Living in the shadows of an active volcano is like sitting on a time
bomb, especially when one of them is called the Fire Mountain or Gunung
Merapi, the volcano that dominates the center of the island of Java. Mt
Merapi, located near Yogyakarta, is one of the most active volcanoes on
earth. It is one of some 500 volcanoes in Indonesia, from which at
least 129 are active, aptly giving this archipelago the name: the Ring
of Fire.
Taking an off road jeep on a Merapi
Lava tour is one of the most fun things to do in Yogyakarta The tour is
easy to arrange. Let me tell you about the tour and show you how you can make a
booking (Merapi is also a popular destination for trekking, something to consider if you like
the outdoors).
There are three options available
for the Merapi Lava Tour. These are the short, medium and long route. The short
route consists of an 1,5 – 2 hours journey around Merapi. It costs Rp350,000 to
rent the jeep. Each jeep can comfortably fit three passengers, but you can
squeeze in up to five passengers if you need to. The short Merapi Lava tour lasts for
2-hours.
To make sure you are well prepared for the tour I would advise
that you bring the following items: A Sun Hat, sunglasses, water and a snack.
Let me give you a quick overview of
some of the highlights of the Merapi Lava Tour along with a rough itinerary.
Let’s get started:
1. Museum Sisa Hartaku
This is a modest museum that was
established by a small family (Mr. Kimin and Mrs. Wati). Museum Sisa Hartaku
can be translated to My Remaining Treasure Museum. The museum is actually
within their house. This house was affected by the Merapi eruption in 2010.
The family (initiated by their first
child) created this museum to inform people about the last Merapi eruption.
Various personal things that were owned by the family are displayed at the
museum such as: motorcycles, clothing, cutlery, furniture, pets, television and
much more.The hands of the clock are stuck forever at the moment of the eruption.
It is a chilling reminder of what happened when the hot ash cloud reached the
village.
2. Alien Stone
There is one big stone that is
called Alien stone (Batu Alien) that was hurled out of the volcano during the
eruption. The surroundings here are picturesque. During the Merapi Lava Tour
you will come to the edge of a cliff where you can see one of the massive
rivers around Merapi. Please be really careful when you are enjoying the view
from the edge of the cliff as it is pretty high.
3. Bunker
The bunker is located in Kaliadem
and is no longer used anymore. Two people were found dead inside this
bunker in 2006 (eruption). They tried to save themselves by entering
the bunker and were trapped by debris from the eruption of Mount Merapi. They
were covered with up to 6 feet of debris. The ash was as hot as 572 degrees
Fahrenheit.
If you walk up a bit from the bunker
and you can see such a beautiful view. The distance from the bunker to the
Merapi summit is less than 10 km. So you can see Merapi pretty close and clear
(if the weather permits).
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