Mount Merbabu strategically located in the center of Java Island is a hidden gem of Indonesia’s mountains. Though not as well cited as its neighbours – Mount Semeru (highest volcano in Indonesia) and Merapi (most active volcano in Indonesia) – it offers a more pleasant climb and equally scenic view. From its summit, one can enjoy a 360 degrees unblocked view of Central Java mountain landscape; Gunung Sumbing (3371m), Gunung Sindoro (3136m) and the Dieng Plateau to the west, Gunung Telemoyo (1894m) and Gunung Ungaran (2050m) to the north, Gunung Lawu (3118m) to the east and menacing Gunung Merapi (2930m) in the south. It has five volcanic calderas, Condrodimuko, Kombang, Kendang, Rebab and Sambernyowo but no major activities has been reported in past decades. For this trek, you will be taking the western route up and the southern route down the mountain with an overnight stay in tent which will allow you to see enjoy the scenery from various vantage points. Look out for the beautiful ubiquitous Javanese edelweiss (aka the Everlasting Flower) which is endemic to the mountains of Indonesia.
ITINERARY
Day 01
YOGYAKARTA – MOUNT MERBABU
In the morning, pick up by our friendly guide from the airport or your hotel in Yogyakarta to the mountain trailhead at Suwanting Village. You will start the trek at 1300 meters above sea level. After trekking for about 7-8 hours, you will reach the campsite at 2700 meters above sea level where you will set up tent for the night.
Overnight: Camping in tent
Day 02
MOUNT MERBABU – YOGYAKARTA
Wake up early in the morning at 3am for the summit climb. At the summit (3142m), you will be rewarded with beautiful sunrise view across Central Java. Thereafter, you will descend the mountain via another route to Selo Village where you will be transferred back to Yogyakarta.
Package includes:
- Two way transfer between airport/hotel and Mount Merbabu
- All trekking arrangement (trekking permit, English speaking guide, meals during the trek, drinking water, tents, sleeping bag, mats, camping chairs, camping table, camping toilet, porter to carry communal items)
Package excludes:
All items not mentioned in the above inclusion list but not limited to:
- Return international air tickets
- Travel insurance
- Personal porter (SGD 40 each day up to 15kg load)
- Tips to mountain guide and porters
- All meals
- All expenses of a personal nature
HIKING GRADE
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Climbing Season: During the dry months from May to October
Rainy Season: December to March
Temperature: It can get very cold and it can rain even during the climbing season. Warm clothing and rain gears are necessary.
Difficulty Level: Climbing Mt Merbabu is tough but anyone with good fitness and hiking experience should be able to cope. Since it is only a 2D 1N climb, you should bring along only essential items (warm clothing, change of dry clothing for the night, headlight and trekking stick) for the climb. Normal trekking throughout except for some light scrambling. No rock climbing or technical climbing skills needed.
OPTIONAL PROGRAM
For those who do not wish to camp on the mountain, it is also possible to do an overnight trek from Selo Village. You will be picked up from Yogyakarta or Solo at around 11pm, start trek around 1am to reach summit in time for sunrise. You will be back in your hotel around 2pm. Good fitness level is required for this option.
Other hikes in the area include:
TESTIMONIALS
See latest reviews on our Google page!The climb was great, the view was amazing. We really enjoyed the fact that it wasn't too touristic and all hikers were local. The guide was very helpful and brought us around in Surabaya on Saturday.
– Aijing (Group of 2 on a 4D3N Mt Arjuno & Mt Welirang trip in Apr 2019)
Personalised pickup and attention to our well being. Focused to help us to have good experiences. Guide Udin is very professional. Dependable, attention to details, providing good advices. Porters are friendly and helpful. We are very happy with the service level, professionalism of the whole team to bringing good experiences to hikers like us.
