Lonely Planet Indonesia

by Lonely Planet

  2Activities

  Merapi is frequently declared off limits to visitors. But if conditions permit, climbing the cone is possible in the dry season (April to September). Access is via the small village of Selo, on the northern side of the mountain. Extreme caution is advised.

  During quiet periods, a 1am start from New Selo (1600m), a gathering of warungs and stalls at the trailhead, is necessary to reach the summit for dawn (a three- to four-hour trip). It is a tough, demanding walk, but usually manageable by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. Some choose to leave at 5am for the trip to the summit and catch sunrise on the trail.

  And about that trail: it's blessed with magnificent views of Gunung Merbabu across the valley and several other peaks, but the terrain isn't so pretty. In fact it alternates between dust and mud (depending upon the season), is quite steep, and can be slippery and rocky at all times of year, so be wise about your footwear. It eventually leads to a rocky, chilly campsite at 2500m on the third plateau (known as Pasar Bubrah) that some tours use as a last staging post. Depending on the state of the volcano's activity it may not be possible to continue further, and if you are hiking without a guide (certainly possible) this is where you must turn around as the rest of the walk is hard to figure and the footing treacherous. If conditions are favourable, the final ascent is very tough, past billowing vents and through loose volcanic scree and sand, which will consume all your remaining strength and takes about an hour.

  From the summit, on clear days, you'll be rewarded with amazing views deep into the 500m-wide crater from the rim, which is often enveloped by choking sulphurous gas. Be ultra cautious on the crater rim due to freezing winds and the instablity of the terrain. In 2015, one unlucky hiker made national news when he fell off the tallest rockpile on the edge while taking a selfie. No joke, #selfiescankill. His death prompted yet another trail closure as rescue teams worked to recover his remains.

  Treks from Selo are not always well organised, but eaily arranged. Guides (250,000Rp) should warn against climbing if it looks dangerous. While they don’t want to endanger lives, they may be prepared to take risks in order to get paid. Even during quieter periods, Merapi can suddenly explode into action. Entry into the national park costs 150,000Rp.

  It has not been possible to climb the peak from Kaliurang since 1994 due to volcanic activity. However there is still excellent hiking around the lower reaches of Merapi, with superb views of lava flows. Christian Awuy, owner of Vogels Hostel, has organised climbs for years and is an excellent reference point. Six-hour sunrise hikes (US$25, minimum two people) from his hostel usually start at 4am and include a licensed guide equipped with two-way radios and food.

  More pampered tours are offered by Elang Jiwa. Its two-night Merapi package (per person 1,950,000Rp, minimum two people) includes a night at the lodge, a gourmet lunch on the trail, all the necessary trekking gear, a guide and translator, three meals and a foot spa afterward. And your feet will be disgusting, so that's a pleasant treat.

  For up-to-date Merapi information and hiking accounts, consult www.gunungbagging.com.

  Kaliurang & Kaliadem

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  Kaliurang, 25km north of Yogyakarta, is the nearest hill resort to the city. At 900m, it has a cool, refreshing climate. During the rainy season, Kaliurang often sits in a thick cloud bank, but on clear days the views of Merapi are magical. The two museums are both worth a look and there is one great trek here too, making it a worthy sleepover.

  Kaliadem is also a gateway to Merapi, and there are a number of off-road outfitters on the hill here, along with a compulsory 3000Rp entry fee payable at the gateway. On the way into Kaliadem you will pass the remains and foundations of homes destroyed in the 2010 eruption in which over 300 people died. Though the government has condemned the area, many lifelong residents have returned to reclaim their homes.

  1Sights & Activities

  Ullen SentaluMUSEUM

  (%0274-895161; www.ullensentalu.com; admission 50,000Rp; h8.30am-4pm Tue-Fri, to 5pm Sat & Sun)

  The Ullen Sentalu museum is a surprise find on the slopes of Merapi. This large complex has a principal structure that resembles a Bavarian baron’s mansion, which is surrounded by extensive gardens. Most of the rich collection of Javanese fine art, including oil paintings and sculpture, is housed in connecting underground chambers. There are wonderful artefacts to admire (including some priceless batik), but perhaps a little too much royal family glorification during the hour-long tour. Guests are admitted in groups, every 10 minutes.

