5D4N off the beaten path: Learn to surf in a small fishing village on Java -Aug

If you are looking for a Bali-style resort, this is not your place: Life in the tiny finishing village of Batu Karas is simple, with a few guest houses, warungs (street stalls), and a handful of restaurants lined up on the beach, and the local people going about their daily life. Whereever you go, you will be greeted with a friendly “Hello Mister” (regardless of gender).

Batu Karas is one of the few remaining places to forget about the world and blissfully chill!

Also, Batu Karas is the hidden gem when it comes to surfing. Its surf is one of the best beginner waves according to Lonely Planet – with a long soft rolling break all year round, and a sandy bottom.

Let’s travel to Batu Karas together and learn to surf, hang out by the beach, star gaze, and relax for a few days away from our hectic everyday livestyle!

We’ll have a small loft-style modern guesthouse to ourselves, with 3 rooms with queen beds, and 2 family rooms (one of which has a kitchen). It’s clean, has pleasant solid wood features, aircon in each room, and one bathroom with flush per room (find more pictures of the accomodation here: https://unkl347indonesia.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/hi-lo/ ). 

This adventure is suitable for singles, friends, and families.


In the morning, we’ll have breakfast at the guesthouse and then go on our morning surf lesson. We’ll be paired with hand-picked instructors who will teach us from the very basics to advanced techniques: From dry practice on the sand all the way to standing up on the board and riding the wave.

Advanced surfer? You can join us – you’ll skip the lesson and instead we will arrange a trip to one of the more advanced beaches.

Our organizer Ajil's son :)

After our lesson, we can order our lunch at the beachfront restaurant and eat by the beach, or relax our muscles back at the guesthouse, which is just a short walk from the beach. In the afternoon, we’ll hop on our boards again. 

In the evening you can pick our dinner from one of the local warungs, but we’ll also have our choice of fresh seafood and restaurants attached to hotels that offer some Western style alternatives. Bintang is available, too :).

On our third day, we will take a boat to the Green Canyon, navigating through beautiful natural waterways in the jungle until the end of the navigable section, where there are waterfalls and rocks to jump off. 

The rest of the day is free’n’easy. You can watch the local fishermen pulling in the nets at nearby Batu Karas beach (not the surf beach), explore the village, or go and find the nearby rickety bamboon suspension bridge – a sight you won’t see in safety-conscious countries. You can also hike to one of the secluded black sand beaches outside the village.

At night, you can go search for glowing blue phosphorescence on the beach, wander the beach, or stargaze and have a Bintang or two by the beach.

On our last day, after finishing our last surfing practice and dinner, we’ll have a bonfire at the beach, before heading back to Singapore. (Note: This activity depends on whether we get firewood organized)


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Itinerary:

Day 1: Take the plane to Bandung on Java, Indonesia. Then travel by private minibus to Batu Karas and check-in, have dinner together.

Day 2: Surf

Day 3: Green Canyon in the morning; free’n’easy in the afternoon

Day 4: Surf; Bonfire at night at the beach

Day 5: Travel back to Singapore

Note that Batu Karas is off the beaten track: Without airport or public transport, we’ll hop on our own private minibus at the airport, and ride for six hours through the pretty countryside to Batu Karas. We’ll take stops for food and pee breaks to make it relaxing, especially if we have children on board. Hey that’s what it takes to earn the off-the-beaten-track badge J!

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Is this suitable for my child? 

From Britta (adventurous mom of a 1 year old): “This adventure is great if you are itching to take your child off-the-beaten-path for the first time. The guesthouse is clean and safe and you’ll find that Indonesians really love kids. The one hurdle is to make it through the six hour bus ride in our private charter minibus, but hey, that’s why they call it off the beaten path :). We’ll take a break whenever your family needs one. However, Indonesia is not Singapore, and to learn more about traveling with children in Indonesia, I recommend you visit this great page from Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/indonesia/batu-karas/practical-information/directory/travel-with-children/a/nar/738a64b3-6827-46be-b1e6-e60f295643c1/356563 ”

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What others say:

Kayle, Malaysia in Feb 2018:
"Lots of fun and super friendly organizers. Its quite convenient too. Definitely a must do."

My average review for surfing trips is 5 stars. All my reviews are public and you can read about them here:

https://www.threeplaygrounds.com/profile/14128/Ajil+Bigfoot+Surf+School 

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Requirements:

• You must be able to swim
• Kids from 6 years on are welcome to take the class (parents, you must be confident in your child’s ability to swim, and must bring floaties)
• You must take care of all your visa requirements

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Includes:

• Accomodation (1 three-pax family room; 1 four-pax family room; 3 queen-bed rooms for 2 pax each; if you come alone, we will pair you with another person of the same gender)
• All local transport
• Surf board rental for the entire time
• Surf class with qualified instructors
• Boat ride to the Green Canyon
• Breakfast, lunch, dinner on days 2, 3, 4
• Dinner on day 1, breakfast on day 5

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Excludes:

• Air ticket and visa
• Lunch on day 1 and 5 (travel days)

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Things to bring:

• Boardshort and rashies for surfing and swimming

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Price:

• As we are running this adventure this year for the first time, we are offering a special introductory rate of only $563 this year for a group size of 8-12 pax. If we are only 4-7 pax, it will cost us 660$. 
• Flights from Singapore to Bandung will cost you 200-300 SGD. Please indicate interest early so we all can confirm our flight tickets early, for good price. 
• Early bird discount: If you make payment before our min group size is reached, 3PlayGrounds gives you another 5$ off
• Big saving compared to the touristy surf camps in Bali or Australia

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Dates:

• July 21 – 25, Wed - Sun --> happening soon  . RSVP here: https://bit.ly/2re7V0l 
• Aug 8 – 12, Wed - Sun, 2 school holiday, 1 public holiday --> only 1 day leave needed, RSVP on this page
• Sep 2 – Sep 6, Sun - Thur, school holidays --> best flight, RSVP here: https://bit.ly/2HL01mh 

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Terms:

• Before making payment, you must carefully read the terms of participation: https://www.threeplaygrounds.com/pages/champion-terms-of-participation 
• By making payment, you acknowledge that you agree to the terms. 

This adventure is brought to you by Surfing Association Singapore: