Mountain climbing Indonesia

In Indonesia there are many mountains to climb. This is a great experience and will bring you a life time memory.

The Bromo is perhaps Java’s best-known volcano. Mount Bromo is easy to visit and climb. Enjoy the beautiful view at sunrise and take a jeep tour through the “moon landscape” around the volcano. The Bromo is easy to reach by jeep and therefore not a real challenge for real climbers, but it is a unique experience. Read more about all the options below.

A visit to Bromo is often combined with a visit to the Ijen volcano. This volcano is more of a challenge to climb. The Ijen volcano is known for its spectacular blue fire.

The Tangkuban Perahu volcano near Bandung is easy to reach by car. You can take a nice walk here, but you can reach the crater by car as well.

Gunung Lawu is suitable for new climbers who like a challenge. The journey is not easy, but do-able if you have perseverance.

The Merbabu and Merapi are a bit more challenging and suitable for experienced hikers and mountain climbers.

The ancient volcano Ngalanggeran and Mount Andong are good to climb for beginners in about 2 to 3 hours.

Every mountain is different. There are active volcanoes and dormant volcanoes.
Read what options are available for each volcano.

Beginners and advanced

There are many options in Indonesia for both beginners and advanced climbers. Climbing a mountain is a unique experience that you will never forget. The unspoilt nature, the beautiful views and the satisfaction when you reach the top are experiences that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
Some mountains allow the ascent and descent in one day, while others require a two-day trip. You will then sleep in a tent on the top of the mountain.

Nglanggeran
Papandayan
Merapi
Tangkuban Perahu
Kawah Putih and Patuha
Bromo
Gunung Lawu
Ijen
Andong

Papandayan mountain

27/12/202306/12/2023 by Dadang Supardi

Gunung Papandayan

The Papandayan volcano is still quite untouched and quiet. The walk to the top is a brisk but not too difficult walk, which will take several hours.

The walk is anything but boring and leads you through a kind of lunar landscape. You walk between spouting geysers, bubbling mud pools and pools of quicksand.
The volcano consists of several crater plains. Due to the sulfur deposit, the largest crater is also called the “Golden Crater”. After the walk through the mysterious lunar landscape, the climb is rewarded, because -very special- on the top of the volcano there is a field with Edelweiss, the symbol of love, longevity and happiness.

Kamojang Crater

At the Kamjang crater, energy is extracted from heat from earth (geothermal energy). The crater is nicknamed “steam train” (kereta api) because of the smoke and because the crater makes the sound of a puffing steam train.

In 1918, the development of geothermal energy was already started here. In 1964 the power station was put into operation again and various companies and universities are working together to further develop this form of energy.

Merapi

09/12/202305/12/2023 by Dadang Supardi

Merapi

Merapi” means “mountain of fire”, an appropriate name for this beautiful volcano. The volcano is 2968 meters high. Yogyakarta is located at the foot of the volcano.
On the Merapi you can make spectacular jeep tours and enjoy nature.

Climbing the Merapi

Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. You can only climb the Merapi when the volcano is not active and in the dry season (between March and October). The journey is quite tough. There are steep parts and the surface is sometimes not stable due to small stones. The tour starts at night so that you can reach the top by sunrise and enjoy the beautiful view.

Climbing with a guide

Climb Mount Merapi accompanied by a professional guide and go on adventure!
You will be picked up from your hotel in the evening and taken to Selo (a village between the volcanoes Merapi and Merbabu). Around midnight the climbing to the top begins. At night you will not be bothered by the heat and after a climb of about 5 hours you will reach the top of the Merapi where you wait for sunrise. Around half past six in the morning you will descent and after about 3 hours you will reach Selo again, where you enjoy a simple traditional breakfast and are brought back to your hotel. A memory for life!

Jeep tours

In 2010, Yogyakarta was covered in ash after an eruption. Many people living on the mountain had to be evacuated. You can still visit the affected villages and be impressed by the power of the mountain.
The people who used to live in the destroyed villages now run the museum and jeep tours on the mountain. So by visiting these sites, you will not only be awed by the strength and beauty of the volcano, but also support the local people who lost everything they owned during the eruption.

Talking to the mountain

Until 2010, Mbah Maridjan, an old man, was the spiritual guardian of the Merapi. He was appointed by the sultan of Yogyakarta and lived almost at the top of the volcano. He was paid a symbolic $1 a month for his work. He interacted with the mountain’s spirits and led ceremonies to appease the volcano’s spirits by offering rice and flowers in and around the crater. He described his work as, “Let the volcano breathe, not cough.” In 2010, when thousands of people had to be evacuated and more than 300 people died in an eruption, Mbah Maridjan felt it was his duty to stay on the mountain and, at the age of 83, was one of the victims.

