Elevation	1,668 m (5,472 ft); Prominence: 1,xxx m
Province	Jawa Timur (East Java)
Ribu Category	Spesial
Also known as…	Kelud
Links	Wikipedia English

Photos

coming soon

Bagging It!

This mountain is one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in Indonesia. A large eruption in 1919 killed approximately 5,000 people and the most recent eruption was in 2008. The crater used to be filled with a pleasant blue lake but in a huge 2007 eruption a vast lava dome emerged in its place. The area is regularly closed and is being constantly monitored. Despite all this, it is a popular place for local people at weekends since there is a good quality road leading all the way to the crater. Most people come from the west via Ngancar from the city of Kediri – where there is a good range of hotels – but Blitar would also make a good base. It takes just over an hour to reach the crater (1,250m) by car or motorbike from Kediri or Blitar and there are numerous signs for the mountain on the routes. The entrance fee is just Rp5,000 per person and the entrance point is the village of Sugih Waras. About a mile beyond the village is the Volcanology Post. From here the road leads for another 10km to the crater area whose jagged outline is visible for many many miles. There are places along the way to stop for basic snacks and fuel. At the end of the road is a place to park motorbikes and a signpost for a right turn down to a hot water bathing area. Straight on leads through a dark but flat tunnel – known locally as ‘the channel tunnel’ – before emerging a few metres above the new lava dome. There is an incredibly impressive rockface on the right – Gunung Sumbing – which is a great place for rock-climbing but totally impossible for regular hikers to scale.

Getting to the highest point of the steep and jagged crater rim would appear to be quite difficult from this side – a lot of ascending and descending along steep sections of crater rim. The true peak is the huge vertical chunk of rock with a couple of pinnacles at the far side of the crater. There are cement steps up to the left of the crater (in the direction of minor crater rim peak Gunung Lirang) and a trail which continues some way along the rim. However, very few people seem to go beyond here and the actual summit itself looks rather daunting – it may be one for the roped rock climbers only. However, perhaps a better approach would be from the east. Get in touch if you have been to the very top! Gunung Bagging will be trying this one again in 2011…….