Ijen Crater is The Largest Crater Lake in The World

Mount Ijen Crater is one tourist destination in East Java, which is always crowded with visitors both domestic and foreign tourists. Enjoy the beautiful nature and cool mountain they often do with the way camp in Paltuding.


Ijen Crater Lake is a lake located at the top of the mountain Ijen. Because the process of Ijen volcano eruption, the crater filled with water, forming crater lakes are very beautiful and amazing. Crater lake with green water and air toska very acidic pH. In the southeast of the lake there is a field solfatara crater lake wall and in the western part of the crater there is a dam upstream from Kali Banyupait.

Field solfatara Mountain crater that is always releasing volcanic gases with a high concentration of sulfur gases and odors that sometimes sting and irritate the respiratory tract is a tourist attraction that never missed to attend, even this place is never empty during the day because there is always the sulfur miners take and transport / carry sublimat sulfur until the Paltuding.

Ijen Crater Dam is part of a tourist draw but not always visited by tourists due to among other accomplishments that are difficult due to the road to get there is often damaged due to landslides. Ijen Crater Dam is concrete buildings built since the Dutch colonial era and are intended to regulate the lake water level so as not to cause flooding of acid water. But the dam is now not working because the water never reached the door due to water seepage / leakage of water under the dam lake.
The occurrence of persistent seepage has resulted in a process of formation of gypsum from the reaction of sulfate contained in the lake water with calcium compounds from the water as well as with calcium from the rock that skipped and the process of evaporation is also accelerated its formation. Gypsum field can be one of the interesting tourist attraction when managed professionally.

Travel tour to the crater Ijen, starting from Paltuding 1.600 masl, an outpost at the foot of Mount Merapi Perhutani-Ijen. From here a dirt road continues to climb to an altitude of 2.400 m above sea level and takes about 1.5 - 2 hour walks. Along the way many sulfur bearers ran into a friendly exchange greetings. Arrive at the lip of the crater, a green lake with a diameter of 1 km tosca wrapped in mist and sulfur fumes were far below. To be able to go to the source of sulfur they will be, should be down the caldera cliff rocks along the path trodden by the miners. Wet handkerchief is necessary, because sometimes the wind carried the smoke to the path of decline.

Based crater, parallel to the surface of the lake there are other place of extraction of sulfur. Thick white smoke gushed out from a kind of iron pipe which is connected to a source of sulfur. 600oC molten red hot fumaroles melt out and frozen with cold air, forming a bright yellow solid sulfur. Sometimes uncontrolled burning embers fumaroles, which usually immediately drenched with water to prevent a chain reaction piroporik. Sulfur rocks are cut with a crowbar and transported kedlm basket. The miners generally worked, biting piece of cloth or cloth gloves as makeshift air filter.

Climbing to the crater Ijen generally recommended starting in the morning. For security reasons, the climb to the crater of Paltuding closed after 14:00, because pekatnya smoke and the possibility of wind direction that leads into the path of ascent. When traveling in the morning, visitors are advised to stay at a nearby location such as Cottage Tours in Paltuding clean enough, or open the tent at the campsite Paltuding. If you want to enjoy the atmosphere of the mountain plantation, a memorable place to stay is the Guest House Plantation Coffee PTP Nusantara XII in Kalisat, Jampit. This guest house is located inside the housing complex plantation at an altitude of about 1.200 masl. Temparature average around Ijen crater is 13 o C at noon and 2 o C at night. in lodging Paltuding.