Ijen Crater Blue Fire Hike and Sunrise
Meet your tour guide in Ubud at 6 pm and drive to Gilimanuk, in the westernmost part of Bali, where you will reach the ferry terminal to Java. The journey takes about 4 hours.
Once in Gilimanuk, take a 1-hour ferry ride to Ketapang, the Banyuwangi ferry terminal. Please remember that Java is H-1 compared to Bali.
From there, at around midnight, continue to the Paltuding rest area. The road passes through beautiful landscapes of rice fields, small villages, and one of the last primary tropical rainforests left on Java island, surrounded by numerous volcanoes. You will mainly enjoy these sceneries on the way back during the daytime with your Indonesian tour guide.
From the Paltuding area, at around 1:30 am, start hiking to Ijen Crater. The 3 km hike takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, following a gentle slope and slightly uphill trail to reach the summit. The path is well maintained, and views of surrounding volcanoes and luxurious vegetation will accompany your journey.
From the crater rim, with a gas mask provided, go down to see the blue fire right on the edge of the acidic lake. The lake has a temperature of about 40°C, a pH of 0.5, and a maximum depth of around 200 meters. It is also the source of the Banyu Pahit River, resulting in highly acidic and metal-enriched river water that has a significant detrimental effect on the downstream river ecosystem.
After enjoying the spectacular blue fire, return to the crater rim to enjoy the sunrise over the entire volcanic area.
Your driver will pick you up in Paltuding and take you for breakfast.
After breakfast, continue your journey to the Ketapang ferry terminal to cross back to Bali.
Travel back to your hotel in Ubud.
