Indonesia

Due to its position on the rift between the australian and the asiatic tectonic plates, Indonesia are full of active volcanoes (around 220), 22 of them lie on Java. Kawa Ljen are one of the most seeworthy, despite its relative remoteness and lack of transportation. The natural strartpoint are the friendly, and unusual clean city of Bondowoso, from there it take 2 hours by bemo through farmlamd and some beautifull naturalforest before arriving at Sempol village. From here you must ride on a motorbike through more scenic landscape, after some VERY essential pricenegotiations. Also be prepared for some neckbreaking driving. I got my worst ride EVER here. At Pos Paltuding you have to pay an entrancefee (RP 50.000 when i visited) before walking uphill for, let’s say one hour. Most of it goes through forest, only close to the volcano the barren landscape of crumbling lava lies exposed. The crater iself looks like it is drilled-circular, absolutely vertical and mostly with smoot surface. At the bottom there is a beautifull turqoise lake, complete with some small beaches with black sand. The water holds a pleasant temperature, but a lot of stuff is dissolved in it, like sulphur acid and hydrochloric acid. A good place to while away some time watching the surrounding area and the lake is the edge to the right of the trail to the craterbottom, used by the sulphurcollectors (see next tip). Be carefull here, one french tourist fell to his death here some years ago. It also must be said, you will probably see only parts of the lake, there is a constant flow of thick sulphursmoke from the crater. How mutch you see, depends on the winddirection.