The most active volcano
The fire mountain above Yogyakarta.
Rosalia.silaban — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ananta Chandra Priambodo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Petra Farohmawati — CC BY-SA 4.0
Indonesia's most active and dangerous volcano, rising about twenty-nine hundred metres north of Yogyakarta, whose name means mountain of fire. A major eruption in 2010 destroyed whole villages on its slopes, and it remains active today; on clear days the plume from its summit can be seen from the city. The best-known way to visit is the lava jeep tour: open jeeps set off from Kaliurang across channels of lava and hardened ash to the remains of villages destroyed in 2010, including a small museum in a burnt house showing what was left of people's belongings and a clock stopped at the moment of the eruption, and to a huge boulder thrown out by the volcano, with views of the summit. The price is per jeep, not per person, starting from about four hundred and fifty thousand rupiah for a short tour and rising with the route; a jeep seats about four. Climbing the summit itself is banned most of the time because of volcanic activity. Set off early to see the summit before the clouds, and bring a mask and glasses for the dust, and clothes you do not mind getting dirty. The Ullen Sentalu museum is close by in Kaliurang, so the two fit into half a day.
The fire mountain above Yogyakarta.
Across lava and ash channels.
A burnt house and a stopped clock.
Kaliurang, Sleman, about 30 km north of Yogyakarta
Tours run in zones set by the authorities according to volcanic activity and are cancelled when there is danger. The ride is rough and dusty, so it does not suit pregnant women or anyone with back pain; choose a known operator.