Last Minute Booking: If you want to do the Merapi Lava Tour tomorrow and it is after 3 pm we can’t help. Please make other travel arrangements! I’m sure you will find someone to take you.

Sorry to scare you like that…

That message was just for people booking last minute 🙂 What I meant to say is, thanks for ordering through Discover Your Indonesia. Your email is flying through cyberspace and will arrive in our inbox shortly. We’ve sent you an automated response about Gua Jomblang. By the time you’ve finished reading this it will be in your inbox.

Sometimes the automated email we send you will look a bit funny. If that happened to you we’re sorry. It’s an issue with the auto-responder. Our computer technician explained the problem, but our eyes glazed over. Then he told us it was the electronic fairies. This makes sense. We’re working on removing them from our computers.

Here’s what’s going to happen next:

Within the next 12 hours (our average response time on weekdays is within 2 hours) one of our team will send you an email confirming the tour. To do this we need these three things, which we already asked from you:

  1. The name of your hotel.
  2. Your travel date.
  3. The number of participants.
  4. Your proposed itinerary for the day.

If you haven’t given us this information already it’s ok.

You can send us a follow up email with the missing details by just clicking on the link here. We have some hotel suggestions further down if you want them. Just in case you missed it you can find the price for the proposed tours in the table below.

Number Of People Adventure and Culture Merapi and Sandboarding Merapi and Rafting
1 Rp 1,400,000  Rp 1,175,000* Rp 1,750,000
2 Rp 1,850,000 Rp 1,175,000 Rp 1,750,000
3 Rp 2,300,000 Rp 1,300,000 Rp 1,750,000
4 Rp 3,200,000 Rp 1,300,000 Rp 1,750,000
5** Rp 4,100,000 Rp 1,975,000 Rp 2,900,000
6 Rp 4,550,000 Rp 1,975,000 Rp 2,900,000

*Cost based on 1 board for sandboarding for ever two guest.           **You can still use the Toyota Avanza, but we recommend the Innova as it’s more spacious.

If your group has more than 6 people that’s not a problem. We can arrange minivans. For really large groups we’ll even get a bus for you. We’ll provide you with the custom price in our first email to you.

Once we’ve answered your questions we are ready to secure your order. To do this we ask for a 30% deposit. I’ll cover the payment terms in a bit more depth in the FAQ section below. Two days before the tour we’ll give you the name and phone number of your driver. You’ll pay the outstanding 70% balance to the driver in cash at the start of the tour. That’s it.

Super simple.

Before I get into some of the most frequently asked questions (did you know FAQ stands for Foire Aux Questions in French. Now you do) I’d like to share some useful resources with you.

Important Things You'll Want to Know
Best Part Of the city: The South without a doubt. This is where the nice cafes, delicious restaurants and art scene is. I’d recommend it over every other part of the city.

Best Hotels:  To help you choose where to stay I shortlisted my three favourite hotels in Yogya. For budget travel try Kampoeng Djawa. If you like a bit of luxury try Greenhost Boutique Hotel. And finally for luxury travel I recommend The Phoenix Hotel. I’ll give you the link again later, so stick with me until the end.

Best Restaurants: There’s a lot of great places in Yogya for food. If you want Indonesian food try the street stalls. Try Gudeg Pawon (horrible queues, but delicious food), Gudeg Permata and Warung Handayani (Alkid). For European food visit Mediterranea and Nanamia Pizzeria. All these places are around the South.

Ok. That’s the friendly advice sorted. So let’s cover the Foire Aux Questions quickly 😉 I’m going to highlight this section in yellow. These are the most common questions we receive.

Frequently Asked Questions

You mentioned the deposit earlier: We request a deposit to secure the driver for you.

Do I really need to pay the deposit: Yes. You see in the past one or two of our guests cancelled on the day of the tour without telling us (we know you wouldn’t). Our drivers didn’t get paid and we felt guilty. It was bad. It’s why the little angel on our shoulder suggested we ask for a 30% deposit.

But how can I trust your company: We use Paypal for business. This offers you security as the customer while we know you are serious about visiting Jomblang (you can still make a cancellation as long as you inform us first).

Ok. You convinced me. How do I pay: This is really simple, but a bit complicated. Which version do you want first?

The simple please: We send you a Paypal invoice for 30% of the total cost of the tour. You can make the payment by credit/ debit card or from your Paypal account.

So why did you say it was complicated: Paypal doesn’t accept payment in Rupiah. We normally make the invoice in USD. The invoice includes the 4% Paypal transaction fee. When you’ve made the payment we transfer it into Rupiah in our account. We confirm the amount we received using screenshots.

That is complicated: Yes. On the plus side we’ve become very good at math and tracking currency changes. We can also add a 4% fee onto almost any bill.

So the tour… Does this already include guide: No. There is no guide for the Merapi Lava Tour, just the driver.

Do I get picked up from Yogya in the Jeep: No. To reach the start point of the Merapi Lava Tour you need to take the car we’re arranging for you.

How many people can fit in a jeep: 4 People. In fact 3 is comfortable and 4 people is a tight squeeze.

Why’s the sunrise and sunset tour more expensive: It’s a bit cooler and the views are nice. It’s still nice if you go during the day.

We’re going to the summit right: No. This tour doesn’t go to the summit of the volcano. If you want to do that you’ll need to do Merapi Trekking. You can find information about the trekking here.

What should I bring for the jeep ride: Shorts and t-shirt is fine. A hat and sunscreen is also a good idea.

Is it dusty: Yes. It’s dusty unless it’s been raining. If it’s been raining it’s going to be muddy.

How long does the tour take: It takes 2 hours.

Is it dangerous: No. It’s just fun.

And what will the weather be like: From October to January it’s raining season. In the wet season it normally rains in the morning and is dry in the afternoon. If you want to know the weather for your travel date we suggest you Google “Weather+Yogya+Your Travel Date”. That’s what we always do.

But what happens if it’s raining: We hope it’s a nice day for your tour, but we can’t control the weather (we tried, but it started raining heavily in Brazil and so now we’re banned). You should be fine though as it almost never rains in the morning.

That’s it. I hope we’ve managed to answer your questions about our Merapi Lava Tour. We’ll be sending you that confirmation email soon so keep an eye out for it in your inbox.

My 3 Favorite Hotels In Yogya Just as Promised 😉

Best Hotels: If you haven’t booked your hotel yet I recommend you check out my three favourite hotels in Yogya (I think you’ll like them). For budget travel try Kampoeng Djawa. If you want a good mid-range hotel try Greenhost Boutique Hotel. And finally for luxury travel I recommend The Phoenix Hotel.  Hope that helps 🙂

If you’d like to book any additional tours in Yogya you can use the button below to jump straight to the tour page.
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