Mount Lawu

Lawu rises to 3,265 metres on the boundary between Central and East Java and is dormant rather than extinct, with fumaroles near the top. It is one of the most climbed mountains in Java, partly because the two main trailheads start high on the pass road at around eighteen hundred metres, and partly because it carries deep spiritual significance: the last king of Majapahit is said in Javanese tradition to have withdrawn here, and there are shrines along the routes and at the summit area where pilgrims come, particularly on Javanese calendar dates, to meditate and leave offerings. Near the top, at around three thousand one hundred and fifty metres, is Warung Mbok Yem, long described as the highest food stall in Java, serving hot rice and tea to climbers.

What you actually see

• Summit shrines - the pilgrimage sites tied to the last Majapahit king.
• The highest warung in Java - Mbok Yem's stall near three thousand one hundred metres.
• Two high trailheads - Cemoro Sewu and Cemoro Kandang on the pass road.
• Fumaroles near the top - the dormant volcano still venting.

When to go

May to September; overnight for sunrise. Two days.

Honest expectations

It is cold at the top and people have died of exposure here. Registration is compulsory and the mountain closes on fire risk. Pilgrimage dates bring very large numbers. Water is limited on the routes.

Nearby

Tawangmangu and Grojogan Sewu are west; Sarangan lake is east on the pass.