Absolute Java: Jakarta to Surabaya Self-Launched
15 days · Java, Indonesia
G Adventures charges £1,160
No-markup version: ~£690 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY 15-day route across Java from Jakarta to Surabaya, mirroring a small-group tour but using public trains, buses and shared jeeps instead of a private vehicle. You'll cover Jakarta's old town and mosques, Bandung's volcanoes, Semarang's Dutch quarter, the misty Dieng Plateau, a village homestay near Borobudur, sunrise at Setumbu Hill, Yogyakarta's temples and street food, Solo's Javanese heritage, the rainbow village of Jodipan and the legendary sunrise jeep run to Mt Bromo. Costs are backpacker/mid-range estimates in GBP for one person excluding international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Jakarta
Jakarta
Land at Soekarno-Hatta (CGK) and complete your online All-Indonesia Arrival Card within 72 hours before departure. Take the Damri airport bus or the new LRT/TransJakarta combo into central Jakarta (~£1.50-3) rather than a taxi. Settle into a guesthouse in the Jalan Jaksa / Menteng area, sort a local SIM (Telkomsel eSIM ~£4-6 for a month of data) and grab an easy first dinner at a nearby warung. Nothing scheduled — just recover from the flight.
🚌Damri airport bus or LRT into the city (~£1.50-3)
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Jalan Jaksa / Menteng (~£12-16/night)
- →Airport transfer by Damri bus or LRT
- →Buy local SIM/eSIM
- →Evening warung dinner near Jalan Jaksa
Jakarta old town and mosques
Jakarta
Do it yourself on foot and by TransJakarta. Start at Istiqlal Mosque (free entry, modest dress required) and cross the road to the neo-Gothic Jakarta Cathedral. Take a Gojek or the bus to Kota Tua, Jakarta's cobbled Dutch colonial old town, and walk to Sunda Kelapa harbour to see the wooden pinisi schooners. Finish with a dinner crawl along Jalan Sabang, the city's classic street-food strip — satay, nasi goreng, martabak.
🚌TransJakarta bus / Gojek motorbike taxis (~£2-3 total)
🛏Budget guesthouse, Jakarta (~£12-16/night)
- →Istiqlal Mosque
- →Jakarta Cathedral
- →Kota Tua Old Town walk
- →Sunda Kelapa harbour
- →Sabang Street food crawl (self-guided)
Train to Bandung
Bandung
Book the Argo Parahyangan train from Jakarta Gambir to Bandung on the KAI Access app the day before — roughly 3 hours, ~£8-12 in economy. Check into a guesthouse near Jalan Braga, eat a family-style Sundanese spread at a local restaurant (nasi timbel, sayur asem, fried tempeh) and visit the Geological Museum of Bandung (~£1). Photo stop at Gedung Sate and free time wandering Jalan Asia Afrika.
🚌Argo Parahyangan train (~£10)
🛏Guesthouse near Jalan Braga, Bandung (~£12-15/night)
- →Argo Parahyangan train Jakarta-Bandung
- →Sundanese family-style lunch
- →Geological Museum of Bandung
- →Gedung Sate photo stop
- →Jalan Asia Afrika stroll
Bandung volcanoes and tea country
Bandung
Free day to pick your own adventure. Join a shared day trip or hire a driver for half a day (split between 2-4 travellers ~£12-18 each) to Tangkuban Prahu crater rim and Kawah Putih, the eerie white-green crater lake. Add a stop at a tea plantation in Ciwidey for lunch and a tasting (~£6). Back in town by evening for Bandung's café scene on Jalan Braga.
🚌Shared day-trip car (~£15 each)
🛏Guesthouse, Bandung (~£12-15/night)
- →Tangkuban Prahu volcano
- →Kawah Putih crater lake
- →Tea plantation lunch and tasting
Bandung to Semarang
Semarang
Take the morning train from Bandung to Semarang Tawang — roughly 5-6 hours, ~£12-16 in economy, or an overnight option if you prefer to save a night's accommodation. Arrive early afternoon and walk the Kota Lama Dutch quarter: Greja Blenduk church, the haunted-looking Lawang Sewu railway building (~£1.50), and Sam Poo Kong Chinese temple. Snack on Semarang's famous lumpia spring rolls.
🚌Bandung-Semarang train (~£14)
🛏Budget hotel near Kota Lama, Semarang (~£12-15/night)
- →Train to Semarang
- →Lawang Sewu
- →Greja Blenduk
- →Sam Poo Kong Temple
- →Kota Lama walk
- →Lumpia tasting
Gedong Songo and the Ambarawa railway museum
Dieng Plateau
Hire a car and driver for the day (shared ~£18 each) or use buses to Ambarawa, stopping first at the hillside Hindu temples of Gedong Songo (~£2 entry, gentle walk between complexes) and then the Ambarawa Railway Museum with its 21 historic locomotives (~£1.50). Continue up to Wonosobo at the foot of the Dieng Plateau and settle in — it gets cold up here, pack a fleece.
🚌Shared car and driver (~£18)
🛏Guesthouse in Wonosobo (~£12-15/night)
- →Gedong Songo Temple
- →Ambarawa Railway Museum
- →Drive to Wonosobo
Full day on the Dieng Plateau
Dieng Plateau
Rent a scooter (~£5/day) or share an ojek/driver for the Dieng highlights: Telaga Warna's colour-shifting crater lake (~£2.50), the misty Arjuna temple complex (~£1), and the sulphurous Sikidang crater with its steaming vents. Start early to beat the cloud. In the evening head to Wonosobo's town square where food vendors set up — try the local carica fruit and mendoan.
