8 Best Hiking Destinations in Indonesia With the Most Stunning View
Indonesia is blessed with exotic beaches and hundreds of mesmerizing mountains, the beauty of Indonesia’s nature is begging to be explored. Here are eight of Indonesia’s most popular mountain to hike according to locals!
As the world’s largest archipelago country, Indonesia is blessed with thousands of islands and heavenly landscapes. From exotic beaches to the most beautiful mountains, Indonesia is also one of the best hiking destinations in the world—and the beauty of Indonesia’s nature is begging to be explored. Some of Indonesia’s best hiking destinations are situated in the most active volcanic mountains or a crater that spurts blue fire. Indonesia’s hiking trails offer scenic scenery as one’s hike towards the summit.
Hiking in Indonesia is the top of the line to explore the country’s tremendous landscapes—it is without question that the best way to enjoy the beauty of Indonesia is from the highest peak of a mountain. The beauty of the landscape that you will see from a mountain summit is nowhere else to be found.
Mount Merapi
The most active and destructive volcano in Indonesia is located over the cities of Yogyakarta and Solo. Mount Merapi is overlooking Java’s most amazing landscape, making it the most popular hiking destination. The hike to the summit trail is around a 4km trek that takes around 4 hours to complete depending on your level of fitness.
Catching sunrise from the highest peak of Mount Merapi is a must that one should not flop. However, it is much recommended that the best time to hike Mount Merapi is during the dry season—with the steep slopes, it will become slippery during the rainy season. Although the trail is rated difficult, Mount Merapi remains the most popular mountain to hike.
Mount Bromo
Located in the Eastern part of Java and situated inside Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park, Mount Bromo is undoubtedly the most popular mountain for climbers to watch the sunrise at the peak of Java. The mind-blowing view, the easy trekking trail, and the ‘sea-of-sand’ are what make Mount Bromo the most admirable and hiked mountain in Indonesia.
Being one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, it still makes Mount Bromo the biggest tourist attraction in Java. A hike to Mount Bromo will not be complete without a visit to the Bromo crater—it was formed due to the explosion of Tengger Volcano. But the beauty and danger of the crater will charm one’s eyes with its stunning view.
Mount Rinjani
Mount Rinjani ranks the second highest volcanic mountain in Indonesia and is an active volcano mountain located on the island of Lombok—the elevation of Mount Rinjani rises to 3,726m (12,224ft) above sea level. As one of Southeast Asia’s highest peaks, Mount Rinjani unfailingly attracts hikers from all over the world.
Trekking Mount Rinjani is indeed an adventurous way to explore Indonesia’s landscape beauty, and to climb the highest peak of Rinjani is indeed a challenging one if you are not an experienced hiker. But, it offers a breathtaking view and scenery along the way up until you reach the summit—from waterfalls to crater.
Mount Batur
For years, tourists have been drawn to the beauty and promise of adventurous hikes in the extremely active volcanic Mount Batur in the Kintamani region, East Bali. Hiking to the top of Mount Batur in predawn offers you the golden opportunity to enjoy an unforgettable sunrise that is waiting at the summit, as well as the beautiful view of Bali.
Raising to 1,717 meters or 5,633 feet above sea level. The largest crater lake in Bali located along the Ring of Fire of volcanic activity in Mount Batur, Danau Batur (Lake Batur)—a volcanic crater lake in Kintamani, surrounded by hills with a huge black lava field view.
Mount Agung
The volcanic Mount Agung is a tough and hard hike in Bali towering over 3,000 meters above sea level which makes the summit of Mount Agung the tallest point on the island. But yet, the peak of the mountain is the highlight of Mount Agung.
The beauty of Mount Agung is no secret anymore, such as the top of the mountain that is mostly covered by the clouds, and the rest of the beautiful scenery that never fails to fascinate anyone who climbs to the summit—many have found that the challenge to climb to the top of Mount Agung surely gives value to what’s waiting for them at the top of the highest peak.
Mount Semeru
A hike to Mount Semeru is a hike to the highest peak of Java, rising to 3,676 meters above sea level. Mount Semeru is an active volcano in East Java and is widely known for its name “Mahameru”, meaning The Great Mountain, and Mount Semeru is one of the best hiking destinations in Indonesia. The breathtaking scenery of Ranu Kumbolo Lake, the incredible savanna, until the heavenly grassland called Oro-Oro-Ombo.
The climb to the summit of Mount Semeru will take 2-3 days and the climb to the top is not getting easier as the slope is an endless loose pebble and slope steep. But as you reach the highest peak, you will be drawn to the surreal beauty of the volcano.
Mount Kelimutu
Mount Kelimutu is a volcanic mountain located in Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), and is part of Kelimutu National Park. Mount Kelimutu is also one of the best volcano hikes in Indonesia. The beauty of Mount Kelimutu lies in the existence of eruption that resulted in the formation of three-colours crater lakes atop Mount Kelimutu.
The elevation of Mount Kelimutu rises up to 1,000 meters high or around 5,000 feet above sea level, making it relatively easy to climb. It is recommended to hike Mount Kelimutu early in the morning, so you can watch the sunrise glistening on the crater lake, and mesmerizing the beauty of nature.
Ijen Crater
Ijen Crater is the most enchanting volcano that erupts electric blue flames from its crater, and the fact that there are only two blue flames in the world is what makes Ijen Crater popular among domestic and foreign tourists and is one of Indonesia’s wonders. Ijen Crater lies atop Mount Ijen that is located in between Banyuwangi and Bondowoso district, East Java.
The natural phenomenon of “blue fire” can only be seen in predawn as the blue flames will light up in the middle of the dark and are so dazzling and mesmerizing to one’s eyes. When the sun rises, climbers can see the world’s largest acidic lake that is yet so beautiful and stunning.
So, how does one get to hike to Indonesia’s best hiking destinations?
Do remember that every mountain has its own characteristics and difficulties of hiking trails—and if you are an inexperienced hiker, there are numerous hiking tours available that will guide you to the top of the summit. However, hiking Indonesia’s volcanic mountains requires a lot of fitness and preparation, so it is still best for you to join a hiking tour to experience the most of your hike, especially the active volcanoes with steep slopes.
