A trio of top activities await the adventurous explorer in East Java.
From Flores I flew back to Bali for, one night, before taking a charter bus to Gilimanuk where I caught the ferry to Ketapang, on mainland Java. It was then a short Gojek bike ride to my accommodation (Banana Guesthouse) in the lovely named town of Banyuwangi.
What is Gojek?
The name Gojek comes from the term “Ojek” or motorbike taxis commonly found throughout Indonesia. It was founded in 2010 with 20 motorbike drivers. Gojek app was launched in January 2015, and in less than two years, the app racked up nearly 30 million downloads. Gojek has partnered with Singapore’s biggest bank DBS.
It was at my accommodation – Banana Homestay – that I met Matteo from Italy. We had both chosen to stay in Banyuwangi to do one thing.
Activity number one: Ijen.
I’ve done some things in my time, but this first activity here in East Java probably ranks as one of the more risky!
Kawah Ijen Volcano, home to the iconic Ijen Crater Lake and its mesmerising blue fire phenomenon, is a natural wonder that draws adventurers to East Java from all over the world.
The blue flame is a rare occurrence that emerges from the depths of the crater, casting an enchanting blue glow.
After a tough trek through the night and into the early morning, you venture into the heart of Kawah Ijen, where you find a beautiful turquoise acidic lake, a rugged volcanic landscape, and the unique sight of sulphur miners toiling in an unbelievably inhospitable environment.
Waking up in the middle of the night and trekking up – and then down inside – a volcanic crater is one thing. Add a low-powered head torch, a gas mask for safety, an incredibly steep and uneven path, and, as you will no doubt gather, it’s not for the faint-hearted.
In order to do all of this, you are collected from your accommodation at midnight. You and your tour group are then taken to a nearby clinic, where you receive a health check. Finally, you are dropped off at the start of the hike, where you meet your guide.
It’s a very popular tour and, during peak season, visitor numbers can reach well over a thousand. Fortunately, it was low season when I visited, so there were around 300 tourists in total.
It’s then a three-hour hike up the side of the volcano before the descent into the crater begins. It was tough going, I have to admit.
Along the route, we met the miners hauling up blocks of sulphur that they had just harvested. These were loaded into baskets held in a yoke-like construction strung across their shoulders. The combined weight of the loaded baskets can be around 85 kg.
The work is dangerous, and the miners face hellish conditions, including constant exposure to toxic sulphur fumes. As visitors, we had to wear gas masks when descending into the crater to avoid inhaling the fumes, particularly when the wind changed direction and thick clouds of sulphur smoke suddenly engulfed the path. The miners, however, often appeared to have only limited protection as they continued working in this incredibly hostile environment. Many also had cigarettes in their mouths, further adding to what already seemed an unbelievably unhealthy and dangerous way to make a living.
Walking back out of the crater was another challenge altogether. After making the steep descent in the darkness, we now had to climb back up the same narrow, uneven path, all while wearing our gas masks whenever the sulphur fumes blew in our direction. The climb was challenging, with loose rocks and steep sections making every step a little more difficult.
As we slowly made our way back towards the rim, we passed the sulphur miners heading in the opposite direction, carrying their impossibly heavy loads up the crater. It was hard enough for us with nothing more than a small backpack, so seeing them negotiate the same steep path with around 85 kg of sulphur balanced across their shoulders was quite extraordinary.
Finally reaching the top of the crater felt like a real achievement. After the darkness, fumes and noise from deep inside the volcano, it was a relief to remove the gas mask, take a deep breath of fresh air and look back at the extraordinary landscape we had just climbed out of.
Check out this BBC article The men who mine the Devil’s gold
Surrounding countryside.
