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Kawah Ijen
 The
IJen Plateau lies in the centre of the ijen - Merapi - Maelang Reserve,
which extends over much of the mountainous region to the west of Banyuwangi,
bordering or, the Baluran National Park. A luminous blue/green crater
lake lies at the far eastern end of the plateau and is without doubt
one of the most impressive of East Java's natural wonders.
The lake can be reached from either the east or the west. The latter
is the more popular approach, since it takes just an hour and a half
to hike up the mountainside from the road's end. From the Banyuwangi
side, however, the trek takes six to seven hours from the village of
Licin.
Kawah IJen is 2,300 metres above sea-level. The enormous lake, which
is 200 metres deep, contains approximately 36,000,000 cubic metres of
steaming, acid water. A walk around the crater takes a full day.
Sulphur is mined at the lake's edge and the average yield is nine to
twelve tons per day. Experienced sulphur collectors, who are paid by
weight, are able to transport loads of up to 70 kg to the top of the
crater and then 17 km down the mountainside to Banyuwangi, mostly on
foot. After arrival at the factory, the sulphur is treated for use in
the production of medicines as well as for processing sugar.
Visit to Ijen Crater website
with many Photos
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