– YT (Group of 3 on a 2D1N Mt Merbabu Camping trip in Nov 2018)
Hi Bob, thanks very much for making the arrangements and making this trip a meaningful one for me. The service that you have provided is exception, really unlike any vendors that I have engaged before. The prompt replies and staying connected with the traveller during the trip helps to reassure the traveller. The guides that were engaged were also very professional and ensures the safety of the climber. The guides takes the effort to brief the climber and checks that there are proper safety equipment before the hike so that safety of the climber will not be compromised. It was a smooth trip. The drivers for the transfers were also punctual. It’s really a great trip! Thank you very much!
– Pei Yi (Solo hiker on a 4D3N Semeru trip in Aug 2018)
The guide and porters were experienced and very nice! They were very helpful and fun 🙂 the cooking was delicious and they were wonderful hosts. We were pretty slow but they were understanding about it. They were very accommodating of our wants to stop and take pictures along the way too. I'd like to commend porter Diu (I hope I'm spelling it right), my Friend was struggling up and he offered to carry her bag for her. During the descend, I kept slipping and he was so kind to help me down the many steep paths.
– Stef (Group of 6 on an 2D1N Mt Merbau Summit & Camping trip in Jul 2018)
We were lucky, the weather was good and sunny throughout the trip. Scenery was beautiful and most importantly food was great. A great trek but not a stroll in the park. Summit push was a struggle for some of us. Thanks Ying for making our trip a success.
– Jace Lee (Group of 4 on a 4D3N Semeru trip in June 2018)
Profession guide ensures a safety and comfortable journey during the adventure. Tents and pillows were of good condition and organisation of daily itinerary was based on our capability and ability to continue the hike rather than rushing for the schedules. The hiking and trip journey was enjoyable.
– Adam (Group of 4 on a Mt Rinjani trip in May 2017)
The whole arrangement from the start to the end was smooth. The support of the guide was immense and we enjoyed ourselves all the way through. But kudos to the guide who made this experience a beautiful one.
– Mus (Group of 4 on a Mt Rinjani trip in May 2017)
It has been a fulfilling trip from the start to the end. Ying has been very meticulous from the beginning; paying great attention to our dietary requirement, rooming arrangement etc. Thanks Abdul, our guide, for the encouraging gestures to keep us going especially during the summit push. Fond memories for years to come!
– Celine (Group of 7 on a Mt Rinjani trip in June 2016)
This was our third trekking trip with IWT after Rinjani and Ophir. We continued to be impressed with their consistent personalized customer service and responsiveness. The pre-trip briefing package which consisted of a detailed packing list and things to take note of are especially useful for our climb preparation.Thanks Bob for keeping a constant check on us during the trip. We look forward to many more trips with you.
– HL Chua (Group of 5 on a 5D4N Semeru trip in May 2016)
Thanks to our guide Arief for making my life so much bearable during the 3d2n trek. It was a tough trek especially for someone like me who's not so fit but the scenery was really worth the sweat. Looking back it's a trip well planned and executed. Thanks for making this happen.
– Jiahui (Group of 5 on a Mt Rinjani trip in May 2016)
We had a great trip and received very good services from the mountain guide and his helpers. We greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness with which iwannatravel planned the itinerary especially when we need to make last minute change to reduce the group size. Our trip is all well planned and executed. We greatly enjoyed ourselves throughout the trip.
– Susana Chua (Group of 3 on a 5D4N Semeru trip in Sept 2015)
Kudos to IWT for making our Semeru trip a success; everything from driver, guide to accommodation were well planned and organised! The Semeru FAQ and packing list provided by Bob were especially useful in helping us to prepare for this trip. Bob was always very prompt and patient towards our enqueries and requests for itinerary amendment. We look forward to our next trip with IWT!
– Jeremy (Group of 6 on a 5D4N Semeru trip in Aug 2015))
We are very happy with the overall arrangement of everything from the choice of trekking company, the transportation and the accommodations. We were very well taken care of on the trek. The foods on our camping trip was really great. Beyond our expectation actually. =) Thanks you Bob for the patience to answer to all our queries and giving us advises that helps us greatly to planned out our extension stay after the climb. Will definitely join their other climbs or engage them to plan another trip again. =)
– Yen Wei (Group of 9 on a Mt Rinjani & Gili Trip in Aug 2015)
Read more at testimonials!
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