Mount Merapi Sunrise Jeep Tour – One of Indonesia’s 129 Active Volcanoes

Located about 28-kilometres of Yogyakarta city at the height of 2,930-metres, Mount Merapi (or in Indonesian called as, Gunung Merapi), is an active volcano in Yogyakarta. Eruption began as early as in the 1500s, but even so, thousands of people live on the flanks of the dangerous volcano. Mount Merapi, which means Mountain of Fire, was given this name due to its production of lava and major destructive eruptions. People living around the volcano believe that Mount Merapi is a holy mountain, and this resulted in several versions of myths.

The reason why Mount Merapi is so well-known all around the world is because of its high volcanic activity. Minor eruptions occur every two to five years, while major eruptions occur every ten to fifteen years. The 2010 Mount Merapi eruption was the most devastating eruption where many villages around the volcano were buried by the incandescent lava. Civilians were not evacuated in the nick of time and there were hundreds of deaths, with an even more staggering number of casualties. The impact was so big that other places such as Tasikmalaya, Bandung, and Bogor were covered in volcanic ash, while heavy volcanic ash rains hit Cilacap and Purwokerto.

The Mount Merapi Sunrise Jeep Tour was an insightful journey for my girlfriends and I. We caught the sunrise from Kaliadem, with Mount Merapi in full view. There is a Kaliadem bunker where volunteers and villagers were trapped and died in during the 2010 eruption. Although it is situated 3-metres underground and layered with 25-centimetres thick iron, it couldn’t withhold the 1,000-degree Celsius volcanic lava during the eruption.

Our jeep driver drove through villages and forest that were damaged by the 2010 eruption, and showed us the river – once filled with water and marine life, lost to sand, cold lava and other items burned by fire now. We stopped by an alien stone (a rock formation resembling a human face) and listened to the driver elaborate on the stories of the stone. We also visited the Sisa Hartaku Mini Museum. “Sisa Hartaku” means “my remaining treasure”, and as its name suggests, this museum serves to inform visitors about the impacts of the 2010 Merapi eruption. You’ll be able to see the extent of the destruction from the burnt and damaged items kept in the museum.

The route is very bumpy so normal cars are prohibited and you can only hire a jeep and a driver for a tour around Mount Merapi. Please remember to bring a jacket if you are heading there to watch the sunrise because it can get pretty chilly in the morning. The jeep driver will provide you with a face mask due to the dirty and dusty route. If you are extremely adventurous and a thrill-seeker, you can opt to hike up Mount Merapi and watch the sunrise from the peak of the volcano.

The total cost of visiting Mount Merapi and its attractions for around 2 hours is 450,000 IDR ($40.80 SGD) per jeep. I highly recommend adding this activity into your Yogyakarta itinerary. It’s an unforgettable experience and a learning journey.