Karangetang Mountain: An Awesome Volcanic Jurassic Park Overlooking the Remote Siau Island in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

No matter where you go on this small island, you will be greeted by the sight of this majestic volcano with its two smoking craters. If you're lucky, you might even catch it erupting at night, sending out lava and rock bombs, which is a common occurrence.

In this guide, I will share my experience hiking Karangetang Volcano in 2021 and provide some tips if you plan to do the same.

Contents:

• Indonesian Sulawesi Island, Siau Island, Karangetang Volcano, Drone

• Drone Photos of Karangetang Volcano
  
  

Is It Safe?

Let's talk about safety first. Karangetang is a highly active volcano – possibly one of the most active in the world.

Local guides are knowledgeable, and the Indonesian government closely monitors seismic activity, but hiking this mountain still comes with risks. It could erupt at any time.

If you're feeling particularly daring, you can climb to the top of Karangetang, but for safety reasons, most people only hike halfway up and peek at the smoking crater from afar (even though doing so is somewhat risky).

Hiking any active volcano in Indonesia will obviously come with some danger, but this one is exceptionally active, so please proceed at your own risk.

Dual Vent Smoking of Karangetang Volcano on a Small Indonesian Sulawesi Island, Siau

My Local Guide: Dominik

I highly recommend following a local guide for this hike because the trail can be difficult to navigate otherwise.

I hiked with Dominik, a local guide from Siau Island with years of experience climbing Karangetang. His brother joined us to help clear vegetation with a machete, and their dog came along too.

You can contact Dominik via WhatsApp at ☎ +62 853-9866-6999. I paid 600,000 Indonesian Rupiahs for this hike, although that was during the pandemic, and prices are higher now.

He can also help arrange other tours and activities in the area, although we arranged everything through Kalea Beach Resort on Siau.

Local Hiker's Guide to Climbing Karangetang Mountain on the Indonesian Small Sulawesi Island

Hiking the Volcano with My Guide

Smoking Crater Summit and Ancient Lava Fields

Overlooking the Summit from the Old Lava Fields

What to Expect on Karangetang Mountain:

• Starting the Hike

My guide and I started the hike early because I wanted a clear view of the volcano.

It proved to be the right decision because thick clouds started rolling in as we left the treeline, slowly obscuring the summit.

We took a 30-minute motorcycle ride to the trailhead on the volcano's southern side and began hiking at 3:15 AM.

Jungle-Covered Siau Bay

Once out of the jungle, we could see most of the island.

• In the Jungle

Due to the terrain, we progressed very slowly. It was dark, and the path was covered in dense jungle!

Since the trail was mostly abandoned during the pandemic, the foliage was very thick, meaning my guide had to use a machete to cut through. Every step required a swing of the machete.

Along the way, we saw many giant green millipedes, which are harmless, but we also encountered a giant centipede, which is more threatening because they can bite. It struck an attack pose, and my guide told me their bites are really painful.

The steep, muddy, and slippery trail made progression difficult. We fell many times.

It was never dangerous in terms of falling, although I was a bit worried that one of us might fall onto the guide's machete or something similar.

Hiking Out of the Jungle into Steep Lava Rocks

Out of the Jungle, into the Lava

Leg Scratches and Bleeding While Hiking

Suffered Some Injuries While Falling in the Jungle

• Old Lava Fields

After about 2.5 hours of hiking, we reached an ancient lava field just below the summit, just in time for sunrise.

Climbing over these lava rocks was not much better than navigating through the jungle. Some rocks were covered in moss and very slippery, and despite wearing good grip shoes, I fell multiple times on the rocks, leaving my calves covered in blood.

For safety reasons, we stopped in the lava field. We had reached about two-thirds of the way to the summit and didn't intend to go further because this volcano is very active.

Hiking Karangetang Volcano on Siau Island, Indonesian Sulawesi Island

The view from the old lava field. This is where I stopped and flew my drone.

From here, I spent about an hour flying my drone and checking out the summit. This volcano is really interesting because it has two smoking volcanic cones on top. Too cool!

We started descending at 7:25 AM, and the summit was already obscured by clouds. With the path cleared, descending was easier but still took about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

If I had nine lives, I would hike all the way to the summit to observe the crater up close. Although we stopped before reaching the summit, the hike up Karangetang Mountain was fantastic, and we enjoyed beautiful views!

Hiking Karangetang Volcano on Siau Island, Indonesian Sulawesi Island, Drone

What an amazing place!

When to Hike

Siau Island has a tropical rainforest climate similar to other areas in Manado and North Sulawesi.

The driest months are July to October, which are the best months to hike Karangetang.

We went to Siau in June, and the weather was good during our trip.

My Siau Island Travel Guide

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this blog post about hiking Karangetang Volcano in Indonesia.

Don't forget to check out my full Siau Island guide before you go! This place has some amazing beaches, tarsiers, and other things worth seeing.