  Gunung Merapi National ParkNATIONAL PARK

  (Jl Kaliurang, Hutan Wisata Kaliurang; admission 151,000-155,000Rp; h8am-5pm)

  There are two entrances to this national park, set on the shoulders of Gunung Merapi. The more developed entrance on Jl Kaliurang costs an extra 4000Rp for some unknown reason and is surrounded by a dozen warungs, but it offers a more dramatic approach as the cliffs close in and loom over a ribbon road. Both gates access just a few kilometres of trails that lead to caves where Japanese soldiers hid during WWII, and two different hilltop views of Merapi.

  Maps at the park entrance delineate the areas you are allowed to explore. Heed them and don’t venture further; in a sudden eruption, lava can flow down the mountain at 300km/h. A 15-minute walk to the Promojiwo viewpoint offers vistas of Merapi and takes you past forest incinerated in the 2010 eruption. A 3km hike to Puncak Plawangan offers better views.

  Vogels Hostel arranges mountain walks to see the lava flows. The six-hour return trek starts at 4am and climbs 1400m up the mountain to see the glowing lava at its best (US$25 per person, minimum two people). Overnight camping trips, village tours and birdwatching walks can also be arranged.

  Vogels' jeep tours (350,000Rp, four people) of Merapi mountain get you into old lava flows and close to the lookout if you'd rather not hoof it.

  Merapi MuseumMUSEUM

  (Jl Kaliurang Km25.7; admission 5000Rp, film 5000Rp; h8am-3.30pm Tue-Sun )

  This impressive museum is located in a striking white angular structure that resembles a volcano. You'll find exhibits dedicated to Merapi, including a scale model that demonstrates previous eruptions from the 18th century until today, and how they altered the mountain's shape. There are vintage seismometers on display along with a motorbike torched and excavated from molten ash. Included with the film is an earthquake simulation that rumbles through the museum halls.

  Belantara AdventureDRIVING TOUR

  (%0852 2736 6130; Jl Kaliadem; jeep tours 350,000Rp, 30min/2hr motorbike tours 50,000/150,000Rp)

  One of several outfitters on the main road above town, and like the others it offers off-road jeep tours (max four people) to a village that was decimated by the 2010 eruption. But these guys also offer off-road motorbike tours on 150cc bikes with knobby tires. Boots, helmets and gloves are provided. Thirty-minute tours are just a quick spin. Two-hour tours take you to that stricken village covered in ash.

  4Sleeping & Eating

  Kaliurang is a sprawling hill resort with dozens of places to sleep, though most are often closed. For meals, head to Vogels. Kaliadem is home to one splashy resort.

  Vogels HostelHOSTEL$

  (%0274-895208; www.vogelshostel.blogspot.com; Jl Astamulya 76, Kaliurang; dm 25,000Rp, d with shared bathroom 100,000Rp, bungalows with bathroom & hot water 150,000Rp, mains 13,000-35,000Rp; iW)

  Vogels is a travellers’ institution. The structure itself is a faded art deco villa constructed in 1926, one of just four left in town, and accommodation is pretty archaic too, with ageing furnishings. However, it's undoubtedly the best address for hikers.

  The owner, Christian Awuy, is an authority on Merapi and its many moods; he can organise good guides and tours, and the whole place is stuffed with maps and information. The restaurant is decent and tour prices are quite fair.

  Fuji VillaHOTEL$$

  (%0274-446 4144; www.fujivilla.com; Jl Pelajar 8, Kaliurang; r 330,000Rp; aW)

  Very cool Japanese-style chalets set in
a leafy garden, with sliding windows and doors that recall the rice-paper windows of the motherland. The larger rooms have timber beds and daybeds, flat-screens and armchairs. Rooms come with breakfast. For lunch and dinner, head to Vogels.

  The CangkringanRESORT$$$

  (%0274-447 8653; www.cangkringan.com; Jl Raya Merapi Golf, Kaliadem; r from 919,000Rp, villas from 1,200,000Rp; aWs)

  A modern spa and villa complex with a cool joglo lobby, a serene location in the foothills, a nice spa where you can book lulur scrubs, massages and more, and 19 sumptuous villas with marble-inlaid floors and private pools. The rooms are just OK for the price. There's a nice restaurant here too.

  8Getting There & Away

  Angkot from Yogyakarta’s Jl Kaliurang cost 15,000Rp to 20,000Rp; the last leaves at 3pm. A taxi from Jl Malioboro will cost around 150,000Rp each way.

