Sulfur lake in the crater of the Kawah Ijen volcano in Indonesia. Ijen - a fantastic volcano with a turquoise lake made of sulfur or how we ended up on another planet, Java Why is the Ijen volcano interesting

Our journey from Mount Bromo to Ijen took the entire daylight hours. I slept almost the entire way. What else to do?! Periodically, Andy told stories of the places she passed. But these stories were of the category: “Coffee was grown here,” “But this is rice, it wasn’t here before,” “And a lonely grandmother lived over there.” Not to say that it was boring, but I didn’t learn anything useful or interesting for myself.

The ascent to the mountains had already begun in the dark. We passed numerous cliffs and slopes in pitch darkness. At one of the turns, Andy said: “It’s good that we don’t see what’s going on around us.”

In the mountains, near Ijen, there are many checkpoints, passing which Andy wrote us down in her visit notebook every time. About half an hour's drive from Ijen there are two small hotels: Arabika Homestay and Catimor Homestay.

We arrived in the village of Banyuwangi again after dark. We stopped at Arabica. Living conditions are camping. The room has a broken bed, insects that glow in the dark, running faucets, shower, toilet, a hole in the floor, windows that won't close, cold. Fortunately, I only sleep here for 4 hours. We had dinner. And rather, without further ado, they hurried to rest from endless movements.

The Ijen volcano is known throughout the world thanks to numerous documentaries, including National Geographic. In the crater of the volcano there is a large hot lake of sulfuric acid, along the banks of which local residents Sulfur is mined under inhuman conditions. In a bowl of gray basalt walls there is a turquoise lake, over the surface of which sulfur plumes stretch. Its depth is not great - 212 meters. Sort of unique place worthy of your attention and visit.

When going on a hike to Ijen, do not forget to take a respirator with filters, because sulfur fumes emanating from the sulfur deposit - poisonous. I’ll tell you about my respirator a little lower.

I didn't sleep well. It was cold, and there were dragonflies flying around the room, which flickered and shimmered in different colors in the darkness. Anxious thoughts did not leave me, because the hike is fraught with many dangers and difficulties.

At 00:40 Andy woke me up again, insistently banging on the door. We must catch a nightly event that is famous in these parts: the Blue Fire Show. “A couple of seconds,” I answered, putting the sock on my hand.

We drove for about half an hour to the town of Paltuding, where the ascent to Ijen itself begins. The road is difficult. Not a single lantern, jungle and only us on the route.

There is another checkpoint at the foot, and now we are very close to the dream. We parked the car. Andy quickly found a guide. She assured me that this is the best guide. The guide's nickname was Robin. Robin Bobin Barabek, that's what he called himself as a joke. Climbing Ijen without a local guide is prohibited.

As soon as we headed towards the slope, it began to rain. Andy bought a couple of bottles of water and a rain jacket from local dealers, handed her a headlamp and a hand torch and we headed out. Our guide was very cheerful, sociable, and a local bully. The behavior was more like that of a child. He handed out slaps to his colleagues and took away their hats.

The road is 2.5 kilometers long and goes up a steep hill along a serpentine road, then 1 kilometer along the plain. The path is hard. In pitch darkness and drizzling rain, we barely walked along the path stretching into the distance. For unprepared people, this sunrise can be a problem. The task was complicated by a sleepy state, zero visibility and fog. Nothing was visible at a distance of 3 meters. It was completely unclear what was ahead and what peak we should go to. The water Andy bought was gone within the first 20 minutes. Andy herself was breathing very heavily and lagged behind Robin and me. On this trip she took a huge backpack, which kept her on the ground. We took over her backpack, but it was clear that she could not walk at all. Halfway there she fell to the ground, either to sit up or to lie down. In response to our persuasion to go down, she refused, saying, my client Denis, he should be satisfied with my work.

After 1.5 hours there is a short break. All the tourists drink tea, the workers hand over the mined sulfur. I already thought that our torment was over, I was not mistaken for a long time. The owner of the establishment said that we were only halfway to the crater. Andy admitted that she had a bad heart condition and could not go any further. Naturally, we left her sitting on the bench, and we went further up the hill. It was then that I noticed that my legs were beating to the point of petrification, my breathing was becoming heavier, and sweat was running down my body in a stream. No problem, we'll break through. “Gnarled workers” are coming towards us, dragging baskets with 70-100 kg. sulfur.

