Sleman is a regency on the northwest border of the Yogyakarta Special Region, stretching from the urban fringes of Yogyakarta up to the slopes of Mount Merapi. The volcano dominates the northern skyline and shapes daily life — its fertile ash soils support the surrounding rice paddies and villages, and the regency rebuilds itself after each major eruption.
Most visitors pass through Sleman on the way to or from Yogyakarta's Adisucipto International Airport, but the regency has its own appeal. The cool hill resort of Kaliurang is the base for jeep tours of the volcano's lava plains, the Merapi Volcano Museum is a sobering look at the mountain's destructive power, and the Ullen Sentalu Museum is one of the most thoughtful museums on the island.
Several traditional Javanese villages have opened their doors to visitors, offering rice planting, livestock tending and craft-making with homestay accommodation in traditional joglo houses. And the foothills of Merapi are scattered with small Hindu temples — Candi Gebang and Candi Kimpulan among them — quietly reminding you of the regency's pre-Islamic past.