Best of Java: Self-Launched (Jakarta to Sanur)
9 days · Java & Bali, Indonesia
G Adventures charges £1,650
No-markup version: ~£382 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 9-day version of G Adventures' "Best of Java" — Jakarta's old Batavia and Sunda Kelapa harbour, Bandung's volcanic highlands, the UNESCO temples of Prambanan and Borobudur from Yogyakarta, a Mt Bromo sunrise from a Tengger village homestay, and beach time in Sanur, Bali. Same route, same big sights, but booked independently: economy trains and local buses instead of a private van, hostels and guesthouses instead of hotels, and self-bookable temple and Bromo tours instead of a group CEO. Costs are rough per-person estimates in GBP and exclude international flights to/from Indonesia.
Day-by-day
Arrive Jakarta
Jakarta
Land at Soekarno-Hatta (CGK), complete your All-Indonesia arrival card online before flying, and take the Damri airport bus or the Railink airport train into the city centre (~£2-4) rather than a taxi. Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Jalan Jaksa or Menteng — good bases for exploring on foot. Spend the evening acclimatising: pick up a local SIM (Telkomsel/Tri, ~£5 for data), grab nasi goreng or sate ayam at a warung (~£2-3), and plan tomorrow's walking route.
🚌Damri airport bus or Railink train from CGK (~£2-4)
🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room, Jalan Jaksa / Menteng (~£10-15)
- →Arrival and SIM card setup
- →Evening street-food wander
Jakarta old town, then train to Bandung
Jakarta → Bandung
Self-guide the old Batavia quarter (Kota Tua) on foot: Taman Fatahillah square, the Jakarta History Museum (former Stadhuis, ~£1 entry), the Wayang Museum, and the old Dutch-era canals and warehouses. Walk or take a Gojek to Sunda Kelapa harbour to watch the wooden pinisi schooners unloading. In the afternoon head to Gambir station and take the Argo Parahyangan or a Patas economy train to Bandung (~3 hours, £5-10 depending on class). Evening in Bandung: try the cool highland air and a bowl of mie kocok. Optional: catch an angklung bamboo orchestra performance at Saung Angklung Udjo (~£6) if there's an evening show.
🚌Jakarta Gambir → Bandung by Argo Parahyangan/Patas train (~£5-10); local Gojek rides (~£1-2)
🛏Guesthouse near Jalan Braga or Dago, Bandung (~£10-15)
- →Kota Tua / Taman Fatahillah walk
- →Jakarta History Museum
- →Sunda Kelapa harbour
- →Optional angklung orchestra performance (~£6)
Bandung highlands, then train to Yogyakarta
Bandung → Yogyakarta
Morning freedom in Bandung: either hire a scooter or take a Gojek up to the tea plantations at Pangalengan or Lembang, or simply wander Braga Street's art-deco facades and the morning market. If you're moving early, take a morning Argo Wilis/turangga train east to Yogyakarta (~7-8 hours, £12-20 executive; cheaper economy options exist but are slower) and watch the terraced rice fields and volcanoes roll by. Arrive Yogya in the evening, settle into a guesthouse in the Sosrowijayan or Prawirotaman area, and eat gudeg at a local warung (~£2). Optional in Yogya: book a Ramayana ballet ticket at Prambanan for another night (~£10-20).
🚌Bandung → Yogyakarta by train (~£12-20)
🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Sosrowijayan/Prawirotaman, Yogyakarta (~£10-15)
- →Braga Street and tea-plantation highlands
- →Optional Ramayana ballet at Prambanan (~£10-20)
Prambanan temple complex
Yogyakarta
Take the Trans Jogja bus or a Gojek to Prambanan (~£1-2, 40 mins) and self-guide the UNESCO Hindu complex — the towering Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu temples plus the surrounding ruins of some 240 smaller shrines. Entry is around £20 for foreigners; a licensed on-site guide for an hour costs a few pounds and is genuinely worth it. Combine with the nearby Plaosan or Ratu Boko sites if you have energy, or return to the city for the afternoon: explore the Kraton (Sultan's Palace, ~£1) and Taman Sari water castle before dinner on Prawirotaman's café strip.
