The main goal of this trip is to climb ultra peaks and ribus. Indonesia has some to offer, and that’s likely the main reason why I’m coming to the Malay Archipelago a second time this year. I call this a III trip because Malay Archipelago III trip and this one had different targets and arrangements….
Country: Indonesia
Klabat
The ultra peak of NE Sulawesi is close to Manado, but we begin climbing at half past two a.m. We need to catch our flight to Jakarta. Later, we fly home from Jakarta. We leave the car at the widening of the road, but it seems to me that we could have driven a few…
Lokon
We went up the summit of Manado Tua in the morning and climbed Lokon in the evening—a great plan, and we succeeded. From the port of Manado, we drive towards Lokon mountain and climb up. We reach the summit just as the sunset is starting. At the beginning, we follow an old lava trail, shortening…
Manado Tua
Old Manado is the translated name of the island. We plan to visit the island, climb highpoint in the morning, and then climb mount Lokon on Sulawesi in the afternoon. It’s a tight schedule, but it’s totally doable. Early in the morning, we buy some buns on the street and come to the river harbor….
Pulau Gunatin High Point
Yesterday’s typhoon changed our plans, and instead of the Awu volcano, we sailed to the nearby Gunatin Island, where we will try to find the highest point. We arrive at the Ulu harbor at dawn and have to wait, but there is nothing bad that doesn’t turn out for the best. In the corner of…
Siau
Nutmeg, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and tarsiers. These are the first things I remember from Siau Island. Then there’s the heavy rain, the delicious food, and the locals waiting for tourists. The tarsier is a very interesting nocturnal creature. It only comes out of its hole in the evening. They are best found…
Karangetang
One of Indonesia’s several most active volcanoes is on a remote island of Siau in the Sulawesi region. There was little information from other hikers and no peakbagger reports. For the above reasons, this ultra-peak was not in our original plan. But we met Aris, a man who loves volcanoes in action. He often climbs…
Gunung Marapi
Today’s hike is intimidating because we don’t know for sure if we will reach the actual high point. We know that there are people who have been there, and we even have some ideas about where to look for the trailhead; we’ve also seen videos of people on the trail, but we haven’t found a…
Singgalang
Today’s mountain is shrouded in legend. When one reaches the lake, one must never say a woman’s name out loud. I don’t know what happens when you say it loudly at the lake. But I strictly follow this instruction for all the right reasons. After an early morning breakfast and photo session, I am taken…
Talang
I said goodbye to Dave in the morning; he flew home, and a few minutes later we met up with Rob, who had just arrived here after hiking on the island of Java. Dave and Rob nearly met, but they only missed each other by a few minutes. Next time. It was quite a late…
Malay Archipelago II 2022
The main objective of this trip is to climb five peaks out of the world’s top 100 by prominence. At least eleven peaks on this list are located in the Malay Archipelago. We arrive in Jakarta, fly to Bali the next morning, take a short relaxing break in the hotel, and after midnight start climbing…
Sumatera Barat
West Sumatra is the place where you can find the highest mountain on the island, tigers, the best coffee (locals confirm this), active and dormant volcanoes, lakes, jungles, peaked houses, cinnamon, chili peppers, rendang, and many more interesting things. We only had a few days and took a good quality but extremely slow road from…
Gunung Kerinci
We are staying at Kerinci View homestay. It’s a great name, and one can watch the smoke rising from the pillar of Kerinci crater from the balcony. It started to smoke actively the day before we arrived. Pani, the owner of the house and our guide for tomorrow, calls the park rangers and reassures us…
Gunung Slamet
We arrive early in the morning at the registration point at the end of the village. We check in, get on our motorbikes, and ride a couple of hundred vertical meters very quickly. Just before the end, we have to get off the bikes because they are apparently not designed for western weights. We climb…
Gunung Lawu
The mountain is very popular with locals. Many trails wind their way to the top; we chose the one that should be a bit freer. It is foggy all the way, so we can’t see much. Pretty quick, we reach the upper camp, where a lot of people are resting. We move on, the wind…
Lombok
On the island of Lombok, nearly 4 million people live. However, there is no big crowd of people when driving around the island. On the contrary, the deserted, wild beaches are impressive. First, we visit the Sukarara weavers’ village. Very interesting, especially the machines where the women sit and weave. Every woman in the village…
Bukit Bongo
Moto GP race track that leads to the well-hidden Tenggara beach. Sandy, wide, and empty, like many others. At the end of the beach, after crossing a small square, we find the trail to the Tanjung Bong peninsula. The hills and precipices, covered with low grass, are more reminiscent of England than of an island…
Gunung Rinjani
The man is like a doctor, fingering the pulse and declaring that our blood pressure is perfect. He prepares a certificate, signs, and stamps it. Great, we are ready to climb Mount Rinjan!i. I am surprised that the trail goes through open grassland instead of jungle, which was unexpected.. Within half an hour, we reach…
Bali
Bali residents joke that there are more temples on the island than houses. This may be true. After Gunung Agung, we are driving towards the ferry, which would bring us to Lombok.
Gunung Agung
We get up at 1am, drive to the trailhead, where a local guide is waiting for us. The trail starts at a temple. We climb 330 steps. The local guide is praying and burning incense. After ten minutes, we pass the temple building on the left and start climbing an easy, well-maintained path. We pass…