This is my first trip to Dieng plateau.
From Yogyakarta, I drive north heading to Magelang. You can actually take a shortcut via Borobudur complex and directly head to Salaman before you go to Kertek then to Wonosobo, instead of taking a round route via Magelang-Salaman-Kertek-Wonosobo. But this is my first trip, and I put my trust too much to the GPS software installed to my Samsung phone. So here I am, taking a significant longer route that in turn taking longer time to get to Wonosobo, where I will stay overnight before heading to Dieng plateau on the following day…
There are plenty of hotels in Wonosobo. From the fine one such as Hotel Kresna, middle class hotels like Hotel Parama or Hotel Surya Asia, to the cheap one – nice and clean too – such as Dieng Kledung Pass. Or, within the Dieng plateau complex itself – especially in Batur which is 45 minutes from Wonosobo – you can also easily find a lot of home-stays. Rooms for rent are available for IDR 100,000 – 150,000 per night. Considerably cheap. In some places you can even bargain. There are also some cheap motels available in Batur…
From Wonosobo, after 30 minutes you will arrive at Garung village where you have to pay for the entry ticket to the Dieng area. IDR 3,000 per person. Then you can choose to turn left to lake Menjer first or go straight to Dieng complex directly. Just follow the main road, and before you get to the Dieng site gate, you will find a sight tower where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of mount Sindoro and mount Sumbing with all those villages on the mountainside…
After the gate, you will still have to follow the main road until you reach a T-junction. From there, you options are numerous. In my case, I find myself difficult to decide which location I want to see first….
My impression of this place after the trip?
Dieng is great view, temples, lakes, craters, geothermal, mosque, and potatoes. A lot of potatoes.
Great view.
Cannot describe well enough. The mountains, the slopes, the lakes, the temples, even the plantations on the slopes, all of them form a beautiful scenery together that makes me suddenly feel that 2 days here is not enough at all…
Temples.
Most of people know Dieng plateau for its temples. It is the oldest Hindu temples in Java, built in around 7th and 8th centuries. These temples are where the name of the plateau itself comes from. The name “Dieng” itself comes from “Di Hyang” which means “Abode of the Gods” The temple structure in Dieng site is relatively small and plain. People believe that this is the site of first Hindu community in Java island, and they also believe that originally there were more temples in the area than what we can find today. Have no idea where the current temple’s name came from and since when, but people named them before the characters from the tale of “Ramayana”, which tale itself is also originated from India.
I had a chance to visit some of the temples that are still exist. The Arjuna site which consist of Candi (temple) Arjuna itself, Candi Semar, Candi Srikandi, Candi Puntadewa and Candi Sembadra. Not so far from this site, Candi Gatotkaca is standing proud. In front of this temple, right across the road, you can visit Kailasa museum that provides you with lots of information about the area and its history. There is also Candi Bima that is located near Sikidang crater. There are still other temples that I hadn’t got the chance to visit in this trip due to their spreading locations, such as Candi Pandu, Candi Darawati, Candi Setyaki, Candi Nakula & Sadewa, and some other more…
Lakes.
There are lots of lakes around this area. Not a huge lake like Toba in North Sumatera, but small lakes scattered almost in every village. The most well-known ones in the area must be Telaga (‘telaga’ means ‘lake’) Warna and Telaga Pengilon that are located side-by-side. From Telaga Warna, there is a steep stairway that will bring you to Dieng Plateau Theatre which movie will provide you with a lot of information about Dieng plateau area, how it was formed, the history of the civilization, etc…
There is also Telaga Cebong located at Sembungan village. There is nothing really special with the lake. But this village is the starting point for people who want to take 1-1.5 hours trek to the Skunir peak to watch the sunrise, with view of mount Sindoro-Sumbing-Merbabu-Merapi in front of you. You don’t want to miss it… 🙂
The other lakes that you can visit include Telaga Menjer near the first gate that I already mentioned earlier, Telaga Merdada, and Jalatunda great well…
Craters.
Dieng is a place with a lot of active craters as well, scattered all over the plateau. Most of those craters, small and big, produce steaming smoke and sulphuric gas, to name some of them are Sikidang, one of the biggest in the area, Sibanteng, Sikumbang, Sibawang, Sipandu, and Sileri. Telaga Warna itself is actually an active crater lake. It is continuously bubbling and the changing sulphur concentration makes the lake water color is always changing (‘Warna’ means color).
There are few craters that are considered dangerous as well because the gas emission from those craters is dangerous to people. Sinila, Candradimuka and Dringo crater lake are three of those few craters.
Geothermal.
Dieng plateau also has lots of geothermal wells that produce heat and used to generate electricity. No less than 48 geothermal wells are spread around this plateau. Big pipes connect those wells and transfer the heat to the main power-plant station operated by Geo Dipa Energy, where it turns the turbine and generate electricity. The electric power then is being transferred via Jawa-Madura-Bali interconnection system.
Mosque.
Even though this place is where the oldest Hindu civilization once resided in Java, currently 95% of the population is moslem. It’s quite a strong moslem community. You can easily see that the religion takes a major influence in their daily life. Mosques are everywhere. Each village has at least two mosques. It is not a problem at all to find a mosque when it is time for me to have my prayer…
And finally, potatoes. A lot of potatoes.
Home to outstanding natural beauty and a myriad of wonders, Dieng has yet to be professionally managed as a tourist destination. It is much less well-known compared to other tourist attractions in Java such as Bromo, Merapi, or Borobudur, as it has yet to be seriously promoted.
Meanwhile, local villagers transformed mountain slopes, hill-sides to farms. The plateau is actually an ancient caldera. The soil and the climate make this place a dreamland to grow vegetables, and the farmers plant vegetables – 90% of them are potatoes – everywhere, even at areas very close to the location of the temples, lake, craters, and all of those tourism objects. In some form, it also bolsters the beauty of the plateau, but in the other side it is also disturbing. Not to mention the lines of the white pipes the farmers installed for irrigation purpose, creating a disturbing view everywhere. Potato farmers also spread manure on their crops right along the roadside, generating bad smell. It’s the local government homework to think on how to create a synergy between tourism and the daily life in such a beautiful and potential place…
Overall…?
It is a worth trip to make, actually. The beautiful scenery of Dieng plateau makes me regretting the limited time I have. I feel like I can spend a full week to explore this stunning land, trekking to the top of mount Sindoro and also at the farm and plantations, having chat with the friendly villagers, taking photos…
I cannot describe it well enough, you have to come and visit this place to experience it yourself…
* Other photos I took during my Dieng trip can be found at:
http://www.ismawanismail.com/gallery/index.php?/category/dieng
