Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia08°03.5′ S · 114°14.5′ E

Ijen Crater Trip Planner
Blue sulfur flames burning on the dark floor of Kawah Ijen crater before dawn

Ijen's blue fire

Electric-blue flames on a crater floor, seen only at night

Photo: Jakub Hałun / CC BY-SA 4.0

The blue fire is sulphur gas that comes out of cracks in the crater floor and burns as it meets the air. The flames are blue and faint, so you see them only in the dark. That is why Ijen tours start in the middle of the night.

By Alexander B. Updated

Blue fire night tours

Each reaches the crater floor while it is still dark.

Boulders on the crater floor with sulphur smoke hiding the lake

Top pick

Ijen sunrise hike with pickup and guide

Rated 5 out of 5. 2,118 reviews9–19 hours

Night hike from a Banyuwangi hotel pickup, with the entrance ticket, a gas mask, a headlamp and the health certificate included. A Bali option adds the transfer and ferry. The most-reviewed Ijen listing on GetYourGuide when checked.

from $11

Check availability
  • The green hillside trail down from Ijen, with Mount Raung above the clouds on the left

    Rated 4.9 (20)22 hours

    From Bali: 1-day blue fire and crater lake tour

    Private transport from Bali, the ferry, a guide, a gas mask, the entrance and breakfast.

    from $127

    Check price
  • Boulders on the crater floor with sulphur smoke hiding the lake

    Rated 4.9 (83)About 10 hours

    Ijen blue fire tour from Banyuwangi

    Midnight trek from Banyuwangi with pickup offered and free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

    from $26

    Check price

What you are looking at

Fact Figure
Gas temperature Up to 600 °C
Flame height Up to 5 m
Other known site Dallol, Ethiopia

Source, checked 25 Oct 2026.

The gas comes up where the miners work, at the edge of the acid lake. Ceramic pipes channel it, and it condenses into molten sulphur. A National Geographic feature made the blue fire famous.

Timing the night

Step Time
Hiking gate opens at Paltuding 02:00 WIB
Walk up to the rim About 2 hours (1–1.5 hours on the tourism site)
Walk down to the crater floor About 45 minutes
Hiking gate closes 12:00 WIB

Gate hours from the park’s booking site. Walk times: about 2 hours up and 45 minutes down, or 1–1.5 hours up per Indonesia Travel. Checked 25 Oct 2026.

Leaving the gate at 02:00 puts you on the crater floor while it is still dark. After the flames, you climb back to the rim as the sky lightens and the lake turns turquoise.

On the crater floor

The crater floor is where the sulphur gas vents. Wear the mask your guide gives you, and the anti-slip shoes the park asks for. The health rules page explains who the park advises to stay on the rim.

Days it is shut

The crater closes for clean-up on one Friday a month. The rest of the 2026 dates are 6 November and 4 December. See tickets and closures for the full list.

Questions about Ijen Crater

By Alexander B.

What causes the blue fire at Ijen?

Sulphuric gas comes out of cracks at up to 600 °C and burns on contact with the air. The flames can reach 5 m.

What time can you see the blue fire?

Only while it is dark. The hiking gate opens at 02:00 WIB, and night tours take about two hours to the rim and 45 minutes down to the crater floor, so you reach the flames before dawn.

Is the blue fire visible every night?

You can reach it only on days the park is open. It shuts on one Friday a month for clean-up and closed from 4 to 28 September 2026 after a forest fire.

Where else is there blue fire?

Dallol in Ethiopia is the other known site, and Ijen has the largest blue flame area in the world.

Do you need a gas mask for the blue fire?

The park lists a mask as required gear. The tours on this page include a gas mask.

3 picks · from $11

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