Cot Seulawah Agam, Stratovolcano in Aceh, Indonesia.
Cot Seulawah Agam is a stratovolcano in the province of Aceh, at the northwestern tip of Sumatra, rising to around 1,810 meters and surrounded by dense rainforest. Its summit holds multiple craters, and its slopes form the layered cone shape typical of this type of volcano.
Seulawah Agam formed during the Pleistocene-Holocene from the subduction of the Indo-Australian Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate. The Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi recorded rumblings and smoke emissions on 16 and 21 August 1975. The alert level was raised to waspada in September 2010 and again on 4 January 2013 after increased volcanic earthquakes.
The mountain is known to Acehnese communities by several names besides Seulawah Agam, including Solawa Agam, Solawaik Agam, Selawadjanten and Goldberg. Its crater is called Kawah Heutsz by some and Tanah Cimpago by others, and the name Seulawah also covers the neighbouring peak Seulawah Dara.
Hiking routes start from Banda Aceh and pass through several forest zones that change noticeably as you gain elevation. The weather can shift quickly, and the upper sections are steep, so solid footwear and enough time in the day are both worth planning for.
The Lam Teuba caldera has a rare nested structure, with a smaller caldera sitting inside a larger one, pointing to several separate collapse events over time. This kind of layered geological arrangement is seldom found at a single volcano.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,057 contributors worldwide.