Travel Tips

From where we live in Salatiga we have this view on Merbabu mountain. The ash cloud in the centre is from Merapi volcano, which lies behind Merbabu.
The peak you see here is the second summit, Puncak Syarip (3119 m). The highest summit, Puncak Kenteng Songo (3142), lies behind it. Climbing from Kopeng you approach the peaks from the right.
The photo's below are of our September 2006 hike to the summit.

It is always cold at night when you get above 2000 m. But this time there was a nasty cold wind blowing. Here is Helen negotiating a difficult passage around daybreak.

Looking east at around 6 am we could see Gunung Lawu (3265 m), which is 90 km away.
If you enlarge the picture, you can see another one faintly visible behind Lawu. That must be Gunung Liman (2563 m) at 150 km!

This is the view north from the plateau between the two peaks, Syarip and Kenteng Songo. From here it is 15 minutes to the Syarip peak and half an hour to the Kenteng Songo peak.
In the distance you see Gunung Ungaran (2050 m), close to Semarang. In between is Gunung Telemoyo (1894 m), left on the edge of the photo is Gunung Andong (1736 m).
The peak in front is "pos IV", you see the track we have come.
There had been extensive bush fires just two weeks before, hence the black slopes.

Here you are at the summit, Puncak Kenteng Songo, looking west. The two mountains are Gunung Sumbing (3371 m, front) and Gunung Sundoro (3136 m).

From the Kenteng Songo summit you have a great view of Merapi volcano, which is less than 10 km away as the crow flies. Merapi is around 2970 m high, the height is variable due to frequent eruptions.

Here Helen and our gardener pak Sugih are coming down from the summit, which is behind them. Note the scorched slopes.

This memorial stone, near the dead crater of Merbabu mountain, is in memory of a student who did not make it back down.
"Sugiyanto, accountancy student, born in Blora 6-6-1973, died on the Merbabu 4-2-2001"