After  a succesful journey last year, Heritage Destinations are repeating their ‘Journey Across Java’ this year with another small group of interested and interesting people.

Borobodur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world

Beyond Bali, much of Indonesia is unknown to many Australians. But in many respects, Indonesia is Australia’s most important overall relationship.  Yet the historical and cultural differences of our nearest neighbour are vast, possibly among the widest of any pair of adjoining countries.

For the traveller, opportunity knocks, and here is a frequently overlooked destination that begs exploration. Join Heritage Destinations on a 15 day tour across Java from August 18 – September 1, 2016, with Ian Burnet, the author of the recent book Archipelago – A Journey Across Indonesia, as your leader.

Indonesia is the largest archipelago nation in the world. Is extremities are six thousand four hundred kilometres apart, as far as Perth, Western Australia is from Wellington, New Zealand. Almost seventeen thousand islands both seperate and link the Indian and Pacific Oceans and contain a rich human diversity of over three hundred and fifty different ethnic groups. The people are a subtle blend of cultures that have invaded since neolithic times – Malay, Chinese, Indian, Melanesian, Portuguese, Arabian, English and Dutch. Their history is a saga of wave after wave of human migration who either absorbed earlier arrivals, eliminated them or drove them into less favorable regions such as deep forests, high mountains, or remote islands (where they can still be found today).

The Hindu Temples at Prambanan

Our starting point is the capital Jakarta, centre for government, politics and business – the brain of Indonesia. West, Central and East Java follow including travelling by train to Bandung , Yogyakarta, and Surabaya. From Yogyakarta we will visit the World Heritage listed sites of Buddhist Borobodur and Hindu Prambanan  and we have time to explore the arts, crafts and busy markets in this the cultural heart of Java. Other interesting centres such Solo and the nearby World Heritage Listed ‘Java Man’ site at Sangiran and the centre of the former Majapahit Empire located at Trowulan are included. Our final stay is at the famous Majapahit Hotel in historical Surabaya before the tour conclusion in Denpasar, Bali .

The magnificent Majapahit Hotel in Surabaya

WEA Sydney offer interesting and worthwhile travel experiences. It’s a good time to visit some of the lesser known landscapes of one of the world’s most interesting societies.

Consider joining us on a Journey Across Java and travel with a knowledgeable WEA Sydney lecturer you can trust, who shares your values, listens to you and adds value to your journey. Please go to the Heritage Destinations website for details of the Journey:

http://www.heritagedestinations.com.au/tour/a-journey-across-java/itinerary/