Nepal Van Java Colorful Village is a truly amazing place. And I am not just talking about the beautifully colored houses and buildings that make it famous. The trip to get there is long and steep, the views are extraordinary, and the people of the village are some of the most friendly and welcoming that you will ever come across. My trip to Nepal Van Java was bred from a need to get some nice photos. What I left with was a fondness and appreciation for a part of the world that I hardly knew existed, but now have completely fallen in love with.
Table of Contents
- About Nepal Van Java
- How to get to Nepal Van Java
- What to expect at Nepal Van Java
- Where to stay
- What else is nearby
- Summary
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About Nepal Van Java
Nepal Van Java was not always called that. In fact, it is really only a nickname that the local village has now fully adopted. Previously, the village on the slopes of Mount Sumbing was known as Need Hamlet. It is located in the Magelang Regency, and has fast grown to become one of the areas top tourist attractions.
How this happened was pretty simple, and almost a total accident. Some of the students within the village one day decided to begin painting the houses in bright colors. There was no thought of becoming a great tourist attraction by doing so. In fact, they only did it to brighten up the village.
It was then, though, that a foreign tourist from Europe discovered the village and posted photos online. He remarked not only on the bright colors, but the way that the houses and structures of the village had that “stacked” look, just like the houses in Nepal. This, combined with the fact that Mount Sumbing towers behind the village quickly gave it the nickname “Nepal Van Java”, and a wonderful new tourist attraction was born!
How to get to Nepal Van Java
Getting to Nepal Van Java, is pretty straightforward, but not really that easy.
Confused?
Finding it is the easy part. The mountain village is located 1 hour from Magelang on the slopes of Mount Sumbing, or about 2.5 hours from Yogyakarta. We actually made the trip from Yogyakarta, and my advice if you do this is to get there early. Leave Jogja around 0530am and beat the traffic, thus arriving at Nepal Van Java around 8am. This is the perfect starting time to get great morning photos before the sun rises too high. Go even earlier if you want to see the sunrise!
To get there, it is a simple matter of popping it into Google Maps, and following the directions given. HERE is a direct link for you.
The tough bit is this. The road gets VERY steep once you hit the foot of the mountain. You will need a GOOD car to get up there, with strong pulling power. In fact, in the village itself, the locals park at the foot of the village because they simply cannot get the cars any higher.
If you are coming by scooter, make certain it has good capacity. We rode an NMAX and were able to get up the mountain OK. Not great, but OK. A friend rode a Vario with two people, and on several occasions had to offload the passenger to get up some steep sections.
Be warned!
What to expect at Nepal Van Java
Nepal Van Java really took me by surprise. I turned up there expecting to take a few photos, and then try to decide what to do with the rest of my day. My expectations were not very high. How wrong I was!
But what, exactly, is so good about it?
Photography opportunities
OK, so first I HAVE to mention the amazing opportunities for some incredible photos.
When you first turn up, at the bottom end of the village you will find a parking area. We parked here and I immediately launched my drone. The thinking here was that if the clouds moved in, as they tend to do in mountainous regions, then at least I could walk away with something. Which brings me to my first tip.
Take your Drone!
If you HAVE a drone, then TAKE it!
The drone shots you can get are incredible. And I am not just talking about the shots of the village. Fly around and get different angles. Go high and long to get angles that include the mountain. Then spin around and take in the beautiful views in the other direction. If the day is clear, you will be able to see Mt Merapi, among several others!
Selfie Spots!
Yes, even a little village like Nepal Van Java has embraced the all powerful and popular “selfie spots”. It seems like everywhere you go in Indonesia these days, the selfie opportunities are almost overwhelming. At Nepal Van Java, however, they just seem to work.
Almost every level that you climb to in the village you will find SOMEWHERE to take a photo. Especially at the top of the mountain, where you will find several very tastefully located warungs, along with some beautiful spots to take photos.
One of the very best, though, is at the bottom of the village, just above where you will park. Climb a small set of stairs and pose beside a “Nippon Paint” sign. What you might not immediately see from the ground lever, however, is the brilliant angle it will give you of the colorful houses directly above!
Nepal Van Java is raking in the tourism dollars, almost by accident! How? Simply by being friendly.
The Incredibly friendly locals
The locals that live and work in Nepal Van Java are some of the most friendly that I have ever met. And even though they reside in one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region, you would not know it.
Unlike many other, similar places in the country, there is no pushing for you to buy, spend, or give them your business in any way. In fact, they will chat and laugh with you, answer your questions and give you advice, BEFORE they even remember that you could be buying something!
Still an agricultural village
The reason for this is simple. Nepal Van Java is STILL an agricultural village. Every single person STILL works the fields, and is expected to pull his or her weight. Any tourism business is simply a side gig.
The best example of this was the OJEK operators. Let me explain…
At the bottom of the village you will find a dozen or so young men with trail bikes that will offer you a lift up the mountain. These are known as OJEK’s. They only charge 25k rupe for a return trip up and down the mountain, which is actually an amazing price. (A similar trip on Mt Batur in Bali was 300k rupe!)