🚌Scooter rental or shared ojek (~£6)
🛏Guesthouse in Wonosobo (~£12-15/night)
- →Telaga Warna lake
- →Arjuna Temple complex
- →Sikidang Crater
- →Wonosobo town square food stalls
Selogriyo Temple and on to Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta
Ride or drive to Selogriyo Temple for the short uphill walk through rice terraces to this small 9th-century Hindu shrine — genuinely uncrowded. Then continue to Yogyakarta (a shared car from Wonosobo is ~£35-45 total, or take the bus to Magelang then a local bus/train on). Base yourself in the Sosrowijayan or Prawirotaman area and eat gudeg for dinner.
🚌Shared car or bus to Yogyakarta (~£12)
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Sosrowijayan, Yogyakarta (~£10-14/night)
- →Selogriyo Temple hike
- →Rice terrace walk
- →Transfer to Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta your way
Yogyakarta
Free day with plenty of self-bookable options. Do the classic becak (cycle rickshaw) tour through the backstreets to Taman Sari water castle (~£6 including tip), hire a bicycle to ride out to the rice paddies, or take a street-food walking tour around Malioboro for gudeg, sate klathak and wedang ronde. Optional: the Jomblang Cave vertical descent (~£35-45) if you want something more adventurous.
🚌Becak, bicycle rental, Gojek (~£8)
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Yogyakarta (~£10-14/night)
- →Becak tour and Taman Sari
- →Village cycling
- →Street food walk (Malioboro)
- →Optional Jomblang Cave
Candirejo village to Magelang
Magelang
Take a local bus or shared car towards Magelang and stop at Candirejo, a village tourism cooperative outside Borobudur. You can arrange a village walk, a ride in a traditional dokar cart and lunch directly with the village cooperative (~£10-15) — this is the same community tourism model the tours use, booked yourself. Continue to Magelang or base in Borobudur village for two nights.
🚌Local bus / shared car (~£8)
🛏Homestay in Borobudur village (~£10-13/night)
- →Candirejo village walk (book direct)
- →Dokar cart ride
- →Local lunch with village cooperative
Setumbu sunrise and Borobudur by bike
Magelang
Set an alarm — you'll walk up to Setumbu Hill before dawn for the classic view of Borobudur emerging from the mist with Merapi behind it (~£2 entry). Back for breakfast, then rent a bicycle (~£3) to ride between Wanurejo and Borobudur village past rice fields and the traditional market. Optionally enter Borobudur itself for sunrise or daytime (~£20-25 for the temple ticket). Evening transfer to Solo by train or car.
🚌Bicycle rental then train/car to Solo (~£8)
🛏Guesthouse in Solo (~£10-14/night)
- →Setumbu Hill sunrise hike
- →Village cycling tour
- →Borobudur Temple (optional, ~£22)
- →Transfer to Solo
Solo: palace, market and batik
Solo
Explore Solo, the heartland of Javanese culture. Visit Mangkunegaran Palace (~£2), browse Triwindhu Market for batik and spices, and walk Laweyan village where batik workshops still operate — most will let you try a wax-resist batik piece for ~£5-8. Finish with Solo's famous street food: nasi liwet and serabi.
🚌Becak / Gojek (~£4)
🛏Guesthouse, Solo (~£10-14/night)
- →Mangkunegaran Palace
- →Triwindhu Market
- →Laweyan batik village
- →Batik-making workshop (book direct)
Train to Malang and Jodipan
Malang
Take the morning train from Solo to Malang — roughly 6 hours, ~£10-14 economy. Check in, then walk to Jodipan, the rainbow-painted village beside the river (~£1 donation) and Kampung Tridi across the blue bridge. Malang is a cool hill town with good cafés and the best rawon (black beef soup) in Java.
🚌Solo-Malang train (~£12)
🛏Guesthouse in Malang (~£10-13/night)
- →Train Solo-Malang
- →Jodipan Colourful Village
- →Kampung Tridi
- →Rawon dinner
Mt Bromo sunrise jeep and Ngadas village
Ngadas / Bromo
Book a shared Bromo sunrise jeep tour through your guesthouse or a local operator (~£20-28 per person including 4WD, driver and park entry) — pickup around 3am from Malang or Cemoro Lawang. Watch the sun rise over the Bromo crater and the Sea of Sand from the Penanjakan viewpoint, then either hike the crater rim or continue to Ngadas village, a Tengger community on the plateau, for a homestay (~£12 including dinner) and village walk.
🚌Shared 4WD jeep tour (~£24)
🛏Tengger homestay in Ngadas (~£12 incl. simple dinner)
- →Mt Bromo sunrise jeep excursion
- →Penanjakan viewpoint
- →Bromo crater rim hike
- →Ngadas village walk and homestay
Down to Surabaya and out
Surabaya
Return from Ngadas to Malang or Tumpang, then take a bus or train to Surabaya (2-3 hours, ~£4-7). If time allows, wander Surabaya's old town around Jalan Karet and the Arab quarter for lunch before heading to Juanda airport (SUB) for evening flights — leave a buffer of at least 3 hours before departure.
🚌Bus/train to Surabaya and airport (~£7)
🛏—
- →Transfer to Surabaya
- →Optional Surabaya old town stroll
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£690 | £1,160 |
| Duration | 15 days | 15 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £470 per person (41%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£690
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.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Absolute Java: Jakarta to Surabaya Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £690 per person for 15 days in Java, 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 £1,160 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £690 — a saving of roughly £470 (41%) per person.
How long is the Java, Indonesia trip?+
This itinerary runs 15 days, covering 15 day-by-day stops through Java, 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 adventure, culture, hiking trip through Java, 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.