We planned our five-day trip to Java back in Moscow, in February, when we bought plane tickets. The difficulty was that they usually travel through Java starting from Yogyakarta towards the ferry to Bali, visiting temples and volcanoes along the way, but our route was exactly the opposite. And so, the plan turned out like this: get to the ferry from Bali to Java, swim across the strait and first of all visit the Ijen volcano. Next we wanted to see the panorama of Bromo volcano, and from there go to Yogyakarta to the Borbodur and Prambanan temples. And then from Jogja take a plane back to Bali. Everything seems simple, but apart from the purchased plane ticket from Java to Bali, we had a vague idea of ​​​​movements along the rest of the route.

Now that I am writing this post, having traveled along the entire route, we already know how it could have been done somewhere cheaper, and somewhere more comfortable. But what’s done is done, and I’m glad that everything turned out this way! But I’ll still write to you about alternative travel options.

If you decide to get to Java by ferry, then it’s enough budget option will buy a bus ticket to the ferry in Denpasar. Some buses also load onto the ferry, but I don’t know exactly where they go afterwards. In Java, near the port of Ketapang, you can take a taxi to Ijen. Our friend, a guide in Bali named Whiskey, said that the price of such a move would be approximately 350 thousand rupees (about $40). Since we didn’t want to go early in the morning from Kuta to Denpasar and run around looking for where to buy something, it was decided to take a car with a driver. The route from Kuta to the port of Gilimanuk will cost about 400 thousand rupees. The price of a ferry to Java for a car is 100 thousand rupees ($10), and even less for people. Now you will understand why I am writing all this)))
Being in a normal Balinese “relaxed” state, we put off searching for a driver until the last minute. As a result, the evening before departure we bought a tour at a regular tourist office in Kuta. We bargained for a long time and agreed that for 1,300,000 rupees we would be taken to one of the hotels on the slopes of Ijen. No matter how hard it is to calculate, we, of course, overpaid. I don’t know why we didn’t turn to Whiskey, I think it would have been cheaper. But as they say in Bali: that means it must be so))
At 6.30 in the morning the car was near our house, and our phone was ringing every two minutes, asking where we were and when we would get out! We got out, and it turned out that in addition to the driver, our friend, who was selling the trip last evening, would be going with us! We asked what he was doing here, it turned out that the driver did not know the way to the volcano. This is certainly not true, but it’s more fun together! Get in the car and let's go!
At about 10 o'clock we were already in the port of Gilimanuk. In this place there is a very small strait between the islands, and a picturesque view of Java opens up.

O. Java, view from. Bali port Gilimanuk

Since we woke up very early and didn’t have time to have breakfast before leaving, we were really hungry. You know, in general I love rice and chicken, and all sorts of nasi goreng from local cuisine I like them, but the hardest thing about our entire trip to Java was that apart from this we ate practically nothing else. Even for breakfast! And another feature of any Asian cuisine is spicy food. And so I spend a long time explaining to the lady in the warung (local cafe) that you don’t need to spice it up at all, so that not a bit, but in the end I get my noodles, which it’s impossible to eat without tears, guess why... Dima ate fried rice with vegetables and he didn’t seem to be that spicy, lucky!
After breakfast we boarded the ferry and moved along the strait to Java. During this move, I was once again amazed and greatly saddened by the huge amount of garbage in the ocean.
After the ferry we headed towards Ijen. Dima has a navigator on his phone, but the path along which our friends took us was not marked there; the picture showed that we were driving straight through the jungle. And soon the Internet disappeared completely, so if you come here on your own, save the map for yourself, or print it out just in case!
Previously, the road along which we were traveling was accessible only by jeep, but now it has been put in order, asphalt has been laid and it can be driven by any vehicle. Our car had difficulty climbing the steep hills, so we drove quite slowly and for a long time, but at least we managed to take in the beauty around us!

Along the way we passed the place where the climb to the volcano begins. We got lost a couple of times, which is strange, since there is only one road and it diverges only once. In the mountains near Ijen there are many checkpoints, passing which Dima wrote down in his visit notebook every time.
About half an hour's drive from Ijen there are two small hotels: Arabika Homestay and Catimor Homestay; in our opinion, these are the best options for accommodation.