Nglanggeran volcano Yogyakarta

09/12/202306/12/2022 by Dadang Supardi

Nglanggeran; An old volcano

About an hour’s drive from Yogyakarta is the ancient Vulcano Nglangeran.

The ancient volcano Nglanggeran was active until 60 million years ago and is one of the oldest volcanoes in Central Java. The mountain was formed by ancient volcanic material and has two peaks namely the western and eastern peak with a caldera in the middle.

A great walk to the peak

Nglanggeran is easy to climb. In just 1.5 hours of walking through the beautiful scenery of UNESCO Geopark Gunung Kidul, you reach the western peak. Here you have a beautiful view of the landscape, the uniquely formed mountains and the cloudy sky.

Ancient traditions

Based on ancient traditions, only seven families are allowed to live on the mountain. If there are more families, one of the families must leave, if there are not enough, a family must be found to join the community of seven families. If there are more or less than seven families, it brings bad luck.

Go Local

In 2017, the village won the ASEAN Community Based Tourism award and was named one of the best tourist villages in the world by the UNWTO in 2021.
In the village you can see a number of local activities (for example dance, music or mask making), in which you can often participate yourself.
Chocolate is made and sold locally. Delicious and straight from the makers. There are also sporting options such as rock climbing or swinging in the mountains.
Near the village is a beautiful waterfall.
Finally, it is also possible to spend the night here in the region in a homestay close to people’s homes or even a glamping (glamor camping) with a beautiful view. The best way to get to know the real Javanese life!

Tangkuban Perahu vulcano

09/12/202304/12/2022 by Dadang Supardi

Tangkuban Perahu “The upside down boat”

This volcano is about 2000 meters high.
The volcano’s name, Tangkuban Perahu, means “the boat that lies upside-down” in Sundanese.

A sad love story

The story goes, that a long long time ago, the beautiful Dayang Sumbi lived here. She sent her son Sangkuriang away because he was not obedient. The gods took pity on her and gave her eternal youth.

After many years, her son decided to return. He met his mother, but did not recognize her (because of her youthful appearance). They fell in love and even had wedding plans. Then Dayang Sumbi recognizes her son by a scar. Dayang tries to stop the marriage and therefore asks her son, who still does not know that she is his mother, to complete what she considers an impossible task. She asks him to pick her up on the wedding day at her house, in a boat.
Since her house is on a hill, Sangkuriang has to build a dam in the river to allow the water to rise from the river up to Dayang’s house. He also has to build a big boat before the sun rises.
Sangkuriang is so eager to get married that he invokes mythical powers to help him. He cuts down a large tree and turns it into a beautiful ornate wedding boat. (The stump of this tree can still be seen. This is Mount Bukit Tunggul). Construction progresses quickly and Dayang Sumbi, fearful that her son will succeed in fulfilling her order, arranges for red cloths to be laid in the east, giving the impression that the sun is already rising. Her son, who indeed thinks that the sun is already rising and that he has failed, kicks the dam out of frustration. There is great flooding and the boat is left upside down.
The boat can still be seen today: the boat is upside down, on top of the volcano. And if you look down over the edge of the crater, you can still see the wedding fire glowing.

Visit the volcano

The volcano has three craters:

The Ratu crater is easy to reach. You can drive up to the top (1830 meters) by car.
The Domas crater is further down, after about an hour of walking you will reach this crater. You can take this walk (until 2 p.m.) with a local guide. This crater has a sulfur smell. With the guide you can get close to the crater and even boil an egg in the hot water.
Kawah Upas is the oldest crater. Poisonous gases come out of this crater and can therefore not be visited.

The Tangkuban Perahu volcano is popular and can be visited between 07:00 and 17:00. The view is best in the morning and it is still relatively quiet. You will also find many tenacious salesmen and self-proclaimed “guides” walking along unsolicited. It is good to know this in advance, so that you can pass this calmly.

Close to the mounain in the village Ciater you will find hotsprings and resorts.

Kawah Putih and the Patuha volcano

09/12/202304/12/2022 by Dadang Supardi

Kawah Putih, the “White Crater”

South of Bandung you find the Kawah Putih, which literally means “white crater”.
Compared to Tangkuban Perahu and the Ciater hot springs, Kawah Putih volcano and the Kawah Rengganis hot springs are less visited. Kawah Putih is a sulfur lake in one of the two craters of the Patuha volcano. Patuha stands for “pak tua” which means “old man”. In the villages around the Patuha it was believed that the Patuha is the oldest mountain and that the spirits of the ancestors gather here. The mountain is 2434meters high.

