Passage to Borobudur & Beyond - A Voyage from Bali to Kuala Lumpur

Fly by scheduled indirect flight.

Arrive today and transfer to our hotel for an overnight stay. The remainder of the day and evening is at leisure to acclimatise after our flight.

Spend the morning relaxing in the hotel or exploring the local area at your own pace. We will check out in the late morning and after lunch transfer to the MS Island Sky which will be moored in Benoa. Sail this evening.

Overnight we will have sailed around Bali and will arrive on the less developed north coast of the island from where there will be a choice of two full day excursions. You may wish to visit the West Bali National Park which comprises of 19,000 hectares of land with an additional 7000 hectares of coral reefs and coastal waters. Here we can take a gentle trek through the protected mangrove and monsoon forest and hope to see grey monkeys, black monkeys, giant lizard and some of the 160 species of birds that live here. Afterwards we will take a short boat ride to Menjangan Island to snorkel in beautiful coral reef gardens and hope to also see electric clams, scorpion fish, starfish, eels and reef fish. Alternatively you can choose to join the excursion to the Munduk Highlands. Passing through Singaraja, the former capital city of Bali, we continue to the mountainous area of Bedugul to see the three lakes, Bratan, Buyan and Tamblingan. Alongside Lake Bratan is Pura Ulun Danu, an important Hindu-Buddhist temple dedicated to the water goddess and a site of pilgrimage. The scenery is stunning and we will have time to take in the surroundings before continuing to the appealing town of Munduk which is set amongst hillsides full of fruit trees, jungles and rice fields.

This morning we will arrive on Java where, from the port of Probolinggo we will leave the ship early to make our way towards the active volcano, Mount Bromo, driving through the awe inspiring surrounding landscapes. At 2329 metres, Mount Bromo is not the highest peak in the Tengger Massif Range but is the most famous. The name derives from the Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god and it sits in the middle of a vast plain called the ‘Sea of Sand’, a protected nature reserve since 1919. We will use four-wheel drive vehicles to reach the Penanjakan viewpoint which offers spectacular views of the caldera and surrounding mountains. We will enjoy a lunch in a local restaurant before returning to the MS Island Sky and sailing this evening.

After a relaxing morning at sea we will use our Zodiacs to land on Bawean, an island dominated by an extinct volcano that rises 655 metres above sea level. During our island tour we will see the endemic local subspecies of deer known as Bawean hog deer (Axis Kuhlii). Considered the symbol of Bawean, it is also protected by Indonesian law. As well as spending time at Lake Kastoba we will visit a local school and enjoy a traditional dance performance before returning to the ship.

Returning to Java we reach Semarang, our base for our overnight excursion to the UNESCO sites of Borobudur and Yogyakarta. Leaving the ship we cross Java towards the site of Yogyakarta recognised as the cradle of Javanese civilisation. Constructed in the 8th century, the Prabanan Temple Complex consists of 240 temples and is the largest Hindu Temple complex in Indonesia. Also visit the Kraton, the sprawling palace of the Sultan of Yogyakarta. After our visit we transfer to our hotel for dinner and a special performance of Ramayana ballet. The following day we will make an early start and drive to Borobudur, one of world’s greatest ancient monuments and the single largest Buddhist structure anywhere on earth. Built in the 9th century, possibly to enhance the image of Buddhism when Hinduism was growing in strength across the Indonesian archipelago, it was deserted almost immediately when the Buddhist Sailenra dynasty was overthrown by the Hindu Majapahit Empire. It lay for 1000 years under heavy jungle before its re-discovery by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1814 from when it was slowly restored. The site consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms and is decorated with no less than 2672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues of various types. Return to the MS Island Sky after lunch and set sail in the early evening.

Continuing along the coast of Java we arrive at Cirebon during lunch. Here we will use pedicabs to take us to the Kasepuhan Palace which was built in the 16th century and is a blend of Sundanese, Javanese, Islamic, Chinese and Dutch styles. We will watch local dance performances before touring the palace museum which features royal carriages, weaponry, masks, clothing, artwork and the mosque. We continue to the bustling local market before returning to the ship.

This afternoon we sail into the Suna Strait and towards the island of Krakatoa. The volcano here famously exploded in 1883 with the explosion considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history, with reports of it being heard nearly 3,000 miles from its point of origin. If conditions permit, we will use our Zodiacs to land on the island where you can choose to join a nature walk at the base, climb up the lower slopes of the volcano or swim in the surrounding waters.

Arrive this morning at the far western tip of Java for a day of exploration in the Ujung Kulon National Park, a World Heritage Site. It is a stunningly beautiful area with great bird watching and the largest remaining area of lowland rainforest on the Java Plain. During guided walks we will explore the park and thriving ecosystem alive with monkeys, macaques, deer and varied birdlife which live amongst the towering fig trees, vibrant orchids and ancient medicinal plants. This afternoon there will be the opportunity to swim, snorkel or relax on the beach.

We will spend the day in the ‘Thousand Islands’, located in the Bay of Jakarta. The archipelago consists of a string of 110 islands stretching 28 miles and covering an area of 107,489 hectares of land and sea. We hope to land on Pulau Harapan where we can visit the local community and learn about their work developing mangrove forests. There will also be time to enjoy swimming, snorkelling or relaxing on one of the island’s beaches.

Our final call in Indonesia is the idyllic Belitung Islands, a group of islands off the coast of Sumatra famed for their long clean beaches and crystal clear seawater. We have the afternoon to enjoy the fine white sandy beaches and the wonderful coral reefs. Snorkelling platforms will allow us to swim with a multitude of colourful fish, molluscs and sea urchins. Meanwhile on nature walks we will explore the forest for birdlife, or you may prefer to simply relax on the beach.

Spend a relaxing day at sea as we cruise towards Malaysia and into the Malacca Strait which was named after the Malacca Sultanate that ruled over the archipelago between 1414 and 1511. It is from here that early traders from Arabia, Africa and Persia would trade glassware, camphor, ivory, sandalwood and perfumes and today the Strait is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.

With more than its fair share of colonisers from Malaysian princes to the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese, this strategically placed city has a fascinating history which is brought vividly to life in the excellent Ethnographical Museum. During our guided walk we will also visit the 16th century Portuguese fortress, the former Dutch Governor’s house and the impressive Christ Church. This afternoon is free to relax on board or explore further at your own pace.

Disembark this morning in Port Klang and transfer to Kuala Lumpur where our walking tour will include Independence Square, the Masjid Jamek Mosque and Chinatown, with the extravagantly decorated Sri Mahamariamman Temple, before ending at the Petronas Twin Towers. After lunch we will transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight to London.

Arrive today.

Itineraries are subject to change.