These young men are only really doing it for fun, though. Sure, they make some money, but you can SEE they are just having fun. They make their money for the village through agriculture, after all.
While we were there they had a group of 9 people turn up and ask for rides. Every one of the operators jumped up with huge smiles and went racing over to the ticket board to grab a tag. You see, they have to take turns, and if your tag isn’t up next on the board, then you have to wait. They were making a game of it, and we enjoyed watching them as they laughed at each other and joked around.
The people are just SO friendly.
This brings me to a point that I wish other places in Indonesia would realize. Nepal Van Java are raking in the tourism dollar, almost by accident. How? Simply by being friendly, and NOT pushing for tourists to buy buy buy! As a result, we tipped them generously, as did others, and vowed to go back. What better business model could you have?
Climb the Hill on your first visit
Yes, it DOES seem quite daunting, and the allure of a lift up the mountain on the back of a trail bike is tempting. But trust me, taking the time to walk is worth it!
Why? For several reasons.
First, and most obviously, the photos. You will go whizzing by many great spots to see and capture the views on the back of a bike. Views of both the village, and the surrounding countryside. You don’t want to miss out on that hidden gem waiting at the top of the next rise, do you?
Second, the opportunity to see how the village works, and converse a bit with the locals. As you climb, people will say hello. Children will smile and wave. Sometimes, they will even want to get a photo with you. Remember, tourism is still relatively new to them too, and the majority of it has been during a pandemic. If you are a foreigner, like me, they are just as interested in YOU as you are in THEM.
Once you get to the top of the village, feel free to grab an OJEK back to the bottom and enjoy the experience!
Sumbing Base camp
At first when I saw this place on the mountain map, I thought it was just a “Nepal Gimmick”. But actually, it is a proper and serious nomenclature. You see, the village of Nepal Van Java is actually the starting point for anyone looking to climb the volcano Mount Sumbing. Every single climber must register at Base camp for safety reasons, and that list is checked every day to make certain that all climbers and hikers return.
As you can expect, any issues such as searches etc are organised from here as well. So if you are looking to progress up the mountain any further than the tourist lookouts, and want to head to Pos #1 on the climb, then you MUST register.
Base camp also has a couple of good coffee shops, and great views. So stop off there and chat to the shopkeepers while you enjoy a coffee and take a load off.
The Nepal Van Java top lookouts
When you reach the very top of the village, you will begin walking into the crops and fields. There are a couple of little warungs here, and you can stop, enjoy the view and go no further if you like. Looking up the slope, though, you will see one more lookout. I suggest braving the extra few hundred feet of climb to get up there, because it IS worth it.
This is a good point to check out the OJEK’s as they race up the mountain, carrying the hikers up to Pos #1. Take notice of the way they are riding. The road is SO steep that the passenger has to sit in front of the rider, who leans right over top of him to drive. It is the driver who will also carry the backpack and luggage, as all the weight must be completely over the front of the bike to maintain traction on the path.
Incredible!
Where to stay
When we visited, we came from Yogyakarta. If you are staying there, then a day trip to Nepal Van Java is perfect.
If you are just traveling through the region, or you want to do some other things nearby, then I would suggest staying in Magelang. It is the largest city nearby to Nepal Van Java, and only 1 hour away. It is also a very beautiful city too, very green and well laid out. Click the link below for Magelang Accommodation.
There are a couple of options to actually stay in Nepal Van Java village too. These are home stays, and cost about 200k to 300k rupe a night. There are only a couple of them, so you will have to inquire whilst there about vacancies.
What else is nearby
There are a couple of other places around that are great for views of the surrounding countryside and mountains. One of them that I really recommend is Silancur Highland. You can get to it from Nepal Van Java by road just by following Google Maps, but there is another way.
If you ask one of the OJEK operators in Nepal Van Java, they will take you the back way there for only 50k Rupe. Money well spent in my opinion, as the views on the ride are amazing, and you will save yourself a lot of time. Our OJEK operator even waited around and led us back down the mountain to the main road again when we were done.
Silancur Highland has awesome views of the surrounding region, and on a clear day you can actually see 7 mountains. It sits on a high spot on the side of Mount Sumbing, with a nice little cafe and plenty of places to take photos. On the top, there is a little stand of pine trees with picnic tables that is perfect for lunch!
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Summary
I highly recommend a trip to Nepal Van Java. I was totally taken by surprise at how interesting it was, and how enjoyable the day was. It is number one on my list of places that I want to return to if I get the opportunity!
Looking for more day trips to do around the Yogyakarta area? Then click the below link for some of my favorites!
DON’T FORGET to leave a comment below. I promise to reply!
Grateful to read your articles and the amazing photos. Hope i can check out all the beautiful spots in Yogyakarta on my own.
You will love Jogja! Have a great time Tracy.
Hello, Your articles are very helpful. I am heading to Yogya in September. I like the look of this place and I read too that Dieng Plateau is a good place to visit. Have you been there? I would like to find a high-country place to hang out for a couple of days.
Thank you
Hi Deborah. Dieng Plateau isn’t too far from Nepal Van Java, but unfortunately I haven’t been there yet. I will make sure to put it on my list for my next visit to Jogja!