14-day trip

Two weeks from Java into Bali: temples, volcanoes and two island bases

The overland route east across Java with one ferry crossing into Bali, finishing near the departure airport instead of retracing the whole island.

Planning budget

≈ €1,016(IDR 21,000,000 original)Rate snapshot 2026-08-26

The shape here is one direction and one crossing. You travel east across Java by train, take the short ferry at the eastern tip and finish in Bali near the airport you fly home from, which saves the day that a return to Jakarta would cost you.

Bali gets two bases rather than one, because the island's traffic turns short map distances into long transfers and a single base means driving the same roads twice. Book the Borobudur ticket, the Bromo jeep and the Ijen guide ahead. Check the Nyepi date before you commit to flights, because for those twenty-four hours the airport closes and nobody travels at all.

The route

Day-by-day route

  1. Day 01

    Arrive in Yogyakarta

    Settle near the kraton quarter and keep the first evening short after the flight in.

    Yogyakarta

  2. Day 02

    Borobudur at opening

    Climb the upper terraces on a timed ticket, then spend the afternoon among the batik workshops.

    Yogyakarta

  3. Day 03

    Prambanan and the city

    Take the Hindu complex late in the day and give the morning to the palace and the food streets.

    Yogyakarta

  4. Day 04

    Train to Malang

    Ride east through the rice country and arrive in time for a cool evening in the old centre.

    Malang

  5. Day 05

    Malang and an early night

    Walk the Dutch-era streets and the market, then sleep in the afternoon before the midnight start.

    Malang

  6. Day 06

    Mount Bromo at sunrise

    Leave around midnight for the viewpoint, cross the sand sea after dawn and rest for the remainder.

    Malang

  7. Day 07

    East to Banyuwangi

    Continue by train to Java's tip and go to bed early ahead of the hardest start of the trip.

    Banyuwangi

  8. Day 08

    The Ijen crater

    Climb before dawn to the sulphur workings and the acid lake, then take the afternoon gently.

    Banyuwangi

  9. Day 09

    Cross to Bali

    Take the short ferry to Gilimanuk and drive on to a first base in the island's interior.

    Bali

  10. Day 10

    The Ubud interior

    Walk a ridge or a rice-terrace path early, then spend the heat of the day out of the sun.

    Bali

  11. Day 11

    Temples and the east

    Pair one water temple with a village workshop rather than crossing the island for a photo stop.

    Bali

  12. Day 12

    Move to the coast

    Shift to a second base near the coast so the last days are not spent in Bali's traffic.

    Bali

  13. Day 13

    A slow coastal day

    Swim, eat, and keep the day free for the one thing you decided you wanted on arrival.

    Bali

  14. Day 14

    Depart from Denpasar

    Match the final morning to the flight and the transfer you arranged the night before.

    Bali

Sources