The spectacular, lofty volcanic plateau of Dieng (Abode of the Gods), a glorious, verdant, fertile landscape laced with terraced potato and tobacco fields, is home to some of the oldest Hindu architecture in Java. More than 400 temples, most dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, originally covered this 2000m-high plain, but they were abandoned and forgotten and only rediscovered in 1856 by the archaeologist Van Kinsbergen.
These squat, simple temples, while of great archaeological importance, can be slightly underwhelming for non-experts. Rather, Dieng’s beautiful scenery is the main reason to make the long journey to this isolated region. Any number of walks across the volcanically active plateau are possible – to mineral lakes, steaming craters or even the highest village in Java, ...