Spend the day exploring the wonderful Gedong Songo Temple complex on this tour that highlights Java’s ancient culture. Boarding your comfortable air-conditioned van at the pier, you’ll begin a two-hour journey through the picturesque countryside as you make your to the complex.
Constructed during the 9th century Syailendra Dynasty, the temples were discovered 1804 by Sir Stamford Raffles and are considered excellent examples of the Early Classic style of Javanese architecture. Arriving at the parking area for the complex, you’ll disembark your van and continue your journey to the temples on horseback. As the horse’s owner leads you up the pine-forested trail, you are free to enjoy the panoramic scenery passing by.
Situated at a height of approximately 4,000 feet above sea level, the temples provide breath-taking views across north-central java and on a clear day, you can see a line of volcanoes on the horizon, from Mt.lawu in the east to Mt.Sumbing, Mt.Sundro and the Dieng massif in the west. The temples themselves are more or less evenly spaced between 300 – 700 feet apart on individual hills and ridges that project from the mountainside.
On the main temple, which is dedicated to Siva, the statue of Nandiswara on the north side and Mahakala on the outside of the doorway, are still in place. The siva temple stands as confirmation that Javanese Hindu iconography had reached its maturity by this time in history. Within the temple grounds you will also find several hot sulfur springs that are open to bathers for a fee.
After approximately ninety minutes enjoying the wonderful architecture and history of the Gedong Songo Temples, you’ll travel to the delightful Bandungan Resort for a tasty Indonesian buffet lunch. Following lunch at this highlands location, it’s time to make the return trek to the Semarang.
Depart from Semarang City to Wonosobo city. On the way there we will make a stop at Banaran Coffe for Tolet stop and enjoy coffee break. Arrived at Wonosobo City, lunch will be served at Dieng Restaurant.
After lunch continue to Dieng Plateau and be invited to see the enshrinement of Hinduism temple named Candi Arjuna. The main temples compound clustered around the Arjuna temple in the plain surrounded by mountains and hills. Arjuna cluster located in the central area of Dieng plateau, consisting of four temples that lined elongated in north-south direction.
Arjuna temple is located at the north end, then successively to the south is the Srikandi, Puntadewa and Sembadra temple. Right in front of Arjuna temple stands Semar temple. The four temples in this cluster are facing west, except for Semar temple that facing east right in the opposite of Arjuna temple. This temple compound is the most intact compared to the other temple group clustered in the Dieng area.
Continue the exploration by visiting Telaga warna or Color Lake. The lake appears to be a water-filled caldera with several active gas vents below the water's surface, and signs there are sometimes some active vents around the shore. There are usually two lakes, but the smaller one was just a grassy marsh when visited at the end of the dry season. The smaller lake is usually clear, while the larger one will display bands of color from pale yellow to emerald green, depending on the proximity to the vents.
Drive back to Semarang city.
Depart Hotel/Airport to Solo City, visit Mangkunegaran Palace, which is one of the Javanese cultural sites that still standing firmly as a monument of glory of the old Javanese culture with a charming touch of Europe.
Next stop is Sukuh Temple, is one of the most interesting temple in South East Asia. It is full of erotic ornaments. It was built in 15th-century Javanese-Hindu temple that is located on the western slope of Mount Lawu (elevation 910 metres (2,990 ft)) on the border between Central and East Java provinces. Sukuh temple has a distinctive thematic reliefs from other candi where life before birth and sexual education are its main theme. Its main monument is a simple pyramid structure with reliefs and statues in front of it, including three tortoises with flattened shells and a male figure grasping his penis.
A giant 1.82 m (6 ft) high of lingga(phallus) with four balls, representing penile incisions, was one of the statues that has been relocated to the National Museum of Indonesia. Lunch will be served at Sukuh Cottage.
After Lunch, drive to Cetho Temple is a fifteenth-century Javanese-Hindu temple that is located on the western slope of Mount Lawu (elev. 1495 m above sea level) on the border between Central and East Java provinces. Cetho is one of several temples built on the northwest slopes of Mount Lawu in the fifteenth century. By this time, Javanese religion and art had diverged from Indian precepts that had been so influential on temples styles during the 8-10th century. This area was the last significant area of temple building in Java before the island's courts were converted to Islam in the 16th century. The temples' distinctiveness and the lack of records of Javanese ceremonies and beliefs of the era make it difficult for historians to interpret the significance of these antiquities.
