Dieng Plateau is a lovely Regency in the Wonosobo and Banjarnegara Regency… It is approximately 520km from Jakarta and is located southwest of Semarang, a 4 hours drive by car..

The Dieng Plateau is located 2093m above sea level with an average temperature around 15°C. The word Dieng originated from Sansekerta… “Di” means high place and “Hyang” means heaven…

Dieng was believed to be a holy place where Gods and Goddesses reside and once upon a time, only royalty and high ranking people lived there…

On the other hand Dieng can also be translated from the Javanese language, “Adi tur daeng” which means beautiful and unique…

There are 4 beautiful places which we visited which I highly recommend…

1. Arjuna Temple Complex

The Arjuna Temple Complex in Dieng is older then Borobudur and Prambanan by at least a century…. The Arjuna Temples are believed to be the earliest surviving Hindu temples in Central Java..

I would highly recommend this for those who love a glimpse into the past…

I am a sucker for ancient historical monuments and thought it is not as grand as  Borobudur, it is still awe-inspiring and a great place to take photos…

In this complex, there are five temple buildings, namely Arjuna Temple, Semar Temple, Srikandi Temple, Puntadewa Temple, and Sembadra Temple. Beside that, the scenery around it was very beautiful and the air was cool

Address – Karangsari, Dieng Kulon, Batur, Banjarnegara, Central Java 53456

2. Kailasa Museum

The Kailasa Museum is not too big.. It is just a small but lovely museum for fans of old historical buildings, divided into two display areas…

The smaller one showcases some of the granite or stone statues collected from nearby temple….

And the bigger display one showcases more relics and also a video presentation for a more comprehensive highlight and narration of the unique cultural, historical background of Dieng and the temples found here…

Address – Karangsari, Dieng Kulon, Batur, Banjarnegara, Central Java 53456

3. Cultural dances at the Dieng Cultural Centre….

We were at the new Dieng Cultural Centre, where we got to enjoy some of Dieng’s cultural dances..

Such as the Raden Panji Asmarabangun with Dewi Sekartaji Masked Dance from Dieng …. Featuring beautifully costumed performers in traditional narratives of fabled kings, heroes and myths, accompanied by soothing gamelan music…

We got to try some sekoteng / wedang ronde jahe , a ginger-based hot drink which includes peanuts, diced bread, and pacar Cina and also tempe kemul, fermented soya bean slice, pretty much errmmmm Tempe fritters… 

4. Chasing the Golden sunrise at Mount Sikunir

Mount Sikunir of the best locations around to see the sun rising behind Mount Sindoro… It is very cold there though since if you are going to be chasing sun rises in the wee hours of the morning…

The climb is also pretty challenging… Haha..  its takes around 30 – 45 mins according your stamina to reach the top, which is about 2306 m above sea level..

The path is paved with rocks and there are also steps, but it can be slippery if it is rainy, so dress warmly and also wear good hiking shoes… And I think or estimate about 300-400 steps to the top…. Hehehe

Once you get to the peak, you can wait for the golden sunrise which makes the climb along with the aches and pain all worth it..the climb will probably also warm you up somewhat along with the presence of the sun…

5. Telaga Warna from Batu Rantapan Angin  Dieng…

Telaga Warna is a lake with green water, yes the colour is turbid green! The green colour is said to come from sulfur mixed with water and weeds around the lake…

Right next to the Telaga Warna is another lake known as the Pengilon Lake… With clearer water…

There are some view points to look at the Telaga Warna. One of them is at the Giant Rock at the Batu Ratapan Angin which I think is the best view!

To be honest, I was dismayed when I was dropped off there… Because there was more steps to climb.. And prior to this.. I have almost exhausted all my energy on climbing up Mount Sikunir for the sunrise view and my legs were still pretty shaky…

And so here I was panting like a dog as I struggled up the Batu Ratapan Angin hill… However, when the view unfolded in front of us.. My tiredness just fell away and we were truly mesmerized…

Batu Ratapan Angin Hill is a pretty instaworthy place by itself too but unfortunately some of the attractions were not properly taken care of and so spoilt..

However, I was in love with the flowers  and there was even a small fairy house.. Which I learnt was a owl stand…

They even had 2 owls which you can take photos with and in return you just pay what you feel like paying… Bobo and Mumu were just adorable and had been reared since they were hatchling and therefore pretty friendly..

Address – Jl. Raya Dieng, Dieng, Kejajar, Kabupaten Wonosobo, Jawa Tengah 5635

This trip to Dieng and Semarang was made possible via an invite from the Central Java Tourism and also the Kedutaan Besar Republic of Indonesia…