Blue Flames of Kawah Ijen Volcano – Java, Indonesia

The Secret behind the Blue flames of Ijen Volcano Java

The fascinating fact about Ijen Volcano Java is that it emits Blue Flames. Many people are curious and excited about these Blue flames and visit this group of composite volcanoes, just to have a glimpse of it. These Blue Flames are due to burning Sulphur. This group of volcanoes has large Sulphur deposits and one can not visit here without a proper gas mask.

I first heard about Mt. Ijen’s blue flames from a British biologist who hiked Bromo with me. Thinking it would be impossibly far away I was happy to hear Mt. Ijen is on the way back to Bali from Mt. Bromo!

To save money I took a public bus to Bangyuwangi and found a group tour for about 200,000 IDR ($20). Ijen tours cost over $300 from Kuta but you can spend a fraction of that by taking public buses and staying in a local homestay. If you want a private tour it will cost you upwards of 1,000,000 IDR ($100).

Mount Ijen was picked as one of the hikes in Asia.
Scroll down to see why!

The driver picked me and 2 European couples up around midnight so we could start hiking by 2 AM. The blue flames are only visible from about midnight until sunrise so its worth an early morning trek.  Even if you can’t make that happen the caldera is absolutely stunning and well worth a daytrip.

During the day Mt. Ijen is a beautiful hike. It’s worth bringing a picnic and spending the day on this beautiful mountain. Head there at midnight to see the blue flames!

Hiking past hidden giants in pitch black reminded me of Dinosaur Ridge 3 am hikes with Seoul Hiking Group. Thankfully the path up Kawah (Indonesian for mountain) Ijen was much friendlier than that 15 hour beast of a trail. It takes about an hour before you reach the rim of Ijen. There are about 7 or 8 steep stretches of trail along this 3km journey. Taking appropriate breaks this hike is certainly achievable for any fitness level but it is by no means and EASY trek.

Getting to Mount Ijen
Option 1 – Book a private tour for over $300 per person from Bali
Option 2 – Take public transportation to either Bangyuwangi to Bondowoso on Java

Coming from Yogyakarta?  Check out this blogger’s experience on Mt Bromo before Mt. Ijen!

Descending into the crater gets a little hairier but as long as you go slow it is easy enough. Walking down the path you’ll start to see local miners coming up the trail carrying as much as 70kg of sulfur on their backs!

Meet Sunarto, he’s a local sulfur miner at Mt. Ijen. His nights are spent doing backbreaking labor for about $14/day in conditions that I couldn’t even take for a few seconds. He’s a hero for his family which makes him a hero to me.

Always yield to the miners, remember that you’re here on vacation while they are doing backbreaking labor for a measly $14/day! This is their job and they endure some of the worst conditions on Earth because the average salary in the region is $2/day. Their sacrifice feeds their family but sadly gives them an average lifespan of 45 years. The least you can do is let them pass. If you want to take a photo give them a tip and they’ll gladly take a break.

Once inside the crater, you should wear a gas mask. The only reason there is blue fire is that of the sulfurous gas coming out.  You’ll be happy to wear this wartime apparatus when puffs of sulfurous smoke billow towards you but even happier when the blue glows appears!

Inching closer blue flames become clearer and the source of the flames turns out to be a giant sulfur pit. An azure light sparkles in front of you dozen spots all at once.   This magical phenomenon left me jaw dropped in wonder and is certainly one of the mother natures most surprising sights.  The blue pyre feels like a live-action Japanese Anime that only airs later at night on top of a mountain.

Next, to the blaze, you’ll find a dozen or so miners tirelessly carving out chunks of sulfur. Too poor to afford filters for a gas mask I can’t even fathom how they work in these conditions. Noxious gases seep through my mask and sting my throat leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. In those awful moments when the wind shifts your eyes water and burn. Stay in if you dare but in the moment I tried to snap a photo I was forced to crouch low and shut my eyes praying for the winds to change. Truth is those photos weren’t even that great so I don’t recommend venturing into the smoke.

Sunarto and his friend Salim are often too poor to afford filters for their gas masks so they don’t even wear them. The miners have set up a series of ceramic pipes to collect sulfuric liquid from the smoke. It solidifies as is cools and they carve it out.

Before heading out of the crater be sure to check out the sulfurous lake. In the light, it shines a beautiful turquoise but if you were there for the blue fire the lake will have an eerie midnight hue. Steam comes off parts of this pond and you can touch the edge but beware this poisonous pool is the largest highly acidic lake in the world!

It will take 30-60 minutes to climb back up to the ridge and if you hurry you’ll watch the sun rise majestically over the ocean. Turn left and follow the ridgeline for a kilometer past Ijen’s peak and the sun will creep up over the horizon reflecting in the Indian Ocean.

Stay for a few hours and have a picnic or head back down. Either way Mt. Ijen will certainly be a highlight of your trip to Indonesia. Had I known about it when writing my bucket list it would have been at the top and should be on your bucket list!  I’ll never forget the blue glow of this fantastic volcano!

Sunarto and some of the other miners carve figurines into the crystallized sulfur and try to sell them to tourists.

Miners are working 24 hours a day. A strong miner can do 2 or 3 trips in a night carrying over 70kg. Sadly this work takes its toll as the average lifespan of the Kawah Ijen miners is only about 45 years old.  If you take a picture please tip them.  It’s the least you can do and honestly, no amount is too small.  Who knows, if they get enough it might even mean they don’t have to go back into the volcano tonight.