Discovering Java - Mount Merapi Jeep Tour

Deutsche Version

The day I visited Merapi Volcano, the top was hidden in a cloud.

Gunung Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia and erupts regularly. It is located on the Indonesian island Java, about 28 km from the city Yogyakarta. Smoke can often be seen rising from the mountaintop. Several eruptions have caused fatalities among the people living on the flanks of the volcano as high as 1700 m above sea level. I wanted to skip visiting Merapi Volcano when I stayed in Yogyakarta but in between visiting Borobudur Temple and Candi Prambana, my guide for the day Yono suggested a Mount Merapi jeep tour. I am always up for an adventure and since the volcano was on the way from one temple to another, I agreed to do the jeep tour. I would not regret it! The tour took about 2 hours and cost me 500k rupiah back in 2023.

It is possible to hike/climb Mount Merapi but I do not recommend to do so. Despite only being allowed to hike Merapi volcano when it is considered safe by the authorities, hikers went missing or died after eruptions in the past.

There are many Jeep tour packages for Merapi volcano available differing in duration, route and time of the day (sunrise/sunset tours, half day tours, full day tours combined with Goa Jomblang and Goa Grubug or Prambanan/Borobudur like I did). Check carefully if your tour includes what you wish to do and see. It might be beneficial to book in advance. Be prepared for a bumpy ride through creeks and over rocks! When taking a sunrise/sunset tour, keep in mind that it gets cold, so dress accordingly.

Yono hooked me up with a jeep tour on site that was short enough to squeeze in between my temple visits. My driver was not only a good motorist but also an excellent photographer. He got me posing in front of the jeep, in the jeep and on top of the jeep. There are several spots to take cool pictures throughout the whole tour (remember, Indonesians love taking pictures of everybody and everything). Thanks to him, I have some lovely shots of myself posing on cool platforms, next to weird rocks or watching out for the volcano.

The first stop was at Bunker Kaliadem Merapi. During the 2006 eruption, two men fled to the bunker while volunteering evacuating villagers during a burst of volcanic activity on Mount Merapi. The bunker was later covered with up to 2 m of debris as hot as 300° C. Both men were found dead. Bunker Kaliadem became a memorial as well as a tourist attraction. I felt uneasy entering the bunker and listening to the sad faith of the two men dying a horrible death inside the bunker. Visitors can engage in a range of activities at Bunker Kaliadem, from guided trekking tours that explore the volcanic terrain to cultural experiences that showcase the local way of life. At Bunker Kaliadem, there is supposed to be a great view of the volcano. Unfortunately, the day I visited, the volcano was wrapped in smoke so that I could not see it.

My driver made me hit different poses at every stop and took my picture. It felt a bit weird to pose around a place where two people died but he was so excited about everything that I just had to play along.

Next stop was Alien Rock. Alien Rock is huge boulder, which is said to have changed shape after being hit by hot lava during the 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi. There are several spots to take fun photos around Alien Rock as well as a stunning view over a deep gorge created by the volcano’s poweverful eruptions.

Posing with Alien Rock. There were other fun spots to take pictures, such as a boat on lava, two giant hands and a platform with a view to the mountaintop.

We continued to the House of Memory. At the House of Memory I was greeted by some skeletons of animals that fell victim to the 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi. The museum is owned by residents who collected their remainings due to the 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi. The building was the house of a resident named Watinem before it was converted into a museum. Sriyanto, Watinem’s son, collected the remnants of their property that was swept away by the eruption to remember the incident and his family, who were victims. One of the most interesting is a nearly melted wall clock; the needle on the wall clock shows the hour when Mount Merapi erupted. My driver got very emotional in the museum because he was among the evactuated of the 2010 eruption. On our way back to where we started, he showed me ruins of houses that were destroyed back in 2010. 

Visitors of the House of Memory are greated by skeletons of animals that fell victim to the 2010 eruption of Merapi Volcano.

My driver snapped my phone from my hand and took pictures of me inside the museum.

Looking a bit shell shocked inside the museum.

All in all, I was glad I did the tour. It was a cool experience, I learnt many interesting facts about the volcano and I had some great pictures of myself, which is always hard to obtain when travelling alone.