16 Nights Singapore to Sydney

Semarang is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, situated on Java's north coast between the shore of the Java Sea and a small ridge of mountains. Ceded to the Dutch West India Company in 1677 by King Amangkurat I in payment of his debts, it became their headquarters and the seat of the Dutch governor of the northeast provinces. Semarang's usefulness as a port waned due to gradual silting up of the harbour, by the 19th century, Surabaya had eclipsed Semarang as Java's premier port. With a population of over one million, a third of whom are thought to be of Chinese extraction, Semarang is the largest city in Central Java and its administrative capital. The city consist of two parts; the costal lowland where most of the commercial activities are found, and the hilly residential area. Although more a business center than a city for tourists, Semarang serves as a popular gateway to the mountainous interior of Central Java and to fabled Borobudur.