Mount Bromo sending a plume of ash into the evening sky, with Mount Batok beside it
The volcano guides

Born of fire.

Sunrise over the sea of sand at Bromo, the blue flames of Ijen, the crater lake of Rinjani. Indonesia's volcanoes are some of the most spectacular, and most sacred, mountains on Earth.

The most volcanic country on Earth

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Indo-Australian Plate slides beneath Eurasia. The result is a chain of volcanoes running from Sumatra through Java, Bali and Lombok to the Banda Sea. Indonesia has more active volcanoes than any other country, around 127 of them.

They have shaped the history of the world: the eruption of Tambora on Sumbawa in 1815 was the largest in recorded history, and Krakatau's in 1883 was heard thousands of kilometres away. They also make the soil some of the most fertile anywhere, and to the people who live beneath them, many are sacred.

A volcano cone rising above misty palm forest at sunrise in Indonesia
~127Active volcanoes, more than any other country
1815Tambora, the largest eruption in recorded history
1883Krakatau, heard thousands of kilometres away
3,726 mRinjani, Indonesia's second-highest volcano
Mount Bromo
01 · East Java · 2,329 m

Mount Bromo

A smoking cone in a sea of sand

Bromo is the youngest cone inside the vast Tengger caldera, rising from a plain of volcanic sand. Sacred to the Tengger people and one of Java's most active volcanoes, it draws travellers for dawn views across the caldera.

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Mount Ijen
02 · East Java · 2,769 m

Mount Ijen

Blue flames above an acid lake

Inside an old caldera in eastern Java, a turquoise lake holds some of the most acidic water on Earth. Before dawn, burning sulphur gases glow blue on the crater floor while miners carry yellow blocks up the walls by hand.

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Mount Rinjani
03 · Lombok · 3,726 m

Mount Rinjani

Lombok's sacred volcano and its vanished mountain

Indonesia's second-highest volcano cradles a crescent lake inside a caldera torn open in 1257. Sacred to the Sasak and to Lombok's Hindus, Rinjani offers a demanding climb from village farmland to a summit above the clouds.

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Mount Agung
04 · Bali · 2,997 m

Mount Agung

Bali's highest peak and holiest mountain

Rising above eastern Bali, Mount Agung is the island's highest point and the spiritual centre of Balinese Hinduism. Its 1963 eruption was among the deadliest of the twentieth century, and it woke again between 2017 and 2019.

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Mount Merapi
05 · Central Java · 2,910 m

Mount Merapi

The restless mountain above Yogyakarta

Merapi rises just north of Yogyakarta and is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes. Its growing lava domes, deadly pyroclastic flows and deep place in Javanese belief make it a mountain watched by scientists and honoured by the palace.

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Mount Semeru
06 · East Java · 3,676 m

Mount Semeru

Java's highest summit, still breathing ash

Semeru is the highest volcano on Java and one of the most persistently active in Indonesia. Its summit, Mahameru, sends up small ash plumes almost daily, while a quiet crater lake on its northern slopes draws hikers from across the country.

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The guidebooks

Take the mountain with you

Every volcano has its own Discover Indonesia guide, with routes, timing and the stories behind the mountain.

Discover Indonesia: Mount Merapi, book cover Central Java · 2,910 m

Mount Merapi

Paperback · $12.99 View on Amazon
Discover Indonesia: Mount Semeru, book cover East Java · 3,676 m

Mount Semeru

Paperback · $12.99 View on Amazon

Volcanoes in Indonesia are monitored by the national volcanology agency, and climbing routes close when activity rises. Always check the current alert level and local advice before you go. Looking for more? See all the Discover Indonesia guides →