The Amazing Wakatobi National Park

Wakatobi National Park is a marine national park located at South East Sulawesi province, Indonesia, between the Banda Sea to the north-east and the Flores Sea to the south-west.

The name of Wakatobi is an acronym of the four main islands in this archipelago are Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. Beside those four larger islands it also consists of many small islands such as Tokobao, North Lintea, South Lintea, Kampenaune, Hoga and Tolandono. The highest elevation is 274 metres (899 ft) on Wangi-Wangi, followed by Lagole Hill (271m) on Tomia, Terpadu Hill (222 m) on Binongko and Mount Sampuagiwolo (203 m) on Kaledupa.

Wakatobi National Park has very high marine resource potential, in terms of both species and uniqueness, with enchanting submarine landscapes. In terms of configuration, the marine waters of the park generally start flat and then slope seawards, with sheer precipices in some parts. The water depth varies, the deepest parts reaching 1,044 metres (3,425 ft) with sand and coral at the bottom.

The types of vegetation found in the Wakatobi National Park are mangrove forest, coastal forest, lowland swamp forest, riverbank vegetation, lowland rainforest, mountain rainforest and coral reefs. The Wakatobi Archipelago has 25 groups of coral reefs (the total circumference of the coral islands is 600 km) including fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls, which make this beautiful archipelago as one the best Marine Tourism object in the world.

The indigenous people who live around the Park belong to the Bajau tribe. Locals still commonly use spear-fishing. The uniqueness of the islands makes Wakatobi Archipelago as a perfect place for marine tourism activities such as diving, snorkeling, fishing, and swimming. It also a great place for camping and hiking. April to June and October to December is the best time to visit this amazing place.

The Breathtaking Views of Ijen Crater Lake

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.