Darkness engulfs me an hour into the climb. My headtorch light scatters as a mist envelops me near the top. I develop a dry cough as do others around me. The mist is not fog it is sulphur gas emitted from the volcano. On with the gas mask and take a few deep breaths to get used to it. Back to walking and the confined breathing feels all wrong, I back off on my pace for a while and develop a routine and all is right with the world again.
Mt Ijen is our last stop at the far east of Java just a short ferry ride from Bali Island. We stay the night at a beautiful little cottage in idyllic surrounds. Beautiful gardens, pavilions, lily ponds, koi fish and a gushing stream which is apparently home to an otter which sadly we do not see. The room sports a four poster bed with romantic mosquito netting and an outdoor shower. In the afternoon the daily rain assumes monsoonal proportions so we laze on the bed and watch an old classic movie “Krakatoa East of Java” to get us further into the volcano mood.
It is up early for a 3 am start to reach Ijen crater rim for sunrise. The 2800 metre volcano is still active but quiet for now. The steep 3.4km hike takes me 75 minutes. Pleasingly, at the rim the sulphur fog has dissipated. It is a short wait for daylight and I am treated to a grandstand view of the volcano with its bright blue thermal acid lake. In the western part of the crater is another vantage point named Blue Flame. It is from fumaroles there that the sulphur cloud is produced.
