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The Kawah Ijen volcano and crater lake is arms down one of many world’s most spectacular sights. Don’t depart Indonesia with out seeing it, particularly for those who’re already visiting Java or Bali!

Ijen is the largest acid lake on this planet, and it’s additionally well-known for a loopy phenomenon referred to as the blue fireplace, the place you may see sizzling blue flame burning like lava at nighttime.

The excellent news is that Mount Ijen is fairly straightforward to go to from Bali and different elements of Indonesia. Most individuals both go to Ijen on an in a single day tour from Bali, or do it as a highway journey mixed with Mount Bromo and different epic sights in East Java.

This journey information will clarify find out how to get to Kawah Ijen, climbing suggestions, entrance charges, find out how to be protected, and all the pieces else it is advisable know earlier than you go!

UPDATE: Kawah Ijen re-opened on September 8, 2024, after being closed for 2 months due to seismic exercise. Here’s a hyperlink for the official announcement.

 

The place Is Kawah Ijen?

Mount Ijen is an lively volcano crater situated in East Java, Indonesia.

Kawah Ijen,which implies ‘lonely crater’, is close to the seaside city of Banyuwangi, which sits on the far jap finish of Java island.

Java was truly related to Bali by land in centuries previous, and although the 2 islands are separated by water these days, you may nonetheless journey between them fairly simply.
 

How To Get To Kawah Ijen

There are three most important methods to go to Kawah Ijen:

• Drive and take the ferry from Bali, or
• Fly to Banyuwangi and do the brief drive to Kawah Ijen from there, or
• Do a multi-day highway journey throughout a number of factors of curiosity in Java

I’ll clarify every of those choices beneath, after which we will focus on the hike itself.
 

 

• Drive To Ijen From Bali

Visiting Mount Ijen from Bali could be a good choice as a result of Bali is already so common and simple to succeed in.

Kawah Ijen and Banyuwangi are related to Bali by a ferry service that runs 24/7 (each quarter-hour). The ferries are dated however cozy sufficient, and so they cross the Bali strait in simply 30-45 minutes.

In case you’re staying in the primary vacationer areas of south Bali, it’s a 4 hour drive to the ferry port at Gilimanuk, after which after crossing you’ll must drive one other 1.5 hours to Ijen.

In complete, you may count on about 6-7 hours of transit time in every route, so it’s not likely potential to do that as a day journey from Bali. You’ll want a minimal of two days and 1 evening.

You may simply prepare this journey together with your favourite Bali driver or e-book a tour on-line, however I wouldn’t suggest driving a scooter all the way in which from Bali to Ijen as a result of the highway at Gilimanuk is notoriously harmful for motorbikes.

 

• Fly To Banyuwangi

Banyuwangi has its personal airport (BWX) and you may fly there from Jakarta or different locations.

This may be one of many quickest and best methods to get to Ijen, and it’s nonetheless fairly economical. You may store for flights to Banyuwangi at Skyscanner.

When you’re in Banyuwangi, it’s nonetheless a 1 hour drive to Mount Ijen from the city, however you may simply prepare this together with your resort or e-book a shared tour on-line for as little as 600k Rupiah (~$35 USD).

 

• Street Journey Throughout Java

One other nice method to go to the Kawah Ijen volcano is to take an epic highway journey throughout East Java, stopping in any respect the perfect sights like Mount Bromo, the Ijen crater, and a few of Java’s well-known waterfalls like Tumpak Sewu.

That was how we visited Ijen for the primary time, and it was an unforgettable expertise. The one draw back is {that a} full highway journey like that is dearer, and it takes extra time. Java is a giant island and issues are a bit unfold out.

You’ll want not less than 3 days, and even that’ll really feel rushed. The good factor is you can manage a Java highway journey beginning or ending in Bali, or you are able to do it from a metropolis like Yogyakarta in Java.

Check out my 1-week Java Journey Itinerary for extra concepts!

 

Finest Excursions For Mount Ijen

Listed below are some good tour packages for visiting the Kawah Ijen volcano:

We’ve used GetYourGuide for many excursions and actions all over the world, and so they’re nice. Extremely advisable!

