Mount Ijen is located in the tourist area of Ijen crater and is included in the Ijen tourist park which covers 2,560 hectares. More precisely it is between Licin sub-district, Banyuwangi and Klobang sub-district, Bondowoso. So you can go to Ijen's tourist attractions through two routes, namely Bondowoso and Banyuwangi lines.
Ijen Crater is very suitable for beginner climbers because the height is only 2,368 meters above sea level. One of the things that makes the crater lake look more beautiful is the caldera that surrounds the lake's crater with an area of 20 KM and has a depth of more than 300 meters, making it the largest lake crater on the island of Java.
Ijen Crater is one of the terrestrial craters in the world with acidity levels close to zero and temperatures reaching 200 degrees Celsius so that it can melt your body in an instant. But take it easy, as long as you are not in direct contact with the crater, you will remain safe. But you have to be careful with sulfur smoke which is very stinging and can make your breathing disrupted, it is expected that visitors use a mask when going down to the crater.
On the way down to the crater you also have to be careful because the extreme roads around it are only rocks and very steep ravines. If you slip, your history has finished. In addition, when you travel at night you should use a thick one because the air temperature at Mount Ijen at night can reach 2 degrees Celsius.
In the western part of the ijen crater a dam is made from the Dutch era. This dam was used to control the overflow of crater water. But at this time no longer functioned. This dam can be an alternative tour for those of you who want to know everything that is around the crater.
You can make this place a spot to take pictures or photographs. However, to go there you need extra energy because it is located a bit far and the road is extreme. On the east side of the ijen crater there is a very large cliff, even before you get to the location you can see this cliff. If you have seen this big cliff then you are close to the location.
The charm of the ijen crater lies in the blue fire which only has two in the world, one of them here. No wonder when you go on a tour to the crater you will find many tourists from various countries coming to see the blue fire. Some are just traveling, taking blue fire videos and doing research. Tourists who come to Mount Ijen usually come at night because they want to see the blue fire.Blue fire is only available at night because at noon, the light beam is inferior to the sun, but you can still see it at 5 a.m. from close range. You can also see it from a distance above the crater in the early hours of the morning, which is 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. but the blue fire looks small.
One of the highlights of visitors in the ijen crater is the presence of traditional miners. In Indonesia alone there are only two sulfur mines, namely in Gunung Welirang and in Ijen. Sulfur processing here is still not sophisticated and only relies on traditional tools, the miners take sulfur under the crater and use a crowbar to break sulfur into pieces that fit the size of the container they are carrying later.
After feeling enough they transported it upward, the track was quite high and draining and then on top they put it in the stroller and took it to the first post to weigh it. While transporting sulfur, the miners also offer souvenirs of sulfur or sulfur which have been formed into various kinds of writing or animals to tourists or tourists. Usually tourists give something valuable such as masks, flashlights etc. for miners.
