To the summit of Mount Merbabu and other Salatiga, Indonesia Things to Do Tips

Merbabu mountain (3142 m) can be approached from Kopeng village on its northern slope, which is a 45 minutes drive from Salatiga.

There are two routes to the top. The old horse track starts at Kopeng and passes the village of Tekelan. A newer track starts at the village of Cuntel (1610 m), 15 minutes from Kopeng by a bumpy road.

Theo has done the Tekelen route several times in the seventies, so in September 2006 we tried the Cuntel route. It is somewhat shorter, because you start higher up. It joins the Tekelan route at "pos IV" (2883 m). You may think that you are almost there at this height, but then you have to go another hour and a half up and down several peaks to the summit proper. Only after you reach that summit you have a splendid view of Merapi mountain, an active volcano.

We usually start climbing at midnight, so as to avoid climbing in the heat of day. It took us 8 hours to cover the 6.5 km to the top, but then we are not that young any more. A young and fit person could do it in 6 hours. Take a small backpack with enough water, some energy food, a torchlight and a warm jacket.

You can go down the same way, but also on the other side of the mountain, south to Selo village. Theo did this once. This track is shorter and practically straight down, and the slope is barer than the northern one. You have to arrange for a car to pick you up at Selo or find your way back to Salatiga by public transport.

When you are not familiar with the track, you need a guide. Make a deal the day before your hike with mr Joko Susilo at the "Manggala" base camp in Cuntel village, mobile phone +62.81.325 206 783.

More pictures and information, see our travelogue Gunung Merbabu.

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Phone: Guide: +62.81.325 206 783
Directions: Salatiga-Kopeng by road. From Kopeng cobblestone road to the base camp at Cuntel village. Get a map and/or guide at the base camp.

If a 6 to 8 hours hike to the top of Merbabu mountain is not your idea of fun, what about Telemoyo mountain? In the seventies a telecommunication relay station was built on the top of this 1894 m mountain, and to reach it a 7 km road was carved in its side all to the top. So you can drive there, although the road is narrow and in some places in poor repair.

When the weather is clear, from the top of Telemoyo you have a magnificent view on the surrounding valleys and neighbouring mountains: Mt Merbabu, Mt Ungaran and Mt Andong.

At the start of the road there is a gate, and you have to pay Rp 5,000 for a car. You are warned not to leave your car unattended and to be back not later than 5 pm. If you meet a car from the other direction, you may have to do some backing up, because at several spots the road is too narrow to pass each other. Last time we went there on a Sunday, and the gate of the telecommunication station was closed. That meant also backing down 100 m, to reach a spot where we could turn the car around.

Directions: From Salatiga take the road to Kopeng. At Wates village, where the road turns sharply left, take the road going down on your right, following a sign saying 'Wisata Kali Pancur'. After 3.4 km a road coming from Kopeng joins in at your left. 300 m from this junction, at Pandean village, a sign 'Telemoyo' points right. Here you find the gate of the road up Telemoyo.

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Address: Telemoyo Mountain, near Kopeng

Telemoyo Mountain is our favourite mountain near Salatiga. With 1894 m it is not as high as better-known Merbabu (3142 m), but with its lush vegetation, steep ridges and deep ravines, streams which do not run dry, it is more interesting to go on discovery walks. And if you do not like hiking, you can drive all the way to the top as well as drive all around it.

The scenic drive around Telemoyo follows narrow roads, partly paved with rock only, but passable if you go slowly. You get to see changing views of the surrounding valleys and mountains, including Rawa Pening lake. When you make a stop you meet friendly villagers, who invite you inside but can only offer a glass of water. Yet they are reluctant to receive payment for a small service like pointing out the way.

The 21 km round drive can perhaps be done in 1,5 hours; and if you start at Salatiga the travel time is about 2,5 hours. However, you can make it a daytrip if you do one or more walks, perhaps have a picnic, and befriend some villagers.
In any case it is best to set out at daybreak. Even in the rainy season chances are good that the first hours of day are clear. All the pictures of this tip were taken in the rainy season.