The colors of the landscape are unreal: the water is azure blue / turquoise and the sand is yellow. Because the lake is high in the mountains, it is cool here. You can walk in the lake on a wooden platform.

Due to the strong sulfur air, you cannot stay close to the lake for too long. The water contains so much sulfur that it is poisonous. In the past, sulfur was extracted here, remains of the old factory can still be found.
It is possible to climb up for a nice view. If you don’t feel like walking, it is (often) possible to be brought here on a motorcycle in exchange for a small fee. You can also make beautiful walks on the mountain.

Bromo

09/12/202325/11/2022 by Dadang Supardi

Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park

The Bromo volcano is located at an altitude of 2329 meters above sea level and is located in the middle of an old large crater; The Tengger (10 km x 8.5 km). This large old crater looks like a large sandy area, like a desert, and is situated at an altitude of 2000 meters. The Tengger “desert” can be crossed by jeep.

The sandy plain is surrounded by the steep crater walls of the old Tengger volcano. In this old and wide sandy crater five old volcanoes are located. From this five the Bromo is the only one that is still smoking. Mount Semeru (3676 meters high) just outside the old Tengger crater, also still smokes.

If Bromo starts showing some vulcanic activity, the government will issue a warning, and no one can approach Bromo closer than 2 km. This does not happen often, but it cannot be predicted when this will happen.

Together, the volcanoes form the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.

The Tengger people

The Tengger people have lived in this area for around 500 years. The Tengger people are Hindu and it is thought that they descended from the ancient Hindu kingdom, Majapahit. They fled to the mountains when Islam spread throughout Java.

Bromo has an important place in their religion. The name Bromo is an abbreviation of one of their main Gods: Brahma. At the foot of the Bromo a Hindu temple was built. You can buy flowers to offer to the Bromo. Once a year (on the 14th day of the Hindu month Kasada) offerings (flowers, fruit and chickens) are offered to Bromo. On that day, no motorized transportation is permitted near the Bromo.

Dewa Kusuma

“Years ago, a young man and young woman lived near Bromo. They were called Joko Seger and Rara Anteng. They fell in love, married and lived happily in the mountains together. Unfortunately, their happiness was not blessed with children. This desire was not fulfilled. Therefore they went to Mount Penanjakan together, from where they had a great view of Bromo, and they meditated for six years. The first year facing East, the next year facing South, one year later facing the West, the fourth year the North, the fifth year to earth and the last year to heaven. During their meditation they took an oath and promised to Bromo: if we are blessed with 25 children, we will return to offer our youngest child to Bromo. Immediately after the made this promise, a strong flame came out of Bromo.

The couple returned home and soon their first child was born, one child after another was born and finally the couple lived happily in the mountains with their 25 children. Until one night the Bromo appeared in Rara’s dream and reminded her of her promise. Fearful and out of love for her youngest child, Rara fled to the forest with her 25 children. That very moment the earth began to shake and a big flame took her youngest son (Dewa Kusuma). Soon the earth became quiet again and the voice of Dewa Kusuma could be heard loud: “Today I leave you so that you can live in peace. One thing I have to ask you: come back every year and bring me fruit and water. If you do this, you will harvest abundantly and will have many children. This is all I ask from you.

Where to sleep?

You can spend the night at Cemoro Lawang, a village on the edge of the large old Tengger crater. Hotels and restaurants are simple, so don’t expect luxury here.

You can also choose to spend the night at Probolinggo, a rather large place at about a two hours drive from Bromo.

Hotels are not always easy to book online. If you need help, feel free to inform about the possibilities.

How to reach the Bromo?

From Surabaya

It takes about 4 hours to drive from Surabaya. Surabaya is easily accessible by train or airplane. From Surabaya your driver can pick you up and take you to the Bromo.

From Yogyakarta or Denpasar

From Yogyakarta, it takes around 11 hours by car. Also from Denpasar, Bali it is about an 11 hours drive. Most people experience this long journey as very tiring and especially if you want to visit Bromo at sunrise, you wont feel relaxed. So check if you can find more time in your travel plans for a more relaxed visit.