I think the difference between them is small, Katimor seems to be more expensive and we chose Arabica. We arrived at the hotel, it turned out to be almost empty and we decided that this would help us reduce the price of housing. The hotel has three room options: economy with amenities in the courtyard, standard shower and toilet in the room, and so-called VIP rooms, which are a little more well-kept than standard and with a TV. The male administrator announced the prices to us and we went to look at the rooms. We were choosing between standard and VIP, the standard rooms look pretty deplorable, but the VIP doesn’t particularly shine with comfort. We decided to take VIP, lowering the price a little, BUT... After viewing, the price suddenly changed, of course upwards, as if due to ignorance of English, the administrator made a mistake in the numbers! As a result, the prices were as follows: an economy room was 150 thousand rupees ($17), but we did not consider it, a standard room was 250 thousand rupees ($28) and a VIP room cost 350 thousand ($39). All our attempts to reduce the price did not work. As we later realized this, firstly due to the lack of competition and secondly from full confidence that even with this price all the rooms would be occupied, which is what happened in the end! We took a standard room; in general, it would be fine for an overnight stay.
The next thing was to find transport to get to Ijen and find out how to then leave this wilderness towards the Bromo volcano.
With the first point, everything was decided quickly; we were offered a bike for 150 thousand rupees ($16), although usually a bike for a day costs 50 thousand) Just like with housing, they flatly refused to bargain. Although they offered to take a bike for 100 thousand but with a driver, that is, it would be 2 bikes! Here's the math: transport with a driver is cheaper than transport without one :)
But the road from this village was not so easy. The simplest option of taking a driver with a car was no longer available, since no one here has a car. We were told that we could leave early in the morning by bus to one of the cities at the foot of the mountains, and then look for a way to go further, and that’s where we stopped.
Having found out everything, we had lunch with fried rice and chicken, drank tea, which by the way is free here at any time, and went to explore the road to Ijen.
As I already wrote, there is only one road here, but we decided that it was better to drive along it while it was light, so that it would be easier to navigate at night. And they brought us an old bike, Dima had to change the speed himself, he had to get used to it. Along the way we discovered a huge number beautiful views. The tops of the mountains and coffee plantations on their slopes, clouds floating between the rocks, at every turn I wanted to stop and photograph these open spaces.

It was getting close to evening, and since we were high in the mountains it became noticeably colder. We started heading back to the hotel and enjoyed a beautiful sunset along the way!

In the village of Sempol, where our hotel is located, there is a small square near the mosque where they sell all sorts of things. If you haven’t prepared warm clothes for the climb, here you can buy pants and a jacket, cookies and water for the trip. We bought Dima sweatpants and some food.
At the hotel, after asking one of the administrators what time was best to leave in order to have time to see the blue fire burning in the crater, we made a trip plan.
We calculate something like this: dawn in this part of Java begins at about 4.30 in the morning, that is, at 4 exactly (or better a little earlier in order to have time to descend into the crater) you need to be at the top. It takes 1.5 hours to climb, which means we start from the foot at 2.30. The road from the hotel to the trekking start point takes about 40 minutes, which means you need to leave the hotel at 1.30 with a small margin. We get up at one in the morning, I usually go to bed at this time :) But since we got up early in the morning, we were tired from a long day, and there wasn’t much to do here when it got dark, after having a snack and packing our things, we quickly fell asleep.
And now the moment of X has arrived! We woke up, drank a cup of tea, dressed warmly, grabbed a warm hotel blanket so as not to freeze at the top, and began our journey to Ijen.
The first difficulty was not long in coming. Dew fell at night, our bike apparently became damp, cooled down and refused to start. Dima used the starter pedal. Several attempts to start our jalopy with its help were unsuccessful, we tried to push it, this also did not help. We returned to the pedal, Dima pressed on it with all his might, his foot slipped and he ran into the edge of the pedal. I severely cut the sole of my foot, but we still have a mountain to climb! Luckily for us, the bike soon started up and we rode along the night road, wrapped in raincoats against the cold.
Then everything went according to plan and after about 40 minutes we were at the starting point. We saw a light in a small house and drove up to it, a man came out to meet us and suggested where we could park the bike. He agreed to be our guide. For this we paid him 150 thousand rupees. I’ll say right away that he would have gone for 100, or maybe less, if you had to bargain on principle, but we decided to agree.
It is worth noting here that some time ago, due to increased activity of the volcano, official tracking to it was closed. Because of this, tickets are not sold here, there are no special guides, ours turned out to be a sulfur miner! Of course, you can go up there yourself, many people do this during the day, but don’t forget that this is an active volcano, and it’s still night here, besides, it’s better if there’s a person nearby who knows the terrain well!
In Moscow, preparing for the trip, we bought headlamps, but that night we were lucky with the moon, it was almost full and illuminated everything around well! The road here is wide and well compacted. The climb is not steep due to the fact that the path winds horizontally along the slope, and does not go straight to the top. But because of this, the path becomes longer, although this is not scary. At that moment I decided that this was my easiest trekking! But, looking ahead a little, I will say that after a few days on Bromo volcano I learned that it can be even easier!
We reached the summit on schedule, overtaking a couple of groups of tourists on the way. And here in front of us is the black abyss of the crater, and at its bottom a blue fire is burning, or as everyone here says Blue Fire!

