Hiking Mount Ijen: Blue Flames and a Sunrise Crater
I don’t quite remember how I found out about Mount Ijen on the island of Java, but I do remember that as soon as I saw the pictures of its turquoise crater and electric blue flames, I knew I had to go. It’s more or less the reason I came to Banyuwangi in the first place (although read here for why I’m glad I stayed!)
Mt. Ijen (or Gunung Ijen in Indonesian) is a volcano, but not just any volcano. It produces a high concentration of sulfuric gases, which ignite into blue flames when they come into contact with the air. Some of the sulfur also liquidates and cools, and miners then carry the sulfur out of the crater to sell to mining companies that use it for beauty products, refining sugar, and other not-so-savory uses.
In order to see the blue flames, you must view the crater at night, which is why we left our homestay at midnight (!). We hired a local guide, Irul, to drive us there and guide us on the hike. The hike up the volcano is paved, but incredibly steep, and the hike down to the flames is quite rocky. You could do it on your own, but having a guide in the dark was well worth the money to us, and along the way we got to know a pretty cool dude to boot.
About five miles down and five miles back on steep and rocky terrain, this hike was hard. But the views were absolutely spectacular. On the way up, as I huffed and puffed in the cold, feeling glad I’d packed my portable puffer jacket and trekker shoes, every glance I took upward revealed a night sky blanketed with so many stars, they didn’t seem real. I’ve never seen so many constellations in my life, or felt so close to the moon.
Descending down to the blue flames, we tightened our gas masks (the sulfuric gases are quite dangerous) and got as close as we felt safe. Unfortunately my iPhone wasn’t up to the task of capturing good imagery, so I just put it away and took in the sight of otherworldly electric blue flames undulating against the darkness.
After we’d had enough of the light show, Irul led us back up and around to the crater, where we watched a glorious sunrise reveal that blue-green beauty of a crater I’d been dreaming of.
Although I loved the hike, it was hard to watch the miners doing such difficult work and feeling like us tourists were in their way. Irul assured us that we were not, and that in fact they like the tourism boost as some hikers purchase sulfur souvenirs from them or hire them as guides, or even taksis (we saw one woman being carried up by two miners in a wheelbarrow! Yikes!) But you have to wonder whether and how Mt. Ijen can sustain this tourism without it adversely affecting what the miners must do.
All that said, it was a stunning sight I’ll never forget.
