Mount Inerie

Inerie stands at 2,245 metres above Bajawa in central Flores, a stratovolcano with an unusually symmetrical cone that dominates the view from the town and from the Ngada villages on its flanks. The climb starts from the Watu Meze saddle at around eleven hundred metres and goes straight up - there is no forest above the start, so the route is exposed grass and then loose volcanic scree, steep enough that footing slides backwards, taking three to four hours and normally started around one in the morning to be on top for sunrise over the Savu Sea and the Flores ranges. It is not technical but it is unrelenting and there is no water. Guides come from the villages below, several of which - Bena, Gurusina, Luba - are traditional Ngada settlements with megalithic stones.

What you actually see

• A symmetrical cone - 2,245 metres dominating the Bajawa skyline.
• A scree climb - exposed grass and loose volcanic gravel, no forest above the start.
• Sunrise over the Savu Sea - the reason for the one o'clock start.
• Ngada villages below - Bena, Gurusina and Luba on the flanks with megaliths.

When to go

May to September; a pre-dawn start for sunrise. A day.

Honest expectations

The scree is exhausting and the descent is where people fall. There is no water on the route. It is cold and windy at the top. A guide is genuinely necessary in the dark.

Nearby

Bena and the Ngada villages are on the flanks; Bajawa is north.