Tour Code: 000SP
Reisen
What you have in mind
Please do not hesitate to let us know what you have in mind.
We will try to put your ideas together in a suitable program.
Let us know the time and your preferred destinations, and if necessary your preferred accommodation, and we will make you an offer.
We are also happy to accompany you to other Indonesian islands.
Tempo Duluh - Times gone by
Today's island kingdom of Indonesia was a Dutch colony for 350 years before the country declared its independence in 1945. Traces of the long Dutch history have been preserved in many places, on Sumatra, for example, many buildings in and around the cities of Medan, Bukittinggi or Padang. But it was not only the Dutch who worked on the island. Many Germans and Swiss also lived and worked in the plantation belt around Medan in particular. Tobacco was cultivated there on a large scale from 1865, followed by rubber from around 1900 and oil palms around 1910. Many of these plantations were originally founded by Germans and Swiss and once bore names such as Germania, Bavaria or Helvetia. (Incidentally, the name “Helvetia” has been preserved and today refers to a district of Medan!) The plantation pioneers made immense fortunes back then with the help of countless imported workers from China and Java. They then had magnificent homes built for themselves in Europe. The German-Swiss team of Hermann Naeher (whose castle can be found in Lindau on Lake Constance) and Karl Fürchtegott Grob (whose former villa “Patumbah” is in Zurich) are well known.
For travellers interested in history, we also organize “excursions into the past”, which can include visits to colonial buildings (in Medan, for example, old administrative and residential buildings) and former plantation areas (in some places, buildings have been preserved and are still farmed “as they were back then”). For a German tourist born in Sumatra, for example, we successfully found her preserved former home. And with a Swiss traveler, we not only tracked down his grandfather's former places of work, but even a lost Indonesian branch of the family!
Depending on requirements and destinations, such special programs can also last several days and be incorporated into one of the tours described above. Do not hesitate to let us know your “special requests”!
Duration, program, accommodation and price according to separate agreement.
Indonesian cuisine and everything that goes with it
A reader survey conducted by the American CNN online newspaper in 2011 revealed that the Indonesian specialty Rendang from West Sumatra is the “tastiest dish in the world”! And right behind it was another Indonesian culinary delicacy, nasi goreng! Indeed, Indonesian cuisine has a lot to offer, and many amateur and professional chefs from all over the world are discovering the fascinating variety of local fruits, vegetables and spices!
On request, we can also organize a look behind the scenes of Indonesian cuisine for those interested in culinary delights. This could be a full-day “cooking course”, for example, preceded by shopping for ingredients at one of the colorful local markets and followed by a feast, for example in the land of the Minangkabau, which is known for its particularly spicy cuisine. But visits “behind the stove” can also be organized elsewhere.
On all our trips, there are always opportunities for tours of the fascinatingly colorful markets and short stops at farmers in the fields or fruit vendors by the roadside. So you will always get to know individual ingredients of the local cuisine. On request, we can also include more detailed visits (e.g. with tastings etc.) in your travel program.
We already wish you: “Selamat makan!” or “Bon appétit!” or “en Guete!”
Duration, program, overnight stay and price according to separate agreement.