 

 
 

Kawah Ijen Hike – What To Anticipate

 

Fast Stats

• Distance: 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) return
• Elevation Achieve: 435 meters (1,430 ft)
• Begin Elevation: 1,865 meters (6,120 ft)
• Finish Elevation: 2,300 meters (7,550 ft)
• Period: 3 – 5 hours return
• Problem: Reasonable

 

• Midnight Hike

The hike to the Kawah Ijen volcano usually begins with a midnight pickup out of your resort in Banyuwangi, a 1 hour drive to the park entrance, after which a crowded (however uninteresting) hike up the mountain at nighttime.

The primary path is all grime and pretty steep, but it surely’s nicely outlined and household pleasant. You’ll undoubtedly work up a sweat due to the incline, so for individuals who don’t do a lot climbing I’d price it as average.

The primary 2 kilometers of the trail is the steepest half, however then it ranges out and turns into flatter whenever you’re getting near the end line. The hike to the highest of Kawah Ijen has a a technique distance of three kilometers (1.8 mi) and also you achieve about 435 meters of elevation (1,430 ft). That’s not together with the blue flame part, after all. That comes later.

In case you’re actually feeling lazy (or in a rush), you may pay the native sulfur miners to push you up the hill on their trolleys for like 1 million Rupiah (~$60 USD). Critically!

There are many these guys working as porters on the path and so they’re very persistent attempting to promote rides. We discovered it form of annoying, however I suppose they wouldn’t be there until loads of vacationers are comfortable to pay it.

In complete, the hike to see the lake at Ijen takes about 1.5 hours relying in your tempo. In case you stroll rapidly I’m positive you possibly can do it in 1 hour, and even gradual hikers received’t take greater than 2 hours to succeed in the lake.

A tour information shouldn’t be required for this hike, though it may be useful to have one if you wish to see the blue fireplace at Kawah Ijen.

For these of you who plan to skip the blue fireplace (like we normally do), you don’t want to begin at midnight, though I’d nonetheless suggest you begin early and attempt to attain the crater lake for dawn in order for you the perfect views and photos of Kawah Ijen.

The dawn right here shouldn’t be something particular in itself, and really it’s blocked by a mountain, however the colours on the lake are good and it appears downright mystical within the early morning. We began strolling at 3 AM, and that was excellent.
 

• Kawah Ijen Blue Hearth

After arriving on the crater lake, most excursions will instantly begin to hike down into the crater to look at the blue fireplace at Kawah Ijen. You may solely see it within the darkest hours of evening, so there’s a restricted window of time to see it earlier than the solar comes up.

This electrical blue flame is a novel phenomenon brought on by sulfur gasoline burning at temps of as much as 600 °C (1,112 °F). The one different place on Earth the place you may see ‘blue lava’ like that is in Dallol, Ethiopia.

Nonetheless, the blue flame (and the hike down into the crater) is totally non-compulsory. The trail is crowded, it’s steep and rocky, there’s a nasty cloud of sulfur making it arduous to see or breathe, and it’s very arduous to get respectable pictures of the blue fireplace at nighttime.

Until you’re a professional photographer, you in all probability received’t get any nice photos of the blue flame (that guidelines me out). And even if you’re, it’s nonetheless a giant problem to attempt to seize it with a digicam at evening with smoke swirling round.

In case you resolve to go right down to the blue fireplace, this a part of the hike takes about 45 minutes in every route (plus an elevation change of ~150 meters), since it’s important to return up from the identical manner you got here.

 

• Kawah Ijen Crater Lake

The perfect factor to see at Kawah Ijen is the turquoise crater lake. It’s tremendous photogenic, and I believe the perfect time to take photos is true earlier than the dawn or else just a few hours after.

This 700-meter large lake is definitely the largest acid lake on this planet, and there are a bunch of various good viewpoints across the rim of the Kawa Ijen crater.