The itinirary starts at the traffic lights of the Kopeng road (Jalan Hasanudin), also known as the former cattle market.
Km Point
0.0 Start, traffic lights at former cattle market.
4.2 Pass by Pondok Remaja Salib Putih on your left.
9.2 Crossing at Getasan (Kores) – turn right.
0.9 Turn right – road to Wisata Kali Pancur.
11.4 Straight on at the first road right to Kali Pancur waterfall.
12.6 Straight on at the second road right to Kali Pancur waterfall.
14.3 Straight on at T-crossing where road from Kopeng comes in from the left.
14.6 Straight on through Pandean village.
[On your right is the road to Telemoyo summit with its telecom towers.]
15.3 Straight on through Dalangan hamlet.
16.4 At Ketanon hamlet turn right into a narrow road direction Pranten.
Next is 7 km rock paved road, partly muddy but passable. You drive mostly through pine forest and get views of Andong mountain.
17.9 Sharp turn left around ravine.
20.4 Pass through Pranten hamlet. On your left view of Sumbing and Sundoro mountains as well as Dieng plateau.
21.5 Pagergedog hamlet, border gate of Banyubiru district and Sepakung village.
[You may park here at the first house for several walks.
One hour takes you to a ridge overlooking the village and back, with view of Ungaran mountain.
Two hours take you to Sepakung Nature Reserve and back.
And from here is the shortest way to the top, 1.5 km climbing 520 m, about 2.5 to 3 hours there and back depending on your condition.
All walks start at the path leaving the village in south-east direction. For the first two walks you take a turn left after 400 m and avoid paths going steeply up or down.. For the summit you go straight on always choosing the steepest path.]
21.7 In Pagergedog the road makes a right angle turn left.
22.7 Straight on to Sepakung village.
[Alternative route: sharp left through Wirogomo to Ambarawa.]
The narrow road goes mostly steep down.
25.2 You pass through Watulawang hamlet.
26.3 You reach a wider road, turn right to Sepakung .
[Alternative route: left to Muncul swimming pool and Salatiga.]
26.6 Primary school (S.D.) of Sepakung.
26.7 Straight on, next is a stretch of 4.5 km mainly rock paved road.
[Alternative route: turn left to Nglimut – 2 km rock paved road – Muncul and Salatiga.]
28.6 View on a waterfall at lowest point in the road.
A short stretch of asphalt road until Srandil hamlet only.
29.3 At the right is a path climbing to Sepakung Nature Reserve
29.6 Srandil hamlet. Next you look down on Rawa Pening lake.
31.1 On your left Mulungan hamlet.
31.8 On your right is a path climbing to Karangbawang hamlet and the source of Kali Pancur (2 km, 1.5 hour there and back), and to the summit (3 km, climbing 860 m, 4 hours).
32.3 Crossing at Nogosaren village, turn right
[To visit Kali Pancur waterfall turn left, park and go 900 steps down.]
34.0 T-crossing, turn left to return to Salatiga.
At this point you completed the circle around Telemoyo, 21 km.
46.6 Back at the traffic lights at the former cattle market.

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This waterfall in a cleft of Telemoyo mountain is relatively unspoilt, probably because Indonesian sightsee-ers are too lazy to walk down a stairway of 850 plus steps, and up again! Yet the local villagers do this daily with a heavy load of fodder for their livestock!

It is best to visit the waterfall in the rainy season, early after sunrise. Then (when it is not cloudy), the sun shines full on the cliff with the fall. There is not enough of a pool to swim, but you may take a bath. The locals come here in the muslim month of Sura for a ritual bath.
When you feel hot again from climbing the stairs, you may take a second bath at the sacred facility halfway up.

Want to experience the site to the full? Find your way from Nogosaren village to Mulungan village on the other side of the ravine.

The entrance to the stairway down the ravine is at Nogosaren village, about 14 km from Salatiga. Here is a parking and a gate where you have to pay an entrance fee for the upkeep of the stairs. On weekdays the gate is not guarded, you may enter and walk down the concrete path.

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Address: Nogosaren village, near Kopeng
Directions: Drive or take a minibus 11 km up the Salatiga-Kopeng road. Past Wates village find a sign 'Wisata Kali Pancur' indicating a turnoff to the right. From here drive, walk or ride 'ojeg' another 3 km to the parking past Nogosaren village.

When friends invited us to join them to the Merapi, we decided to accept the invitation. Last time Theo stood on the top he was 30 years old, now he is 66. But we still managed it, actually the descent was harder than the climb.
If you are young and in good shape, you can get to the top in 4 hours. That is how Theo did it in 1972, starting out at 2.00 am.
The group we joined started at 14.30 pm and brought camping gear. Better set out earlier, because we had to make camp at Pasar Grubah (about 2650 m) in the dark. However, at 5.00 am we started climbing the rocky cone, and seeing the sun rise from halfway up was wonderful.
Actually it was quite crowded on the top, it being holiday season. Three groups had camped out and others came up during the night. No wonder that the trail has badly eroded since 1972.

If you want to try this climb, you can hire a guide and/or porter at Plalangan village (base camp) or at the "New Selo" parking. See the advice in our Merbabu mountain tip. And if you want to camp at Pasar Grubah be aware that the night is terribly cold at that height.

For a map and more pictures, see our travelogue Gunung Merapi

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Address: Plalangan, Selo
Directions: Start walking from "New Selo" parking, which is actually in Plalangan hamlet belonging to Selo village. To get there from Salatiga via Ampel and Cepogo takes about 75 minutes.

On Saturdays starting at 5 am the members of the Salatiga Hash House Harriers go for their weekly morning walk through the country around Salatiga. A good occasion to see Javanese village life, and to get acquainted with Salatiga citizens. The walk passes through fields and villages, and sometimes includes a tough hike uphill. After about two hours it is concluded with breakfast in a 'warung' (local restaurant).

