Dieng Highland, A Nirvana In The Mist

Dieng is the second highest highland in the world after Nepal, and the largest in Java. It lies 6.802 feet / 2.093 km above sea level. The average temperature in this area is 15 celcius degree, but during July - August which is the coolest period in Dieng, the temperature could drop to zero.


Administratively, this highland is divided in two large areas, Dieng Kulon (Western Dieng) in Banjarnegara district, and Dieng Wetan (Eastern Dieng) in Wonosobo district, Central Java Province.

Dieng highland is a complex of volcanoes which has 11 cones, Bisma, Seroja, Binem, Pangonan Merdada, Pagerkandang, Telogo Dringo, Pakuwaja, Kendil, Kunir, and Prambanan. There are also 9 fumarola fields, Sikidang, Kumbang, Sibanteng, Upas, Telogo Terus, Pagerkandang, Sipandu, Siglagah and Sileri.

Another name for Dieng highland is Dieng Plateau. That's because this area is actually a plateau that was created after a huge explotion of a volcano. that's why the geological condition of this area is relatively unstable and the ground is oftenly moves. We can see the trail of this geological activity through broken roads and the cracks on the ground which spray toxical gas into the air. Sometime ago, this geological activity even made a village disappear.

An a tourist destination, Dieng Plateau has everything. It has many kinds of natural tourist attractions like caves, craters, waterfalls, lakes, and don't forget the unforgetable beauty of its view with various kind of plants growing everywhere you see. It also has cultural tourist attractions like a hindunese temple complex and traditional dance called kuda lumping that frequently performed by the local people.

Here are a bit information about those tourist attractions in Dieng :

Pagerkandang Crater
If we see its morfology, it can be concluded that this was once a crater of a volcano which shaped like a cone. The body of the mountain has already collapsed because of an explotion.

Sileri Crater
This crater is a basin which filled by materials from Pagerkandang explotion in 1944.

Sikidang Crater
This crater is more like a sulfur hole, because it's always move from places and the water is always boiling.

Candradimuka Crater
Candradimuka is not a crater of a volcanoe, but it's sulfur which came out of a cracking ground. There are two cracks that still active releasing sulfur, one crack releases sulfur continously and the other one frequently.

Merdada Lake
This is once a volcanoe crater which was then filled with water from the rain. This lake then used by the occupants of Karang Tengah village as a water source for their everyday needs.

Sewiwi Lake
This pretty lake was not formed from a crater, but from the water source in the ground coming out.


Balekambang Lake
Located in Pendowo Temple complex, this lake makes the scenery around this temple complex even more beautiful.

Warna Lake and Pengilon Lake
These lakes was once merge, but since Tulis River was dammed by lava these lakes were splitted in two.

Dringo Lake
This lake was also formed from a volcanoe eruption in 1786. It's called Dringo lake because there are plenty of dringo plants (Acorus calamus Rumph) that grow wildly all around the lake. Dringo is a tuber kind of plant which has so many useful elements to cure inflammation.

Cebong Lake
cebong is abeautiful lake surrounded by hills. The water from this lake is also used by the local inhabitants from nearby village - Sembungan village, for their everyday needs.

Jimat Cave and Upas Cave
these caves were once a crater, and the wholes were used to be the place where the lava floated. these caves still continously spraying toxical gas, that's why the tourists can't go near these caves. not so far from the cave, there is a tomb of a germany (Herman Kelier) who died in 1883 because he was standing too close to the cave. Now the place where the tomb lies is set to be the save distance for the visitor to watch these caves.

Jalatunda Wail
it used to be a crater which shaped round like a wail. Sadly, nobody knows why oftenly happens an accident that people fall into that large wail. If it happens nobody can rescue the victim because the wail is too deep. The local people believe there is an unseen beast in the wail, and they also believe whoever succeeded to throw a rock from the west side to east side of the wail, he will get all his wishes.

Bima Lukar
Bima Lukar is a natural shower that has its water from the water source of Serayu River. The ocal occupants use it for their everyday needs. The people believe this water can make them stay young.

Kalianget Hot Spring
this place is formed from a crack on the ground as the cause of magma activity. The water from the ground get a reaction from the magma before it emmerges and makes it hot.

Tempuran Hot Spring
It's not formed from a magma activity but through a geothermical gradien. every 100m the temperature will increase as much as 3.3 C degree. The water came out because there a gas pressure from the ground.

Lagetang Village
As a prove that Dieng is a vulcanical area. Ground movement oftenly happens in this area.

Mangli Hot Spring

Sikarim Waterfall


Hindunese Temples
There are several temple complex in Dieng which confirmed built during Hindunese kingdoms rule. from the inscription found here, there is a year 1210 AD but it doesn't mention who built it. The architecture of these temples are different from the most hindunese temples found in Java. These temples were named after an old epical story characters of Mahabharata; Arjuna, Gatotkaca, Dwarawati, Bima, Semar, Sembadra, Srikandi, and Puntadewa. The experts believe that these names are actually not the original names of these temples, and these names given after these temples were abandoned. Inside these temples we can find the statue of Hindunese Gods; Siva, Wishnu, Agastya, Ganesha, and others.

Beside those interesting tourist attractions, Dieng has all the facilities and infrastuctures as a tourist destination, as well as plenty of accomodation we can find here.

Dieng can be easely reached from Wonosobo or Banjarnegara city, we can even take a regular public transportation to Dieng. If we travel by plane, we should land at Jogjakarta or Semarang then we continue our journey to Wonosobo or Banjarnegara through land.