In all of Indonesia, which is quite large, the most popular among tourists from all over the world is the tiny island of Bali, which occupies less than 1% of the total area of the country. At the same time, very close, literally across a small strait, is the “capital” Java, one of the largest islands in the country, where tourists visit much less frequently.
From the point of view of the development of infrastructure and tourist services, this island is far from ideal, at least from a European point of view, but there are a huge number of places interesting to visit and, first of all, volcanoes (there are a total of There are approximately 120 Java, of which 30 are active). So local residents use the phrase “I live like on a volcano” not as a phraseological unit, but as a common description of their life.
Ijen
This is the closest volcano to the east coast of Java, and therefore to the island of Bali. In its crater there is a turquoise sulfur lake that looks absolutely fantastic! Near the crater, local residents manually extract sulfur, so on the way to the top you can meet workers carrying huge baskets weighing 50-60 kg on their shoulders.
Also in the crater of the volcano one can observe another interesting phenomenon – in some places volcanic sulfur dioxide gas comes to the surface and ignites, thus forming a faint blue glow. You can only see it in the dark, so many tourists try to get there early in the morning, before dawn.
Tenger Volcanic Complex
Tengger is a complex consisting of three volcanoes: Batok, Bromo and Semeru. Each of them has its own zest, but together they form a picture that is the hallmark of Java, which will take your breath away! It is best to look at the valley from above, from the observation deck; it is from there that the complex of volcanoes appears in the most advantageous light, and the valley itself amazes with its cosmic landscape.
Well, then you can go down, walk along the valley (or ride a horse, which the locals offer),
climb the Bromo volcano and look into its crater. Of course, you can’t see seething lava, as it is sometimes depicted in cartoons, but steam rises from the volcano constantly – the volcano is active and it erupts periodically, so before going there, it is better to clarify the situation.
Batok Volcano. Photo:
Vladislav Belchenko, nat-geo.ru
You can’t climb Batok Volcano, but from the outside it looks very impressive. It is the smallest and even looks decorative, such a classic, neat, symmetrical volcano, as they are often depicted in pictures.
The third volcano in the complex, Semeru is the highest volcano in Indonesia at 3676 meters. It is possible to climb to the top, but this will require a couple of days, good physical shape and excellent health. Semeru is also an active volcano, every 20-30 minutes it spews out clouds of smoke and ash, so climbing to it is a very serious undertaking.
Merapi
This volcano is located in Central Java, near the city of Yogyakarta. It is the most active of all the volcanoes in Indonesia – steam comes out of it constantly, and small eruptions occur 2 times a year. In 1975, an eruption wiped out a village located at the foot of the earth, and the last major eruption occurred in 2010, when several hundred thousand people were evacuated.
Very often its top is hidden behind the clouds, so in order to see it in all its glory, a certain amount of luck is required.
Tangkuban Perahu
Tangkuban Perahu Volcano is also located in Central Java, 30 km from the city of Bandung. It cannot boast of stunning views or its size – its height is 2084 meters. But it is very easy to get to, so it is very popular with both locals and tourists. There is a road leading to the top, so you don’t have to strain to get to the top.
At the top there is a whole village of tourist shops, cafes and souvenir shops, and you can look into the crater from the observation deck, or by walking along the path along the caldera. In general, the volcano even has two craters – the lower Kawah Domas, with a large thermal field filled with steam, and the upper Kawah Ratu (“royal”).
Of course, in Java there is something to see besides volcanoes, but still they are the most interesting for lovers of natural attractions!
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