Located an hour’s domestic flight away from Bali, home to one of the World Heritages sites, Yogyakarta seems to be a natural choice for those willing to venture out of Bali. Easy to reach by a one hour flight from Bali, any program in Central Java will maximize the traditional heritage of Central Java, with its magnificently renovated pre-Islamic temples and royal court arts. Borobudur and Prambanan constitute well-known sites. But there is more to this vibrant city with the status of a province. On certain days the Kraton, the spiritual center of Yogya, transforms itself into a superb cultural center. Young dancers perfect themselves in the aristocratic court dances. Anyone who watches their slow, hypnotic dances is carried away by the fascinating realm of Javanese legends and stories, based on stories from the great Hindu epics from India.
