Mount Sikunir

Watching the sun rises on the east horizon is something ordinary. But waiting for the sunrise from the top of Mount Sikunir is extraordinary. The extreme road is nothing compares to the beautiful moment of watching the sun from the wonderland of Java.

GUNUNG SIKUNIR
Desa Sembungan, Kecamatan Kejajar, Kabupaten Wonosobo

MOUNT SIKUNIR - Waiting for Sunrise on the Wonderland of Java

Mount Sikunir is probably not as popular as Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta or Mount Bromo in Tengger. It is one of the mountains surrounding Dieng Plateau with the elevation of 2350 meters above the sea level. Located 8 kilometers away from Dieng, there are two ways to climb it. The first option is a trekking start at 3 am. We have to make sure to prepare the physical condition and also the other equipments. The second option is riding motorcycle, rental motor or using ojek to Sembungan village, and then 800 meters climbing to the peak of the mountain. For some reasons especially the safety reason, we chose the second option.

The adventure started at 4.30 am. It seemed that taking ojek is the right option in that time. The road was very dark without any lighting. After few hundred meters the fog came down and the visibility was only one meter ahead. We took road with many turning points, muddy and many holes on it. It's really dangerous for someone who is not familiar with the road to ride motorcycle alone. Still, another time we want to try the trekking option. Walking under starry sky and inhaling fresh air sounds interesting and exciting.


Sembungan is a small village on 2302 meters above the sea level. From this village, the adventure was continued by climbing a slippery path with ravines on the left and hills on the right. The weather was very cold, even colder than winter in Orange County, California. When we had to go through winter in the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, Orange County was never colder than 4 Celsius. Except for weather on the mountain, such as Big Bear, that was always covered by snow on winter. Climbing Sikunir, felt like winter jacket and gloves are not enough to keep the body warm. Moreover, it seemed that the road has no end. With panting breath we kept on walking. It felt like the heart was about to stop beating.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Almost desperate with the never ending climbing, suddenly the road starts to flatten. Wow, I did it! Finally! The view from the top of the mountain was amazing. Dark valleys far away down there were blinking because of the lights from the villages spread on them. Mount Sindoro stood firmly on the east side. Fogs and clouds spread below the mountain gave the impression that we were really on a land above the clouds. Beautiful sky with thousands stars was very mesmerizing. When the weather is clear, Mount Sindoro, Sumbing, Merbabu, Merapi and Ungaran would be seen from Sikunir. One friend made a joke and said that he felt like Shiva or Vishnu waiting for sunrise in his palace. The orange color started to paint the eastern sky, showing beautiful silhouette of Sindoro, followed by silhouette of Merbabu, Sumbing and Merapi with smoke came out of its top far away there. The numb feet for climbing and hiking suddenly gone... It was just beautiful.


Copyright © 2011 www.zuxma.com