Ijen Crater

Ijen Crater is the biggest crater lake in Java. The sulfur crater lake lies between a natural dams of deeply etched rock. It is 200 meters deep and contains about 36million cubic meters of steaming acid water, shrouded in a smelling swirling sulfur cloud. Inside the crater the different color and size of stones are found. Indeed the crater of Ijen is beautiful garden of stone as well.

The view of sulfur miners who climb and go down to the crater is also amazing. A man puts about 10 kg of yellowish stone in to his basket, before he descends the mountain slope to sell his load, carrying the same basket, going in the same direction, digging the same mineral. It is the natural picture that can be seen everyday.

Ijen Plateau lies in the centre of Ijen-Merapi Malang Reserve, which extends over much of the mountainous region directly west of Banyuwangi and borders on the Baluran National Park in the northeast. As at Mt. Bromo, the caldera is best viewed from the air. Fortunately, almost all commercial flights operating between Denpasar - Surabaya, Yogyakarta or Jakarta usually fly, if not directly over, then close by Ijen plateau, where the seemingly luminous blue/green crater lake forms an unmistakable landmark. It is beautiful scenery and located about 32 km to the north west of Banyuwangi.

The principal attraction at Ijen is the large Crater Lake that has much sulfur, which lies hidden between sheer walls of deeply furrowed rock at more than 200 meters. The Ijen crater itself lies at approximately 2,300 meters above sea level. It forms a twin volcano with the now extinct Mount Merapi. The enormous Crater Lake, which is 200 meters deep and covers an area of more than meters, a million square meters, contains about 36 million cubic meters of steaming, acid water.

Ijen crater shows a special type of volcanic feature common to Indonesia, about 1 kilometer in diameter and 175 meters deep. The floor is covered completely by a warm lake, milky blue green in colours held back by a dam built many years ago by the Dutch, in order to keep the hot, mineral laden water from raining the crop lands below.

The crater can be reached from either the east or the west by any kinds of vehicles, but the second part of the trip covers distance 3 km on foot (jungle track). However, the latter is more popular approach, since the climb from the road's end to the edge of the lake is only one and a half hours. And a walk around the lake takes a full day.

The temperature drops at night, near the crater rim it can fall to about 5° 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 sulfur collectors, but permission must be obtained in advance.

The sulfur 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 sulfur per day.

Men carry individual loads of up to 70 kg, often barefooted, up to the rim of crater and then 17 km down the mountainside to a factory near Banyuwangi. The porters are paid by weight. The most important advice if you are traveling to Ijen is: "If you lose your way, just look out for the sulfur trail". The meaning was clear, since a continuous flow of two ways traffic, carrying the sulfur down the mountainside from the lake and trudging up again to re-load, had left a yellow trail on the well-worn path. The best time for seeing Ijen Crater is at 8 to 9 am.

HISTORY OF BANYUWANGI

ccording to available historical data regarding the history of Blambangan, Banyuwangi was formed on the 18th of December, 1771. Prior to the Puputan Bayu War (Banyuwangi local language meaning the war fought in Bayu, now Kecamatan Songgon), there was a heroic war, when Blambangan warriors lead by Prince Puger (the son of Wong Agung Wilis) attacked the VOC force in Banyualit in 1768.

 However, unfortunately the date of the event was not exactly recorded and there was an impression that the attack resulted in total defeat, but perhaps the enemy did not lose at all. Basically historical records of this event are extremely vague. It is known that during this battle Prince Puger died. After Lateng was destroyed, Wong Agung Wilis was captured and taken to Banda Island. Based on historical data, the name Banyuwangi cannot be separated from Blambangan Kingdom. Since the era of Prince Tawang Alun (1655-1691), Prince Sasranegara, Prince Mancanapua, Prince Danureja (1691-1736), Prince Danuningrat (1736-1763) and the time of occupation by Bali (1763-1767), the VOC had not been interested in entering and controlling Blambangan.
In 1743, the eastern part of Java (including Blambangan) was surrendered by Pakubuwono II to the VOC. The VOC felt that Blambangan belonged to them. It was temporarily considered a "stock good " that would be exploited when needed. Even when Prince Danuningrat wanted the aid of the VOC against Bali, the VOC was still not interested in Blambangan or the little part of Banyuwangi (at that time it was called Tirtaganda, Tirtoarum, or Tuyoarum). Then suddenly the VOC tried to annex Banyuwangi and secure the entire kingdom of Blambangan. During the five year war (1767-1772), the VOC attempted to annex Banyuwangi at the time that it was a thriving center of trade in Blambangan Kingdom dominated by the British.
Finally, it is clear that the birth of the place, known eventually as Banyuwangi, started with the Puputan Bayu War. If the British had not occupied Banyuwangi in 1766, perhaps the VOC would not have annexed Blambangan in 1767, and the Puputan Bayu War would not have happened. There is obviously a strong correlation between the Puputan Bayu War and the birth of Banyuwangi. Therefore, December 18th, 1771 is appropriately designated as the birthday of Banyuwangi.

BANYUWANGI INTRODUCTION

Banyuwangi is the eastern-most regency of East Java. To the north lies the regency of Situbondo. The regencies of Jember and Bondowoso neighbor Banyuwangi to the west. To the east lies the island of Bali and to the west lies the Indonesian Ocean. Banyuwangi is situated on the coordinate 70 45’ 15” S and 113’ 38.2” E. Because of its location, Banyuwangi has diverse natural scenery, rich art, culture, customs and traditions.

The beauty of nature is spread across Banyuwangi from the west to the east. Mountains, forests and beaches mark the landscape of the regency. For instance, Ijen Crater, in the western part of Banyuwangi is famous for its beautiful crater lake, the traditional sulfur miners who amazingly climb up and down the slope of Mount Merapi, and the plantations that cover the Crater’s slope. The National Park of Meru Betiri is famous for its Java Tiger and turtles. These locations form the center of the Tourism Developed area which is called the Diamond Triangle, which connects one Tourism Object to another.

Banyuwangi also has various art, culture, customs and traditions. One of the typical arts of Banyuwangi is Gandrung, a welcoming dance for distinguished guests. The dance is the defining dance of Banyuwangi. Besides Gandrung, Seblang, Kuntulan, Damarwulan, Angklung, Ketoprak, Barong, Kendang Kempul, Jaranan are arts that can be seen in Banyuwangi. Other customs that can be observed in Banyuwangi include the sea offering, metik (a celebration performed before rice and coffee harvesting), Rebo Wekasan, Kebo Visit Banyuwangi the Real Tropical Country keboan, Ruwatan, Tumplek punjen, Gredoan, Endog-endogan, etc. These events are performed every year and are included in the Calendar of Events of Banyuwangi. The typical handicrafts and traditional foods are available across Banyuwangi. The products and places that should be visited are Batik Tulis at Temenggungan and Tempo, Bamboo handicraft at Kecamatan Rogojampi and Kalipuro, etc. Banyuwangi also has typical food products; such as bagiak, selai pisang (banana jam) etc.

There native people of Banyuwangi are Banyuwanginese. They have their own dialect which combines the languages of Javanese and Balinese. Ethnic Javanese, Madurese, Balinese and people from Banjar also call Banyuwangi home. The diverse natural scenery, the rich art, culture, customs and traditions, constitute worthy treasures that must be introduced to all people. The people of Banyuwangi and the local government will be supported and benefited by tourism. The income from tourism will provide the capital to develop the regency of Banyuwangi. Tourists will also benefit from their rich experiences as they visit Banyuwangi.