Ijen Crater is actually a sulphur mines and one of the dangerous places to work on earth. The greenish water that shines on morning sun of sunrise is actually sulphuric acid. The water from this lake will take just minutes to melt metals. The sulphur is continuously fuming from the vents, where the miners have put pipes to extract it. The mining is toxic as continuous exposure to fumes pose threat to respiratory system. If this all is not enough, the miners endure a treacherous trek up to crater rim and down to weighing center.
Yet, the crater rim beauty is so mesmerising and the blue flames of sulphur is so magical that it attractants tourists from all over the world. The tourism has also severed as delight for the miners as they can make a living as tourist guide or earn extra money from selling souvenirs made from sulphur.
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| The moment to adore, to wonder, to understand |
It is accessible from Banyuwangi (Nearest airport: Surabaya), it is en-route Yogyakarta-Bali also. There is an alternate town of Bondowoso to access Ijen Crater too.
The trek to Ijen Crater is trivial, but it is important to start early. For an average soul, it may take upto 2:30 hours to reach the top. Reaching the top by 3-3:30 would be good if you want to see the magical blue sulphur flame. The walk down the rim gives you the first hand experience of mining.
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| GPS track of the trek from park gate. feel free to drop an email, if you are interested. |
Ceramic pipes are positioned at the vents were sulphur vapour is fuming out. Along the pipe, the gas sublimate to liquid sulphur which then solidizes into big cakes.
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