Selamat Datang! WELCOME BACK!

“Welcome Back!” because in Yogyakarta, as in so many places around the world, we have missed seeing visitors in the past two years.

So - A BIG WELCOME BACK!

My name is Ukhi and Yogyakarta is my home.

Yogyakarta is one of the oldest royal seats of Java and therefore has a wealth of history, tradition, crafts and culture to offer.

I would be happy to share these with you and to show you the beautiful country side of Central Java.

Let me know when you will be arriving and I will be there to meet you and simply deliver you to your hotel or better still, be your personal driver and guide in and around Yogyakarta and Central Java.

Driving Services

Listing of Services and An Idea of Cost

I will customize my service to fit your interest and the time you have.

But before we go any further, I feel it's always good to have some idea of costs.

For me to meet you at Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) and drop you off at a hotel in Yogyakarta, it would cost US$20.00.
For me to meet and drop you off at a hotel in or close to Borobudur would cost US$25.00
For me to be your Driver/Guide for half day around Yogyakarta would cost US$35.00.
For me to be your Driver/Guide for a day, which would give us time to tour Yogyakarta, Prambanan and Borobudur, would cost US45.00.

These price guides are for a standard sedan that would comfortably seat 4 adults. If you have a bigger party, please let me know and I can arrange for a more appropriate vehicle and let you know the cost.

Please email or message or telephone me to discuss your visit; remember these prices are not carved in stone (like the Borobudur temple ☺)

Sample Guided Tours

A Few Suggestions and An Idea of Time

You may already have a fairly good idea of what you want to do in and around Yogyakarta. If not, I would be happy to assist with suggestions.

Here are some rough ideas of what you can comfortably do within half or one day:

Half Day

I could pick you up from your hotel in Yogyakarta, take you to the Kraton (Royal Palace) for an hour's tour, meet you after to go along to the PrambananTemple. In between, if you are a coffee aficionado, we could go for a very good local Java coffee; and if you are interested in seeking out an antique kris, or stone carving, or a special batik sarong, I could take you to some extraordinary shops.

One Day

I could pick you up from your hotel in Yogyakarta and show you around Yogyakarta - the Kraton, the Prambanan Temple, have coffee, do some shopping, and then drive you through the beautiful Central Java countryside to Borobudur. The return trip to Borobudur, with two hours to enjoy the temple, will take the better part of half a day, but it will be well worth it.

Alternatively, we could spend the day visiting Borobudur and then walking up to Mount Merapi (provided it is safe to do so) or going to Surakarta (Solo), the other royal capital in Central Java.

So these are just some ideas but whatever you decide to do, you can depend on me to be on time and fully at your service.

Homestay

If you would like a taste of living surrounded by the padi fields of Central Java, you may perhaps like to consider staying in my village homestay, RumahUkhi.

Because I will be on hand to drive you, you can have the best of two worlds...the rich tourist sights and sounds of our busy historic cities and world heritage monuments; and the charm and serenity of village life.

I have four double rooms, each with its own bathroom. They are simple and comfortable and come with a delicious local breakfast. And if you like, we can also cater dinner, as my wife is an excellent cook.

Bed and breakfast for one night would cost US$25.00 but for a three-night stay, it would cost US$60.00 in total.

Just let me know when making your transport booking. My family and I look forward to hosting you.

“The BEST homestay I have ever had the pleasure of staying in! This is a beautiful homestay run by a wonderfully kind, considerate and generous family…. The rooms are comfortable, with AC, a TV, private bathroom and an enclosed courtyard shared by only 4 bedrooms, which has shaded seating space to eat, chat, rest and work…. ”

Helen

from Herefordshire, England

“Being a solo female traveller, I felt very safe and comfortable in the homestay. I looked forward to waking up early to watch the amazing sunrise while strolling along the padi fields nearby and then enjoying a local coffee in our little homestay patio… Terimakasih Pak Ukhi, Mrs Ukhi and Iskandar for making my 1st trip to Yogyakarta such a beautiful and memorable experience.”

Evelyn

from Malaysia

“This is one of my best stay ever! Pak Ukhi and the family (his wife and his son) are really the best. They give you 5-star hospitality. Homey and traditional down-to-earth Javanese style building. It suits my taste. And you can walk around the village, it’s very peaceful all the time. And Mrs Ukhi is an expert cook. RumahUkhi is really worth the money.”

Solo Traveller

from Indonesia

“A fantastic Place with a fantastic Owner in a quiet village street… Lots of small details make this place very special. But the best thing is the super friendly owner with his family.”

surfdogs88

from Stuttgart, Germany

Recommendations

You may wonder about my website; how did this simple Yogyakarta driver/guide come to have this website. Well, the truth is that a regular client of mine from Singapore decided to help me…..

I met Ukhi in 2010 while working on a micro-banking project in Borobudur. Ukhi, who was then driving a taxi,became my regular airport transfer driver.

As I got to know Ukhi better, I came to respect him for his integrity and professionalism as well as his desire to do well for his family. This was why I helped him put together his own website.

Fast forward to 2022…. it’s now an amazing 12 years since www.yogyadriver.com went live.

In the interim, it has provided travellers with a secure way to safely engage a reliable driver guide. It has also provided Ukhi and three of his driver friends with a steady flow of work and income.

From early 2020 however, Yogyakarta, like so many tourist destinations the world over, has not seen many visitors because of the pandemic.

Ukhi, who fortunately has been able to go back to full-time padi growing, says how much he misses his old life ofshowing off his beloved Yogya to visitors.

He and many of his friends working in tourism, are eagerly awaiting the re-opening of borders and looking forward to again welcoming visitors – old and new.

If you are planning to visit this beautiful part of the world and are looking for a dependable driver guide or a lovely village homestay, I cannot recommend you to contact anyone better!

Wong Chia Lee

Ukhi's regular client from Singapore

We were recommended to use Ukhi by a friend who had visited Yogyakarta recently, and we were really pleased with our decision to use Ukhi.

Ukhi was at all times prompt, professional , honest, courteous and friendly. He is a very safe driver with a modern vehicle.

We made the basic arrangements by e-mail (although Ukhi’s written English is not as good as his spoken English) but we made day-to-day changes to fit in with the weather and our family’s energy levels. Ukhi was at all times accommodating and helpful.

He knows the areas well, but also understands what tourists want. He gave us excellent recommendations for eating, coffees and shopping. He also knows the best places to change money.

We are an Australian family, living in Malaysia. We have travleled widely in Asia and can confidently state that our experience with Ukhi was amongst the best travel experiences we have had in the Region.

Black Family

I will start by saying we had a really good stay in Yogyakarta at RumahUkhi. Personally I think that we couldn’t have had a better homestay and driver. As a family we really enjoyed our stay at RumahUkhi and we are very glad to have Ukhi as our driver. If you do not value luxury, but want personal contact/attention, flexibility, authenticity, friendliness, then Ukhi is your driver with a good homestay. Homestay RumahUkhi is located in a kampong, 20/30 minutes from the center of Yogyakarta (Yogya). Instead of the busy city life of Yogya, RumahUkhi is an oasis of peace. But if you do want to dive into the busy city life, Ukhi will bring you in no time to: the main shopping street (Malioboro), a local market or some other busy places in Yogya…

RumahUkhi is a great homestay with an excellent host.”

Manny

from Groningen, Netherlands