Mount Merapi (Gunung Merapi - literally fire mountain in Bahasa Indonesia) is the most active volcano located on the border between the provinces of central Java and Yogyakarta.

Situated approximately 30 kilometres north of Yogyakarta city Mount Merapi has erupted regularly since 1548 with eruptions occurring, on average, every 5 - 10 years. The most recent eruption, at this time of writing, was on the morning of 11th May 2018 which prompted the evacuation of areas within a 5 kilometre radius of the volcano as well as the closure of Yogyakarta’s Adisutjipto International airport due to the large plume of volcanic ash.

During October 2010 there were multiple eruptions which saw 320,000 residents of the region being displaced and resulted in 353 deaths. The plume of volcanic ash reached Yogyakarta city, some 30 kilometres south, causing widespread panic and much disruption. As a result of the 2010 eruption, and Merapi’s ongoing activity, the government has enforced an exclusion zone within 4km of the volcano barring people from living, working or visiting there.

Interestingly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, visitors to Yogyakarta can book tours to view Merapi and the associated villages/region - albeit from well outside the exclusion zone!

I decided this would be an interesting area to visit as coming from the UK this would be the first time I had ever seen a volcano up, relatively speaking, close (and an active one at that with its persistent plume of smoke emanating from the shattered peak).

After some online research I booked a visit to Merapi with the following company who specialise in providing various tour packages for the Yogyakarta region: https://jomblangcavetours.com/trip/mount-merapi-tour/. The next morning at 7AM I was collected from outside the hotel near where I was staying by the tour driver Angga.

Angga was a young Sulawesi (if I remember correctly) male whose command of the English language and friendly nature made for a relaxed and enjoyable conversation during the drive up to the area just outside the volcano exclusion zone.

This took between 45 minutes to 1 hour and I saw many beautiful villages and interesting sights along the way along with the sight of the volcano looming ever larger the closer we got to our destination.

We arrived in a jeep park where various other tour groups were boarding/waiting to board the assigned jeeps that their driver would use to take them to visit Kaliadem bunker/village, Batu alien (the alien stone - more on this shortly) and the House of memory as well as driving through other small hamlets/village locations too.

Angga joined me as we transitioned to what appeared to be a 1950’s/1960’s US army jeep where our driver (whose name complete escapes me now - which is frustrating as he was a great guide) would transport both of us to the Kaliadem bunker and observation site - roughly 5km from the jeep park - to start our tour of the nearby area.

Although I cannot fault the driver the journey to and from the different sites we visited on the tour was anything less than pleasant due to driving over extremely uneven and rocky terrain. As many of the roads that had existed there were badly damaged from lava flow during the October 2010 eruption the 'road' surface consisted of many large holes, missing and/or sunken sections of road as well as significant amounts of various sized volcanic rocks which are anything but comfortable to travel over.

Despite driving at a reasonable speed I spent the journey gripping onto the side of the seat and external door handle just to be sure I wasn’t thrown from the jeep, particularly as we rounded corners or dipped down descending roads. Without the security of a seatbelt and with an exposed, open-air vehicle I didn’t feel in the least bit safe whilst traveling over such uneven and treacherous roads - particularly with the bouncing from the jeep consistently lifting me in my seat.

Once again that’s not to criticise the driver - as there really is nothing to criticise there - it was just the reality of driving in that terrain with such a vehicle (and to think that was designed predominantly for combat operations doesn’t fill me with much confidence for any forces that had to use that - damn thing felt like a death trap in my humble opinion).

Despite feeling uneasy during the drive the sight of the surrounding areas was fascinating to see - random houses long since abandoned with intermittent signs of environmental damage from the eruption combined with the beauty of nature along with lots of dumper trucks ferrying mineral deposits from the nearby quarries.

The jeep driver explained to me that foreign companies were heavily involved in extracting mineral deposits from the ground there as the volcanic eruptions had made the surrounding area rich in such assets (which would also explain why there was such an abundance of lush vegetation there - especially at the foot of the not-so distant Merapi volcano).

The jeep driver went on to explain that despite local villagers, unsurprisingly, not benefiting from this arrangement the Indonesian government had mandated that any local businesses must be conducted by the inhabitants of that area. This meant that villagers who had previously lost their livelihoods during recent eruptions (2006, 2010 etc) would, at the very least, be able to make a living from operating jeep tours and business activities associated with that.

This was good to hear as, more often than not, it’s the little guy that gets shafted into increasing poverty while multinational corporations move in and prosper from the opportunities presented by such disasters.

We reached the parking area for the Kaliadem bunker/Merapi volcano observation site and made our way up some steps and through the alleyway between a series of wooden buildings which housed a restaurant and tourist shopping area amongst other functions.

