TRAVEL

Even if you have a fear of heights, you will want to climb Mt Merapi to see its gorgeous sunrise.

Hiking up the Mount of Fire (or its less dramatic monicker, Mt Merapi) is not my idea of a relaxing holiday because I’ve got an insane fear of heights. However, the thought of watching the sun rising up from the surrounding highlands and into the clouds made me suppress the anxiety attacks.

One of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, Mt Merapi has erupted 68 times since 1548.

A particularly massive eruption in 1006 drowned Borobudur in ash, while the eruptions of 1930, 1994 and 2006 reportedly claimed almost 2,000 lives. Since Merapi is an active volcano, you will need a responsible and reliable guide to climb it. A few hikers have attempted the climb alone and met with tragic ends because they were not familiar with the terrain.

There are two main routes up to the peak, and my adventure junkie friend and I choose the north face from Selo village, which is apparently the safer route. About three hours’ drive away — two, if you have a Formula One driver taking on the narrow, winding road for you, like we did! — from Yogyakarta’s Maliaboro commercial shopping district, Selo is a small village with some 800 inhabitants, many of whom are farmers.

Hiking up Merapi is one of the must-do activities in Yogyakarta. There are many tour operators who will happily arrange your transportation to Selo as well as the guides and porters who charge about 200,000 Rupiah (about RM70) for their services.

The best time to go is between June and September, before the rainy season sets in. The local guide says the trickiest part about the climb is the weather — when it’s the dry season, the track is very dusty and difficult, but then when it’s wet, you struggle with the mud, so take your pick.

We were lucky because although we went during the November rainy season, there had not been any heavy downpours prior to our hike, so the track was neither too dusty nor was it too wet.

From Selo village to New Selo, a rest area where the wilderness starts, takes about an hour. You start at about 1am after some coffee and bread (at the guide’s office in Selo). It takes about four hours to summit the 2,968m mountain at Puncak Garuda to catch the sunrise at 5am.

Even if you are not a regular hiker but are reasonably fit, you shouldn’t have any problems although you may be in for a bit of a struggle. Being an acrophobic, I was more preoccupied with trying not to tumble! I was on all fours most of the time coming down but going up wasn’t so bad since it was still dark when we started.

The 10km journey starts from Selo village to New Selo, New Selo to Station 1, and Station 1 through to Station 4, which is the peak.

New Selo to Station 1 for me was the toughest because it was a long (though not steep) trek and tiring. Stations 1 to 3 (Pasar Bubrah, a stone plain right under the peak) was steep and laden with rocks and pebbles but quite easy to get up if you’re on all fours (like I was, for fear of falling off the mountain!).

When you finally get to Station 3 (where it can get extremely cold), you can either soak in the view while the guide prepares coffee over a hot fire, or you could continue up to the stony-plain peak where a huge rock shaped like the mythical Garuda is perched and there’s a gigantic crater emanating strong plumes of sulphur vapour.

With the sun already up, I decided against climbing the 45° slope to the peak, the most difficult part of the climb because it is extremely steep and ridden with loose sand, rocks and pebble.

The guide said most Malaysians and Singaporeans turn back after Station 2. He said we should be proud but, looking back, I wish I had plucked up the courage and just kept crawling all the way up.

Nonetheless, the view of the golden sunrise from Station 3 was reward enough for me.

I definitely think that the sunrise on Merapi, surrounded by the peaks of Merbabu, Sindoro, Sumbing and Lawu, is among the most amazing in the world and a sight to behold. So even if you have a fear of heights, you would do well to invest in a good pair of shoes and headlamp and make your way to Merapi.

It really is a most humbling and inspiring experience, a priceless adventure indeed.