Merapi Volcano Museum
Yogyakarta · Indonesia · Founded 2009
Photo: Erlyndita Setyawardani dan Fandy Aprianto Rohman · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Merapi Volcano Museum in Yogyakarta, Indonesia — run by Sleman Regency on the southern slopes of Mount Merapi, about 20 km north of Yogyakarta, this museum explains how volcanoes work and what Merapi's eruptions have done to the villages below. Open Tuesday to Thursday: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM; Friday: 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM; Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM; closed Mondays. Admission: Rp5,000 for Indonesian visitors; Rp10,000 for foreign visitors. Allow 1–1.5 hours.
Visitor information last reviewed 22 October 2026. Check the official museum site for current details.
Merapi Volcano Museum at a glance: hours, tickets and time needed
| Opening hours | Tuesday to Thursday: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM; Friday: 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM; Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM |
|---|---|
| Closed | Mondays |
| Admission | Rp5,000 for Indonesian visitors; Rp10,000 for foreign visitors |
| Booking | Tickets usually available on the day |
| Time needed | 1–1.5 hours |
| Best time to visit | Come in the morning to allow time before the 3:30 PM close (2:30 PM on Fridays). |
| Getting there | Car: Drive north from Yogyakarta on Jl. Kaliurang towards Kaliurang; the museum is in Dusun Banteng, Hargobinangun, Pakem, about 20 km north of the city centre in a straight line, with a large car park for buses, cars, motorbikes and bicycles |
| Address | Jl. Kaliurang, Dusun Banteng, Hargobinangun, Pakem, Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta 55582, Indonesia (on the road to Kaliurang, about 20 km north of Yogyakarta city) |
| Official website | mgm.slemankab.go.id |
Checked 2026-10-22 against the official website. Prices and hours change — confirm before you travel.
What is Merapi Volcano Museum known for?
The Merapi Volcano Museum (Museum Gunungapi Merapi, or MGM) was built from 2005 as a joint project of Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the provincial government of the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Sleman Regency. After four years of construction it was inaugurated on 1 October 2009 by the energy minister, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, and opened to the public on 1 January 2010. It is run by Sleman's culture office (Dinas Kebudayaan, also called Kundha Kabudayan) as a centre for learning about volcanoes and disasters, with a focus on Merapi, one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia.
The museum stands in grounds of 3.5 hectares in Hargobinangun, Pakem, on the road up to Kaliurang, and its main building covers 4,470 square metres over two floors open to visitors. Panels compare types of volcano and eruption around the world, with photographs of eruptions in Chile, Italy, Hawaii and elsewhere, and the exhibition has covered themes from Merapi's own volcanic trail and people living with volcanoes to earthquakes and tsunamis, landslides, survey instruments and volcanoes beyond Earth. An earthquake simulator lets visitors feel the shaking of volcanic tremors, and a cinema shows films about Merapi's eruptions.
Some of the most affecting exhibits are ordinary things caught up in eruptions: the wreck of a motorcycle and kitchen utensils from the 2006 eruption, animal bones, and photographs of the 2010 eruption. The collection also includes samples of pyroclastic-flow and lava deposits. One registered object, an earthenware cooking pot (kendil) still marked by ash and heat from the 2010 eruption, was donated by Bank Indonesia in 2016. Smaller household items — a clay stove, broken ceramic cups, spoons and stainless-steel cup lids — are among the 80 objects recorded for the museum in the national museum registry.
After a renovation that began in August 2023 to fix roof leaks and repair the interior and damaged collections, the museum reopened on 27 December 2024 with a new storyline and lighting, rare rocks such as rhyolite from Samosir in Lake Toba, posters donated by the Geological Agency in Bandung, and a new 15-minute film, Cerita Langit. Ticket prices stayed the same: Rp5,000 for Indonesian visitors and Rp10,000 for foreigners. The museum opens from Tuesday to Sunday, closes an hour earlier on Fridays, and is closed on Mondays.
Best for: Families · Science Enthusiasts · Budget Travellers
What are the must-see works at Merapi Volcano Museum?
5 highlights that define the collection: Wreckage from the 2006 eruption, Ash-marked earthenware kendil, Rhyolite from Samosir and more.
Wreckage from the 2006 eruption
Merapi eruption · 2006
The wreck of a motorcycle and household utensils recovered after the 2006 eruption, shown alongside photographs of the 2010 eruption.
Ash-marked earthenware kendil
Merapi eruption · 2010; donated by Bank Indonesia in 2016
A clay cooking pot whose outer surface still carries ash from the heat of the 2010 eruption, one of the museum's registered collection objects.
Rhyolite from Samosir
Toba volcano, North Sumatra · added 2024
One of the rare rocks added in the 2024 reorganisation, part of a donation of rocks and posters from Indonesia's Geological Agency in Bandung.
Earthquake simulator
Interactive exhibit
A hands-on display that lets visitors feel the kind of vibration produced by volcanic earthquakes during an eruption.
Cerita Langit
Film · about 15 minutes · added 2024
📍 Museum cinema
A new film introduced when the museum reopened in December 2024, screened in the museum's film room.