From Malang (also great by jeep)

After about a 5 hours drive from Malang you reach the Bromo. The last part of the journey (if you drive via Tumpang) you can transfer to a jeep and drive to the Bromo through sandy plains of the Tengger. Not only will this shorten the time you need to reach the Bromo, the trip will also be more adventurous. You drive over a narrow ridge, so small that the jeeps cannot pass each other. On the way, if you like, you can take a short walk to the waterfall. You drive through the misty forest and pass through the villages where the Tengger people live, and see their fields on the slopes of the mountain. Finally you arrive at the Tengger desert landscape. Often the wind blows and the sand will be blown around, so bring a mask or scarf to cover your face to protect it from the sand.

When you drive the last part with a jeep, your driver will drive with your luggage on the paved road to the Bromo. For him it takes longer to reach Cemoro Lawang. So make sure you bring warm clothes, it can be cold in the mountains.

Sunrise or not?

Many people love to see the Bromo at sunrise, so especially in the morning it can be very busy around the Bromo. During the day it is less busy, In the afternoon there are often more clouds.

In the morning, around 3:00, a jeep can bring you to the view point on Mount Penanjakan (400 meters higher than Bromo) to see the Bromo at sunrise. This trip takes less than an hour. Especially in high season, it is very busy and there are many jeeps driving on the mountains in line. The thin air can make breathing hard.

At the view point you cannot enjoy the spectacular view in peace. Although it can be busy, it is worth it.

From Penanjakan you can see Bromo, Kursi, and Batok the ancient volcano’s (Bromo has a smoke) and in the background the large volcano Semeru (the highest mountain in Java). An impressive view.

Because of its height, it is very fresh in the morning (around 5 degrees), unlike the usual weather in Indonesia. Don’t forget to bring a warm coat!

When the sun rises, the jeep tour continues through the lunar landscape of the Tengger Crater, to return to Bromo. Sometimes there still is low fog in Tengger in the morning. This makes the landscape more mysterious than it already is. You can walk , but you can also take a horse to reach the Bromo. Quite pleasant, because the air is thin and cold, your condition is not as you are used to. Finally you can climb Bromo via a long ladder. Above the crater smoke appears. You can see the flowers that have been offered before.

Don’t you like to get up early or do you like to avoid the crowds? Then you can also choose to visit Bromo during the daytime.

Good to know and some tips

Make sure you take enough cash with you.
Renting a jeep is required (by the authorities) if you want to drive to yhe Bromo or the view point at Penanjakan. This is not possible with normal transportation.
Bring warm clothes. You can also buy gloves or a cap on the spot.

Like most places in Indonesia, you have to buy a ticket for the national park. The government is trying to sell these tickets as much as possible online, to be able to check the maximum number of tickets sold per day.

Tumpak Sewu, Coban Pelangi and Madakaripura Waterfall

Tumpak Sewu Waterfall

Waterfall Tumpak Sewu Tumpak Sewu means “a thousand together” and that is exactly what you will see: in a semicircle water falls from about 100 meters high everywhere: a thousand waterfalls next to each other. Tumpak Sewu waterfall It is a brisk one hour walk from the parking lot to the waterfall Tumpak Sewu. The ... Read more

Coban Pelangi waterfall Malang

Coban Pelangi Waterfall The waterfall “Coban Pelangi” is located in a beautiful piece of jungle. After a walk of 700 meters you will see the 30 meter high water. A beautiful sight. Especially around noon because at this time you have a good chance of seeing a rainbow above the cliff. The name of the ... Read more

Madakaripura waterfall

Madakaripura Waterfall Not to far away from the Bromo a beautiful waterfall can be found. Madakaripura Waterfall is the highest waterfall in Java (200 meters high) and the second highest waterfall in Indonesia. Gajah Mada A famous poem from the 14th century tells us that Madakaripura was a present from king Majapahit, to the military ... Read more

Sukuh en Gunung Lawu

09/12/202329/10/2022 by Dadang Supardi

Gunung Lawu

Mount Lawu is 3265 meters high and is a beautiful mountain to climb. Mount Lawu is a sacred place and is often visited by pilgrims.

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A 2-day trip on Mount Lawu

Make a 2-day trip on Mount Lawu accompanied by a guide and spend the night on top of the mountain in a tent.

The journey to the top starts in the basecamp and passes 5 posts.

Up at station 5 is the Mbok Yem’s warung(eating place). In the warung you will find warmth, hot tea and coffee and simple food. Here you spend the night in a tent. The next morning you walk the last 30 minutes to the top to enjoy a beautiful sunrise. It can freeze so it is absolutely necessary to bring warm clothes!

King Prabu Brawijaya V

Around the year 1500, the last king Prabu Brawijaya V of the Majapahit empire passed away on the mountain. His body was never found. He is said to have passed directly to heaven.