Blue Fire, Ijen Volcano, o. Java

If you look closely, you can see small people in the photo, and the scale of this fire is immediately clear. A stunning sight! Fire can only be seen while it is dark; in daylight, only smoke is visible. There is also a lake at the bottom of the crater. When it is light, it is an incredible light green color, and due to the large amount of sulfur, its acidity is increased. Some write that the lake is filled with sulfuric acid, but this is not entirely true, for example, I washed my hands there. The water in it was quite hot.
Then we began to descend into the crater, it was gradually dawning and incredibly cosmic views opened up.

Crater of Ijen volcano, o. Java

The descent to the bottom is quite steep and winding, and every now and then sulfur miners come along with baskets loaded to capacity. Hell of a job!

Sulfur miner, Ijen volcano

And here we are below, shocked by what we see around us. I won’t even try to describe the views of the crater in words, just look at the photos!
Our guide began to tell us how sulfur is mined.
Volcanic gases come out of the holes in the mountain, which actually burn. Huge ceramic pipes are laid here, in which condensate and sulfur vapors settle.

Thanks to the high temperature, almost 250° C, the sulfur that gets into the pipe does not solidify, but flows out. At first it is fiery red in color, when it cools it becomes amber transparent, and after a while it turns bright yellow.

Sulfur accumulation, Ijen volcano

It is normal to breathe due to gases and vapors at the bottom of the crater it was not possible. It smells very strongly of sulfur, and after a while the throat begins to sore and a cough appears. We knew about this and, again, bought good respiratory masks in Moscow in advance. But those who work there do not have such luxury, and you can easily guess how such work affects the health of the miners! At the end of the hike, we, of course, gave one of our masks to our guide. And this is what Dima looked like.

After the sulfur has cooled, it is collected and placed in baskets. Their weight on average ranges from 70 to 90 kg! And then on their hump they drag it all, first to the top of the crater, and then down.

Meanwhile it became quite light and we approached the lake. It literally hypnotized us, it felt like we were on another planet!

Volcanic sulfur lake, Ijen, Java

It was time to return, our guide asked if we would mind if he grabbed a basket of sulfur along the way, of course, we didn’t mind.

Sulfur miner and part-time guide

Dima decided to help our friend and took one of the baskets. But he didn't go far! If you look closely, you will see the inscription PLAY BOY on the baskets. It's nice to see that even in such difficult conditions, people do not lose their sense of humor, joke, tease each other and laugh. In general, don’t lose heart.
Our friend picked up the basket and walked quite briskly along the rocky slope. At that moment I realized that my work is just an eternal vacation!

I followed him, with a blanket to spare.

And behind me is Dima. I think he was upset that he was going without a basket;)

Crater of Ijen volcano, o. Java

On the way, we constantly stopped and looked at the sulfur mining site from afar. And every time a new view opened up to us!

Sulfur mining, Ijen volcano

Having climbed to the top of the crater, we sat down to wait for dawn. This is where the blanket we picked up at the hotel came in handy.

The sun was slowly creeping out from behind the mountains. And again there was a feeling that we were on another planet!

By this time, other tourists began to arrive at the volcano; not everyone is ready to climb here at night, and some do not know about the blue fire. In any case, there are many more tourists during the day. And local entrepreneurs take advantage of this. We didn’t notice this at night, but at the beginning of the path to the crater there is a sign that it is very dangerous to go down, and this is the absolute truth, and as dawn broke a guard appeared near the sign who did not let anyone go down without a guide. And, of course, for a certain amount, he either escorted tourists down there himself, or sent his friend.

