Ijen Crater Tourism Area is situated in the middle area of Kawah Ijen nature reserves that located in sub-district Klobang, Bondowoso regency and Sub-district Licin, Banyuwangi regency, East Java province.
Surrounded by a landscape of lush coffee plantations and dramatic volcanic surrounds, Ijen Plateau is a quiet but active volcano with a stunning natural beauty that draws in visitors from around the world. It is the spectacular turqouise sulphur lake which fills the crater of Ijen which is the main attraction. The magnificent lake is located 2148 meters above sea level and is surrounded by the volcano’s sheer crater walls. At the edge of the lake, smoke billows from the vent of the volcano and the water begins to bubble whenever the volcanic activity increases.
Kawah Ijen (Ijen crater) is the world’s largest highly acidic lake. The vent also produces sulphur so it is the site of a labor intensive sulphur mining operation. Workers climb the crater every day transporting the sulphur by hand. Sulphur collectors are paid by the weight of what they collect and can carry loads of up to 80kg.
To see the stunning lake, visitors are recommended to hike during the dry season between April and October. The starting point for the trek is Pos Paltuding. The 3 km hike is steep and will take around 1½ hours.
The best time to enjoy the crater scenery is at morning, when the yellow sunlight glows the yellow water and shines the surrounding mountain like mount Merapi (not to be confused with Mount Merapi, in Central Java aka Gunung Merapi), the sister of Mount Ijen. Morning haze is creating a tranquility with breathtaking views of the sun emerging over magnificently dramatic scenery. At 2 pm, the crater is closed for the reason that the thick smoke from the crater that is poisonous.
Nearby the volcano there are also coffee plantations, hot springs and waterfalls to explore.