Hotelupwell.com – Mount Ijen is a volcano located on the border of Banyuwangi Regency and Bondowoso Regency, East Java, Indonesia. Mount Ijen has a height of 2,386 meters above sea level.
Mount Ijen last erupted in 1999. The climb to the area can be started from two places, namely from Banyuwangi or from Bondowoso.
Quoting from the Gunung Bagging page, Sunday, October 15 2023, the famous part of this area is the Ijen Crater, which is an acidic crater lake at the top of Mount Ijen with a lake depth of 200 meters and a crater area of 5,466 hectares. The Ijen crater lake is known as the largest strongly acidic lake in the world.
There are many more things about Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi besides its height. Here are six interesting facts about Mount Ijen summarized by Liputan6.com.
1. Blu Fire Phenomenon in Ijen Crater
Ijen Crater is within the Ijen Tourism Park Nature Reserve area, Bondowoso Regency and Banyuwangi Regency, East Java. The phenomenon of eternal blue fire or eternal blue fire is in the Ijen crater, and this natural sight only occurs in two places in the world, namely Ethiopia (Mount Dallol) and Ijen.
Blue fire can only be seen by the human eye when there is no light, therefore the ideal time to see it is from 2 to 4 in the morning, because climbing Mount Ijen only starts opening at 2 in the morning.
From Ijen Crater, we can see views of other mountains in the Ijen Mountains complex, including the peak of Mount Marapi which is to the east of Ijen Crater, Mount Raung, Mount Suket, and Mount Rante.
2. The diameter of the Ijen Crater is up to 1 km
Ijen Crater exhibits a special type of volcanic feature that is common in Indonesia, with a diameter of about 1 kilometer and a depth of 175 meters. The floor is completely covered by a warm, milky blue-green lake held back by a dam built many years ago by the Dutch, to keep the hot, mineral-laden water from raining down on the plant soil below.
The temperature drops at night, near the crater rim it can drop to around 5 degrees Celsius. The road ends in Jampit, where very basic shelter is available. It is also possible to sleep at the old volcanological station on the hill, now used by sulfur collectors, but permission must be obtained beforehand
3. Ijen Caldera Has Coffee Plantations
The Merapi-Ijen volcanic complex is located within the Ijen caldera. The Ijen Caldera is about 20 kilometers wide and is famous for its Arabica coffee plantations. Mount Merapi, but not to be confused with the volcano of the same name in Central Java or Mount Marapi in West Sumatra is the highest point of the caldera complex, on its eastern edge.
4. How to reach the crater of Mount Ijen
To reach the crater of Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, visitors can use the economy train to Banyuwangi and get off at Banyuwangi City Station then take a motorbike taxi to Licin District and Tamansari Village.
From Tamansari, the journey continues to Paltuding by boarding a sulfur truck or using a bus and getting off in Banyuwangi city, then taking a motorbike taxi, you can go straight to Paltuding or to Tamansari Village, but by using the bus the fare will be more expensive.
The main gate to the Ijen Crater Tourism Park Nature Reserve is located in Paltuding, which is also a PHPA Post (Forest Protection and Nature Preservation). The alternative route is Bondowoso – Wonosari – Tapen – Sempol – Paltuding.
5. The climbing route is quite difficult
The initial 2 km route is quite difficult because it is uphill. Most of the paths are at a slope of 25-35 degrees. Apart from being uphill, the structure of the soil is also sandy, which makes walking harder because you have to support your body weight so you don’t slide backwards.
After resting at Warung Pos Bundar, so named because of the unique circular shape of the post, the next path up is quite steep and slippery. Then continue for the last 1 km which is relatively gentle, but tourists and climbers will be treated to a very beautiful view of a row of mountains. To descend to the crater you have to cross rocky terrain for 800 meters with steep conditions up to a slope of 45 degrees.