The perfect picture spot is a ‘dawn level’ with some twisted timber (GPS right here) you can attain with an additional half-hour of strolling. After you attain the primary view of the lake, simply flip proper and maintain strolling alongside the crater rim in a semi-circle till you discover it.

In case you have time, I might actually suggest staying right here after dawn and ready till the solar hits the Kawah Ijen lake itself. Most individuals depart earlier than then, however the solar actually lights up the turquoise coloration and it appears completely unreal.

 

• Sulfur Mining At Kawah Ijen

One of many distinctive issues concerning the Kawah Ijen volcano is that it’s mined for pure sulfur deposits, which come from an lively vent contained in the crater.

This is likely one of the hardest jobs on this planet as a result of the employees are carrying 90 kilo (200 lb) a great deal of sulfur, whereas continually being uncovered to a smoke cloud with nearly no safety. We noticed guys utilizing shirts over their mouths and a few with no masks in any respect.

Inhaling sulfur like this 24/7 is very unhealthy, and if I needed to guess, these guys in all probability received’t dwell to see previous age.

The sulfur is utilized in beauty merchandise, and the miners solely earn about $15 USD per day, which is taken into account good pay on this a part of Java in comparison with the residing prices.

The opposite hurdle is that they’ve to hold the sulfur baskets up out of the steep crater, after which all the way in which down the mountain, making a number of journeys per day.

Keep in mind to provide the miners the suitable of manner whereas they’re working, and for those who plan to take photos of them it’s best to ask permission earlier than you whip out your digicam.

Normally they’ll ask for a small tip in return for pictures. We gave a man 20k Rupiah and he appreciated it. On a busy day, I’m positive they get loads of suggestions!
 

 

Is Mount Ijen Secure?

Mount Ijen is mostly protected to go to, however when you’ve got bronchial asthma or any form of respiration/well being issues, I might undoubtedly skip the blue flame and simply benefit from the lake from above.

The sulfur cloud contained in the crater is nasty, even with a gasoline masks, and the wind can blow it in your route at any time. In case you keep out of the crater, sulfur gasoline is normally not a difficulty and also you received’t want a gasoline masks, though it nonetheless doesn’t harm to have one.

It’s a good suggestion to verify the present standing of Kawah Ijen earlier than you make journey plans, as a result of it’s an lively volcano in any case. The Indonesian authorities will shut the park in the event that they discover tremors or uncommon exercise.

Eruptions at Mount Ijen don’t appear to be quite common, however they do occur now and again. 49 Indonesian sulfur employees have been killed in a gasoline explosion in 1976, and one other 25 died in 1989. Extra lately, 30 native folks have been hospitalized by poisonous gasoline after a small eruption in 2018, and a sulfur employee drowned in a 3-meter tsunami from the lake in 2020.

I don’t need to scare you, that is only a reminder that security is rarely 100% with a volcano. However within the case of Ijen, I’d say it’s typically protected. The folks most in danger are the locals working within the backside of the crater 24/7.

In case you actually need to maximize your security, you may skip the blue flame and keep exterior of the crater. That’s the place a lot of the accidents have occurred through the years, and the perfect photos of the lake are from above anyway.

With that mentioned, the Kawah Ijen volcano does get a whole bunch of hundreds of tourists yearly, and people incidents are the one ones I’m conscious of within the final 50 years, so I’d say it has a fairly good security file total.

In case you go to Kawah Ijen with youngsters or older of us, I wouldn’t go contained in the crater (particularly at evening), however as a substitute simply have a look at the lake from above. This trek remains to be very worthwhile even for those who solely see the lake.

       
 
 

Entrance Charge

• Foreigners (weekdays): 100k IDR ($7 USD) / particular person
• Foreigners (weekends): 150k IDR ($10 USD) / particular person
• Home: 5k IDR / particular person

These entrance charges are present as of 2026.

Normally for those who e-book a tour of Kawa Ijen, the doorway charges are already included within the complete worth of the tour, in order that’s one thing you would possibly need to double verify together with your tour supplier.

 

Climate / Local weather

Although that is Indonesia, Mount Ijen might be fairly chilly earlier than dawn because it’s nicely above sea stage.

