TRANS IJEN

Ijen Midnight Adventure Sharing Tour Package

Ijen Crater is the biggest crater lake in Java. The sulfur crater lake lies between a natural dams of deeply etched rock. It is 200 meters deep and contains about 36million cubic meters of steaming acid water, shrouded in a smelling swirling sulfur cloud. Inside the crater the different color and size of stones are found. Indeed the crater of Ijen is beautiful garden of stone as well.

At night, this site is one of the only spot on Earth where it is possible to see blue fires. This is due to very hot gas coming from the volcanic conduits burning the sulfur, which leads to an extremely beautiful scenery. On the western part of the crater, a dam was build hundred years ago upstream of the Kali Pahit river

The view of sulfur miners who climb and go down to the crater is also amazing. A man puts about 80 kg of yellowish stone in to his basket, before he descends the mountain slope to sell his load, carrying the same basket, going in the same direction, digging the same mineral. It is the natural picture that can be seen everyday.

The sulfur is transported entirely on foot. In the past, horses were used but they were found to be less practical on the hazardous terrain.

Men carry individual loads of up to 80 kg, often barefooted, up to the rim of crater and then 3 km down the mountainside to a shelter near Paltuding. The miners carrying really heavy bamboo baskets of sulfur and they will get paid about  1000K IDR /kg (10 cent/kg), this is really small of money with compare to their hard works. I personally give you some advices, if you meet the miners please throw a smile to them and be nice.