Kawah Ijen is one of Indonesia’s famous sulphur volcanic crater where over 300 men work.
My day started with a wakeup call at midnight (is it even worth going to bed in that case?) in order to hike up the volcano and down into the crater before the sunrise. The main objective was to watch the blue flames generated by the sulphur that can only be seen at night time.
After a 45min ride we arrived to the destination and started our hike equipped with torches and oxygen masks (sulphur can be very toxic).
Upon arrival at the top, we saw the sudden drop of the crater and the signs saying it was very dangerous to venture down ourselves. Luckily it was still dark as for those with vertigo this wouldn’t have been a very pleasant experience 🙂
It was only near the end that we saw the famous flames that awed us all. I had wondered why we started the hike so early but at this moment I understood why: it was PACKED with tourists taking photos and blocking the view that I am not very satisfied with the photos I took here.
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Then we waited inside the crater to witness the magical sunrise with a view of the largest acid lake on earth. However, we were not so lucky as it was extremely windy and the fumes of the sulphur blocked all the view and we couldn’t see the lake 🙁
During all this, we experienced the other important highlight of this volcano: the miners. Some of these men manage to go up and down the crater twice or three times a day. Whereas we all had hiking boots, some had just flip-flops. Whereas we had oxygen masks for a single visit they, who work there every day, had just a tissue covering their face, which explains their short life span.
They carry the sulphur and weight it upon arrival which can vary between 50 and 100kg, depending on each men’s strength. They are then paid per kilo of what they had transported.
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The normal pay is about double as any men could get in this rural area of Indonesia, even though it is still extremely low to Western standards.
Unfortunately, this place is becoming a big tourist attraction to watch these men working. However, they are getting used to tourists now that they even sell small statues made of sulphur. It is certainly a once in a lifetime experience that you cannot miss if you travel to east Java in Indonesia.
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Have you ever been here? Tell us about your experience!