If you are interested, just show up Saturday morning between 5.00 and 5.15 am near Jalan Johar #10 and join the crowd. The group may start walking from here, or drive to some starting point out of town.

Members pay Rp 40.000 monthly, mainly for the cost of breakfast. But for you as a guest it's FREE!

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Address: Jalan Johar #10, Salatiga
Directions: Jalan Johar is a little side-street of the main shopping street, Jalan Sudirman. #10 is next to the shop named Toko Mirah.

There are not many written records of Java's early history. One dated inscription on a rock has been discovered near Salatiga and is on display for interested visitors. The rock is named by the Sanskrit term prasasti and located in Plumpungan village, hence "Prasasti Plumpungan".

Writing in Javanese on the Plumpungan monolith, King Bhanu declared on the 31st day of the 4th month of year 672 of the Saka (Javanese) calendar: "Srir = astu swasti prajabhyah", which means "May you be happy! All the people". Thus the village of Hampran was designated as a Perdikan village, meaning a tax-free village. The people of this village served the goddess of Trisala, hence the village also became known as Trisala, which in later years became Salatri and eventually Salatiga. In the modern calendar the inscription is dated July 24th, AD 750. This date has been officially marked as the birthdate of Salatiga.

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Directions: Take a minibus going down the road from Salatiga to Bringin. Near the 2 km post there is a billboard "Prasasti Plumpungan" pointing to the right. Get off the minibus and walk 200 m, there is the site on your left.

A must for steam-loc fans! The museum boasts 21 retired steam locs, the oldest one a Hartmann Chemnitz of 1891. Better still, there are two wood-powered locs in operation, featuring a toothed wheel to negotiate steep slopes. You may charter a train for up to 90 people (three carriages) to bring you 9 km uphill (as steep as 6%) to Bedono and back, for just Rp 3,250,000. If you are not that many, seek to meet the deputy station master, mr Haryono. For Rp 50,000 per person he will give you a ticket on a charter trip where there are places left!

Ambarawa railway station, at an elevation of +474 m, was inaugurated in 1873 and closed in 1976, when it was decided to turn it into a museum. At the time it was rather derelict, but now it has been restored quite nicely and equipped to handle local sightsee-ers who flock here on public holidays. If you want to avoid these, come during an ordinary weekday (consult the calender on our home page). On holidays a lorry-train for sightsee-ers goes as far as neighbouring Tuntang station.

Entrance fee is Rp 3000.

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Phone: +62.298.591035
Address: Museum Kereta Api, Jalan Stasiun #1, Ambarawa
Directions: On the main road from Semarang to Yogyakarta through Magelang, turn south at the museum signboard, west of Ambarawa town centre. Ambarawa is 20 km from Salatiga by the main road. The ESTO bus from Salatiga to Ambarawa costs only Rp 1000.

The Senjoyo water source actually lies just beyond Salatiga’s border, but it is of prime importance for the town. It is the main source for the municipal water supply. The two textile factories depend on it. And there is still enough water left for irrigating the fields of the farmers downstream of Senjoyo river.
Since colonial times there also has been a swimming pool at the site of the source. As admission is free, every day the pool is crowded with local youth bathing and washing their hair. In the adjacent basins women do their washing and we saw even a bunch of people washing carpets.
Salatiga enjoys excellent tap water. Indeed it is customary to boil drinking water or drink bottled water. But Theo never experienced any adverse effect from drinking straight form the tap.

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Directions: On the Solo road 600 m south of the Tingkir bus terminal is a sign pointing east to Senjoyo swimming pool. From the sign to the source is 1.7 km inland. The bus terminal is near the southern border of Salatiga town, 4 km from the market.

The Dutch built Jelok power station in 1912, and it has long been the main provider of electrical power for Salatiga. Of course nowadays it is connected into a larger grid.
Jelok gets its water from Tuntang river, which flows out of Rawa Pening lake, which in turn receives its water from Telemoyo mountain.
An interesting feature is that the power station is not situated directly below the barrier in Tuntang river, but 4 km downstream. From the barrier a pipeline carries the water to a hill overlooking Jelok, where its makes a steep descent. At one point the pipeline crosses Tuntang river, and large parts are buried.
Directions: Drive or take a local bus north direction Bawen, get off at the bridge crossing Tuntang river. From here you can drive or walk.
Driving take the road east direction Tlogo, and after 2 km - at Delik village - the narrow paved road left. Turn left at Toyogiri hamlet, follow the road making a sharp turn to the right, after which in places it is rock paved only. 2.5 km from the sharp turn you arrive in Susukan hamlet.
Walking follow an interesting itinirary from Tuntang railway station along the right hand bank of Tuntang river. You pass the barrier, and when you see the pipeline crossing Tuntang river, follow the direction of the pipeline. Sometimes the path is only a grassgrown dike covering the pipe. End up climbing the last hill to a cemetery beyond which the pipeline starts its descent.

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Address: PLTA Jelok, Susukan hamlet, Tuntang