THE VOLCANO
Located in East Java, Indonesia, Mount Ijen also known as "Gunung Merapi" (Mountain of Fire) is one of the many volcano's that you can't miss in Indonesia. There are only 2 volcanic blue flames in the world, one is in Iceland, and the other is located in Mount Ijen.
The volcano stands at nearly 2,800 m high. To foreigners, it's an amazing site and an amazing hike to experience. To the locals who live here, some work in the volcano as a miner. A labour intensive job inside the volcano that involves carrying a basket with sulphur out of the crater twice per day that weighs anywhere between 150-200 lbs. On an average the workers make under $17 CAD or $13 USD. Not only is this pure labour, it's also bad for their health when their bodies are constantly exposed to high concentrations of volcanic gas.
Sadly, many of the men who work here have a short life expectancy due to the fact that they're exposed to these kinds of conditions on a daily basis. The workers have minimal protection from the fumes as they mine alongside the world's largest acidic crater lake which has a pH level of 0.5, equivalent to a car battery acid.
That being said, keep this in mind. It is a great hike and a fun experience to be had, but you also need to mindful of the people working here. You're most likely to encounter a lot of the miners as you make your way down the crater, be sure to give way to them as they head up.
On a side note, my Seagate external drive had killed itself, I have very limited photos to share on this blog post as all of my photos were saved on that drive. The drive was not even dropped or damaged, in fact it's about 5 months old. I had it plugged in my computer then it just suddenly made beeping noises and killed itself. We're getting side tracked here so let's get back to the topic of this blog post!
YOUR SCHEDULE
Around 1:00 am, you'll get picked up by the tour company. You may do this hike on your own depending on how comfortable you feel hiking without a guide. Navigating around the trail will be fairly easy as there will be a lot of people doing the hike around the same time. My recommendation is to join a tour group if you're on a budget. This typically includes the pick up and drop off, a guide, a torch, a mask and the entrance fee. Around 2:00 am, you'll be entering the gate to start the hike. It'll be completely dark when you do this hike. After several hours, you will be at the top. From here, you can either go down to the crater or stay and wait for the sunrise. I highly suggest going down to the crater and witnessing the blue flame as well as the acidic crater lake up close (but not too close if you know what I mean). As you get closer to the crater, you'll need to put your mask on as the smoke get's stronger and the wind blows them in multiple directions. Sunrise is around 5:30 am. Try not to spend too much time down at the crater, but then again, if you want to get some shots like me, you'd be spending a lot more time than other people. So get your epic shots but be sure you store your media files anywhere else but a Seagate external hard drive (yes, I'm still bitter about my drive). Moving along, by 7:00 am, you're back to where you started. Your ride will be waiting for you here to take you back to your place.
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
Bring a torch if possible, whoever you booked the tour with is most likely going to provide the torch for your hike but there's a small chance (like in my experience) where they did not have enough lights for everyone.
You are starting this hike fairly early and depending on the time of the year you do this hike, you're going to want to wear something warm. Lastly, having extra water with you and something to take photos with is always a good idea.
THE EXPERIENCE
Overall, this is a great hike. As with many travel experiences, when you learn about the people who risk their lives working here and to actually be there to see what they go through, labour intensive jobs for a small amount of money, it really puts everything into perspective.
The once in a life time experiencing of seeing the volcanic blue flame is fascinating to see up close and in person. Make sure you get plenty of rest the day before you actually do the hike so that you are ready to go at 1 am the next day.
Mount Ijen is something else and if you are Indonesia, many of you I'm sure are most likely visiting Bali but if you have time, include East Java in your itinerary to experience a different part of the country and to also see the 1 of the only 2 volcanic blue flames in the world!
Climbing Mount Ijen is not a hard hike but also not an easy one if that makes sense. Some may struggle due to the fumes or just because this hike is done first thing in the morning. The whole experience and the views are all worth it in the end. To see a glimpse of my experience hiking Mount Ijen, check out my vlog down below. Safe travels and happy adventuring everyone!