After the monarch disappeared, one of his followers turned into a starling. To this day, the starlings still can be found on the mountain. People with good intentions will be supported by them, people with bad intentions will be struck by bad luck.

To honor this special place, it is important to treat the mountain with great respect. There is a custom to ask the mountain for permission before doing anything on the mountain. Also the advice is given to treat each other with respect so that the mountain does not get angry.

Sukuh tempel

The Sukuh temple is a special temple located at an altitude of 910 meters on the slope of Gunung Lawu, about 16 kilometers from Solo.

The temple was built in the 15th century and rediscovered in 1815 after the temple was overgrown by nature for centuries. This temple is a special temple and doesn’t resemble the other temples built on Java and Bali.

The architectural style of this temple resembles the architectural style of the Maya in South America. The temple consists of three terraces. The main building stands on the highest terrace and is in the shape of a capped pyramid, with a narrow, steep staircase going up leading you to a beautiful view. At the bottom of the stairs you will find dragon snakes and large stone turtles. The turtles were probably used as a place of sacrifice

The temple is also special because of the many erotic -not abstract- images and statues which represents fertility.

Ceto Temple

About 5 km from the Sukuh temple the Ceto temple can be found. Meandering between the tea plantations you reach this temple which is situated at an altitude of 1495 meters on top of a hill. It is the last Hindu temple built in Java, around 1451-1475. Due to the altitude, it is often foggy, which creates a mysterious atmosphere. The view is beautiful. The high entrance gate is built in a style that you mainly encounter on Bali.

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Hiking at Tawangmangu

Take a walk accompanied by an experienced guide and enjoy the beautiful nature
Walk between the hills with sawas, villages and nature with beautiful views. The guide can explain a lot about everything you encounter along the way and everything that is growing and blooming. You will encouter tea plantations, vegetables and rice fields. A visit to the 81 meter high waterfall (the Grojogan Sewu) completes the walk.

Climbing mount Lawu

Ijen

09/12/202329/10/2022 by Dadang Supardi

Ijen blue fire vulcano

The Ijen volcano is 2250 meters high and has a crater lake with a very high sulfur content, which makes the water turn turquoise. With a diameter of 1 kilometer and a depth of 200 meters, it is the largest acidic crater lake in the world.

At night, a blue fire can sometimes be seen in the crater of the volcano. It is the largest blue fire area on Earth. The flames can reach a height of five meters and reach a temperature of 600 degrees Celsius. The blue fire arises because sulfuric acid escaping from the soil ignites after it comes into contact with the oxygen in the air.

The government requires tourists to drive a jeep to the beginning of the park. It is a 2-hour walk from the park entrance to the crater lake. For tourists it is mandatory to do this under the supervision of a guide. The climb to the top is quite tough. Due to the height it can get cold (be sure to bring a jacket). You can rent a gas mask for the sulfur fumes.

Sulfur has been extracted at the edge of the lake since 1968. The solidified sulfur is chopped up and carried down by about 300 carriers in baskets. The carriers carry between 75kg and 90kg first up from the crater and then 3km down. They make the trip twice a day.

On the westside of the crater lake a dam was built around 1920 to prevent the toxic water from the lake from flowing over the lower farmland. This dam itself is difficult to reach.

Since National Geographic, the BBC and Al Jazeera broadcast documentaries about the extraordinary blue fire, tourism to the volcano has increased. It can be busy in the high season, especially on weekends.

Gunung Andong

09/12/202305/06/2022 by Dadang Supardi

Gunung Andong

Close to Magelang you can find the Andong mountain. This mountain is very suitable for climbing. You need about 3 hours to get to the top and about 2 hours for the descent.

The tour starts at “base camp Pendem”. Here is a parking lot, a small warung (stall) where you can buy some snacks and drinks. At the warung you pay a small amount for the maintenance of nature and hiking trails on the mountain. The first part you walk through the coniferous forest. The higher you go the lower the vegetation gets until you get a beautiful view.

Andong has two peaks: Puncak Alap-alap and Puncak Andong. When you reach the first peak, you walk over a ridge to the second peak. You have a beautiful view on both sides. The earlier in the morning you go, the more chance you have that the peaks are not yet enclosed by the clouds. On Puncak Andong there is a warung (stall) where you can buy tea and coffee and simple food for a modest price. The shopkeeper of this warung only climbs down once a week. The rest of the days he spends the night on the mountain.

Please note that it can get cold at the top of Gunung Andong. Bring a warm sweater or coat.