Mount Merapi, Active volcano in Bondowoso, Indonesia

Mount Merapi is an active volcano in eastern Java that rises to 2,799 meters and forms part of the Ijen volcanic complex. Its slopes display dark lava flows and rocky formations created by repeated eruptions spanning centuries.

Mount Merapi postdates the Kendeng caldera, formed about 50,000 years ago when an eruption almost entirely destroyed Old Ijen, a 3,500-metre volcano built over 250,000 years. Merapi itself has not erupted during the Holocene; volcanic activity in the Ijen massif is concentrated in the nearby Kawah Ijen crater.

The name Merapi is Javanese for "mountain of fire", and the peak is the highest point of the Ijen massif at 2,799 metres. It stands on the south-eastern rim of the Kendeng caldera, with the Kawah Ijen crater lake just to the west and the town of Banyuwangi and the Bali Strait to the south-east. Its regular slopes give it a conical stratovolcano profile.

Visitors need permits from local authorities and should hike with experienced guides to safely explore the trails and geological features. The best time to visit is during the dry season when paths are passable and visibility is clearer.

Mount Merapi is the highest point of the Ijen massif at 2,799 metres, yet it has not erupted during the Holocene; all current volcanic activity of the massif is concentrated in the nearby Kawah Ijen crater. The cone itself postdates the Kendeng caldera, formed about 50,000 years ago when an eruption largely destroyed the old Ijen volcano.