Merapi, a steep stratovolcano north of Central Java's capital Yogyakarta, is Indonesia's most active volcano. It erupts on average every 5-10 years and is feared for its deadly pyroclastic flows. I have undertaken a tour through the volcano four years after its eruption in 2010 which devastated dozens of rural communities. Most of these communities seemed to have been abandoned by its population, fearing another similar event like this in the near future considering their safety concerns.