Biking tour to be held around Mt. Merapi

Biking tour to be held around Mt. Merapi

YOGYAKARTA: Motorcycle enthusiasts will find it interesting this month to visit Sleman (Yogyakarta) or the three Central Java regencies of Boyolali, Klaten, and Magelang, where a tour around Mt. Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, will be held on Sunday, July 17, 2005.

Jointly organized by the four adjoining regencies, Tour de Merapi as the event is popularly called here, will cover a distance of some 100 kilometers.

"The tour will start at Soepardi Square in Magelang and finish at the Kaliadem tourist resort in Sleman," head of Sleman's tourism and culture agency Juli Setiono said.

The tour would pass through a number of tourist resorts under the jurisdiction of the four regencies that were located around the volcano.

Among the resorts that will be passed by the tour include Ketep Pass, a new emerging vulcanology tourist resort located at Ketep village, Sawangan sub-district, Magelang regency, from which visitors can have a clear view of Mt. Merapi and the neighboring Mt. Merbabu.

Interested participants are required to enroll for the tour in pairs, with a motorcycle of 250 cc maximum. The registration fee is Rp 75,000 per pair, and participants will be eligible for a package of tour facilities including a jacket and a T-shirt.

"A winner will be selected for each of the participating regencies. They will get a trophy and a prize of Rp 500,000 each," said Juli, explaining that the selection of winners would be based on the exactness of time and correct answers being given to a prepared quiz questions.

"We expect to have some 1,000 participants in the event," Juli said.

The organizing committee were preparing themselves to assist interested participants from outside the regencies to rent motorcycles to enable them to participate in the event. --JP