How to get there:
First locate the Hwy. connecting Maumere and Ende. Next find a small, traditional
village named Mukureku at location S8.684323, E121.835401, elevation around 1280 meter.
This is the trailhead.
Ordinary cars may drive here, but the last couple of kilometer
have a few rough spots.
Route:
Follow the road that connects the trailhead with
the telecom tower on the summit.
This road is quite good and smooth except for a few spots. It may easily be driven by
a 4WD vehicle. The road
follows the top of a ridge and most likely, has good views when
the weather is clear.
Comments/Trip Report:
We had an extra day in Maumere before flying to Sulawesi. A car was booked and
we drove to the trailhead in about 3 hours. Arriving shortly before 1200, we started
a nice stroll up this scenic road at noon. The weather was overcast, so unfortunately,
limited views. We could
still see the summit
from our ridge road about half way to the top.
We arrived at the summit precisely one hour after leaving. Nobody there,
but the gate to the telecom structures was not closed/locked in any way. We first took
a small walk inside the compound, then looked for a possible higher point on the north side
of the fence. Nothing really higher, but we did locate some
sort of stone marker.
We left at 1315 and had an equally nice walk back down. Along the way, we got some glimpse
of the terrain below.Back down at 1400.
A nice drive back to Maumere with dinner just before entering
town.