Temperatures within the early morning can drop beneath 7 Celsius (45 F), and it may well get windy too because you’re on an uncovered mountain. Nonetheless, after dawn it warms up fairly a bit.

It’s greatest to decorate in layers, as a result of whenever you’re climbing up the mountain you’ll heat up fairly fast and should even get sizzling.

 

Pattern Itinerary For Mount Ijen

Right here’s a pattern of what your itinerary at Kawa Ijen may appear to be.

Take into accout that is assuming you begin from Banyuwangi and need to see the blue fireplace. If that’s not your plan, then you are able to do no matter you need, and also you don’t have to comply with this itinerary in any respect.

Nonetheless, this appears to be the most typical schedule for folks visiting Kawa Ijen:

• 12:00 AM – Resort pickup and begin the tour to Kawa Ijen.
• 1:00 AM – Arrive at Mt. Ijen and begin climbing to the highest of the volcano.
• 2:30 AM – Arrive on the prime of the volcano and begin climbing down into the crater.
• 4:00 AM – Attain the underside of the crater and witness the electrical blue fireplace.
• 5.30 AM – Watch the dawn from the highest of the Ijen volcano.
• 8:00 AM – Begin climbing again right down to the primary park entrance.
• 9:00 AM – Arrive on the backside and drive again to your resort in Banyuwangi.
• 10:00 AM – Achieved! Arrive again in Banyuwangi for brunch.

Once more, for those who’re not planning to see the blue fireplace at Kawa Ijen, then you definately don’t have to comply with this itinerary in any respect, though I’d not less than attempt to attain the highest of the crater in time for dawn if potential.

 

What To Deliver

• Fuel Masks: In case you plan to see the blue fireplace at Kawah Ijen, you’ll undoubtedly want a gasoline masks for that a part of the hike. These are normally included with excursions, or you may hire them on the entrance for like 45k Rupiah. We purchased ours for 85k on Shopee and had them delivered to our resort in Bali.
• Goggles: Most individuals solely convey a gasoline masks for the blue flame, however goggles might be useful too for the reason that smoke burns your eyes. Our goggles have been included free with the gasoline masks we purchased on Shopee.
• Jacket: That is important for the dawn as a result of it may be fairly chilly. After dawn, it’ll heat up and then you definately’ll need to shed the jacket.
• Footwear: Common footwear are fantastic, however sturdy climbing footwear are higher for the Ijen hike. Generally the gravel could be a bit slippery, and the path is very tough for those who go down into the volcano crater.
• Poncho: In case you go to Mount Ijen in the course of the wet season in Indonesia (particularly December to February), you’ll need to convey a rain jacket simply in case.
• Snacks: Your Ijen tour could embody free breakfast, however they’re skimpy and also you’ll in all probability be wanting vitality snacks to go together with it.
• Headlight: A torch is helpful for climbing earlier than dawn for the reason that path could be very darkish. That is very true for those who go contained in the crater, as a result of it’s a steep and rocky path right down to the blue fireplace. I like this headlight from Bushnell or this one from Streamlight.
• Tripod: You’ll in all probability want this if you wish to get respectable photos of the blue flame at evening.

 

 

Different Ideas For Ijen

• Clothes: The sulfur odor is nasty and it stays in your garments, particularly for those who go very near the blue flame. Don’t put on good garments or jewellery. Silver particularly will probably be tarnished by the sulfur. While you wash and dry your garments, the odor will go away after awhile, however I nonetheless wouldn’t put on something fancy for this trek.
• Bogs: The final toilet is on the entrance gate. Do your small business earlier than you begin the hike. There aren’t any correct loos on the path to Ijen, though you’ll find loads of tall bushes to pee in close to the east facet of the crater lake.
• Cell Service: We had good reception with Telkomsel for a lot of the hike, together with respectable service on the prime of the crater lake itself.
• Drones: Up to now, drones are allowed at Mount Ijen and there aren’t any guidelines towards flying them. There’s loads of large open house to fly with out bothering folks, particularly for those who maintain strolling alongside the rim and get away from the primary crowds.
• Eating places: In case you cease for meals in Banyuwangi, try Kedai Panorama, Srengenge Wetan, or Firm Man Angkringan. Good meals at affordable costs!

