Best time to go to Ijen Crater is in the early morning, it's about 4 a.m., after a few hours of half sleep. In the morning we  can find sulphur collector begin their job. The silence was magnificent. The only sound heard at these heights was the  soughing of the wind in the cemara trees. Audible for several kilometres, the wind could be heard whistling around the rim of  the caldera, sometimes taking a full minute to reach us.

As dawn approached we set up cameras overlooking the plateau to the west. Immediately in front of us stood the monstrous  crater of Mt Raung, which at 3,332m is the highest peak in the vicinity and among the tallest in Java. Raung is an active and  dangerous volcano, which is known to erupt regularly.Prior to 1838 the crater probably contained a lake, which would have  caused extensive flood damage during eruptions. Nowadays, however, the crater floor is dry. From the air, the gaping summit  of Raung presents an awesome spectacle, the sheer crater walls plunging half a kilometre into the heart of the mountain.

After photographing the changing colours of the early morning sky, from deep purple/blue/gray to golden yellow, we focused on  the mountain peaks. Raung, Pendil, Suket and, far to the west, the faint outline of Mt Argopura and the Iyang plateau, lay  like so many islands floating on a sea of cloud. As the first rays of the sun lit up the peaks, we set off on the last stage  of the journey, a 45 minute climb to the crater rim of ijen.

"If you lose your way, just look out for the sulphur trail", someone had advised us the day before. Now the meaning was  clear. A continuous flow of two way traffic, carrying the sulphur down the mountainside from the lake and trudging up again  to re-load, had left a yellow trail on the well worn path. Work obviously started early, since already at first light the men  who had shared our accommodation had left for the lake shore to load up their baskets.

The Ijen crater lies at approximately 2,300 metres above sea level. It forms a twin volcano with the now extinct Mt Merapi.  The enormous crater lake, which is 200 metres deep and covers an area of more than half a million square metres, contains  about 36 million cubic metres of steaming, acid water. A walk around the lake takes a full day.

The sight was breathtaking. From the still,  deep blue surface of the lake, heavily fissured white rock walls rose about 200 metres, enclosing the crater. To the north  east we could see the distant peak of Mt Baluran. Below, at the lake's edge, was a scene from Dante's inferno. Small figures  could be seen labouring amidst billowing clouds of smoke in the sulphur quarry. As we descended towards the mine, the rising  sun began to warm the surface of the lake, which soon changed to a sinister milky turquoise colour. Ripples appeared in the  water, disturbing the bright yellow, amoeba-like streaks of sulphur, which until that moment had rested motionless. Half an  hour later, when we arrived at the lake shore, the water had begun steaming.

The sulphur, we learned, is transported entirely on foot. In the past, horses were used but they were found to be less  practical on the hazardous terrain. Today, the mine yields nine to twelve tons of sulphur per day. Individual loads of up to  70 kgs are carried by men, often barefooted, up to the rim of the crater and then 17 km down the mountainside to a factory  near Banyuwangi. The porters are paid by weight. After arrival at the factory, the sulphur is treated before being used in  the production of medicines and as an important element in the processing of sugar.

The volcanic cone of Ijen dominates the landscape at the eastern end of Java. Crater of Ijen is filled by a spectacular  turquoise blue lake, its surface streaked in wind-blown patterns of yellow sulphur. Kawah Ijen is the world's largest highly  acidic lake and is the site of a labor-intensive sulfur mining operation in which sulfur-laden baskets are hand-carried from  the crater floor. Many other post-caldera cones and craters are located within the caldera or along its rim. The largest  concentration of post-caldera cones forms an E-W-trending zone across the southern side of the caldera. Coffee plantations  cover much of the Ijen caldera floor, and tourists are drawn to its waterfalls, hot springs, and dramatic volcanic scenery.

To Ijen Crater :
Is a nature wonder that can be reached from Banyuwangi and also can reached from Bondowoso. The Crater has 5,466 acres wide  on the elevation of 2,386m above sea level. During dry season from April through October the temperature drops to 2 - 18  Centigrade. Down to the crater sulphur mining can be found. Packed to this journey. A plantation tour to Perkebunan Nusantara  XII in Jampit can be arrange. You will get a new experience enjoying an arabica coffe plantation tour. A Very fresh air on  the elevation of 900 m above sea level will make your tour as unforgettable trip.

Anyone travelling on a clear day across the narrow strait separating East Java and Bali will almost certainly be impressed by  the two towering mountain peaks dominating the Javanese horizon. These are the summits of Mt Merapi and the crater rim of  Ijen, just two points lying on the edge of a vast caldera, which at its widest point is some 20 km in diameter.

The Ijen plateau lies in the centre of the Ijen Merapi-Maelang Reserve, which extends over much of the mountainous region  directly west of Banyuwangi and borders on the Baluran National Park in the north east. As at Bromo, the caldera is best  viewed from the air. Fortunately, almost all commercial flights operating between Denpasar and Surabaya, Yogyakarta or  Jakarta usually fly, if not directly over, then close by the Ijen plateau, where the seemingly luminous blue/green crater  lake forms an unmistakeable landmark. The lake lies at the far eastern end of the plateau and is without doubt among the most  impressive of East Java's natural wonders. Despite the long and arduous journey along punishing roads (a four wheel drive  vehicle is essential), the trip to Ijen is more than worth the effort and is sure to prove an unforgettable experience for  anyone who makes it to the end of the trail.

Kawah (crater) Ijen can be reached from either the east or the west. The latter is the more popular approach, since the climb  from the road's end to the edge of the lake is only one and a half hours. The road from Banyuwangi, on the other hand,  involves a six to seven hour trek from the village of Licin. The western route starts from Wonosari, a few kilometres outside  Bondowoso, the town famous for its bull fights. A narrow road, full of potholes, runs east and up from Wonosari, rapidly  deteriorating into bone shaking loose rock and gravel. Seemingly endless hairpin bends ascend into forests of casuarina  (cemara) trees, giving way to pine forests and coffee plantations. The temperature drops. At night, near the crater rim, it  can fall to about 5 degrees celsius. The road ends at Jampit, where very basic shelter is available. It is also possible to  sleep in the old vulcanology station further up the hill, now used by sulphur collectors, but permission must be obtained in  advance.