Want to enjoy a different kind of experience in Indonesia? Stroll through rice plantations and visit the sacred Hindu temple hidden among the terraces of Java.
- Hundreds of crops in a rice field descending the slope of a volcano.
- A Hindu temple hidden among the vegetation that dominates the views from above.
- Two local guides will show you alternative routes and share their culture with you.
- And not a single tourist for miles around.
Would you like to see a glimpse of the real Indonesia and fall head over heels in love with it?
Come trekking through the rice fields of Java with the guys from Lotus 2 Homestay.
Technical details of the excursion to Candi Selogriyo
- Difficulty: Easy.
- Distance by motorcycle: 27 km (54 km round trip).
- Travel time by motorcycle: 45 min (1.5 hours round trip).
- Walk: 1.5km (3 km round trip).
- Walking time: 30-40min (2-2.5 hours round tripwith visit and rest).
- Elevation gain:100 m.
- Total duration of the excursion: 4 hours (approximately).
- Home: Lotus 2 Homestay.
- Final: Lotus 2 Homestay.
- Price: 160,000 rupees/person (€13 at the current exchange rate)
- Date of realization (photographs): September, 2012.
Walking through rice fields in Java
Trip by motorcycle
Nui and another guy (our drivers and guides) pick us up on their motorcycles at 1:00 p.m. and off we go to Selogriyo!
The journey as a 'package' is quite long but very entertaining.
We crossed narrow streets, small villages, rice fields, and the craziest traffic I had ever seen up to that point (four days later, this seemed like child's play, but that's a story for another article).
Despite everything, I felt very calm thanks to the fact that I had taken out travel insurance with IATI.
Three weekstraveling around Indonesia without any worries for€110? And without having to pay anything up front in case something unexpected happened? I never leave home without them now. 😉
Psst... If you book here, you'll get a 5% discount on the final price, whichever insurance you choose: family, backpacker, adventure...
Rice plantations
In about 45 minutes, we arrived at Campurejo, a small farming village literally surrounded by rice paddies.
We parked our motorcycles and walked up a dirt road that gradually ascended along the side of the plantations to the Hindu temple.
As you climb higher, the views become increasingly spectacular.
Nui tells us that the different colors of each terrace are due to the stages of rice growth and that some of them, instead of rice, contain chili peppers! (the ones they put in every dish, whether you like it or not).
And so, little by little, we arrived at Selogriyo.
Snack at the temple of Selogriyo
Selogriyo is a small Hindu temple reminiscent of some of the smaller structures we saw at the Prambanan site.
The best part? No tourists, just locals.
- Some guys hanging out.
- A couple in love enjoying the view.
- And the four of us. Just like that.
We took off our shoes and took the opportunity to have a snack lying on the grass next to the temple.
Walking among rice terraces
When it was time to return, Niu decided to take a different route and cross the small paths that farmers use to move between terraces.
How could I refuse!?
It was wonderful to immerse ourselves in the rice fields and surround ourselves with that explosion of colors: browns, greens, yellows...
Return by motorcycle
In 45-50 minutes we were back at the hotel with smiles from ear to ear and our butts sore from the bumps on the motorcycle. 🙂
Why go hiking among rice paddies with Lotus 2 Homestay?
When we visited the temple of Borobudur on our route through Indonesia, we made the right choice of accommodation: Lotus 2 Homestay.
We chose it because of the reviews and its proximity to the temple (500 m).
But little did we know that they would earn a place of honor in our memories of that trip.
How did they achieve this?
Being authentic. They gave us the opportunity to see the real Java, learn about their customs and mingle with their people.
Jack and his guys (Niu was the one who spent the most time with us during those 2 days) made us feel welcome and gave us the opportunity to live real experiences off the beaten tourist track:
- Visit the Mendut Monastery at dusk and attend a Buddhist meditation session as guests.
- See how sunrise over Borobudur from a nearby hill.
- Eating the best Nasi Goreng (fried rice with vegetables) of my life in the most unexpected place.
- Attending a traditional ceremony of tantric dances and chants in the middle of the street.
- And, of course, look for a temple hidden among rice paddies. 😉
In addition, Jack arranged our transportation to the airport and gave us the opportunity to see the Prambanan temple (thank goodness, because I would not have forgiven myself for leaving without seeing it).
And more excursions that we didn't have time to do ... 🙁
Paradox: Even if you're not staying at Lotus 2 Homestay, stop by if you want to get off the beaten track and discover another side of Indonesia.
You won't regret it 🙂 🙂
Useful Links
- Lodging in Lotus 2 Homestay.
- Flights to Indonesia: Trabber, eDreams and Momondo.
- 5% discount when you purchase your travel insurance at IATI from here.
On the road in Indonesia? Then this is of interest to you:
- 3 weeks tour in Indonesia: Java and Borneo.
- Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia.
- Meditate with Buddhist monks at the Mendut temple.
- Experience a sunrise from the temple of Borobudur.
- 4 days klotok trip in Borneo: encounter with orangutans in the wild.
- How to organize your visit to Bromo and Ijen: 4 options.
- Route 3 days and 2 nights by Bromo and Ijen.
- Pulau Derawan: how to arrive and stay 7 days on the island.
Map
Do you know of any other hiking trails among rice plantations in Indonesia that are not overrun with tourists and respect the culture and customs of the workers who live in the area?
I would love to hear about your experience, please share it in the comments! Thank you. 🙂