A Perfect Photography Tour of Bali and Java (8 Days Tour)

Yogyakarta – Between the Lens and Culture

Yogyakarta embodies the soul of Java Island, from the temples to the language, traditional life in the palace complex to the ritual of producing batik, a traditional Javanese textile. Your flight lands at Yogyakarta Adisucipto International Airport, where your private transfer meets you upon arrival. The tropical landscape ambiance sweeps across the landscape with sporadic palm trees and lush greenery.

The beaches shimmer with gold sand and rugged cliffs overlooking indigo waters. At Timang Beach, the cresting white waves splash against the coral stone framing the coast. A small cable car crosses the waters originally used by lobster fishermen.

The cables lead to the Watu Panjang Island, a secluded coral plateau offering an unfettered view to the horizon. Rickshaws and motorcycles rush along the streets. Red tiles rooftops dangle over hidden alleyways. The aroma of spiced peanuts and blossoming hyacinths drifts through the streets. The main market of Pasar Beringharjo brims with locals searching the famous textiles.

The bright colors rush along the edges of the walkways leading to the historical back section. Stalls wedge close together, interspersed with cafes and restaurants.

The scent of noodle soup wafts upwards from large pots with hints of spice. Jackfruits form pyramids on displays beside coconuts and rambutan, offering glimpses of the traditional market. The first-floor spice market glows with rainbow colors emanating from sacks and boxes of turmeric, ginger, cloves, and dried flowers. You easily settle into the comforts of your hotel, viewing the movement of the city with an artist’s eye, and explorer’s sense of wonder.

What’s Included: dinner, airport transfer, accommodation.

Yogyakarta – Sunrise on the Culture 

You wake up before dawn and meet your guide in the hotel lobby, eager to venture out through the surrounding hills to reach the temple of Borobudur. The 9th-century complex contains nine platforms, a marvelous central dome, and nearly 2,700 relief panels wrapping around more than 500 Buddha statues. The surrounding jungle fills with twittering birds and active monkeys ambling across the branches.

The surrounding Muslim villages echo with the call to prayer. The poetic chant moves through the sky, accompanying the burnt sage hues of the sky at sunrise. Rice fields shine emerald against the thatched-roof huts. The temple was erected as a three-dimensional representation of the Buddhist’s idea of the universe.

The giant mandala represents the path of the bodhisattva, telling the story through the structure's movement stretching across more than two million stone blocks. On the Rupadhatu level, the remarkable reliefs depict stories of the Lalitavistara, consisting of 120 panels detailing the life of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, beginning with the descent of Buddha from heaven. The natural light pours over the historic complex, casting the reliefs, statues, and surrounding jungle with gilded hues.

Your guide leads you away from the hill rising more than 1,300 above sea level for an opulent view of the temple and surrounding landscape, to a village awake after morning prayer.

What’s Included: breakfast, lunch, transfer, tour, accommodation.

Ubud – Tradition through the Lens

In the morning, the sunlight spreads across the emerald rice fields. Thatched huts made with golden straw rise out of the flatlands. Farmers tend to their crops, walking barefoot through the wet soil while carrying bamboo poles balancing woven baskets. At breakfast, you capture some of the gorgeous produce filling the dining room to create a rainbow of magnificent flavors and colors, from fuchsia rambutan to sage and yellow mango. After the meal, you venture into the mountains to visit Goa Gajah, also known as the Elephant Cave.

Elaborate Hindu reliefs decorate the walls of the temples carved neatly into the rocks. A guardian standing above the entrance to the cave watches dutifully over those entering the grounds. The menacing faces and postures of the legendary figures date back to the 11th century.

Your camera captures the impressive details in the carvings, adding to the dramatic ambiance emanating from the artistic landscape and surrounding forest. The scent of sandalwood drifts upwards from burning incense. The stone walls are cold and grainy against your fingers.

You continue into the hills to visit Tirta Empul, a temple compound erected in the 10th century. The ambiance between the Goa Gajah and Tirta Empul is remarkably different. The two sacred baths were dedicated to god Vishnu and offer refreshing stimulation with the sound of rushing water and a cool temperature beneath the warm jungle sun.

Dragonheads adorn the spouts and flicker with gilded edges in the light. Locals and visitors take ritual baths to purify their body and soul amidst the lush forest.

What’s Included: breakfast, lunch, tour, accommodation.

Ubud – Along with the Shrines

In the morning, the aroma of fresh coconut fills the dining room. The luscious scent accompanies the slight caramel aroma complementing the coffee. Your guide meets you at the hotel after the meal and leads you to the island’s western shores to view the remarkable grounds of Tanah Lot Temple. The edifice was constructed in the 16th century atop a large boulder separated from the mainland.

During high tide, water surrounds the boulder, turning the temple into an island unto itself. At low tide, the water recedes to allow visitors to wander along the soft, wet sand at the rock’s base, tracing historical footsteps to stairs reaching the boulder’s top.

When water surrounds Tanah Lot, smaller temples in the area hold prayer sessions for local villagers hoping for good rice harvests and rites of passage. In the afternoon, you continue to the southern edges of the island to reach the cliff-top temple of Uluwatu. The shrine stands more than 230 feet above the splashing ocean waves on a limestone cliff decorated with golden striations and dangling jungle vines.

Hyacinths grow wild along the trees and long-tailed macaque lounge on the walkways in the cooling shade. Ancient sculptures and traditional gateways add to the majestic ambiance of the temple grounds. You once again have the opportunity to capture a tropical sunset, this time accentuated by the silhouette of a temple soaring above the sea.

What’s Included: breakfast, lunch, tour, accommodation.