Kawah Ijen

Miner reaching the rim of the crater with baskets full of sulfur.

The Ijen volcano is famous for being the last place where the sulfur is mined manually inside a volcano. Workers climb the Ijen and then go down the crater to collect chunks of solidified sulfur then have to carry back up to 90 Kg on their shoulders. They do this while being enveloped by toxic fumes. No need to say that it's a dangerous and painful work, but the pay is worth the risk for them. Our guide explained that the Indonesian government is now helping the miners learn English in order to become guides, a less dangerous and better payed job.

Along with the miners, the Ijen sees tourists attracted by its turquoise lac and blue flames. The hike to the rim of the crater is an easy 1-2 hours walk. If you want to go down the crater you will need a gas mask, a head torchlight and a guide. Other guides will try to stop you if you try to go down without a local guide. While the first part is easy the path down is dangerous. It's a slippery, steep, rock trail that you will most likely do by night if you want to see the blue flames. Take your time and watch where you put your feet.

For Ubud to Banyuwangi by bus see at the bottom.

On the rim of the crater.

Miner breaking chunks of sulfur.

Blue flame created by burning sulfur.

People walking down inside the crater.
Another cone seen from the Ijen.



Our car broke on our way back to Banyuwangi. We had some people in our group who had booked a train the morning we came down from the Ijen and thus had to hitchhike their way down. My advise is to stay around Banyuwangi the day you come back. Crappy cars and landslides are common in Indonesia.

How to go to the Ijen from Ubud (Bali) by bus ?
The best hub for the Ijen is the town of Banyuwangi. It's also the port that link the islands of Java and Bali, thus it's easy to go there by bus and ferry. (Banyuwangi has an airport, but at the time of writing no direct flight.) From Ubud, you will first need to go to the Mengwi bus terminal. I took a taxi for 200'000 Indonesian rupiah (40 minutes). There I found a bus going to Banyuwangi for 200'000 rupiah (4 hours, leave at 7:00 am, company: Lorena). You don't have to worry about the ferry because the bus itself board the ferry. The port on the Java side is outside the town center so I had to take a Bemo (tiny-mini-bus) for 50'000 rupiah. The bus terminal is a bit shady and I think there was a cheaper bus (no AC and no snack) that went to the center of Banyuwangi for 85'000 rupiah, but I had already payed.

Bus on the ferry crossing from Bali to Java.

Snack and blanket on the bus from Mengwi to Banyuwangi.

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