The sun continued to rise slowly, illuminating the crater more and more....

And on the opposite side the Moon was still visible, slowly leaving the slope.

Stunning contrast!

A look from a different angle at the crater of the Ijen volcano.

And this is the road along which we have to go, the very edge of the crater!

And again the crater of the volcano.

We sat for a while and began to descend from the volcano. The night shift sulfur miners were walking down the road with us at a brisk pace.

And everything went to the meeting with empty baskets more people working in the morning.

I was very glad that the sun came out and it became warm. I decided to take a photo against the backdrop of the view from a height of almost 2400 meters. This is certainly not Agung with Rinjani, but it is also very beautiful!

There are peaks rising all around, I don’t know if they are volcanoes or not, but they are very similar.

On the way we came across one sulfur miner; he had no fingers. It is not known whether this is related to his work or not, but anything is possible.

A little lower down the slope there are check scales, here the miners weigh their baskets. Although in fact, they feel their weight quite accurately with their hands.

Here they take a smoke break, and tourists drink tea and have a snack.
You can also buy sulfur figures here. They are made by the miners themselves. There are figures made from molds in the form of animals and hearts, and others in the form of icicles like sulfur flowing. And there are heaps like anthills, this is from sulfur dripping into the water. We exchanged one that looked like an anthill for the second respirator, and our guide gave us another one in the shape of an icicle. If you buy them, then you can bargain; they come up with prices themselves, focusing on the size of the figures.

But first, the main “boss” checks everything properly!

At the drop-off point, everyone sits patiently, waiting for their turn to weigh the baskets.

Two people near the scales help lift the load onto the scales, and another one weighs, records the data and gives the miners a receipt, according to which they receive money at the window nearby. On average, it comes out to 75 thousand rupees (about $7.5) at a time. There are two lifts per shift. Some people bring two rockers in one trip, carry one for a little bit at first, leave it and go for the second, changing them all the way.

After weighing, the contents of the baskets are sent to the truck.

We said goodbye to our guide, we had to return to the hotel and get ready for the bus. But before we got on the bike, we went to look for a toilet. There is generally a normal one there, but due to the fact that the volcano is officially closed, the water supply does not work and, accordingly, the toilet does not either. And since there are a lot of tourists here, this problem was solved like this.

And while we were looking for this place, we came across a minibus driver in the parking lot. He asked if we needed to go somewhere, we had difficulty explaining that first we would return to Arabica on a bike, and then we should head towards the Bromo volcano, to the town of Probolinggo. Luckily for us, that’s where he was going. The driver first announced to us a price of 600 thousand rupees ($65), we negotiated this figure to 400 thousand ($45) for two. The joyful ones sat on their bike, which again refused to start, pushing it down the hill and quickly reached the hotel. We collected our things and soon a minibus arrived. We sat in the back seat and along the way we looked at the views of the mountains surrounding us a little more.

The Ijen Volcano crater is one of the most attractive and dangerous on Earth. Active volcano, constantly spewing clouds of sulfur smoke, the world's largest acid lake Kawah Ijen, incredibly beautiful blue fire and inhumane working conditions of miners extracting sulfur. We went down into the crater of the volcano to see it all with our own eyes.

In fact, Ijen is not just a volcano, but a volcanic complex of more than a dozen volcanic objects: stratovolcanoes, volcanic cones, craters, located within a radius of 20 km around the caldera.

But it is precisely this that attracts tourists crater with acid lake, the shores of which are a natural large deposit of natural sulfur. The crater has a radius of 361 meters and a depth of 200 meters.

Road to the crater of Ijen volcano

In order to get to famous lake, necessary first climb to the top and then go down inside the crater. The path from the ticket office to the top is about 3 km, the height difference is 500 m. If you don’t rush, the road is quite simple. Steeper at the beginning and almost flat after the cafe halfway.

Path to the crater of Ijen volcano

Usually people start to enter the crater around one in the morning. But if the volcano is more active, this time may be shifted to the morning or entry for tourists may be prohibited altogether. On the day we climbed, the entrance opened at about 3.45. This meant that we had less than an hour to travel if we wanted to see the sulfur burning with a blue flame. We reached the top in about 45 minutes, and spent another 15 minutes going down. For me, moving at such a speed was not easy. And, I must admit, we didn’t have time. From above we saw several flashes of blue fire, but below after 5 am it was already light and managed to photograph only individual flashes. It was already too late for the super shot with the blue fire spreading across the crater.