  Selo

  An exceptionally cute and authentic village, Selo is set on and between the slopes of two volcanoes, and stitched together with tobacco fields and vegetable plots, 50km west of Solo. There are a few homestays and one terrific lodge, though most tourists simply zip in after dark to climb Gunung Merapi or Merbabu for an epic sunrise view. Guides (250,000Rp return) can be easily arranged for the Merapi climb, but it's best to reserve ahead. Contact the local guide association (%0878 3632 5955). Entry into Taman Nasional Gunung Merapi is around 150,000Rp.

  From Selo, it is a very steep, three- to four-hour hike to the volcano’s summit. Allow around 2½ hours for the descent. At the top the sulphurous fumes can be overpowering – take great care.

  4Sleeping

  Elang JiwaLODGE$$

  (%0821 7881 5657; www.elangjiwa.com; Rt 2, Rw 7, Dusun Ngaglik, Desa Samiran, Kecamatan Selo; per person 450,000Rp)

  In the saddle between Gunung Merbabu and Gunung Merapi, two homestays have been taken over by the French hoteliers behind the great Breve Azurine in Karimunjawa, and transformed into simple but elegant lodges, which are de facto base camps where trekkers can prepare to take on either peak.

  Expect plenty of homely common spaces, cozy bedrooms with shared bathrooms, terrific espresso and mediocre food. Staff arrange trekking packages for the Merapi bound, and five-star camping trips (2,700,000Rp two days/one night) on Gunung Merbabu. That experience includes porters, meals that are a steep step up from the lodge fare, and tents with mattresses.

  8Getting There & Away

  Selo can be reached from Solo: take a bus to Magelang, stopping at Selo (16,000Rp, two hours) on the way. From Yogyakarta take a Magelang bus to Blabak (9000Rp, one hour) and an angkot or bus to Selo (6000Rp). Arya Transport (%0813 2912 2122) offers two shared taxis per day (10am and 1pm) to and from Yogyakarta for 150,000Rp per person. A private car from Yogya is around 550,000Rp one way. However you get here, don't expect a pleasant drive. Over the past two years, the villages downhill from Selo have begun selling their sand to truckers who deliver it to the rapidly expanding cities of Central Java, wreaking havoc on the roads, which are often under repair as a result, filling the air with fine dust.

  Prambanan

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  Jaw-dropping and mystical, the spectacular temples of Prambanan, set in the plains, are the best remaining examples of Java’s extended period of Hindu culture and are an absolute must.

  All the temples in the Prambanan area were built between the 8th and 10th centuries AD, when Java was ruled by the Buddhist Sailendras in the south and the Hindu Sanjayas of Old Mataram in the north. Possibly by the second half of the 9th century, these two dynasties were united by the marriage of Rakai Pikatan of Hindu Mataram and the Buddhist Sailendra princess Pramodhavardhani. This may explain why a number of temples, including those of the Prambanan temple complex and the smaller Plaosan group, reveal both Shivaite and Buddhist elements in architecture and sculpture. But this is a Hindu site first and foremost, and the wealth of sculptural detail on the great Shiva temple here is the nation's most outstanding example of Hindu art.

  Following this creative burst over a period of two centuries, the Prambanan Plain was abandoned when the Hindu-Javanese kings moved to East Java. In the middle of the 16th century there is said to have been a great earthquake that toppled many of the temples. Their destruction was accelerated by treasure hunters and locals searching for building materials. Most temples have now been restored to some extent, and, like Borobudur, Prambanan made the Unesco World Heritage list in 1991.

  Prambanan suffered extensive damage in the 2006 earthquake. Though the temples survived, hundreds of stone blocks collapsed to the ground or were cracked (479 in the Shiva temple alone). Today the main structures have been restored, though there remains a lot of work to be done, so expect some temples to be fenced off.

  1Sights

  Prambanan TemplesTEMPLE

  (www.borobudurpark.co.id; admission 225,000Rp; h6am-6pm)

  The huge Prambanan complex was erected in the middle of the 9th century – around 50 years later than Borobudur – but little is known about its early history. It’s thought that it was built by Rakai Pikatan to commemorate the return of a Hindu dynasty to sole power in Java. Prambanan was in ruins for years, and while efforts were made in 1885 to clear the site, it was not until 1937 that reconstruction was first attempted.

