Begin your adventure at Prambanan Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site built in the 9th century. As the sun begins to set, watch the golden light hit the dark volcanic stone of the temples. The temples glow orange-pink, and the detailed Ramayana reliefs look alive.

Explore the main complex, listen to your local guide tell the tragic love legend of Roro Jonggrang (the story of how 1000 temples were built in one night), and then find the best spot in the temple park to sit and watch the sun disappear behind the temples. On clear days, the silhouette of Prambanan at sunset is unforgettable.

After sunset at Prambanan, drive about 1 hour to the slopes of Mount Merapi, to the newest and most exclusive viewpoint: Gubuk Arum Sari View Point. Forget the crowded viewpoints. Gubuk Arum Sari is a cozy, traditional Javanese wooden hut (gubuk) built on the hill of Suroloyo / Turi area, directly facing the summit of Merapi Volcano (only about 4-5 km distance). From here, you have a direct, unblocked view of Merapi, the most active volcano in Indonesia.

When the sky gets dark, if Merapi is active (which is very often), you can see the glowing red lava avalanches slowly sliding down from the top dome. It looks like fire falling from the mountain. Locals call it “Guguran Lava Pijar”. With a good camera zoom, you can see the hot rocks glowing orange in the darkness.

While waiting for the lava, sit in the gubuk, drinking hot Javanese ginger tea and fried banana, feeling the cold mountain wind. The owner of the gubuk is a local Merapi survivor who knows the mountain well and will tell you stories about Merapi eruptions. The sky is also very clear here with thousands of stars because there is no light pollution.