The road back is very beautiful. The remaining peaks of the volcanic complex are visible, a veil of fog and clouds enveloping the slopes, trees scorched by fires and dense vegetation of forests and fields.

Is it dangerous to be in the crater of Mount Ijen?

Be sure to use a protective mask or respirator! Sulfur dioxide is very dangerous to health.

The answer is unequivocal: yes! Acrid sulfur smoke (sulfur dioxide or sulfur dioxide) is very dangerous to health. The high temperature near the pipes from which sulfur flows is simply life-threatening. For good shots, I went to the epicenter of thick whitish-yellow smoke. Despite the mask, it was very difficult to breathe, eyes filled with tears, workers shouted “Dangerous!” after each next step along the slope over boiling sulfur. I “felt lungs” all day. I think that nothing bad will happen from one such adventure, but it’s better not to take unnecessary risks.

When going down into the crater you need to be careful.

• Firstly, be sure to wear a protective mask. The more efficiently it filters the air, the better. There are known victims among tourists who neglected safety rules.
• Secondly, keep in mind that the road is on rocks. Comfortable shoes and gloves will help you overcome the path.

The beauty of the crater

Being on the slopes of the crater remember the Divine Comedy and the 9 circles of hell. Lifeless slopes, flowing hot sulfur, clouds of acrid smoke bursting from the bowels of the earth and the emerald surface of a deadly acidic lake, on the surface of which sulfurous plumes stretch.

acid lake

Lake Kawah in the crater of Mount Ijen is largest acid lake in the world. It consists of concentrated hydrochloric and sulfuric acid dissolved in water. The volcano releases hydrogen chloride as a gas. When interacting with water, it forms sulfuric acid with a pH of about zero. Hydrochloric acid dissolved in water gives the lake a beautiful turquoise color.

The lake is deadly, however, you can touch it with your hand. The temperature on the surface is 50-60°C, and in the depths - over 200°C. The depth of the lake reaches 200 meters.

Blue fire

Amazing blue fire phenomenon is actually sulfur dioxide that burns at a temperature of 600°C, which gives the fire its characteristic blue color. The glow is quite weak, so you can only see it at night.

Lava flows burning with a blue flame can be observed on Ijen extremely rarely.

Sometimes the workers themselves set fire to the sulfur. Some of the smoke condenses in ceramic pipes installed in the crater and flows out of the pipes, forming stalactites of natural sulfur. Red liquid sulfur spews from the vents and cools to yellow on the surface. These stalactites, by the way, are sold to tourists as souvenirs.

Ceramic pipes condensing sulfur dioxide vapor. Liquid sulfur flows directly from the pipes and cools on the surface.

Lava flows burning with a blue flame can be observed on Ijen extremely rarely. Unfortunately, many sites show pictures of Olivier Grunewald and make it seem like this happens every night. Don't believe it! Usually only sulfur dioxide burns and there is no lava.

Sulfur mining

A worker puts sulfur into baskets.

In the crater local residents extract sulfur by hand. This is very hard and dangerous work. Without protective suits, and many without even masks, the miners use crowbars to break off pieces of sulfur and place them in a basket. They carry these baskets 200 meters to the top of the crater, and then descend 3 km to the foot of the volcano to the village, where they receive a reward for the work done. The weight of such a basket is 60-80 kg, some manage to lift up to 90 kg.

A worker mining sulfur in the crater of Mount Ijen

Typically workers make this journey twice a day. For 1 kg of sulfur they pay 900-1000 IDR, which means about $5 per basket or $10 per day. By local standards, this is a highly paid and prestigious job. The island of Java has a very high population density and unemployment. Sulfur miners are a kind of working elite.

The best thing you can do for workers is to give them a respirator.

However, this does not help them live long. Sulfur fumes are so dangerous to health that young guys look like old people, and average duration life about 47 years.

Despite the appalling working conditions, the workers are amazingly friendly and cheerful people. I experienced culture shock when a worker carrying a basket weighing more than himself gave way to me on the rocks leading to the top of the crater. Many times they suggested a better route to us and happily posed for tourists.

