A Mt. Merapi lava tour

Mon, August 15, 2016 / 09:27 am

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Tourists pose for a photo in Kaliadem village, 3 kilometers away from the peak of Mt. Merapi, in Cangkringan district, Sleman regency, Yogyakarta. JP/ Agus Maryono
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Tour De Merapi participants ride jeeps through Cangkringan to the areas worst affected by Mt. Merapi’s eruptions, which have been made into tourist sites. JP/ Agus Maryono
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A foreign tourist looks at a clock that melted in the eruption, on display at the Mini Museum complex in Petung village, Cangkringan, 7 kilometers away from the peak of the mountain. JP/ Agus Maryono
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Kitchen utensils ruined in the eruption are seen on display at the Mini Museum. JP/Agus Maryono
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A tourist photographs a destroyed motorcycle at the museum. JP/ Agus Maryono
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Tourists stand in a jeep provided by a tourist agency in Sleman as they arrive in Kaliadem. As the area nearest the volcano, the village was badly affected by the eruption. JP/ Agus Maryono
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Local residents mine for sand in an area affected by the eruption in Batu Wajah, Cangkringan. JP/ Agus Maryono

The huge volcanic eruptions of Mount Merapi in 2006 and 2010 transformed the face of Kaliadem village in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta. It is the nearest area to Mt. Merapi and was once a campsite for visitors. Nowadays, all the eye can see are piles of hardened lava. The village has become an important place for people to see the results of a volcanic eruption.

Local people have turned Kaliadem into a tourism site, naming it Tour De Merapi, where visitors can observe the peak of Mt. Merapi 2 kilometers from the village. The mountain reaches 2,965 meters above sea level and still spews sulfate from its crater, which is visible on bright days.

Prior to the eruption, Kaliadem was a campsite known to students and avid trekkers, complete with public facilities such as observation posts, toilets, a mushola (prayer room) and food vendors. The eruption, however, destroyed the site and only ruins remain.

There is also a bunker in the area that was once used by local people to take cover during eruptions or when Mt. Merapi was spewing hot ash clouds. However, the bunker did not survive the massive 2006 eruption and now serves as one of the attractions for visitors.

Tour De Merapi is currently the main tourist attraction in Sleman. There are around 500 old jeeps ready to be rented to take travelers from hotels in Sleman to the foot of Mt. Merapi, a distance of 40 kilometers. [RIN]

Photo and Words : JP/ Agus Maryono