Bizarrely I saw a row of various flip-flops for sale that were hanging in their plastic bags from one of the wooden beams near the food section of the tourist shop. Why would anyone be purchasing flip-flops when visiting an area 4km from an active volcano with extremely uneven, rocky ground that is challenging to navigate and avoid injury whilst wearing even durable, protective footwear?!

If anyone has an answer that actually makes sense let me know.

Within 30 seconds walk from the row of wooden buildings is Kaliadem bunker which was designed to provide a safe space where local villagers might find shelter during an eruption.

Unfortunately the engineers who installed the bunker hadn’t considered the possibility that heat from the eruption might ‘cook’ anyone sheltered within there.

The jeep driver informed me that, sadly, this is exactly what happened during the 2006 eruption with 2 villagers who had sought shelter in the bunker.

It was a little unsettling to be within the confines of this dark, small concrete chamber of the bunker knowing that, roughly 13 years prior, people had literally been baked alive where I was stood.

Outside of the bunker and situated above and behind this structure is a patch of land with a small seating area where visitors can view Merapi volcano. Even from a distance of 4km the volcano appears quite imposing and one can only imagine how terrifying the prospect of witnessing an eruption from that distance would be.

A small, rudimentary, makeshift fence and sign exists at the edge of the seating area warning visitors that they are not to proceed any further.

Seeing the persistent, albeit gentle, plumes of white smoke being slowly emitted from the split peak of the volcano definitely triggered the imagination. There’s always a part in the back of my mind which considers the possible outcomes of any given scenario and the sight of that consistent smoke left me wondering how settled the volcano might actually be.

The jeep driver guided Angga and myself along a series of nearby paths to an open area of land roughly 2 minutes away from Kaliadem bunker and the immediate vicinity. Here was a huge crater scarring the land that stretched out in an oval shape for maybe half a mile or more which, I estimate, was probably 100 feet deep at its lowest point. The jeep driver informed me that this had been created as a result of the passage of the lava flow and ejected rocks from the 2010 volcanic eruption.

I tentatively peered over the edge while making sure to not get too close as there is no humanly possibly way that anyone would be able to survive a fall over the edge of that crater. There was a lot of activity within parts of the crater with workmen digging and a truck transporting deposited earth (presumably for extracting mineral deposits that had been left there from the lava flow and ejected rock).

Shortly afterwards we made our way back to the jeep park and subsequently drove over to the location of Batu alien (colloquially referred to as the alien stone). This is a huge boulder that was ejected from the 2010 eruption that has now become something of a visitor attraction. Lots of tourist groups and couples were, unsurprisingly, busy taking selfies and group photos in front of the stone. At the edge of the site is a very makeshift fence bordering another crater-cum-quarry that had been caused by the 2010 eruption.

The jeep driver informed me that the lava flow from that particular eruption reached up to 17km away and that the alien stone was, if I remember correctly, roughly 11km from the volcano. If my recall of those facts is accurate then this gives you some idea of just how powerful that eruption must have been.

God help any villagers (and potential tourists/non-locals) caught in that region during such an event. I can only imagine just how frightening it must be to experience a volcanic eruption that close to the source.

Near to the makeshift fence was a viewing platform for photography although Angga informed me that there was a fee to use that so I declined. I can fully understand why locals would charge money for such features - particularly in an area that relies almost exclusively on tourism for generating income.

If you happen to be visiting there don’t feel too harsh towards such charges - not everyone is as fortunate to earn the kind of income that many visitors to that region earn and the locals, some of whom might be struggling to make ends meet, have to put food on the table like all of us.

Our final destination, prior to returning to the jeep park and driving back to Yogyakarta city centre with Angga, was the house of memory (along with a nearby tourist souvenir store and refreshments).

This was the remains of a house that had been caught up in and significantly damaged during the 2010 Merapi eruption and now existed as a sort of ‘living’ history of that event. It was quite eerie walking around the different rooms witnessing what was left of a former home where people had lived and likely gone about their business too.

The house of memory is a not-so subtle reminder that for all our advancements as a species we are still at the mercy of nature - regardless of what our ego might want to believe.

If you’re visiting the Yogyakarta region definitely look into spending half a day or so on a tour of Merapi (well, as close to Merapi as is legally permitted) and the surrounding sights.

You won’t be disappointed - unless of course you happen to be there when an eruption occurs.....and let's hope that doesn't happen!

Getting there

Booking an organised tour package is your best option for visiting Merapi.

I used https://jomblangcavetours.com/trip/mount-merapi-tour/ which I would highly recommend - as well as their driver Angga (whose good natured humour and easy conversation style definitely helped lift me up during an early morning drive!)