  Of the original group, the outer compound contains the remains of 244 temples. Eight minor and eight main temples stand in the highest central courtyard. Candi Shiva Mahadeva, dedicated to Shiva, is not only the largest of the temples but also the finest.

  The main spire soars 47m and the temple is lavishly carved. The ‘medallions’ that decorate its base have a characteristic Prambanan motif – small lions in niches flanked by kalpatura (trees of heaven) and a menagerie of stylised half-human and half-bird kinnara (heavenly beings). The vibrant scenes carved onto the inner wall of the gallery encircling the temple are from the Ramayana – they tell how Lord Rama’s wife, Sita, is abducted and how Hanuman the monkey god and Sugriwa the white-monkey general eventually find and release her.

  Thankfully, after years of restoration, the temple’s interior is accessible again. The main chamber at the top of the eastern stairway has a four-armed statue of Shiva the Destroyer and is notable for the fact that this mightiest of Hindu gods stands on a huge lotus pedestal, a symbol of Buddhism. In the southern cell is the pot-bellied and bearded Agastya, an incarnation of Shiva as divine teacher; in the western cell is a superb image of the elephant-headed Ganesha, Shiva’s son, the god of knowledge. His right hand, usually holding his ivory tusk, was broken off in the earthquake. In the northern cell, Durga, Shiva’s consort, can be seen killing the demon buffalo. Some people believe that the Durga image is actually an image of the Slender Virgin, who, legend has it, was turned to stone by a man she refused to marry. She is still an object of pilgrimage and her name is often used for the temple group.

  Candi Vishnu touches 33m and sits just north of Candi Shiva Mahadeva. It’s still possible to get up front and personal with this magnificent temple. Its impressive reliefs tell the story of Lord Krishna, a hero of the Mahabharata epic, and you can ascend its stone staircase to the inner chamber and see a four-armed image of Vishnu the Preserver.

  Candi Brahma is Candi Vishnu’s twin temple. It is south of Candi Shiva Mahadeva and carved with the final scenes of the Ramayana. It has a spectacular ‘monster mouth’ doorway. The interior was roped off for restoration at research time, but if you're able to gain access to its inner chamber it contains a four-headed statue of Brahma, the god of creation.

  Candi Sewu, the ‘Thousand Temples’, dating from around AD 850, is magnificent with its dozens of outer shrines carved and restored with stupas. But it was once even more majestic with a large central Buddhist temple surrounded by four rings of 240 smaller ‘guard’ temples. Outside the compound stood four sanctuaries at the points of the compass, of which Candi Bubrah, now reduced to its stone foundation, is the most southern. The renovated main temple has finely carved niches around its inner gallery – these niches once held bronze s
tatues.

  Given its well-documented majesty, the complex can be crazy crowded at times, but if you come late in the day and wander the tracks behind the main temples, you can see them rise from the ruins of the outer temples in perfect silence and light.

  Plaosan TemplesTEMPLE

  ( GOOGLE MAP )F

  Built around the same time as the Prambanan temple group, the Plaosan temples also combine both Hindu and Buddhist religious symbols and carvings. Plaosan Lor (Plaosan North) comprises two restored, identical main temples, surrounded by some 126 small shrines and solid stupas, most of which are now just a jumble of stone. Two giant dwarapala (temple guardian statues) stand at the front of each main temple, notable for their unusual three-part design.

  These two-storey, three-room structures house impressive stone Bodhisattvas and are decorated with intricately carved kala (dragon) heads above the many windows.

  Plaosan Kidul (Plaosan South) has more stupas and the remnants of a temple, but little renovation work has been done.

  This northeastern group of temples is 3km from the Prambanan complex. It can be reached on foot by taking the road north from the main gate, going past Candi Sewu and then walking east for about 1km.

  Southern GroupTEMPLE

  (admission 110,000Rp)

  Kraton Ratu Boko (Palace of King Boko) is a partly ruined Hindu palace complex dating from the 9th century. Perched on a hilltop overlooking Prambanan, it is believed to have been the central court of the mighty Mataram dynasty. You can see the large gateway and the platform of Candi Pembakaran (the Royal Crematorium), as well as a series of bathing places staggered on different levels leading down to the village. The sunset view over the Prambanan Plain is magnificent.