 

The place To Keep

The primary base for visiting Kawah Ijen is the city of Banyuwangi, and most of the people keep not less than one evening there because you do the Ijen journey in a single day.

Banyuwangi has a number of respectable lodging now, with a wide range of homestays and motels, and due to the inflow of vacationers the choices are rising yearly.

If you wish to keep instantly at Ijen, try Avrila Guesthouse. Their rooms are very primary, however the location is tremendous handy because it’s solely a 3 minute stroll from the doorway to Ijen!
 

Banyuwangi Inns

 

Finest Time To Go to

There’s not likely a greatest month to go to Banyuwangi or the Kawah Ijen volcano, though any time within the dry season is healthier.

Indonesia’s dry season runs from April to November, and through this time there’s much less rain and the mountain visibility is greatest. This is applicable to East Java too.

You may nonetheless go to Ijen in the course of the wet season in East Java (December to March), and the mornings are usually clear. Even when it occurs to be cloudy, you may nonetheless see the crater lake.

Undoubtedly attempt to keep away from weekends and public holidays in Indonesia, as a result of the park can get very crowded throughout these occasions.

 
 

Is Mount Ijen Open / Closed?

Kawah Ijen is open for vacationers once more since September 8, 2024! Here’s a hyperlink for the official announcement.

It was closed quickly from July 12 to September 7, 2024, due to a rise in seismic exercise. Nonetheless, the warning stage was lowered to Degree 1 (‘Regular’) once more on August 13, 2024, and it’s re-opened now.

I’ll replace this journey information if the scenario adjustments. You may also verify on standing updates for all of Indonesia’s volcanoes at Magma Indonesia.

Blissful travels!

 

Well being Certificates Requirement For Kawah Ijen (2024)

Since January 6, 2024, there’s a brand new requirement for all hikers to indicate a well being certificates to be able to go to Kawah Ijen.

Based on the brand new rule, vacationers have to be in good well being, don’t have any historical past of bronchial asthma or coronary heart illness, and should present a well being certificates from a physician.

This new rule was prompted by the dying of a 64 yr previous vacationer from Jakarta on December 30, 2023, which was suspected to be as a consequence of exhaustion and coronary heart illness.

The vacationer who handed away was truly utilizing a trolley service, not climbing, however the comparatively excessive altitude and decrease oxygen ranges at Ijen may nonetheless be taxing for somebody who’s not in good well being.

You will get a well being certificates from any clinic or hospital within the Banyuwangi space. It takes quarter-hour and the worth ought to solely be round 30k to 100k Rupiah.

This can be a pretty new improvement and issues may change at any time. Based on Detik (Indonesian information) there’s already been some pushback from folks sad with the brand new rule, and I count on it should in all probability be brief lived, like standard.
 

Extra Issues To See Close to Ijen

There are many good issues to see close to Kawah Ijen and Banyuwangi, however two of the highest sights are Purple Island Seaside (Pulau Merah) and Djawatan Forest, an previous cover that appears like Fangorn Forest from the Lord of the Rings films.

Quite a lot of tour packages for Ijen embody a fast cease at Jagir Waterfall, and for those who go searching there are a bunch of different good ones like Belawan Waterfall.

The Ijen caldera is completely loaded with waterfalls, and so is the remainder of the Banyuwangi space. Close to the park entrance, there’s even a novel acid waterfall known as the Kalipait Waterfall that flows from the sulfur lake at Ijen.

You may try my 1-Week Java itinerary for extra concepts of what to do in East Java and Central Java.
 

Extra Indonesia Journey Guides

Thanks for trying! I hope you loved this journey information for Kawah Ijen.

Seeing the blue fireplace and volcano lake at Mt Ijen was top-of-the-line elements of our go to to East Java, Indonesia.

Don’t overlook to take a look at my different journey guides for extra suggestions, information, and pictures!
 

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