Have you ever heard about Dieng plateau? Yes? No? Dieng plateau is more commonly known as Dieng plateau Wonosobo, though the plateau is located in Banjarnegara and Wonosobo regency, Central Java. The plateau offers a mixture of nature, heritage and tourism sites. There are some beautiful lakes, hills, breathtaking scenery, as well as refreshing tea and coffee plantations. Plus, being high up it’s very cool and refreshing.

To help you arrange your trip to Dieng I’ve created this guide. It covers everything from how to get from Yogyakarta to Dieng, what to see when you are in Dieng and where to stay. You can use the links below to jump to the relevant part of this Dieng guide.

The Yogya Dieng Guide

1 – Things to do in Dieng: Find Out More
2 – What to eat in Dieng: Find Out More
3 – Where to stay in Dieng: Find Out More
4 – How to get to Dieng: Find Out More

4 Things to Do in Dieng

Dieng is a three-hour drive away from Yogyakarta in the highlands of Java. It’s an isolated place far enough away from the tourist trail that you don’t get the usual crowds. Yet there are a lot of fun things to do in Dieng.I’ll share some of my favourite spots in Dieng that you should visit whenever you get the chance. Please be advised that this list is not in any particular order.

1. Telaga Warna – Telaga Pengilon

Though some people say that this place is overrated, I still think Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon area is a great place to explore. It is also very beautiful. In fact most people who come to Dieng do so just to visit this complex (Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon). They don’t walk around the area and never find out about the other attractions.

Telaga Warna, a lake is incredibly colorful with shades of red, green, blue, white, and violet, while Telaga Pengilon, pretty much a normal color with clear waters. The unique thing is the waters don’t mix.

Besides enjoying the two lakes, you can also visit the Gua Sumur cave. The cave is actually inside the complex of Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon lakes.

Telaga Warna Lake Dieng
Viewpoint for Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon

There are two places where you can enjoy the view of the lakes from above. One is from Sidengkeng hill Petak 9 Dieng and the other one is from Batu Pandang Dieng. Check out the two photos below to see the difference.

2. Kawah Sikidang Dieng

Kawah or is crater in English. Though I’ve been twice to Dieng, but I never really got to see the crater (yeah shame on me). Some of my friends say that it worth seeing though. Besides the Sikidang crater there are several other craters spread around Dieng.

Arjuna temple complex Dieng

3. Arjuna Temple Complex

This temple complex is not as huge as Borobudur nor as magnificent as Prambanan, but for sure Arjuna temple complex is older than them both. Arjuna temple complex in Dieng was built in the 7th century. If you would like to enjoy the temple complex by yourself, better come early in the morning.

tembi tea plantation

4. Tea plantation – Tambi

So much fun! If you have enough time, you can also explore the tea plantations or even the coffee plantations. Not only can you pass through the plantations, but you can also go in and explore the field.

In the Tambi tea plantation, you can join the Agrowisata tour. There will be a guide that will accompany you and explain several tea related facts to you. Afterwards, you can go to the tea factory and learn about the process for making tea leaves into the tea that you can drink.

I would like to add one more places, which is Bukit Sikunir (Sikunir hill) – You can find out about it in this article I wrote. Watching sunrise from Sikunir Hill really is quite amazing.

Carica dieng Indonesia

Carica fruit

Food to Try

There are a lot of local delicacies that you can try when you visit Dieng. Some of the things I recommend you try include Tempe kemul, Carica and Mie Ongklok. Let me tell you a little bit about them so you can decide if you want to try them for yourself. Let’s get started.

– Tempe Kemul. Tempe (or tempeh) is fermented soya beans, which is fried (but not until crispy) with flour. I like to eat Tempe Kemul with green chilies. It’s spicy and tasty.

– Carica is a kind of fruit that (a lot of people say) can only able to found around the Dieng plateau area. Carica is a mini papaya. It taste good fresh or blended as a drink. Carica is not as sweet as papaya.

– Mie Ongklok is a noodle dish that is famous in Dieng. I am not a big fan of Mie Ongklok. I think it is too sweet, but you should give a try! A lot of people like it.

If you visit Dieng I recommend trying all of the different dishes. Tempe Kemul is a nice snack to eat with a meal and Carica makes for a really nice, though very sweet, desert.

villa at tembi tea plantation

Where to Stay in Dieng

There are not very many hotels to choose from in Dieng. Those that exist are mostly very basic and overpriced when compared to what is available in Yogyakarta. I would not recommend staying in Dieng. I think it’s more convenient to stay in Yogyakarta. However, if you choose to do so there are two areas where you can stay, Banjarnegara and Wonosobo.

Banjarnegara is located in the centre of the Dieng highlands. The range of options for accommodation in Banjarnegara is extremely limited and most suitable for backpackers. If you want to stay in Banjarnegara I would recommend:

Budget – Persik Homestay

My personal recommendation if you want to stay in Dieng is to find a hotel in the town of Wonosobo. The town of Wonosobo is not far from the centre of the Dieng Valley. While there’s not much to do in the town, there is a larger number of restaurants you can visit and a lot more choices for accommodation. My recommendations for the three best hotels in Wonosobo for every budget are as follows:

Budget – Ortegha Homestay

Budget/ Mid Range – Pondok Bamboo Sendangsari

Mid Range – Kresna Gallery Hotel

How to get to Dieng Plateau

Easy! You can either reach Dieng from Semarang or Jogjakarta. I’ve been from both placess and if I am not wrong it takes approximately 3,5 hours-ish from either city.

In this article I’ll more put focus on how to get to Dieng from Jogjakarta. Like I said earlier, Dieng is 3,5 hours from Jogjakarta. There are several options that I know to get to Dieng from Jogja, check it out and choose the one that suits you best:

By Bus

I wouldn’t advise this since there is no direct bus (as far as I know) from Jogjakarta to Dieng. I read some articles that said you should change bus 3-4 times to be able to get to Dieng. The journey can take 5 hours or even 7 hours.

Taking a bus is a good option if you travel solo, would like to go cheap and you can’t drive a motorbike. From Yogya you need to go to Magelang and continue to Temanggung and last to Wonosobo (Dieng plateau area).

Rent a Motorbike

This is actually a great option IF you can speak a bit of Indonesian – go check my Indonesian language section about direction here. Renting a motorbike in Yogya is cheap. Make your phone works (buy an Indonesian sim-card, it is so cheap) so you can access Google maps and drive there.

Get a good motorbike since you’ll drive uphill quite a lot during the journey. Along the way, especially when you are about to reach Dieng, you’ll get some great scenery of tea and coffee plantations. This is really nice. Driving along the main highway though, which you do before you reach Dieng, is not a lot of fun because there are a lot of trucks on the road.

Carica end products

A local product made from Carica, a fruit that is only found in Dieng

Rent a Car

If you have the budget, do not hesitate to just rent a car with a driver. A car rental will include gasoline and an English-speaking driver. You can hire a car from Yogya for the day trip to Dieng (from Jogja).

Ready For An Adventure?

Visiting Dieng is a fun day trip. The scenery along the way to Dieng is really special and there are a lot of things you can do when you finally arrive. I’ve partnered with independent drivers and a local travel agency to offer Discover Your Indonesia readers a special day of fun and excitement.

Included in the Package:

  • Hotel pickup
  • Experienced local driver
  • Well maintained vehicle
  • Drop off at your hotel

Want to make a day trip to Dieng? Press the button below to find out more about the tour.

Have you ever visited Dieng? What was your favourite place to visit?

PS: Curious about the dreadlocks kid and the procession? Why not go to Dieng Culture Festival. It’s normally held at the beginning of August.