Discover Indonesia — Self-Launched: Java Temples & Bali Backroads

Fly into Yogyakarta (YIA) and take a Grab/Gojek or pre-booked airport transfer (~£10–12, 1h15) to Borobudur village. Check into a guesthouse within walking distance of the temple, then wander the rice-field lanes at dusk and eat at a local warung (nasi goreng, es teh, ~£2.50). Buy your Borobudur sunrise/entry ticket online in advance or at the gate the next morning. Optional: book a bicycle hire for tomorrow at your guesthouse (~£4).

🚌Grab/Gojek or pre-booked car from Yogyakarta airport (~£11, 1h15)

🛏Borobudur village guesthouse or homestay (private twin ~£15–20/night)

• →Airport transfer to Borobudur
• →Evening village walk and warung dinner

Get to the Borobudur gate early (opens ~6.30am) to beat the crowds and heat; a combined Borobudur + Prambanan ticket (~£30) is cheaper than buying separately. Spend 2–3 hours on the terraces and reliefs, then hire a bike from a village operator (~£3–5) and follow the flat lanes through rice paddies and hamlets towards Candirejo — self-navigable with Maps.me or a free offline map. Afternoon: shared shuttle or Grab to Yogyakarta (~1h30, £5–8) and check into a guesthouse in the Sosrowijayan/Jalan Prawirotaman area.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£4; Grab/shared shuttle Borobudur–Yogyakarta ~£6

🛏Yogyakarta guesthouse, Sosrowijayan or Prawirotaman (~£15–20/night)

• →Borobudur Temple entry (combined ticket with Prambanan)
• →Self-guided village cycling through rice fields
• →Transfer to Yogyakarta

Book a half-day community village tour around Karangrejek/Imogiri through a local guide or via Klook (search 'Yogyakarta village tour') — expect a village walk, jamu herbal drink tasting, fresh tempeh and a home-cooked Javanese lunch (~£20–28 including lunch). Do this by hired scooter with driver or Grab (~£10 return). In the late afternoon, Grab to Prambanan (~30 min, £4) and visit the Hindu complex with the combined ticket from Day 2; stay for the sunset light on the stone. Optional evening: Ramayana Ballet at Purawisata (~£20, book on Klook).

🚌Grab/scooter with driver to Karangrejek and Prambanan (~£14 total)

🛏Yogyakarta guesthouse (~£15–20/night)

• →Guided Karangrejek village walk with jamu and tempeh tasting
• →Home-cooked Javanese lunch
• →Prambanan temple complex at golden hour
• →Optional Ramayana Ballet

Walk or Grab to the Kraton (Sultan's Palace, entry ~£1.50) in the morning — check the schedule for gamelan or dance performances. Continue on foot 10 minutes to Taman Sari water castle (~£1). Then Grab to Kotagede (~20 min, £2) for a home cooking class booked direct with a local host or via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£22–28 including lunch and market visit). In the afternoon, visit a batik workshop and a silver-smithing studio in Kotagede (free to browse, small workshop fee ~£3). Evening free for Malioboro street food.

🚌Local Grab/Gojek rides around the city (~£6)

🛏Yogyakarta guesthouse (~£15–20/night)

• →Kraton royal palace
• →Taman Sari water castle
• →Kotagede home cooking class
• →Batik and silver workshops

Book a KAI executive-class train from Yogyakarta to Malang (roughly 6–7 hours; ~£18–25 booked on the KAI Access app or at the station). Alternatively take the early train to Surabaya and connect by bus. From Malang station, Grab (~£4, 45 min) to Batu or to a Malang guesthouse near Jalan Soekarno-Hatta. If you want the Trowulan Majapahit ruins en route, hire a driver for the day instead (~£35 split) and stop at Bajang Ratu and Candi Tikus.

🚌KAI train Yogyakarta–Malang ~£21; local Grab ~£4

🛏Malang or Batu guesthouse/hostel (~£12–18/night)

• →Scenic train journey across Java
• →Optional Majapahit ruins at Trowulan
• →Evening in Malang/Batu

Morning wander through Kampung Warna-Warni Jodipan, the painted 'rainbow village' (~£1 donation/entry), reachable by Grab from central Malang (~£2). Browse Pasar Besar market for snacks. In the afternoon take a shared shuttle or a booked private transfer from Malang to Cemoro Lawang/Sukapura (~2.5–3h, £12–18 shared; £30–40 private split). Book a Bromo sunrise jeep + guide for tomorrow through your guesthouse the night before (~£20–25 per person in a shared 4x4). Pack an overnight bag and warm layers; it gets to 5–10°C at the viewpoint.

🚌Grab in Malang ~£4; shared shuttle/private transfer to Bromo ~£15

🛏Cemoro Lawang or Sukapura guesthouse (~£12–20/night)

• →Kampung Warna-Warni rainbow village
• →Malang market
• →Transfer into the Bromo caldera highlands

3.30am start: shared 4x4 to the Penanjakan 2 viewpoint for sunrise over the caldera, then across the Sea of Sand to the foot of Bromo and up the staircase to the crater rim (access permitting). Back for breakfast, then a shared shuttle down to Probolinggo and a bus or booked private car east towards Kalibaru (~4–5h). Alternatively, overnight in Probolinggo and push on to Kalibaru early the next day. Check into a simple guesthouse among the plantations.

