Mount Ijen is an active volcano located on the border between Banyuwangi Regency and Bondowoso Regency, East Java, Indonesia. This mountain has an altitude of 2,443 masl and is located side by side with Mount Merapi. Mount Ijen last erupted in 1999. One of the most famous natural phenomena of Mount Ijen is the crater located at its peak. This mountain climbing can be started from several places. Climbers can depart from Banyuwangi or from Bondowoso.
Ijen Crater [edit | edit source]
Ijen Crater is an acidic crater lake located at the summit of Mount Ijen with a height of 2,443 meters above sea level with a lake depth of 200 meters and a crater area of ??5,466 hectares. Ijen Crater Lake is known to be the largest acidic water lake in the world [1]. Ijen Crater is located in the area of ??Ijen Tourism Park Bondowoso Regency and Banyuwangi Regency, East Java. Every morning around 2:00 to 4:00, around the crater can be found the phenomenon of blue fire or blue fire, which is the uniqueness of this place, because this natural scenery only occurs in two places in the world namely Iceland and Ijen. From the Ijen Crater, we can see other mountain scenery in the Ijen Mountains complex, including the peak of Mount Merapi which is in the east of Ijen Crater, Raung Mountain, Suket Mountain, Mount Rante, and so on. can watch the activities of local residents who work as sulfur miners in the ijen crater. usually we will meet them when we start the ascent of paltuding, they use the same route as tourists to go to the sulfur mine, we can chat with them while traveling, some of them also understand English because they are accustomed to interacting with foreign tourists. Once the day starts to clear, the activities of the miners will be clearer, how they mine with simple tools and makeshift personal protection, carrying sulfur weighing 50 to 60 kilos using baskets on their shoulders .if we want to see the blue fire make sure we are carrying a proper gas mask, so that it can withstand the thick and pungent sulfur fumes.