Smoking Gunungs

This route combines exhilarating hikes and city wanders with some longer and more challenging journeys (and a few eye-wateringly early starts!), all linked with downtime on the train where you can sit back and watch the scenery roll by.

Wander through eerie landscapes and vibrant streets, discovering more about the communities and industries that have grown and flourished in the shadows of Java’s magnificent volcanoes and wild landscapes. By choosing the less-obvious path, you’ll see Java through a different lens.

A capital in motion

Jakarta

Like many of Asia’s capitals, Jakarta is a city whose reputation goes before it, which definitely works both ways! There’s no denying it’s a busy, hectic hub - as is Delhi or Bangkok, though Jakarta doesn’t benefit from their superstar landmarks as counterbalance - and not every visitor to Java will spend time here, but it’s a fantastic starting point to get an idea of the island’s heritage and to catch sight of modern Indonesia.

Explore the rich contrasts of Glodok (Jakarta’s Chinatown) and Fatahillah Square’s cobbled streets and Dutch-colonial era architecture; plunge into the energy of the city’s contemporary arts scene in the uber-creative Block M artist district; and follow your eyes up the glass and metal facades of the financial district’s skyscrapers. As evening falls, discover the city’s wealth of flavours on a street food tour taking in local favourites such as beef rendang curry, stuffed martabak pancakes, goat fried rice, and the distinctive Javanese speciality of soto chicken turmeric soup.

For the truly keen volcanophiles, an extra day in Jakarta offers the opportunity to venture out on an expedition by road and boat to Krakatau - arguably Indonesia’s most famous volcano - and stand in the shadow of this awe-inspiring giant.

A different kind of city

Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta is a perfect counterbalance to Jakarta, and a few days in the city gives you time to sink into the history and rhythms of Indonesia’s revered seat of spirituality. Dive into traditional batik production, learning about the meanings behind the intricate patterns once worn only by royalty. Stop at the Sonobudoyo Museum to see over 1,200 keris (Javanese heirloom daggers) and other wonders, amble through the atmospheric Sultan’s Palace and adjacent Taman Sari Water Palace, and pause to people-watch at the Beringharjo market. Sample plenty of the city’s street-food, and wash it down with a soothing cup of kopi joss coffee- the original ‘cup of Java’ - its smoking shard of red-hot charcoal echoing those lava-formed volcanic landscapes.

Round off your visit back in the countryside, cycling close to smouldering Gunung Merapi (one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes) and visiting Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia.

Mirroring nature’s power

Borobudur

The carved, pyramid-like form of Borobudur is reminiscent of a volcano itself, with its spires made of grey volcanic stone. Spending a couple of nights in the welcoming, family-run Omah Garengpoeng guesthouse near the iconic temple gives you time to really absorb its unique position in Indonesian culture. Listen to stories from your hosts, Mr and Mrs Lily, at your homely base, learn to create handmade batik using centuries-old techniques, and get hands-on cooking up a storm in the guesthouse kitchen creating traditional Javanese dishes.

The start required to see the sun rise between Borobudur’s stupas is an early one! Rest well and make your way to the temple through the darkness to find a prime position before dawn, and watch the first rays of the day illuminate the temple walls through the crisp morning air.

A relaxed route…

Malang

Known for its traditional culture and handicrafts, refreshing climate, excellent shopping and Dutch colonial-era architecture, Malang has been a thriving town for over a thousand years. Its high elevation affords a cooler climate than elsewhere in Java, which explains why it was chosen as the site of headquarters for 17th-century Dutch traders, and it’s still a popular spot with local Javanese holidaymakers for weekends away.

Cruise through the streets by becak, or local cyclo, passing grand, historic architecture, the Eng An Kiong Chinese temple, and the city cathedral, before ambling through the extraordinary streets of Jodipan, lined on all sides by rainbow-hued houses.

Sunrise over two peaks

Bromo & Ijen

There’s something magical about watching the land around you wake up as the sun rises, and watching it rise over a volcano takes that to a whole new level. Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen are both volcanic, but very different in nature. Seeing how the day begins from each in turn brings their contrasts into sharp focus. 

Travel out of Malang by train and watch town transition into the raw wilderness of Bromo-Tengger Semeru National Park. Take the scenic route to a viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan (at 3:30am!) to watch the sunrise over Mount Bromo, then walk across the otherworldly, grey volcanic ash, known as the ‘sea of sand’, to climb Bromo’s slopes and peer into its smoking crater. This is always a popular activity, and it’s impossible to avoid other groups, but your guide will help you find the best, and calmest, spot.

A scenic train ride east, Ijen holds wonders of a different kind. Starting 6,000 ft up at Paltuding base camp, follow a dirt pathway to the summit to see the sunrise over the extraordinarily vivid (and abrasively acidic) turquoise crater lake, and glimpse the region’s miners carrying rough yellow mineral rocks out of one of the world’s last sulphur mines.

Hungry for more?

Why not extend your journey an area of Bali that’s stayed off the main tourist trail: a curved bay of volcanic sand with a backdrop of misty mountains.

One of the best ways to round off an exhilarating and energetic holiday around Indonesia’s wonders is with a few days unwinding on a picture-perfect beach. Bali’s southern shores are always popular, and Komodo is a great option if you’re looking for something a bit more out-of-the-way, but for a trip focusing on volcanoes there’s one northern Bali beach that has to get top billing: Pemuteran. 

It takes a little more effort to get to this small fishing village (a ferry from Java, and a winding drive), but once you’re laying back on the bay’s smokey-black volcanic sands, trekking through its bordering rainforests, and hopping over to the the tiny island of Menjangan to snorkel and dive offshore, you’ll be glad you chose the route less travelled. It’ll make all the difference.