What is a Ribu?

A Ribu is a prominent summit in Indonesia with at least 1,000 metre elevation drop all around. We have called them the Ribus because of the Indonesian word ‘ribu’ meaning a thousand. The variety of Ribus is huge; some are easy day-hikes near large cities; others are in remote and challenging environments and require weeks of travel and hiking to reach; some are active and dangerous volcanoes. The Ribus stretch across the Indonesian archipelago from Aceh in the west to Papua in the east.

There are four Ribu categories, three based on their absolute elevation and a fourth ‘Spesial’ category for peaks, which are considered to be of special interest. Check the Methods page for more information on the analysis of prominence.

Sangat Tinggi: (Very High) Over 3000 m elevation

Tinggi Sedang: (Fairly High) 2000 to 3000 m elevation

Kurang Tinggi: (Less High) Below 2000 m elevation

Spesial: (Non-Ribu) A special reason to bag it.

There are currently 193 Ribus, plus 39 Spesial peaks. The ‘Spesial’ category has a number of uses. Firstly, Ribus in the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo and the Timor Leste part of Timor island are included here. Other Spesial Ribus are deemed of particular interest. For example Anak Krakatau is a mere 264 metres high, but is a Spesial Ribu because of its volcanic activity and great historical interest.

What is Bagging?

‘Bagging’ is an informal term which means ‘collecting’. Hill and mountain bagging is very popular in Great Britain, and there are numerous list for different countries and counties. The great thing about lists is that they offer an incentive to get out there and visit places you might not normally think to go.

To have bagged a Ribu, you must have reached the highest point. For example, lots of people visit the crater rim of Gunung Agung in Bali, but far less people actually reach the highest point itself.