An orientation drive through the historical sections of Semarang begins this truly delightful day of touring. Leaving the city behind, you’ll head through the lush tropical landscape of rural central Java as you make your way to Ambarawa Village, home of the Ambarawa Railway Museum and where you will board your antique steam train. Before getting underway, a brief visit is made to the well-maintained train museum which is set around the grounds of the old railway station.
Here, you’ll find a substantial collection of well-restored classic locomotives, with the oldest dating back to 1891. Boarding an original passenger coach complete with vintage wooden benches, your picturesque train journey to Tuntang Station (passing through Rawa Pening Lake) and back to Ambarawa Station. From either side of your train car, you’ll find some splendid scenic vistas of rice paddies, small creeks, local houses and dazzling Rawa Pening (literally meaning 'Clear Swamp', from the Javanese Bening) with backdrop of majestic mountains. Arriving at Ambarawa Train Museum, you’ll disembark and rejoin your coach for the drive to a Mesastilla coffee plantation.
This is an excellent opportunity to see up-close Javanese coffee trees with their beans in various stages of ripening, clinging to the branches. Your hosts at the plantation are happy to share with you their knowledge of coffee and the process of how the beans are grown and then made into the final coffee product. A buffet Lunch will be served before it’s time to board your coach for the relaxing drive back to Semarang City.
Leave the Hotel/Airport for your full day Borobudur Temple tour but first make a stop at Candi Rejo Village, using “Andong” visiting the site of manufacture of traditional crafts, and traditional arts in the tourist village. Along the way, you will be presented with views of rice fields, as well as traditional housing. From the tourist village, continue to Manohara Restaurant Borobudur located in the slope of the temple. After lunch, continue to Borobudur Temple, the largest Buddist temple in Indonesia and it is considered as one of the world wonders.
Built in the 8th century by the Cailendra Dynasty. The mane Borobudur is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit words that means the Buddhist monastery on the hill. This Temple was abandoned for centuries and lay hidden under layers of volcanic ash. When it was constructed in the 9th century, its overall height was 138 feet. It was rediscovered in the early 19th century by English military engineers.
A massive restoration took place from 1973 to 1984, during which each of temple 1,300,232 blocks was restored. After completed the Borobudur Temple program, drive back to Tanjung Mas Harbor, Return to Semarang city.
This tour provides a wonderful opportunity to see some of Semarang's most popular attractions while allowing time to shop for locally crafted souvenirs. Starting from the pier, you will first travel to Central Java Grand Mosque (MAJT).
MAJT was built in area of approximately of 10 hectare, with mains building broad 7.669 m2, and can accommodate 15.000 pilgrim. While the width platform of 7.500 m2 provided with six giant umbrella which can open and close automatically like the one in Nabawi Mosque in Madinah town. Next Visit to Sam Po Kong (Gedung Batu), a unique temple built in honor of the famous Chinese Admiral, Zheng He. Inside the Temple are many outstanding stone carvings and sculptures as well as several shrines and tombs.
Other sites seen on your tour include Lawang Sewu Building, is an old building in Semarang, Central Java, which is the office of the Nederlands-Indische Maatschappij or NIS Spoorweg. Built in 1904 and completed in 1907. The monument is located on the roundabout that used to be called Wilhelminaplein Young. Local people call it Lawang Sewu (Thousand Doors) because the building has a door that very much. In fact, the doors are not up to a thousand. The building has many windows high and wide, so people often think of it as the door (mace).
Leaving here, your next stop is at. Toko Oen Restaurant for Learn how to made Loenpia a traditional snack from Semarang and enjoy the coffee break at the same time. Before returning to Hotel/Airport you will stop at Greja Blenduk, the oldest church in central Java, dating back to 1753. Built in the shape of a Greek cross, the interior of this imposing protestant Dutch church is dominated by an enormous baroque organ and pulpit. Although the organ was never able to be restored and is no longer working, it stands as a quiet reminder of the Church's glorious past.