About Us
Everyone visits Borobudur and Prambanan. Very few see them the way a local does. Experience Java Tour was founded in Bantul, Yogyakarta, on 11 January 2025 to change that: to take you to Java's famous places and make them feel personal, deep and unforgettable.
Meet Kin, your local storyteller
Hi, I'm Kin (my full name is Arief Aulia R.). Kin is also the name of my first son, and the name my guests have known me by for years.
I fell in love with travel as a teenager, riding a motorbike and hitchhiking all the way to Lombok. At school I loved English debate, which taught me how to tell a story people actually listen to. In 2014 coffee became my second obsession: I learned it in class and on farms, then managed a coffee shop in Yogyakarta. In 2015 a foreign customer who owned a villa opened the door to tourism for me. When COVID ended that chapter, I spent three years as a walking-tour guide, and my guests began calling me a storyteller. Studying international relations helps me connect Java's past with what you see today.
Famous places, a local's way
We run Borobudur and Prambanan tours, and overland journeys from Yogyakarta to Bromo, Ijen and Bali. The places are the famous ones. What changes is who takes you: local drivers, local storytellers and a local agency, so even the most visited temples feel personal.
- Local to the core: your driver and storyteller live here.
- Customised: tell us your pace and interests, and we shape the day around you.
- Flexible group size: shared tours are limited to 10 people, private tours have no limit.
- Licensed and registered: we hold an Indonesian business registration (NIB) and our guides are licensed.
- English-speaking: clear communication from first message to last stop.
Go deeper with local experiences
Add one of our hands-on experiences to any trip:
- Coffee workshop: learn the history of coffee and post-harvest processing in a local café with people who truly love coffee, then take your own souvenir home.
- Mountain cooking class: cook mindfully in a home kitchen in the hills above Yogyakarta.
- Walking tours: discover the history and culture of Malioboro and Kotagede through stories, not dates.
Who travels with us
Most of our guests come from Europe, Singapore and Malaysia: couples, families and backpackers. We also work with travel agencies as their local operator in Yogyakarta.
Our local circle
Behind every trip is a circle of local drivers, storytellers and hosts we trust. My wife and our son are part of this story too.
Ready to see Java like a local?
Tell us your dates and what you love, and we will shape your trip. Message Kin on WhatsApp