🚌Trans Jogja bus / Gojek to Prambanan (~£1-2 each way)
🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Yogyakarta (~£10-15)
- →Prambanan temple complex (~£20 entry)
- →Kraton and Taman Sari (~£2)
Borobudur at sunrise
Yogyakarta
Book a sunrise or early-entry Borobudur ticket online in advance (standard foreign entry ~£20; sunrise packages £35-45 depending on the gate used — the cheaper option is a normal ticket plus a pre-dawn shared ride, ~£8 return, arranged through your guesthouse). Climb the pyramid-like terraces, trace the carved reliefs, and take in the volcano-framed view before the day-trip crowds arrive. Back in Yogya by late morning: rest, then spend the afternoon on Malioboro street, in the markets, or book a half-day cycling tour through rice villages (~£10-15) if you'd rather keep moving.
🚌Shared car/minivan to Borobudur (~£8 return)
🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Yogyakarta (~£10-15)
- →Borobudur sunrise/early entry (~£20-45)
- →Malioboro street and markets
- →Optional village cycling tour (~£10-15)
Across Java's farmland to a Bromo village homestay
Yogyakarta → Ngadas
This is the long travel day. Take an early economy train from Yogyakarta to Malang (~6-8 hours, £8-15) — the route through Blitar and the agricultural heartland is the point. From Malang, take a local angkot/bus up to Tumpang and onward to Ngadas (~£2-4, 1.5-2 hrs), a Tenggerese village perched on the edge of the Bromo caldera. Book a homestay in advance via WhatsApp through a Bromo tour operator so someone can meet you; homestays here are simple, family-run and cost £8-12 including dinner. Evening: tea with your host and an early night.
🚌Yogyakarta → Malang train (~£8-15); Malang → Tumpang → Ngadas by angkot/bus (~£2-4)
🛏Tenggerese family homestay, Ngadas (~£8-12 incl. dinner)
- →Train across Java's farmland
- →Village homestay evening with host family
Mt Bromo sunrise, then on to Malang
Ngadas → Malang
Up at ~2:30am. Your host or a booked 4WD takes you across the 'sea of sand' to the viewpoint above the caldera (~£25-35 per person shared, arranged through the homestay — this is the one place where a dawn 4WD is essentially unavoidable). Watch the sun rise behind Bromo's smoking cone with Semeru looming beyond, then walk or ride down to the crater rim. Back in Ngadas for breakfast, then a short guided village walk through potato fields and cabbage terraces before heading down to Malang for the night. Malang's colonial Ijen Boulevard and evening street food are an easy wind-down.
🚌Shared 4WD to Bromo viewpoint (~£25-35); Ngadas → Malang by angkot/bus (~£2-3)
🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse, Malang (~£10-15)
- →Mt Bromo sunrise viewpoint and crater rim
- →Ngadas village walk
- →Malang colonial quarter and street food
Fly to Bali, afternoon in Sanur
Malang → Sanur
Transfer from Malang to Surabaya's Juanda airport (~2 hrs by bus or shared car, £3-6) and take a short budget flight to Denpasar (SUB–DPS, ~£30-55 booked ahead on Citilink/Lion Air/Super Air Jet). Pay the Bali tourist levy (150,000 IDR / ~£8) online via Love Bali before you arrive. From DPS, a metered Bluebird taxi or Grab to Sanur is ~£8-12. Check into a guesthouse a couple of streets back from the beach, then spend the afternoon on the sand and the evening at a beachfront warung for sunset and grilled fish (~£6-8).
🚌Malang → Surabaya airport transfer (~£3-6); SUB → DPS flight (~£30-55); airport taxi to Sanur (~£8-12)
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Sanur (~£15-20)
- →Sanur beach and sunset
- →Bali tourist levy paid online (~£8)
Sanur and departure
Sanur
A slow final morning: walk or cycle Sanur's beachfront promenade, swim at Mertasari, or take a snorkelling or kayak session off the reef (from ~£10). Rinse off, pack, and head to Ngurah Rai airport (~£8-12 by Grab or metered taxi) for your onward flight — or add extra beach days here, Sanur is a good base for a Bali extension or a fast boat to Nusa Lembongan (~£15-20).
🚌Grab/taxi to Ngurah Rai airport (~£8-12)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Sanur beachfront promenade walk
- →Optional snorkelling or kayaking (~£10)
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£382 | £1,650 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,268 per person (77%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£382
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Best of Java: Self-Launched (Jakarta to Sanur) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £382 per person for 9 days in Java & Bali, Indonesia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,650 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £382 — a saving of roughly £1,268 (77%) per person.
How long is the Java & Bali, Indonesia trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through Java & Bali, Indonesia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, hiking trip through Java & Bali, Indonesia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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