The best thing you can do for workers is to give them a respirator or at least just a protective mask. They cannot even afford to buy replacement filters; they have neither money nor opportunity. Many workers are not even aware that the air they breathe is dangerous.

The workers all smoke. They say that this helps them to slightly reduce the smell of sulfur, which becomes simply impossible after some time.

Where to stay?

Most often, visitors to Ijen stay as close to the volcano as possible so that they can drive to the entrance at night and climb up to the crater. I advise you to look at the following options: and.

How to get to Ijen Volcano from Bali?

Getting to Ijen Volcano from Bali is not difficult. Need to get to the ferry to Java in the west of the island, cross to the island of Java and drive about 2 hours to the foot of the volcano. It is better to start climbing at night, so plan to spend the night near the volcano.

Many combine visit to Ijen volcano with a trip to and climbing the Bromo volcano. In this case it is possible alternative option: fly to the city of Yogyakarta, Surabaya or any other city in Central or East Java and then go to. But you will have to reserve time, because the journey from Yogyakarta to Bromo can take 12 hours.

Volcano Ijen from above

You can take fascinating excursions to the crater of the Ijen volcano. Picturesque paths lead to the vent, along which tourists get to the edge of a natural spring that is amazing in its appearance and content. The lake is located in the largest mountain, at an altitude of 2386 meters. From a distance, the crater resembles the mouth of a true volcano, but as travelers approach it, breathtaking landscapes await. On the gray rocks lie different-sized blocks of bright yellow color - this is sulfur. It comes to the surface as a liquid, rich red color, then creeps down the slopes, drawing veins on them and becoming lighter. Eventually the sulfur cools, hardens and acquires the well-known yellow tint. At night, guests of the Ijen volcano will also not be disappointed: when oxidized, liquid sulfur begins to glow in the dark with incredible blue and blue lights. This mystical phenomenon is called “blue lava” or “blue fire”. The depth of the crater is 200 m, and the radius of the lake is 361 meters. Kawah Ijen is the largest acid lake in the world. The temperature on its surface reaches 60 °C, and at the greatest depth - 180-200 °C (during eruptions - up to 600 °C).

Many travelers dream of visiting the Ijen volcano only because sulfur vapors constantly fall from its depths. Sometimes this is the result of the activities of miners natural resource, which set fire to the surface of the lake, artificially releasing new portions of the fossil. But history includes dozens of serious natural eruptions.

During the excursion, tourists can also visit coffee and tea plantations and get acquainted with the living and working conditions of local residents.

The history of the Ijen volcano

The origin of the volcano's name is unknown. Local residents used the same toponyms for the lake and the mountain in which it was located.

The first stratovolcano on the island of Java appeared during the Pleistocene period, which began 2.588 million years ago and ended 11.7 thousand years ago. It was then that on the basis of basalt, andesite and other types of rocks the mountain range, which gradually acquired modern shape and its current geopolitical, natural, economic and tourist significance.

During its existence, scientists have recorded the different nature of the eruptions of the Ijen volcano, each of which is majestic and unique in its own way. The most catastrophic eruption was in 1817, which lasted more than 33 days and caused lake liquid to overflow its banks and flood nearby villages. At the same time, the situation was aggravated by mudflows, which destroyed more than 90 houses and took the lives of many local residents. Activity of such magnitude has never been recorded again.

Sulfur mining

The extraction of a natural resource hazardous to health on the Ijen volcano is carried out manually. Many people who do this work every day have no idea how dangerous this activity is. They simply protect themselves from the stench with the help of constant smoking and wet materials that they bite between their teeth, forming a kind of respirators. Most local residents are not able to survive the age of 45-47, and young people who have already spent several years in the foothills look like sick, frail old people. There are practically no elderly people among the locals.

