Hello there! This post is about my experience climbing the Ijen volcano in Banyuwangi,Java Islands, Indonesia. Ijen is an active volcano but sleeping. The crater has enormous amounts of sulphur and the heat emitted from the crater burns the sulphuric gases causing blue flames.
It was the 5th of November,2018 and we were a group of 5 including our guide. We commenced our trek at 1 a.m. from the base camp. It is a 4 km trek to the view point. Our aim was to get to the top of the crater a little before sunrise(4 kms in 4 hrs, whats so impossible?). The first half an hour was not that difficult it was not as steep as people had claimed it to be, and the path was covered in loose gravel, I think we had covered about 500 mts. After about 1 km I started finding it a little hard as it started to get pretty steep and I kept wondering what had I gotten myself into. The entire path is covered in sulphur which is like loose cement so it is hard to get a grip and extremely steep. This is a midnight climb so you can not see anything around except for the path ahead of you(with the help of a torch). After a point I lost count of the number of times I slipped.
At 4 a.m. we reached the point where we could see the sulphur burning in the distance and noticed some small blue flames all over the mountain. The burning of the sulphuric gases were emitting some strong pungent smell(rotten egg smell) so you are advised to wear gas masks. Here we had a choice either to go down to the bank of the crater and see the flames up close or continue up and see the view of the lake at sunrise when the fog clears up a little. At this point I was exhausted and was on the verge of giving up. Throughout the way there were taxis that one could hire. The taxis were primitive hand drawn metal carts like the sort that is used to transport gravel or other building materials at construction sites. It was pathetic to see the men, most of them old, transporting the travellers who were unable to walk. My guide told us that the viewpoint was just around the corner and it is a half hour climb (only to realize his half hour meant one and a half hours). We were determined to go all the way and to do it on foot. We chose the latter and climbed our way up. The path from here was a rocky climb and through a forest of bushes that appeared burnt. As we were making our way to the point the sun was rising and the sky displayed such beautiful tones.(Yes I did miss the sunrise)
After a total of 5 hrs of hiking, there stood the mighty mountains in its enormous glory cradling a turquoise blue lake. It is so vast some parts of the crater were covered in smoke, some parts basking in the sun rays while some remained undisturbed and bathing you in its tranquility. It was like our very own private space as many tourists did not make it up here. We spent a good half hour taking pictures and absorbing the view as much as we could.
It started to get foggy again and we started our way back down around 7 a.m. and that is when we realized the actual steepness of the path. Though the walk is only 4 km long it covers a height of 2.7 kms(approx). If I had understood the massiveness of this before I had started,I would not have dared to climb this ever! We made it back to the base camp at 9 a.m. That was quick as I slid back down (literally). Reached our homestay at 10 a.m., took a good shower had some yummy breakfast and called it a day.
P.S.: This would not have been possible if not for the locals and our guide. Everytime I slid they would help me back up and encouraged us to make it to the end. And I am very glad I did not give up cause the view was worth it all.