill viewpoint
• →Local fruit market
• →Sibayak hot springs

Travel onward by local bus toward Parapat on Lake Toba (~4-5 hrs, ~£6-8), then take the ferry across to Samosir Island (~£1-2, runs roughly hourly). Samosir is a huge volcanic island in the middle of the caldera lake. Check into a lakefront guesthouse in Tuk Tuk and simply watch the sun set over the water — one of the trip's great slow-travel moments.

🚌Local bus to Parapat + ferry to Samosir (~£7-10)

🛏Lakefront guesthouse, Tuk Tuk, Samosir (~£8-14)

• →Lake Toba ferry crossing
• →Sunset over the caldera
• →Tuk Tuk village stroll

Explore Samosir by rented scooter (~£4-6/day), bicycle, or on foot. Visit traditional Batak villages such as Ambarita, Simanindo and Tomok, with their carved sigalegale wooden effigies and the ancient stone tombs of Batak kings. Stop at a viewpoint over the caldera for the full scale of the lake, and enjoy lake fish (ikan mas) grilled at a warung. A relaxed, unhurried day that keeps costs low.

🚌Rented scooter or bicycle (~£4-6)

🛏Lakefront guesthouse, Tuk Tuk, Samosir (~£8-14)

• →Batak village visits
• →Sigale-gale effigies and king's tombs
• →Caldera viewpoint

A longer travel day: ferry back to Parapat and take a bus toward Bukittinggi in West Sumatra (~10-12 hrs overnight or daytime, ~£14-20). Booking a daytime bus is more scenic; an overnight sleeper bus saves a night's accommodation. On arrival settle into a guesthouse near the Jam Gadang clock tower in the compact, cool highland town.

🚌Bus Samosir/Parapat to Bukittinggi (~£14-20)

🛏Guesthouse, Bukittinggi (~£9-14)

• →Scenic highland bus journey
• →Arrive Bukittinggi

Explore Bukittinggi: the Jam Gadang clock tower, the Japanese WWII tunnels (Lubang Japang), and the Sianok Canyon viewpoint right at the edge of town. Consider a day trip to the Harau Valley, a striking canyon of rice fields and waterfalls framed by 300m cliffs — self-drive scooter or a shared car is affordable. End the day at a local market trying Minangkabau dishes like rendang, dendeng balado and sate padang.

🚌Local taxis, scooter hire or shared car (~£4-8)

🛏Guesthouse, Bukittinggi (~£9-14)

• →Jam Gadang
• →Lubang Japang tunnels
• →Sianok Canyon
• →Harau Valley day trip
• →Minangkabau food markets

Transfer to Padang airport (~2-3 hrs) and fly to Jakarta or directly onward to Yogyakarta on a budget airline (e.g. Lion Air/Citilink; sensible to book ahead, ~£30-55). Alternatively take the longer overland route via the Sunda Strait if you're maximising budget, but flying is the realistic way to connect the two islands. On arrival in Yogyakarta check into a guesthouse in the Prawirotaman or Sosrowijayan backpacker districts.

🚌Airport transfer in Padang + domestic flight to Yogyakarta (~£35-60)

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Yogyakarta (~£8-16)

• →Domestic flight Sumatra to Java
• →Evening in Yogyakarta backpacker quarter

Self-book a sunrise trip to Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist temple, via GetYourGuide/Klook or with a local guesthouse tour (~£25-40 including entry and transfers). Return to the city, then in the afternoon head to Prambanan, the towering 9th-century Hindu complex (~£12 entry). Both are easily reached by Gojek/Grab or the Trans Jogja bus. Evening free to explore Malioboro Street's markets and street food.

🚌Shared tour vehicle + Gojek/Grab + Trans Jogja (~£5-8)

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Yogyakarta (~£8-16)

• →Borobudur sunrise
• →Prambanan temples
• →Malioboro Street markets

Visit the Mangkunegaran Palace to admire its mix of Javanese and European architecture — members of the aristocratic family still live there (~£2-3). Explore the Sultan's Kraton and the water castle Taman Sari, and optionally take a traditional becak (pedicab) tour of the old town (~£5-8). In the afternoon join a batik workshop and make your own piece with local artisans (~£15-25), a highlight that mirrors the original tour's craft element.

🚌Becak, Gojek, walking (~£4-8)

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Yogyakarta (~£8-16)

• →Mangkunegaran Palace
• →Kraton and Taman Sari
• →Becak old-town tour
• →Batik workshop

Take a train to Probolinggo or Malang (Java's rail network is comfortable and cheap, ~£10-18) then a local bemo/shuttle up to Cemoro Lawang village at the rim of the Bromo caldera (~£3-6). Alternatively book a shared tour bus. Check into a simple guesthouse with caldera views — it will be cold at 2,300m, so bring a layer. Arrange your 4WD jeep for the sunrise the next morning (often bundled with accommodation, ~£20-30 shared).

🚌Train to Probolinggo/Malang + shuttle to Cemoro Lawang (~£13-24)

🛏Simple guesthouse, Cemoro Lawang (~£10-18)

• →Train journey across Java
• →Arrive Bromo caldera rim
• →Arrange sunrise jeep

Rise around 03:00 for the classic sunrise viewpoint at Mount Penanjakan, reached by shared 4WD jeep. Watch dawn break over the smoking cone of Bromo, the vast caldera and the surrounding volcanic peaks — one of Indonesia's most unforgettable sights. Afterwards the jeep drops you at the Sea of Sand; walk or ride a horse across the plain and climb the stairs to Bromo's crater rim. Return to the village for breakfast and rest, then transfer down toward Surabaya in the afternoon (~4-5 hrs, ~£5-9).

🚌Shared 4WD jeep + local bus toward Surabaya (~£8-14)

🛏Budget hotel/guesthouse, Surabaya or Probolinggo (~£10-16)

• →Penanjakan sunrise viewpoint
• →Bromo crater climb
• →Sea of Sand walk

Spend the morning exploring Surabaya's old town (Kota Lama), the Arab quarter and Ampel Mosque, or simply rest before your flight. Take a Grab to Juanda International Airport for departure. If your flight leaves in the afternoon or later, there's time for one last nasi goreng and a browse of the Pasar Atom market.

🚌Grab to Juanda International Airport (~£4-6)

🛏N/A (departure day)

• →Surabaya old town
• →Ampel Mosque and Arab quarter
• →Departure