After 5-6 hours car ride from Bromo, we reached the Banyuwangi area at about 7pm. Dinner and rest to wake up again at 4am for the Ijen crater excursion. The blue flames can only be seen when it’s dark, so you will have to reach down the crater before the sunrise. The hike up and down is pretty challenging for a non-fit person like me and the route down the crater is actually pretty scary. You have to walk downhill across some steep rocks and it’s super dark (so don’t forget your torchlight).
Hiking almost 3km uphill and 3km downhill to see the blue flames.
The dancing blue flames, the best my camera could capture; but you really should see it with your own eyes.As the day got brighter, the less visible the blue flames will be. They are not actually flames, the glow is actually the light from the combustion of sulfuric gases escaping from cracks as they come in contact with the air.
Panorama view of the Ijen crater. To the right is the Ijen Crater Lake which is acidic, it can corrode steel such as nails. The lake is green because of the hydrochloric acid in the water.Another tip: Bring face masks, as you don’t want to inhale too much of the gasses and also wear something that you won’t miss throwing away because the stink smell of the sulfur may stick on your clothes even after 5-6 washings.The Ijen-miners actually dig out the sulfurs and sell them for some small buck. They carry from 70-80kg of sulfur up and down the crater about 3 times daily.
It’s a really tough and dangerous job, they inhale harmful gases daily and they sell the sulfur for about 1000 Indonesian rupiah per kilo, which is just a about 30 cents RM.
At the edge of the crater
Bali, last stop
Next, we’.re off to Lovina, Bali by car, crossing the sea by ferry.
Black sandy beaches of Lovina, the northern part of Bali where the sand are not as white and smooth, but it’s a good spot to see dolphins.Lovina, Bali
Sunrise in Lovina. All the boats are waiting for the dolphins as they will rise up during this time, but seeing too many boats surrounding and chasing a group of dolphins makes me feel sorry for them. Probably the government should enforce some rules against the number of boats that is allowed to operate as to not harm or scare the dolphins away.
Saw a few dolphins, although they were just too fast for my camera.Stayed one night in Lovina. Time to rest and unwind.Must try local food – Gurami Terbang or Flying Fish. Super delicious fish fried with the bones separated.
On the last day, we stopped by the temple Pura Ulun Danu on the way to the Kuta. Spent one night in Kuta before catching our flight back to Kuala Lumpur the day after.
Pura Ulun Danu temple which is located on the shores of Lake Bratan in the mountains near Bedugul.
Have you been to Kawah Ijen? I would love to hear what you think. If you like this article, do share!
Hi there, read through your posts on your trip to surabaya and ijen. Mind if you share with us the tour guide’s contact and package you engaged for your trip? It looks amazinggg!
Hi there, read through your posts on your trip to surabaya and ijen. Mind if you share with us the tour guide’s contact and package you engaged for your trip? It looks amazinggg!
Hi Siqi, the driver and tour guy is listed on the first post : http://webmaya.com.my/surabaya-bromo-kawah-ijen-bali-in-5-days-pt-1/