🚌Shared 4x4 jeep ~£22; shuttle + bus/car to Kalibaru ~£12

🛏Kalibaru guesthouse or homestay (~£12–18/night)

• →Bromo sunrise from Penanjakan 2 by 4x4
• →Sea of Sand crossing and crater rim climb
• →Overland transfer to Kalibaru

Walk or take an ojek to a local plantation (Kalibaru's smallholder estates welcome drop-ins; guided walks with coffee tasting ~£6–8, arrange through your guesthouse). Late morning: shared or local bus to Ketapang harbour near Banyuwangi (~1h30, £3–5), then the public ASDP ferry across the Bali Strait to Gilimanuk (~45 min, ~£0.70). From Gilimanuk, a Grab is unreliable — take a shared bemo/angkot or pre-booked driver to Pemuteran (~2h, £15–20 split). Settle in and eat grilled fish on the beach.

🚌Bus to Ketapang ~£4; ferry ~£0.70; shared/driver transfer to Pemuteran ~£12

🛏Pemuteran guesthouse or budget dive lodge (~£18–25/night)

• →Kalibaru plantation walk and coffee tasting
• →Public ferry across the Bali Strait
• →Sunset on Pemuteran beach

Pick one: (a) shared boat trip to Menjangan Island in West Bali National Park for reef snorkelling — book locally at a Pemuteran dive shop or on Klook, ~£28–35 including gear, park fee and lunch; (b) a half-day village cycling loop through the salt pans and arak distilleries (~£12–18 with a local guide, or £4 self-hire); (c) an ojek to Banjar Hot Springs (~£4 return, entry ~£1.50). Rest of the day on the black-sand beach or at a beach warung.

🚌Ojek/Grab locally (~£6)

🛏Pemuteran guesthouse (~£18–25/night)

• →Menjangan Island snorkelling (optional)
• →West Bali village cycling (optional)
• →Banjar Hot Springs (optional)

Hire a private driver for the day (the practical way to do this leg: ~£40–50 for 8–10 hours, split between 2–3 travellers) and head inland to Pinge in Tabanan. Book a village/family-home lunch experience in advance via a community tourism operator (e.g. a Balinese village-tourism co-op or Klook 'Pinge village experience', ~£20–25 including lunch; a temple blessing is often offered when you ask politely and dress appropriately with a sarong). Continue to Ulun Danu Beratan temple on Lake Beratan (~£3 entry), then drop into Ubud (~1h) for three nights in a guesthouse off Jalan Hanoman or Jalan Sugriwa.

🚌Private driver for the day ~£45 (shared)

🛏Ubud guesthouse or homestay (~£18–25/night)

• →Pinge village family lunch and blessing
• →Ulun Danu Beratan lakeside temple
• →Arrive Ubud

Free day: walk the Campuhan Ridge, browse the Ubud art market, and see a Legong or Kecak performance in the evening (~£8–12, tickets at the palace or on Klook). Optional: book the Begawan Foundation Bali starling conservation and regenerative rice-farming experience with lunch at Begawan Biji (~£30–40, email/WhatsApp direct or via a local agent). Alternatively hire a scooter (~£5/day) and head to Goa Gajah and the Sari Organik rice-field walk.

🚌Scooter hire ~£5 or walking/Grab ~£4

🛏Ubud guesthouse (~£18–25/night)

• →Campuhan Ridge walk and Ubud market
• →Optional Begawan starling and rice-farming visit
• →Optional Balinese dance performance

Hire a scooter (~£5) or take a Grab north to Tegallalang (~£4, 25 min) and walk the terraces — go before 8.30am to avoid tour buses; there are small 'donation' gates along the path (~£1 each, bring cash). Then continue north to Rangreng Waterfall near Tampaksiring (~£2 entry) for a short jungle walk and swim. Stop at a Luwak coffee plantation on the way back (free tasting, entry usually free). Book a shared shuttle to Candidasa for tomorrow (~£8–10) via your guesthouse or 12Go Asia.

🚌Scooter hire ~£5 or Grab ~£8 return

🛏Ubud guesthouse (~£18–25/night)

• →Tegallalang rice terraces
• →Rangreng Waterfall
• →Coffee plantation tasting

Take a shared shuttle or Perama-style bus from Ubud to Candidasa (~2h, £8–10), or a private car (~£25 split). Check into a beach guesthouse and spend the afternoon swimming and snorkelling off the rocks at Candidasa, or take an ojek 15 minutes to the Blue Lagoon at Padangbai (~£3 return, snorkel gear ~£5). Evening celebration dinner at a seaside warung.

🚌Shared shuttle Ubud–Candidasa ~£9

🛏Candidasa beach guesthouse or budget resort (~£18–25/night)

• →Transfer east to Candidasa
• →Snorkelling at Blue Lagoon Padangbai (optional)
• →Farewell dinner

Morning swim and breakfast, then a pre-booked car or Grab to Denpasar airport (DPS), roughly 2–2.5 hours and £22–28 — leave a comfortable buffer for traffic and check-in for your international flight. If you have a late flight, add a stop at Tenganan village or Tirta Gangga water palace en route (~£3 entry).

🚌Private car/Grab Candidasa–DPS airport ~£25

🛏None (departure day)

• →Transfer to Denpasar airport
• →Optional Tenganan or Tirta Gangga stop