Java is a beautiful island in Indonesia and the best part of it is that it has so many beautiful places but not as many tourists as in Bali ( you can check the Bali Travel Guide here ). In total we spent one month in Indonesia ( including four days in Singapore ).
Indonesia is one of the best countries in the world, the people are super nice and friendly and the countryside will leave you speechless. If you are planning your next trip around the world or if you're just curious about what we did in Java and what people should see on this island, then check out the next points :)
1. Visiting the Krakatau
Krakatau is a volcanic island between Java and Sumatra. We took a private fast boat from Carita to this island and then started hiking on the volcano. The view is breathtaking and it's worth the trip!! After this we also did some snorkeling in an aerea nearby and I can tell you: there are so many amazing fishes that's it's amazing !!
2. Cirebon
Well, I need to tell you first that Cirebon is not a typical tourist attraction! Actually, it's not even on the travel guide and we were the only tourists in the city... But this city let us breathe the real javanise atmosphere and we were so happy that we actually stayed there. Two kids we met on the streets took us first to the local market and the to the palace of the sultan (kraton).
The manager of our hotel took us out for dinner and we enjoyed the typical sate ayam!
If you need a place where to stay, I suggest the Hotel Pia! The kindest people work there!
Normally, people stay here in order to visit the Borobudur temple and the Prambanan temple, which are really close to the city. Anyway, if you have some time, it's worth the stay in this city.
We visited the market ( which is huge..) and an old men let us try almost every kind of spice in the spice market. The spice market is beautiful!! Another thing we did is eating on the floor some fried food in the street of the city. Drinking tea melati ( Jasmine tea) and listening to some locals playing music... Wonderful!
4. Borobudur and Prambanan
The first one is a buddhist temple and the second one is a hindu temple. Of course these two temples are the major tourists attraction of the island, but both are amazing and it's worth to see them!
5. Sunrise on Mt. Bromo
The image of the sun rising over the crater of the Mt. Bromo is something still clearly stuck in my head. It's one of those experiences that I will never delete from my mind. Anyway, it's been kind of difficult to reach the top of the mountain ( because we took a wrong road and our car was to heavy- 6 people + backpacks...), but once we got on the top, we had the most delicious nasi goreng ( fried rice) of our lives! The trips to see the sunrise over the crater usually start at 3. am and I suggest you to book a guide!
6. Sunrise on Kawah Ijen
You can see more pictures of this amazing volcano here . Wake up call at 1 am and one of the hardest hikings of my life ( I was almost fainting after half an hour... Don't know if it's me - probably yes- , or if the way was extremely hard, or if it was because I didn't eat anything... But this suffer was worth the view once at the top <3
One last suggestion: meet the locals, eat on the floor and eat local food! We ate amazing stuff from the ugliest places.. So just try! By meeting local people ( this is valid for every country you'll visit), you'll get to know the culture and the traditions even better and you'll enjoy your trip to the fullest <3
