Indonesia - Java & Bali Photo Tour.

Take gorgeous portraits on the Island of the Gods.

The Tour.

Join us on an extraordinary photographic journey through Indonesia, a land of diverse cultures, stunning landscapes, and unique wildlife. Our tour begins in Borobudur, home to Asia's largest Buddhist temple, surrounded by tranquil rice paddies, jungle and volcanoes. From there, we travel to Yogyakarta, to visit the sprawling temple complexes of Prambanan and Candi Sewu. Next, we swap ancient history and culture for nature at its rawest, photographing two very different volcanoes, Mount Bromo at sunrise and the sulphur mines of Kawa Ijen.

Bali, known as the Land of the Gods, offers further photographic opportunities, from photographing dolphins in their natural environment to soaking up the culture of Ubud and capturing one of the world’s most picturesque coastal temples at Tanah Lot.

The beauty of Bali arises from its stunning natural and manufactured landscapes. Primarily volcanic, its breathtaking vistas are often draped with its legendary rice paddies. The unique terracing and cultural control of the water that feeds them is deemed so beautiful that they were awarded UNESCO world heritage status.

Additionally, lakes, waterfalls, and white sand beaches make it hard to ask for more beauty on one small island. The island is even more intriguing when you add in its culture, with endless temples, local arts and crafts, word carvers, silversmiths, batik dyers, and painters.

Indonesia is a photographer’s dream come true, offering many opportunities for temples, volcanoes, diverse cultures, unique fauna and flora, jaw-dropping landscapes, fabulous beaches, and of course its mouth-watering food. Known as the emerald of the equator, it's easy to see why Indonesia is one of the world's most alluring destinations. Indonesia’s stunning landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and warm hospitality will leave an indelible impression on your heart and photographic portfolio.

The June 2025 tour has sold out but we have places available on the August tour, which will be lead by Maciej Radomski, a seasoned photographer with 30 years of experience who has spent more than 15 years organising and leading photography expeditions in East Africa and Asia. The tour is suited to photographers of all skill levels, with an optional pre-tour technical and aesthetic workshop for those who may be new to travel photography or want to brush up on their camera skills.

Photo Highlights.

Borobudur

Sunrise at 7th century Mahayana Buddhist temple
Prambanan

Sunset at 9th century Hindu temple
Mount Bromo

Sunrise at active volcano
Mount Ijen

Sunrise at volcanic sulphur mine
Lovina beach

Black sand sunset
Waterfalls

Organised shoot
Besakih

Sunrise at Bali’s mother temple
Fire dancing

Privileged access
Tanah Lot temple

Sunset at temple in the sea
Tegallalang

Sunrise at rice terraces
Jimbaran beach

Sunset at fish market
Sanur beach

Sunrise with volcano

Photo Highlights from our Sumba extension.

Walakiri Beach

Magnificent dancing trees
Tanau Hill

Sunrise over rolling green hills
Ketewel

Sumba’s unique salt farms

See Our Portfolios

Check out our photo book below:

Here’s a photo book we made from the tours in 2022/3. We’ll provide you with templates (including suggested text) and help you to upload your own images, so that you can make your own on the tour and print it when you get home.

Tour Details.

Est. 2012

Duration: 13 days, 12 nights, 11 days of shooting

Dates and Prices

2025

June 2 -14

SOLD OUT

August 14 - 26

US$6450 {plus $2350 for optional Sumba extension - August only}

2026

June 1 -13 (TBC)

US$6650 {plus $2450 for optional Sumba extension}

Past participants will get a special discount.

Our fee includes hotels, breakfast, bottled water throughout the tour, as well as all transport including airport transfers. We base our fee on accommodation in a single room, (always A/C with private bathroom) though we offer discounts for couples sharing rooms, as well as for non-photographers. If you need help with insurance for this tour, please let us know and we can put you in touch with a broker that should be able to help you.

Our Itinerary.

Day 1

Arrive Yogyakarta: Enjoy free transfer to the hotel
PM: Optional technical and aesthetic travel photography workshop for those who need it
Sunset: Meet Nathan and the group for dinner
Sleep: Borobudur luxury heritage hotel
Day 2

Sunrise: Borobudur temple from hotel
AM: Market / Borobudur temple
PM: Drive to Yogyakarta
Sunset: Candi Sewu and Prambanan temples
Sleep: Yogyakarta luxury hotel
Day 3

Sunrise: Train to Mojokerto
AM: Madakaripura waterfall
PM: Drive to Bromo
Sunset: Bromo ridge
Sleep: Bromo hotel
Day 4

Sunrise: Mount Bromo vantage point
AM: Jeep and horse ride to Mount Bromo crater
PM: White horse shoot
Sunset: Bromo ridge walk
Sleep: Bromo hotel
Day 5

Sunrise: Free time
AM: Drive to Probolinggo
PM: Drive to Banyuwangi
Sunset: Baluran National Park
Sleep: Banyuwangi boutique hotel
Day 6

