Feel the sense of
mysterious atmosphere of
Dieng Plateau

Dieng Plateau, less famous than any other great Java temples but the plateau has something that no other temples have, a beautiful landscape with their marshy caldera of a volcano that collapsed long ago, located near Wonosobo, Central Java.

This plateau has been a holy place for centuries. The name comes from Sanskrit word Di-Hyang means Abode of the Gods.

There were more than 400 temples and today only eight small temples are survive.

The Dieng structures were small, but stone architecture developed by many decades resulting in masterpieces such as Prambanan temple complex and Borobudur, the biggest Buddha temple in the world.

With a magnificent height at 2000 meters above sea level where there could be morning frost on the ground, you will need warm clothing.

Enjoy the magnificent view of this plateau

Feel the sense of otherworldly atmosphere at very early in the morning, with the ground mist swirling about you. There is something mysterious about this place.

The view is fantastic. This is one of my favorite places. It's feeling that you're completely alone, far from nowhere.

You have to arrive early in the morning before midday in this plateau to fully enjoy the beauty of these forgotten temples.

This can only be achieving if you stay in Dieng village or Wonosobo, a typical country town. Wonosobo has more facilities than Dieng village and has comfortable climate.

The road from Wonosobo climbs steeply north through spectacular view. On the early morning you can see the great view down to the valley.

After 26 km, you can see the Dieng plateau full of shrines and the first temple you reach by walking is Candi Arjuna, the first temple built on the plateau.

Arjuna temple complex

Here are the temples where you can find on Dieng plateau:

• Candi Semar is squat and rectangular in shape.

• Candi Dvarati, built in the middle of the eighth century

• Candi Arjuna, the first temple built on Dieng

• Candi Srikandi, is square, and the most beautiful candi on Dieng Plateau, retain some fine carving on its exterior walls with Vishnu on the north , Shiva on the east and Brahma on the south wall.

• Candi Puntadewa, the tallest and the most elegant candi

• Candi Sembadra, the smallest candi with narrow niches and a kala motif above the entrance

• Candi Gatukaca, apart from the main group.

• Candi Bima, built in a different style and unique in Java, you have to walk 1km to the south to reach this candi.

There are also enough to see around this caldera.

If you walk from candi Bima, turn west and after 2 km, you will find kawah sikidang or Sikidang crater, with bubbling mud pools, sulphurous odours and a spectacular place to see at sunset.

But there is also a beautiful color lake, telaga warna in Indonesian, an emerald green sulphur lake where you can reach if follow the road south from Dieng. This is really a lake that you want to see, it’s has amazing color.

Beatiful color lake near Dieng Plateau

You will pass a mushroom factory and a beautiful flower garden, (this is private garden actually but you can still enjoy the beauty of them) to the colorful telaga warna.

This many colours comes from the plankton and the vegetation inside the lake. The reflection of this made the colour of the water very different.

You might be considered to visit this place. Honestly this place is worth of visiting, not really crowded like Prambanan of Borobudur, but still this place has his own charm.

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