We inadvertently booked this tour for Indonesia's 80th anniversary of independence, so apologies to our guide Sandra for making him miss the morning's celebrations 😬
Since the main road was closed for parades, he valiantly took us on a wild, cross-country route on village roads... which was an adventure for his car (sorry again!) ... but we had a laugh about it and the upside was that we got to see how the villages were decorated for the event.
Somehow, despite the circuitous route, we still managed to cram in all our activities and finish on time. The highlight was the white crater, which was fascinating. The tea plantation was just a quick pitstop by the side of the road, but my son absolutely LOVED the suspension bridge and all the accompanying activities.
To be honest, we didn't love the deer sanctuary, which was a LOT of deer in a small, barren space and a keeper who swiped at them with his foot if they weren't doing what he wanted. We had more fun feeding the fish outside.
It should be noted that there's a tourist surcharge to the tour's advertised price of 80,000Rp per person. Since the tour already felt premium price, I'd have preferred that to be clearly displayed, rather than hidden in the small print.
Still, this was our first time taking a tour, and Sandra made it very good fun. Thank you!