Sunrise: Jeep and trek to Mount Ijen
AM: Sulphur mines
PM: Lightroom session
Sunset: Bangsring beach
Sleep: Banyuwangi boutique hotel
Day 7

Sunrise: Muncar fishing village
AM: De Djawatan Forest
PM: Ferry to Bali and drive to Lovina
Sunset: Lovina black sand beach
Sleep: Lovina beachside hotel
Day 8

Sunrise: Dolphin watch on local fishing boat
AM: Singaraja market
PM: Ulun Danu Bratan temple / Lawak coffee
Sunset: Agung volcano
Sleep: Kintamani volcano view hotel
Day 9

Sunrise: Mount Agung from hotel garden
AM: Besakih (Mother) temple
PM: Private shoot Tukad Unda Dam
Sunset: Ubud familiarity walk
Sleep: Ubud luxury boutique hotel
Day 10

Sunrise: Free time
AM: Free morning (shopping or monkey forest)
PM: Private shoot with Balinese dancer
Sunset: Fire dance (front row)
Sleep: Ubud luxury boutique hotel
Day 11

Sunrise: Tegalalang famous rice terraces
AM: Glass blowers workshop
PM: Tabanan drive
Sunset: Tanah Lot temple
Sleep: Tabanan luxury garden hotel
Day 12

Sunrise: Hotel garden
AM: Paddy field walk
PM: Jimbaran fish market
Sunset: Jimbaran beach walk
Sleep: Sanur beachside hotel
Day 13

Sunrise: Sanur beach
AM: Farewell breakfast
PM: Depart anytime - enjoy free airport transfer or arrange with us to stay on at a beachside hotel
OR: join us on our optional extension to Sumba where we’ll spend the sunset at the fabulous dancing trees on Walakiri beach
Day 14 (Sumba)

Sunrise: Morinda river
AM: Local market
PM: Waimerang waterfall
Sunset: Walakiri beach or Tanau hill
Sleep: Kambaniru beach resort
Day 15 (Sumba)

Sunrise: Free time
AM: Warinding Hill
PM: Praijing village
Sunset: TBC
Sleep: Tambolaka 4* hotel
Day 16 (Sumba)

Sunrise: Waikacura waterfall
AM: Mandorak beach
PM: Weekuri lagoon
Sunset: Ratenggaro beach
Sleep: Tambolaka 4* hotel
Day 17 (Sumba)

Sunrise: Free time
AM: Salt farm at Ketewel
PM: Fly to Bali
Enjoy your flight home or perhaps stay a few days at the beach

See The Full Itinerary

Make the dream a reality.

BOOK THIS TOUR

Tuition.

On any of our tours, stunning photography is the name of the game, and our objective is for you to leave with a collection of images that you'll be proud to show off. Indeed, many of our past participants have gone on to win awards and competitions with photographs taken on our tours.

Nathan’s teaching approach is very hands-on, as he believes in learning by doing. He will guide you through technical challenges, provide artistic inspiration, and lead by example in approaching locals for great portraits. You'll be amazed at the striking and authentic images you'll be able to capture.

We also offer Lightroom workshops during our tours, where we cover workflow management and picture processing. We'll show you the tools to take your travel photography to the next level and provide tips on saving your pictures for various outputs like social media, e-books, and printing.

If this is your first tour with us, you can also join Nathan’s pre-tour workshop, designed to equip you with essential skills for travel photography. Covering technical competence, creative observation, and ethical responsibility with a focus on people and culture, this workshop is perfect if you’re new to travel photography or need a refresher. The workshop runs on the first day of the tour from around 1-5pm. Enhance your photography skills and capture breathtaking moments to treasure forever. Apply via our tour request form and prepare to take your photography skills to the next level.

Hotels and Transport.

Luxury hotels

We have gone to great lengths to secure either luxury hotels, or the best choices in more challenging locations, to enhance your overall sense of being in Indonesia. There is often exceptional character to Indonesian hotels where they utilise their natural building materials and apply age-old skills and style.
4 wheel drives

On some parts of this tour, we encounter steep climbs requiring four-wheel drive transport, but even in these more challenging conditions, we always give you a window seat, with no more than three photographers per car to ensure you have ample space. There is also one train ride included in the price of this tour.
Typical Bali hotel pool

Many hotels have cosy bungalows, most have tropical gardens and some are right on the beach. Some hotels have amazing views and many also have swimming pools. All in all, we are confident that the range and quality of accommodation throughout the tour will keep you pleasantly surprised.

See the Map

TripAdvisor.

IrishCaz80 -February 2019

Simply fantastic! As a novice photographer, I was a little apprehensive about my lack of skills but due to the fantastic itinerary, I figured that even if I didn’t take one decent picture the whole trip I’d still enjoy it. But with Nathan’s help, I’ve managed to come away with photos so good that I still can’t believe they were taken by me! There’s a good reason he has so many repeat customers, he is simply an excellent teacher - not to mention guide - and his trips are as unique as they are varied. If you are contemplating taking any of Nathan’s trips, my advice is just to book, you will not regret it.

Read Our Reviews

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