Ijen Plateau (1)

Wonderful

That’s the first impression for everyone who saw the beautiful overlooking about the “Kawah Ijen” (Ijen Crater / Plateau). Kawah Ijen is as crater of Mt Ijen which Mt Ijen is one of the active volcanoes, located between Bondowoso (Klobang Subdistrict) and Banyuwangi (Licin Subdistrict), part of Alas Purwo National Park, one of national conservation area in East Java

The short description about Kawah Ijen :
Elevation = 2,386 m (edge) and 2,145 m (lake) from sea level
Type = Stratovolcano
Coordinat = 8°03,5' S dan 114°14,5' E
Eruption = 1817 ; 1917 ; 1936 ; 1950 ; 1952 ; 1993 ; 1994 ; 1999

This crater, surely will offer us a lot of matter. The crater with large around 5,466 hectares has volcano crater eksotism, beautiful and charming nature. The quiet lake that has tosca colour of water is look like an elegance to everyone who saw it. The best time to enjoy the crater scenery is at morning, when the yellow sunlight glows the yellow water with their volume almost 200 million cubic and temperature around 200 Celcius degree, and shines also the surrounding mountain like mount Merapi (Mt Merapi in East Java I mean), the sister of Mount Ijen

Ijen crater is the acid lake, one of biggest lake acid in the world. It has zero degree of acid, and the acid is enough to dissolve clothes and your finger on water. This crater is famous, not only for local tourist, but all the world.

The lake is covered by crater’s wall stone which the kind of stone material’s is built by “Solfatra” and “Lapili”. This stone materials was created by volcano eruption, making sediment with black colour, real black. You can walk up here with your family, specialy for mountain adventure lovers who always looking for a new adventure objects. It has supported by local government with any representative facilities such as road (I think we must repair the road in some area, not whole), camping ground, hotel or lodging house that provided in near by Kawah Ijen

After you arrive at around of Ijen area, tourist generally choose hotel for their overnight at Jampit or Blawan village. They both are nice area, quiet, fresh and around by coffee plantation, specialy your trip to reach the hotel. You can choose at Arabica and Catimor homestay (hostel), or if you prefer to stay with higher quality and service, please visit and overnight at Ijen Resort. As your information, the Arabica and Catimor homestay (hostel), coffee plantation, coffee factory, strawberry plantation, it’s all managed by Plantation Department of local government. Please enjoy at hotel and in next morning, you will start to walk up to Ijen Crater

All of vehicle must stop at “Paltuding”, the last post before we walk up to Ijen Crater, take entrance fee and start to reach the Ijen Crater. The trip is 2 hours, up and easy road. 2 hours is similar with 33 small post on the edge of street and each small post has distance more and last 100 metres. So, you walk up to Ijen crater from Paltuding 3,3 km, good for your health .....

As long as your time walking up to Ijen Crater from the start point, around after 30 minutes you walk up, in your right and left side, you can see another beautiful objects, they are “Savanah” and “Stepa forest” in the faraway, with wild grass that height around 1 meter. Large of this “Savanah” and “Stepa forest” are around 10,000 hectares and lied between mountain groups that has the high up to peak in 2000 meters. The mountain groups is lied from Banyuwangi to Bondowoso and in green scenery

Mt Ijen is not the only one between Banyuwangi and Bondowoso, but the mountain group, such as Mt Kendeng, Mt Ringgih, Mt Merapi, Mt Ijen, Mt Papak, Mt Widodaren, Mt Pawenan, Mt Rante, Mt Jampit, Mt Raung, Mt Suket, Mt Kukusan, Mt Deleman, Mt Pendil, Mt Kenteng, Mt Panduan, Mt Anyar, Mt Gunung Lingker, This mountain groups will challenge us to also, climbing to the mountain group anywhere

The right month for us to climbing, recommend to do this around July – September although everyday we keep to handle visitors. Because, in July to September, we will find the edelweiss flower (everlasting flower), flower as mascot with easier during our climbing, at the slope of Mt Ijen and the mountain group, look like white colour in the faraway. …… (continue)