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!

Gunung Andong

08/10/202405/06/2022 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.