When you see Ijen Crater Lake, you most likely wonder how come something so deadly can be incredibly beautiful at the same time? The volcanic lake, which is located in the Ijen Park Nature Reserve, may look extremely inviting due to its one of a kind beauty and its unique nature – but who would have thought that its beauty comes with so many challenges and worse of all, dangers? Keep reading to find out whether or not Ijen Crater Lake is worth a visit and those who have already made their mind about visiting, find all the things you need to know on how to safely reach the crater lake.
What is so special about the Ijen Crater?
Situated atop the Mount Ijen which is located comfortably between the Bondowoso and Banyuwangi district in East Java, Indonesia – the crater lake looks distinctive when it’s compared to any other craters out there in the world. A quick glance and you will notice the difference that is none other than its mesmerizing electric blue fire. The unique and dazzling blue fire almost always can be seen streaming down the mountaing when it’s dark – which is the primary reason why many tourists flocking to the site at night. The glow brings a few misconceptions as to what it really is – some cited that it’s actually lava, unfortunately, this is not true. The blue glow we see flowing down from the Ijen Crater Lake is actually the result of sulfuric gas combustion. The poisonous gas emerges from the cracks that are present in the volcano, its high temperature of up to 600-degree Celsius along with the high pressure, instantly ignites once it comes in contact with external sources, notably the air, which then sends the flame up for as far as 5-meter high. Once it’s propelled to the air, the liquid sulfur still continues burning as it slowly flows down the Ijen’s slope – this is exactly the thing that attracts many of us.
In addition to the unique blue glow, the Crater Lake is also famous for its stunning scenery, as if to complete the breathtaking views, there lies a turquoise blue lake. While this body of water seem like a thing of beauty on photographs, much like its infamous crater, this massive lake is also extremely dangerous as it’s poisonous as it is very acidic and has a temperature of over 200-degree Celsius at its bottom.
How do we get to the Ijen Crater Lake?
Tourists and mount climbers alike have long been making this volcanic complex one of their fascinating attraction when they are on a vacation in East Java. Generally signing up for one of the available Ijen Crater Lake Tour options offered out there, tourists typically get to the crater lake by combining with Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park tour and climbing the Mount Bromo, which also means they are staying the night nearby the volcano.
Other alternative to get to the infamous Ijen Crater Lake is via Surabaya by taking connecting train from Yogyakarta, and book a combine trip of Mount Bromo and Ijen Crater.