Destination: Java --> Central Java

• Culture & Heritage, Eco-tourism:

1. Dieng Plateau

Dieng Plateau temples

Visit this remarkable landscape and you will surely be engulfed by its natural beauty. The Dieng Plateau, a marshy plateau formed by a volcanic eruption in the past stands 2,000 meters above the sea making its climate cool and misty appearance. Here, you will not just be able to see splendor of the mountains but also the remains of Java's oldest Hindu Empire's center of worship.  

The name "Dieng" means "Abode of the Gods" and that is probably why the ancient Hindu people here built their temples or candi here in the godly magnificent place. The temples here date back to the 7th and 8th centuries, back when the Hindu civilization thrived and named after characters from the Mahabarata, dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva.


Nearby, there is also a museum dedicated in preserving ancient artifacts found here named the Kaliasa Museum. The museum stores many Hindu antiques relating to the temples in the plateau and also provides information about the local inhabitants of the highlands. 

When the weather is fine, you here can experience the natural phenomenon Dieng is famous for: the double sunrise. The first one is called the golden sunrise, the rising sun's yellowish radiance that takes place at around 5:30 am for 30 minutes. To experience this extraordinary thing you will need to go to the view station of Dieng. Then after it is over, wait for the second phase or more known as the silver sunrise.


Walk yourself up to the top of the plateau and see the breathtaking view of the Telaga Warna, a lake that reflects different colors as rays of sunlight pour over its surface.

Telaga Warna

• Culture & Heritage:

1. Borobudur

The magnificent Borobudur temple, a monument built by the Syailendra dynasty in 800 A.D is the biggest Buddhist monument in the world. Sitting on a hilltop near the city of Magelang overlooking the green fields and surrounding hills decorated with with thousands of reliefs and Buddha statues, this majestic temple will surely make you understand why it is one of the Indonesia's famous icon as well as a UNESCO Heritage Site. 

Borobudur is a monument dedicated to the Buddha himself as well as a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. Built in ten levels, this temple symbolizes Buddhist cosmology's three divisions. Visitors can walk from the bottom right to the top of the monument accompanied by 1,460 narrative panels on the walls, while on the top a big  stupa surrounded by 72 Buddha statues awaits. If seen from air, this temple resembles a mandala.

Borobudur

Located about 40 minutes south of the city of Yogyakarta, this spot is just the spot you cannot afford to miss.