Mount Merbabu, Java, Indonesia
5.0 (25 reviews) Spent More than 3 hours Ranking #3 in Central Java Mountains
Beautiful, clean, quite challenging!
Absolutely beautiful and well preserved/ clean. I attempted a midnight - sunrise hike to the summit with a local guide but only made it to check point 3 as I was very exhausted - partly due to lack of sleep and because I had a cold. Unfortunately you can't see the sunset from checkpoint but it was still beautiful and I have no regrets. Although it was January I got to see the moon and there were some stars. I also saw my first ever shooting star! Be warned, although Weqas is the fastest route it is challenging as most of the route is at a steep incline. Take your time and plan for lots of breaks. I am quite fit but I suppose I'm not experienced with challenging hikes at a speed. I hope to come back better prepared one day!! Enjoy. NOTE: ensure you have registered 24-48 hours in advance. You cannot just show up on the day of the hike!
Address
, Salatiga, Indonesia.
Website
http://www.tngunungmerbabu.org
Current local date and time now
Friday, May 10, 2024, 10:57
User Ratings
5.0 based on (25 reviews)
Reviews
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5cacsus 5:00 PM Dec 18, 2017
Mount Merbabu, the ultimate hike-destination in Jogja
Due to last minute change of plan, I ended up hiking Mount Merbabu instead of Merapi. However, the experience was incredible. Amazing views all around. Although the hike is not at all easy, especially if its raining, the entire hike is an amazing experience. I used the experienced Mr. Suroto and Team (Village Selo). Always hike with a local guide since there are many different routes up to the summit. Make sure you got rain-proof clothes (preferably Gore-Tex) and rain-proof shoes (if possible). Good quality hiking shoes or trail shoes are a must. We started at 01:00 a.m. from the base camp and made it to the top by 6:30 a.m. The sun-rise view with the clouds around the Merapi was an incredible sight. There was no cloud-cover till 07:30 a.m. after which the entire area was engulfed in fog. The descent was easier and faster (2 hours). Better carry at least two liters of water. Trekking poles are a bonus. Overall, a tiring but memorable experience.
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5Hanicka V 5:00 PM Oct 22, 2018
Beautiful trek
The trek to Merbabu wasn't our first choice but Merapi was closed due to a volcanic activity so we decided to climb Merapi instead. But we were very really happy at the end as we got a lovely view of Merapi which is a very photogenic volcano and looks great on photos :) We stayed the evening before in New Selo village, drove up to the base camp on our scooter at 1am and started the hike at 1:20am. The hike up is quite straightforward, just follow the track from the basecamp up and check it on offline maps like maps.me or similar once.. If you are a regular hiker there is no need to hire a guide. The hike starts as a gentle trek through a forest but gets harder and harder the higher you get. The last few hundred meters are quite difficult, the track is sandy (it must be a mud ditch during a rain season!) and really steep but if you're reasonably fit there's nothing to worry about. We got to the top at 5:30, so altogether 5 hours hiking time with regular stops. The way down is much faster, around 3 hours hiking time. We were climbing up on Saturday night and there were like 100 tents on the mountain! And of course all the campers were there to see the sunrise too.. The path leading up to the peak is quite narrow and steep so it felt a bit crowded at some places.. Maybe it was just because Merapi was closed so all the locals decided to climb Merbabu instead but I'd say try to avoid hiking over the weekend anyway.. But the views were stunning and we really enjoyed the night hike, the sunrise is incredible.. I think it's much nicer than sunrise at Bromo.. definitely worth the climb! And don't forget warm clothes, it was really cold on the top!! Much colder than we expected :)
