Java

Unlike Bali’s slow reveal of colour and calm, Java confronts us head on – a dense, restless tapestry of cities, volcanoes, railways and street life where tradition and modernity collide at every turn.

27th May – 3rd June: Malang, East Java

We travel from Pemuteran in Bali to Malang, beginning with a journey along Bali’s north coast to the port of Gilimanuk. From there, it’s a short 5 km crossing of the Bali Strait to Ketapang, before boarding a train that cuts across East Java to Malang.

After a couple of nights in the city, we head out to Sidomulyo to explore local waterfalls and, with any luck, catch a glimpse of volcanic activity around Mount Ranu – though hopefully nothing too dramatic. We then return to Malang for a final few nights, giving us time to absorb the rhythm of the city before moving on.

3rd – 10th June: Yogyakarta, Central Java

Another train journey takes us to Yogyakarta, the cultural heart of Java. This is where temples, tradition and living history come to the foreground, with time set aside to visit Borobudur, Prambanan and the Kraton, and to experience a city that balances its royal past with a vibrant present.

Singapore

Frequently ranked among the world’s great cities, Singapore is a compact collision of cultures, cuisines and architectures — where East meets West in a meticulously ordered metropolis of nearly six million people and dozens of ethnic traditions.

10th – 14th June: Singapore

Singapore, Singapore — so good they named it twice. A short but intense stop, offering skyscrapers and street food in equal measure, and a decisive shift into a fully urban chapter of the journey.

Malaysia

Malaysia feels like a hinge in the journey: familiar in places, entirely different in others. It’s where overland travel slows again, jungles replace city grids, and the route becomes shaped as much by rivers and rainforests as by roads and railways.

14th – 17th June: Malacca

A historic trading port layered with Portuguese, Dutch, British and Malay influences. A place to slow down, walk, and let the past quietly assert itself through architecture, food and streets that curve rather than hurry.

17th – 18th June: Kuala Lumpur

Just a transit stop, but an opportunity to pause, reset and briefly touch base in Malaysia’s sprawling capital before heading east.

Borneo

18th – 21st June: Sepilok, Borneo

Our first stop in Borneo, and an abrupt transition from cities to rainforest. Sepilok offers an introduction to the wild heart of the region, where conservation and curiosity meet at the forest’s edge.

21st – 23rd June: Kinabatangan (Tungog) River, Borneo

A jungle interlude. Life here follows the river rather than the clock, with days shaped by wildlife, water levels and light filtering through the canopy.

23rd – 28th June: Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Back to the coast, but in a very different register. A functional city with an adventurous edge, serving as a gateway to mountains, islands and the South China Sea.

28th June – 2nd July: Kuching, Borneo

A river city with a gentler pace, where colonial history, indigenous cultures and modern Malaysia sit alongside one another with surprising ease.

2nd – 6th July: Kuala Lumpur

We return to Kuala Lumpur to close out this stage of the journey. Not just as a transit point this time, but as a place to pause, reflect, and recalibrate before heading north for phase three, the transit south and then West to Sumatra.