The Ijen Plateau near Banyuwangi and Bondowoso is a less well known but in its own way equally spectacular area of volcanic activity. The Ijen Plateau is the centrepoint of the large mountain range west of Banyuwangi and which abutts the Baluran National Park to the north. For the adventurous traveller a visit to the Ijen Crater (Kawah Ijen) whilst in the region is a must. The crater can be approached from Bondowoso in the west or Banyuwangi in the east. The Bondowoso route is recommended as the road is relatively better (although that is not saying much) and the 90 minute foot climb much easier. When you arrive the colour of the water in the lake is scarcely believable being an extraordinary vivid aqua blue. Evidence of volcanic activity is everywhere with steaming water and brilliant yellow crystaline sulphur deposits. The Ijen Crater is one of the great natural wonders of Indonesia.

This is the second post for my recent 8-day journey in Java, Indonesia. My journey included:

Surabaya-Ijen Plateau-Mount Bromo-Surabaya-Yogyakarta


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The Ijen volcano complex is a group of stratovolcanoes, in East Java, Indonesia. It is inside a larger caldera Ijen, which is about 20 kilometers wide. The Gunung Merapi stratovolcano (not to be confused with Central Java’s Gunung Merapi) is the highest point of that complex.

West of Gunung Merapi is the Ijen volcano, which has a one-kilometer-wide turquoise-colored acid crater lake. The lake is the site of a labor-intensive sulfur mining operation, in which sulfur-laden baskets are carried by hand from the crater floor. Many other post-caldera cones and craters are located within the caldera or along its rim. The largest concentration of post-caldera cones forms an E-W-trending zone across the southern side of the caldera. The active crater at Kawah Ijen has an equivalent radius of 361 meters, a surface of 41 – 106 square meters. It is 200 meters deep and has a volume of 36 – 106 cubic meters.

An active vent at the edge of the lake is a source of elemental sulfur, and supports a mining operation. Escaping volcanic gasses are channeled through a network of ceramic pipes, resulting in condensation of molten sulfur. The sulfur, which is deep red in color when molten, pours slowly from the ends of these pipes and pools on the ground, turning bright yellow as it cools. The cooled material is broken into large pieces and carried out in baskets by the miners. Typical loads range from 70 – 100 kilograms, and must be carried to the crater rim approximately 200 meters above before being carried several kilometers down the mountain. Most miners make this journey twice a day. The miners are paid by a nearby sugar refinery by the weight of sulfur transported; as of July 2005 the typical daily earnings were equivalent to approximately USD5.00. The miners often use insufficient protection while working around the volcano and are susceptible to numerous respiratory complaints.

More pictures on Ijen Plateau available [here...]

There’s no denying that Surabaya is big, noisy, polluted and intimidating. As Indonesia’s second-largest city and the home of the country’s navy, Surabaya is a colossal port peppered with cranes, corporate buildings and crowded spaces. Against the calm of rural East Java, it is pandemonium writ large. But while Surabaya has all the trappings of a modern city, it too has its contrasts. Brightly daubed ‘Becak’ still cut blindly through the waves of Japanese saloon cars, and the claustrophobic streets of the city’s old town hum with the sights, sounds and smells of earlier times.

My recent 8-day trip to Indonesia took me to several exotic places such as Ijen Plateau, Mount Bromo, Yogyakarta and Surabaya. This post on Surabaya will be the beginning of a series of posts on Indonesia in the next few weeks.

This was my journey:
Surabaya-Ijen Plateau-Mount Bromo-Surabaya-Yogyakarta


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For most foreign visitors, the city is merely a place to change buses or trains for Bali or Yogyakarta. For locals, however, Surabaya is closely linked to the birth of the Indonesian nation, as it was here that the battle for independence began. To them, Surabaya is Kota Pahlawan (City of Heroes), and statues commemorating independence are scattered all over the city.

Below is my trip itinerary for your own future reference.

Day 01: SURABAYA – IJEN CRATER BANYUWANGI
Transfer from Surabaya airport to the small town of Banyuwangi regency where Ijen Crater located. The journey takes approximately 6-7 hours by a Suzuki Arena MPV with stops en route at hot flood mud of Sidoarjo (LAPINDO) and having lunch at local restaurant on the way. Upon our arrival Banyuwangi, we stayed overnight at Arabica Home Stay.

Day 02: BANYUWANGI HOTEL – IJEN CRATER TOURS – MT. BROMO
Early wake-up call and having breakfast box then drive to the village of Licin and then drive to the slope of Mount Ijen, passing through plantations and rain forest. This is one of the few left in the island of Java with giant ferns and big trees. Stop by at the Park Rangers post before hiking further up to the slope of the crater. About one hour and a half to two hours is needed to ascend the rim of the crater along a shady track with amazing views. Take a rest on the edge of the crater at 2883 meter altitude. The sulfuric lake reflects eerie color over the surrounding walls to give an apocalypse like impression. Workers seeking sulfur descend into the crater and climb back up along the dangerous rim with loads of up to 80 kilos on their shoulder. The crater observation will be at leisure. Afterwards drive down back to Banyuwangi town for having lunch at local restaurant. Then we continued to drive to Mt. Bromo area for about 4-5hours. Upon arrival in Mt. Bromo, we stayed at Cemara Indah and had dinner

Day 03: MT. BROMO HOTEL – BROMO TOUR – SURABAYA
At 4 am the 4WD brought us to the world’s most famous view point at Mount Pananjakan on the rim of the Tengger caldera to see sunrise with its
young volcanic mountains including Mount Bromo and Mount Semeru.

Witness the breathtaking sunrise covered by fog of the caldera. The adventure continued with a horse ride along the Mount Bromo
volcano. At 8:00am, the 4WD brought us back to the hotel for breakfast, took shower, packing, loading bags, to the vehicle then transfered out to Surabaya. We left Mt. Bromo at 09:00 to Surabaya and took us about 3-4 hours to Surabaya depending on traffic situation.

More pictures on Surabaya available [here...]