Semeru Sep 2009

A little lower but far more scenic than Kinabalu, Gunung Semeru (original Hindu name was Mahameru) forms a majestic southern backdrop to the Tengger Highlands or the Bromo-Batok Caldera of East Java. Standing at 3676m, it is the highest mountain in Java and an active volcano to boot. Climbing it when it’s just quietly puffing is very safe. Doing so during an eruption is courting death.

Going solo, my approach to the mountain in 1997 was on foot from Cemara Lawang (at the lip of the caldera overlooking Mt Bromo). It was a long, exhausting walk to Ranopani. This is not necessary for a small group as jeeps can be hired at tourist spots like Cemara Lawang. The “climb” is not a straightforward one. Ranopani may be regarded as “base camp”, but there is very little real climb (a long way to the mountain rather than up the mountain) until towards the end where it can get really strenuous. The itinerary is as follows.

Day 1
Arrival in Surabaya, bus up to Cemara Lawang. We will stay at Cemara Lawang which overlooks Mt Bromo. Here, we can stock up on food items and hired a jeep for the trip to Ranopani.

Day 2
After a quick breakfast, we’ll travel to Ranopani by jeep, pick up our guide/porters and start trekking to Rano Kumbolo. We only need to carry water for the 4-5 hour trek to Rano Kumbolo. There is a lake here where we can draw water for the next day. We’ll have lunch and dinner here.

Day 3
We’ll move off after catching the sunrise. Our lunch stop will be Kalimati, a grassy, windswept, treeless patch just below the treeline. As there is no water here, we must draw and carry as much water as we can from Rano Kumbolo. We’ll have lunch at Kalimati and then proceed to climb up to Arcopodo where we’ll have dinner and rest.

Day 4
Starting off from Arcopodo at 4.00am, we’ll summit at dawn (keeping a safe distance from the crater), lunch at Rano Kumbolo and descend to Ranopani where we’ll take a jeep to Surabaya.

Day 5
Return to Singapore

This is a camping trip (no bathrooms) from Day 2. Tents, sleeping bags, warm clothing (near freezing at summit), food and fuel must be carried. The expedition must be self-sufficent beyond Ranopani. About 2 litres of water must be carried on the first leg from Ranopani to Rano Kumbolo.

Ample water (4 litres per pax) must be drawn and treated from the lake at Rano Kumbolo before moving further. There is no convenient water source above Rano Kumbolo.

For maximum comfort and good pictures, this mountain should only be climbed during the dry season from June to early September. August is usually the best month for dry weather.

Gunung Semeru is an active volcano. The last major activity on the mountain took place around March 2007. The expedition will be postponed or an alternative destination set if conditions are deemed unsafe. The activity of Gunung Semeru can be monitored at this link.