Collections and highlights
- • Volcanic rocks, including pyroclastic-flow and lava deposits
- • Household objects and a motorcycle damaged by the 2006 and 2010 eruptions
- • Photographs of eruptions at Merapi and around the world
- • Earthquake, tsunami and landslide displays
- • Volcano survey instruments
- • Interactive simulator and films
Tips for visiting Merapi Volcano Museum
- 1.
Best time to visit
Come in the morning to allow time before the 3:30 PM close (2:30 PM on Fridays). Closed on Mondays; the national museum registry lists it as open on public holidays.
- 2.
Tickets & booking
Admission is Rp5,000 for Indonesian visitors and Rp10,000 for foreign visitors under Sleman regency's tariff regulation, unchanged since the 2024 reopening. Check the official website for group visits.
- 3.
Accessibility
No accessibility information is published. Exhibits are spread over two floors, so contact the museum before visiting if stairs are a problem.
- 4.
Photography rules
No photography policy is published online. Follow any gallery signs, avoid flash near photographs and eruption artefacts, and ask staff before filming.
How do you get to Merapi Volcano Museum?
- car Drive north from Yogyakarta on Jl. Kaliurang towards Kaliurang; the museum is in Dusun Banteng, Hargobinangun, Pakem, about 20 km north of the city centre in a straight line, with a large car park for buses, cars, motorbikes and bicycles
- taxi Grab, Gojek or a taxi from Yogyakarta to Museum Gunungapi Merapi, Hargobinangun, Pakem
Address: Jl. Kaliurang, Dusun Banteng, Hargobinangun, Pakem, Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta 55582, Indonesia (on the road to Kaliurang, about 20 km north of Yogyakarta city)
Sources we checked
Visitor facts and history on this page come from these sources, checked on the dates shown.
- Museum Gunungapi Merapi (Sistem Registrasi Nasional Museum) — Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, checked 22 October 2026
- Kendil Tembikar (collection record, registered 24 July 2025) — Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, checked 22 October 2026
- Museum Gunungapi Merapi beroperasi kembali (27 December 2024) — ANTARA News Yogyakarta, checked 22 October 2026
- Museum Gunung Api Merapi (August 2020) — Dinas Pariwisata Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, checked 22 October 2026
- Museum Gunungapi Merapi — Wonderful Indonesia (Ministry of Tourism), checked 22 October 2026
- Merapi Volcano Museum (Q1958032) — Wikidata, checked 22 October 2026
Merapi Volcano Museum: frequently asked questions
How much is the entrance fee for the Merapi Volcano Museum?
Admission is Rp5,000 for Indonesian visitors and Rp10,000 for foreign visitors. The rates are set by a Sleman regency regulation on recreation-site charges, and the museum's head confirmed they did not change when it reopened after renovation in December 2024. The national museum registry lists the same Rp5,000 rate for every day the museum is open.
Where is the Merapi Volcano Museum and how do I get there?
The museum is on Jl. Kaliurang in Dusun Banteng, Hargobinangun village, Pakem district, on the southern slopes of Mount Merapi, about 20 km north of central Yogyakarta in a straight line. Come by car, taxi or ride-hailing app (Grab, Gojek). The grounds have a large car park for buses, cars, motorbikes and bicycles.
How long should I spend at the Merapi Volcano Museum?
Plan 1–1.5 hours for the highlights of Merapi Volcano Museum. Add extra time for temporary exhibitions, the shop and the café.
What are the highlights of the Merapi Volcano Museum?
The most striking exhibits are everyday objects damaged by Merapi: the wreck of a motorcycle and household utensils from the 2006 eruption, photographs of the 2010 eruption, and an ash-coated clay cooking pot from 2010. Also look for pyroclastic-flow and lava deposits, rare rocks such as rhyolite from Samosir in Lake Toba, and the earthquake simulator that recreates volcanic tremors.
Can I take photos inside the Merapi Volcano Museum?
The museum does not publish a photography policy online. Follow any signs in the galleries, avoid flash near photographs and fragile eruption artefacts, and ask staff before filming or using a tripod. For commercial photography or filming, contact Sleman's culture office (Dinas Kebudayaan Sleman), which manages the museum, in advance.
Can I combine the Merapi Volcano Museum with other sights in Kaliurang?
Yes. The museum is in Hargobinangun, Pakem, the same village as the Ullen Sentalu Museum in Kaliurang, so the two fit easily into one trip up the mountain. Remember that the Merapi museum closes at 3:30 PM (2:30 PM on Fridays) and all day on Mondays.
Is Merapi Volcano Museum open on Mondays?
No — Merapi Volcano Museum is closed every Monday. It is open Tuesday to Thursday: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM; Friday: 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM; Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Plan a different museum for that day, and check the official website for holiday changes.
What are Merapi Volcano Museum's opening hours?
Merapi Volcano Museum is open Tuesday to Thursday: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM; Friday: 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM; Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM, and closed Mondays. Hours can change for holidays and events, so check the official website before you go.
Is Merapi Volcano Museum free to visit?
No — standard admission is Rp5,000 for Indonesian visitors; Rp10,000 for foreign visitors.
