Semarang to Purwokerto

Roughly 244km from Semarang Tawang to Purwokerto, the gateway to Banyumas, Baturraden and the Dieng Plateau. The line runs west along the north coast through Weleri, Pekalongan, Pemalang and Tegal, leaves the coast at Prupuk and then heads south through the hills around Bumiayu, on the western flank of Mount Slamet, before dropping into Purwokerto.

Which trains run this route: the Kamandaka is the dedicated service, run by KAI's Purwokerto operating area with eksekutif and new-generation ekonomi carriages. It makes the trip several times a day in around four to four and three-quarter hours, calling at Semarang Poncol on the way out, and one departure runs on through Kroya and Maos to Cilacap on the south coast. The Joglosemarkerto, which loops round Central Java via Purwokerto, Yogyakarta and Solo, also links the two cities.

The scenery: the first half is flat coastal country, with fishponds and rice fields between the batik towns of Pekalongan and Tegal. The better part comes after Prupuk, where the line winds up the valley past Bumiayu and Slamet looms to the east on a clear day, so take a daytime departure and sit on the left-hand side heading south.

Why take it: Purwokerto is the natural base for Baturraden on the slopes of Slamet and the jumping-off point for Dieng by road. It is also a junction on the southern main line, with fast trains on to Jakarta and east to Yogyakarta, so the Kamandaka is a handy way to get from the north coast to the south without going via Jakarta.

Check current departures and fares in Access by KAI. For the opposite direction, see Purwokerto to Semarang; for the capital, see Semarang to Jakarta.