• The best time to organize a trip: dry, warm season, which lasts from April to October.
• Price entrance ticket: 15,000 IDR (approximately 67 rubles). Travelers will need money for travel, overnight stays and food.
• A one-day hike to the mouth of the Ijen volcano is quite difficult physically. Experienced tourists try to take care of accommodation for the night in advance, because many are already exhausted by the road alone, and there is simply no energy left to go to their destination. Not far from the volcanoes there is the city of Litsin, where hotels with cozy rooms are located. There is another option: on the way to the vent there are tea and coffee plantations, where tired travelers are offered not only tasting aromatic tonic drinks, but also exciting excursions, as well as overnight accommodation.
• From the foot of the mountain to the crater there is only a 3 km climb, but this road is difficult and exhausting. The paths are hard and flat everywhere, so not only young active people, but also children and the elderly can travel here. The main thing is to check the weather forecast in advance, because with rain and strong winds, the trip can be overshadowed by limited visibility and consequences in the form of a cold.
• Many tourists mistakenly believe that the high temperature of Lake Kawah Ijen implies a mild climate along the entire route of ascent and descent to the crater of the volcano. This is wrong. The mountain is so high that already from the middle of the route many people need warm clothes, and at the very end high point Even the most persistent traveler will not refuse a jacket and warm socks.
• Sulfur vapors have a foul aroma, causing lacrimation and an acute reaction of the bronchopulmonary system. To ensure that an excursion to the Ijen volcano is not overshadowed by asthmatic attacks, it is necessary to take care of high-quality respirators or gas masks that will protect not only the mucous membranes of the face, but also the eyes from unpleasant and hazardous evaporation. The higher the protective properties of the device, the safer it is. There are known cases of sulfur vapor poisoning among tourists.
• Those travelers who want to do a good deed for the aborigines can stock up on cotton-gauze bandages and respirators for sulfur miners who cannot afford even the simplest mask.
• Equipment for the excursion should include comfortable shoes, gloves, and insulated clothing.

Another travel option is to book a one-day tour to Ijen from anywhere on the islands of Java or Bali. In the second case, the trip will begin with a ferry crossing, after which you will have to transfer to a bus and get to the city of Bonyuwangi. From here you can get to the plateau by minibus or private taxi. Climbing the mountain will take only 1.5-2 hours, and if after that you want to go down into the crater of the Ijen volcano, workers mining sulfur can become guides. They guide travelers along established routes to ensure a safe walk. They usually ask for a small fee for this (by agreement).

The Seven Wonders of the World are not just monuments Ancient world, but also a kind of calling card of several eras combined. Although, it must be admitted that this list can be continued, supplementing it not only with architectural structures, but also with original natural phenomena, which cause surprise and admiration among all mankind. One such example is a volcano. Kawah Ijen in Indonesia. The fact is that in the crater of this volcano there is a beautiful turquoise lake, in which you absolutely cannot swim, since the water in it is replaced by sulfuric acid.

At night, the liquid turns a rich blue color to the delight of all photographers and artists. We have selected the most spectacular shots Olivier Grunewal, illustrating Kawah Ijen at night. In the meantime, readers are looking at another miracle of nature, let’s talk about the volcano in more detail.

The attraction is located in Indonesia, the eastern part famous island Java. The height of the volcano is 2.6 kilometers, the diameter of the crater is 175 meters, and the depth of the lake is 212 meters. Even though the water is Kawah Ijen considered dangerous, and the acrid fumes cause an acute coughing attack, local residents go up to the lake every day to extract sulfur deposited on the adjacent stones.

The men climb the volcano on foot, armed with a metal rod and a pair of wicker baskets. In one go, an adult manages to carry up to 90 kilograms of sulfur on his shoulders, for which he receives 50 thousand rupees ($5). During the day, miners make 2 visits to the sulfur lake. By simple calculations, you can find out that the daily wage of an Indonesian is only 10 dollars for complex and dangerous work. And this despite the fact that the sulfur has to be carried on the shoulders in baskets connected to each other according to the principle of a rocker.

If a man wants to earn more, he continues to wear sulfur even after sunset. Considering the fact that there is no electricity Kawah Ijen no, you have to light the road with ordinary torches. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the fire does not illuminate the mining site well, so a person risks slipping off the path and getting his foot into the sulfur lake. After several months of such hellish work, the shoulders of each worker are covered with scars from the heavy burden. In addition, sulfur miners develop a chronic cough due to constant sulfur fumes settling on the lungs.

It’s a little easier for photographers who come to Indonesia to photograph Kawah Ijen. A short stay at the top of the volcano does not cause significant damage to health. But, as the photographers themselves admit, the clothes in which they climbed the volcano have to be thrown away, since the acrid smell of sulfur is simply impossible to wash. But all these inconveniences are completely compensated by the incredible feeling that arises when looking at sulfur glowing in the dark. It looks no less impressive when hot lava flows directly into the water.