"Dieng - the gods have left" Top 5 Page for this destination Pegunungan Dieng by theo1006

An Indonesian friend had warned me: Dieng sudah rusak (Dieng is no more what it used to be). Yet I wanted to revisit Dieng after 30 years. So I was in for a bit of disappointment.
Pristine nature is gone. The temples which used to lie in a desolate plain are now hemmed in by potato fields. Small Dieng village has sprawled. Former forested slopes are now all terraced. The lakes are being pumped for irrigation, some almost empty at the end of the dry season. Geothermal pipes run all over the plateau.
This picture I find symbolic. The white mosque reigns over the place, the Hindu gods have long left the reservation set aside for them.

View of Deing plateau in 1971

The climate has not changed. Dieng is still best visited in the dry season (Take note of our transportation tip). The nights are cold, and when it is raining the days too are clammy and chilly.
There still is no good accommodation, most visitors prefer to stay in Wonosobo.

What's so funny?

Dieng still is Central Java in miniature. You have temples, mountains, lakes, volcanic activity, waterfalls, all close together.
And good-natured, hard-working Javanese, who use every natural asset in their struggle to make a living.

• Pros:Lots of things to do and to see
• Cons:Bad climate, poor accommodation
• In a nutshell:Central Java in miniature