Ijen Crater
Spectacular scenery at an altitude of 30.000 feet from left window of the aircraft Surabaya-Denpasar evokes a question about the location of a green Tosca lake at an altitude of 2.000 feet. The lake looks like inside the crater with caldera wall as high as 300-500m. A towering mountain peaks located beside it. White smoke billowing from one of its crater, soaring into the air making the contrast with the surroundings which are green jade. The crater is Ijen crater, which is located in Banyuwangi, East Java. The spot has been ever published and well known in France by Ushuwaia Adventure show which shows Nicolai Hulot the explorer , sitting on a rubber boat telling about the origin of the lake of Ijen with zero degrees of acidity, has a depth of 200 meters.
Acidity is strong enough to dissolve the clothes and fingers. Bird view of the helicopter's camera view then switched to the edge of the caldera which showed the Ijen crater miners struggling to climb carrying dozens of kilograms of their load. Ijen crater is easy to visit via Banyuwangi or Bondowoso. The main uniqueness of Ijen crater is not only on a beautiful panoramic view but also on traditional sulfuris mining carried by human power. Traditional mining is said to be only found in Indonesia (Welirang and Ijen). The Load transported each weighing up to 85kg per person. This unusually heavy burden for most people, when sulfur is carried through steep caldera wall and 800m down the mountain as far as 3km. The Income received by a carrier is 25 thousand rupiah per day in average, or about 300 rupiah per kilo. A bearer is usually only able to bring down one time every day, because the weight of work.
A few hundred meters there is an ancient circular building from Dutch relic carved " Pengairan Kawah Ijen,"which means Ijen crater irrigation now it’s known as the Round Post, a post where the miners weigh the load and get a piece of paper about the content and value. The tour to Ijen crater, starts from Paltuding 1.600 meters above sea level, a Perhutani post at the bottom of Mountain of Merapi-Ijen. From here a dirt road ascends to an altitude of 2.400 m above sea level and takes about 2 hours of brisk walking.
We will meet many sulfur-bearers who greet one each other friendly along the road. Arrived at the crater rim, stunning scenery in front of the eye. A green lake tosca with a diameter of 1km covered in mist and smoke of sulfur is far below. Sulfur miners look small from the top. To go to the source of the sulfur, we need go down the caldera cliff rocks along the path which is through by the miners. Wet handkerchief is needed, because sometimes the wind carries the smoke into the path of decline. In the bottom of crater, parallel to the lake surface there is a place of sulfur extraction. Thick white smoke gushes out in iron pipe which is connected to the source of sulfur. The melt of 600oC fumaroles glowing in red melts out and freezes because of cold air, forming a bright yellow solid sulfur. Sometimes fumaroles coals burn uncontrolled, which are usually quenched by water immediately to prevent a chain pyrophoric reaction. Sulfur rocks are cut with a crowbar and carried to a basket. Breathing within this environment takes different struggle, the miners usually work biting pieces of fabric or existing cloth pieces as air filter.
Bisides directly toward the lake, going around the caldera can be done by taking more or less a full day. The climbing to the Ijen crater is generally recommended starting in the morning. For security reasons, the climbing to Ijen crater from Paltuding is closed after 02:00 PM, because of concentrated smoke and the possibility of wind direction that leads to a hiking trail. To pursue the journey in the morning, visitors are advised to stay at a nearby location in Bondowoso, clean mountain town, or in Situbondo a coastal town. If you like the atmosphere of the plantation, a memorable place to stay is the Guest House Coffee Plantation PTP Nusantara XII at Kalisat, Jampit. This Guest house is located within the complex housing estates at an altitude of about 1.200 meters above sea level. Also a clean enough tourism Cottage is available in Paltuding , or making the tent at the Paltuding campsite .
The average temperature in Ijen crater is at 13 ° C during the day and at 2 ° C during the night. To reach the Ijen crater today is not too difficult. There are two ways, first through the town of Banyuwangi as far as 38 km to the west, through Licin, Jambu, Paltuding (1.600mdpl). The second way is through Bondowoso town to the east through Wonosari, Sempol (800 mdpl), Paltuding as far as 70 km. The second way is the most widely taken because it is through a smooth asphalt road, while the first way through the makadam with a quite steep incline road. After visiting Bromo the
Foreign tourist usually come through Bondowoso, back through Banyuwangi, continues to Bali and Lombok. The route from Bondowoso through a limited area of coffee plantation, with three different gates. At each gate we will be asked to sign the guest book and travel destinations. The landscape of this route is very good, with a green arabika coffee plantations regularly arranged, Perhutani dense pine forest and reserve Perawan forest of Ijen-Merapi . A short visit can be done in one day, but spending the night at a coffee plantation is the right choice. Agro-tourism packages are available, visiting coffee plantations and coffee bean processing unit is worth to be considered.
source merpati.co.id
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