Exciting Recreational Activities

For your vacation here in Kaliandra, we can offer you many activities to fulfill your appetite for adventure, or simply satisfy your desire for relaxation.

Kaliandra's offerings and our surrounding environment allow us to provide pursuits in physical and spiritual wellness, culture and heritage exploration, mountain trekking activities and educating nature walks. Most of our activities are based in and around Kaliandra, but a number of excursions are also available to the surrounding areas of East Java.

Hiking and Trekking

As Kaliandra is based at the foot of Mount Arjuna and Mount Ringgit only a short distance away, there are many walking trails in the area to suit all walking abilities from an easy 2km stroll through plantations, farms and villages, to a more strenuous half-day trek venturing through grassland, pines and rainforest. Our "Candi Sepilar" trek will take you on a journey to discover a number of temples on your ascent higher up the mountain until you reach Sepilar itself and its captivating stone stairway leading away into the forest canopy, a fascinating remnant of times past!

Many of our walks are self-led but for our temple treks and a number of our other routes, a Kaliandra guide will be required.

Half-day hiking (9am-1pm) - IDR 200.000,- for 2 persons
                                       - IDR 240.000,- for 3 persons
                                       - IDR 275.000,- for 4 persons
                                       - IDR 305.000,- for 5 persons
                                       - IDR 325.000,- for 6 persons

Full-day hiking (9am-5pm) - IDR 400.000,- for 2 persons
                                       - IDR 480.000,- for 3 persons
                                       - IDR 550.000,- for 4 persons
                                       - IDR 610.000,- for 5 persons
                                       - IDR 650.000,- for 6 persons

The ultimate in our hikes is a 3-day trek climbing Mount Arjuna and Mount Welirang to witness the amazing sights from the 3339m summit. Click here for more details about this trek excursion.

Taman Safari II

Just 10 minutes from our center is Taman Safari II, a large, well-maintained Safari Park boasting three main zones – America, Africa and Asia – with native animals to each zone. Drive through the park in your own vehicle, stopping alongside the animals to see them up-close or take the unique safari bus with informative speaker (Indonesian only). After the safari tour, do not forget to stroll through the amusement area of the park.

Please note: there is an entrance fee applicable for this activity.

Traditional Arts

Kaliandra is a place where the traditional Javanese arts are preserved and passed on to new generations to ensure their continued mesmerising elegance is not forgotten. With us you can learn to play Gamelan, the habitual Indonesian orchestra, where its nine players play harmoniously through verse after verse of age-old melodies such as the ‘Manyar Sewu' or ‘Ricik-Ricik'. Impress even yourself as you quickly pick-up the rhythm and lose yourself in the echoing of the instruments against nature's own ensemble from the cicadas and tree-frogs.

Also learn about the history behind the legendary ‘wayang kulit', or shadow puppets originating in Central and Eastern Java. Be taught the skills on how to control and move the puppets after a demonstration from our wayang experts and then mimic the characters expressions as you take on the role of puppeteer or ‘dalang'.

You may also decide to treat yourself to some graceful Javanese dance lessons where our expert (and community dance teacher to local children) in traditional Javanese ‘tari' will discuss with you the essential components before teaching you some of the more popular routines such as ‘Sapi-Sapian' or ‘Pacul-Paculan'. If you are lucky, you may also catch a training session for the local children and watch as they move so elegantly and synchronized around the dance floor.

Cultural Crafts

Immerse yourself into the Javanese culture as you enjoy one of the oldest methods of art production in Indonesia – Batik making. After a short introduction to its origins and styles, you will learn the time-honored methods and create your very own batik to take home with you.

You may also like to learn more about one of Indonesia's most abundant and versatile materials – bamboo! You will see throughout Indonesia that bamboo has many purposes and uses so we would like to provide this program for you to work with local people to make many kinds of bamboo-crafts.

Eco-Walk

Located in the foothills of Mount Arjuna, we have a wealth of nature in the environment around us both within and around Kaliandra and we wish to share this with all our guests to ensure they understand the true beauty that resides in this untouched natural ecosystem. Together with one of our guides, you will be taken around the area on a gentle hike to learn about a multitude of flora and fauna:

the medicinal plants which grow naturally around us
the organic crops produced both in Kaliandra and in the surrounding farmer's fields
the wide variety of elegant butterflies and moths
the diversity of birds living in the trees and canopies above us
the intriguing plant life displayed in our vicinity such as the touch-responsive ‘Putri Malu' or Shy Princess

As well as these, learn about the sustainable practices made possible by Kaliandra such as the water-pipes coursing down the mountain from a natural spring to make water constantly available for our surrounding villages.

Organic Agri-Farming

As we grow our own vegetables in our organic garden, we can offer this popular activity to show you an alternative to mass-produced, enhanced produce found in the supermarkets. Learn about and try the farming methods which we use in our gardens as you help the local villagers working in our gardens to sow an assortment of young vegetables and then gather others ready for harvesting.

You will then clean and prepare your self-harvested produce before making a refreshing, healthy, organic salad in our Hastinapura restaurant ready to eat in minutes!

Eco-Excursions

Sempu Island Adventure

A back-woods adventure for those desiring a return to nature and complete isolation from modern civilisation, living amongst the sounds of wildlife and waves by night on this uninhabited island and by day, maybe a passing fellow visitor or two. Click here for more details.

Pekalen-Bromo Expedition

This two-day excursion begins with a rafting adventure suitable for complete beginners to the experienced veterans. Brace yourself for the many rapids as you cruise down the 12km of the lower Pekalen river. The months of January and February see this Grade 2 adventure transform into a mid- to high-ability raging torrent!

Then you will go on to the smoking Mount Bromo, an iconic attraction in East Java with close-up views of Java's highest volcano, Mount Semeru! A remarkable trip into the Tengger mountain region will bring you to the very edge of the immense caldera, once the vast crater for a super-volcano! Click here for more details.

Arjuna and Welirang Mountain Trek

The ultimate in our hikes is a 3-day trek climbing Mount Arjuna, wandering through many habitats and ascending through numerous ecosystems. Witness the breath-taking sunrise over the Tengger mountain range, then reach the 3339m summit whilst looking down on a cloud-covered world below! Finish your third day in a nice relaxing hot spring. Click here for more details.