I made a very big mistake on Ungaran. So beware! From Gedong Songo, the most visible peak is the western peak (Gendol) which lies above a steep rockface. I made the assumption that the peak was the summit, or at least near the summit. So I followed a trail past a little hut above the sulphur spring, past a monkey statue and a spring and round to the left (west) of the rockface. From here, a few vague paths lead up the side of the mountain. Note the word vague! I followed one which took me a couple of hundred metres up the side of the mountain before vanishing. I should, at this point, have descended and found the correct path from the warungs but instead I decided to jungle-bash my way up to the top of Gendol. This took two incredibly painful and exhausting hours. I have never seen so many spiky plants and my hands are the evidence of that! Finally, after two horrific hours for which I have only myself to blame, at the top of the rarely-visited western peak I found ancient cairns. I also looked eastwards to see a higher grassy peak (Botak) which lay beyond a huge steep drop and dense jungle. Somehow I found the energy to carry on and hacked my way down to the col. Fortunately I eventually found a good trail running between the peaks which was the one I should have been on in the first place. It led round the base of the grassy peak Botak and to a further third peak – the true Ungaran summit – lying further east. In total it took me 7 hours to get to the true top instead of 4! On the plus side, the extra time foolishly wasted in dense spiny foliage allowed me to enjoy the combination of dangdut karaoke from the many bars in Bandungan and the mega-amplified call to prayer from nearby mosques. Quite a mixture.
Never underestimate these smaller peaks, turn back if you lose the trail and always remember to take a guide! There are some remarkably steep areas on this mountain. Maybe it’s time for me to buy a GPS.