Just an hour by car from the city of Semarang is Mount Ungaran. Many people visit the southern slopes of this mountain, not because of the mountain itself but because of the impressive ancient Gedong Songo temple monuments which are scattered across the hillside south of the peak.
Mount Sindoro is separated from its similarly conical but slightly higher neighbour, Gunung Sumbing, by the Kledung Pass. For its size, Sindoro is an easy hike and would make a great introduction to hiking in Indonesia. From the top there are great views to Sumbing, Merapi, Merbabu, Ungaran, Slamet, Dieng plateau’s high ridge Gunung Prau and the north coast of Java.
The Dieng Plateau is a huge volcanic complex near the pleasant town of Wonosobo. It is quite rightly one of Central Java’s leading tourist attractions and there are so many fascinating sites, both geological and historical, that it definitely makes sense to stay in Dieng village itself and properly explore the place. Colourful lakes, hissing and bubbling craters and numerous temples are dotted all over the landscape.
This Ribu is one of the most popular hikes in Central Java, and has spectacular views to other volcanoes in all directions from the summit area. It has five calderas, Condrodimuko, Kombang, Kendang, Rebab and Sambernyowo but no serious volcanic activity has been reported here for many decades. Merbabu can be climbed from several trails near Kopeng in the north (less than two hours by car from Semarang) with starting points at Thekelan, Cunthel and Wekas, or from the south at Selo (between Merbabu and Merapi and closer to Solo).
Muria is actually a mountain range with different peaks, of which Songolikur is the highest. Despite the spectacular views of the Central Java mountains and northern coastline from the summit, and the shortness of the hike itself, relatively few hikers come from afar specifically in order to climb it.
This Ribu is the most active volcano in Indonesia. Its name literally means mountain of fire and it is one of the world’s 16 Decade Volcanoes. It can therefore be very dangerous indeed. There was a major eruption in 2006 but nothing on the scale of what happened in October and November 2010 when a series of devastating eruptions killed over 300 people across a radius of almost 20km from the crater.
Facts Elevation: 1,894 m (6,214 ft) Prominence: 617 m Ribu category: Spesial Province: Jawa Tengah (Central Java) Google Earth: kml Rating: Other names: none. Photos Bagging It! This small mountain lies near Salatiga, to the north of the huge Merbabu mountain. It is very easy to ‘climb’ because there is a road to the communications …
This huge mountain is separated from its similarly conical neighbour, Gunung Sindoro, by the Kledung Pass (1,404m) and is the second highest peak in Central Java. Its only known eruption was in 1730 but there is still minor volcanic activity in the crater. It is most commonly climbed from the north from the basecamp at Garung village, which is very near to Kledung where there is a decent hotel.
Facts Elevation: 3,436 m (11,273 ft) Prominence: 3,292 m Ribu category: Sangat Tinggi Province: Jawa Tengah (Central Java) Google Earth: kml Rating: Other names: none. Eruptions: 1772, 1825, 1835, 1847, 1849, 1860, 1875, 1885, 1890, 1904, 1923, 1926-30, 1932-33, 1937, 1939-40, 1944, 1948, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1957-58, 1960-61, 1966-67, 1969, 1973-74, 1988, 1999-2000, 2009, 2014 …