Batu Malang

Starting only 30 meters from the parking lot, a 2427-meter-long walking path connects all five complexes of Gedong Songo. It takes only about 20 minutes to walk from the parking lot to Temple Gedong V, one of the most faithfully and completely reconstructed. The temples, lying on hilltops and ridges, are spaced 100-200 meters from each other. 

The tour of the temples by horseback (Rp50,000 for one to two hours) is one of the best deals going on Java. You can either ride or be led. It is as if these non-complaining, small, sturdy beasts are on automatic pilot - they know all the trails and they plod uphill with their heads down indefatigably as if on tracks. 

The steep trail takes you through well-tended gardens of papaya, bananas, potatoes, tobacco, cabbages, beans, grapes, tomatoes, and corn, with cloud-scudding temples above and volcanoes looming in the far distance.