Life After Sulphur: The Shifting Economy of Ijen Crater
Photo: Oleg B
Words: Lutfi Retno Wahyudyanti
Fifteen years ago, tourists visiting Ijen Crater, Banyuwangi, would meet hundreds of sulphur miners making their way up and down the mountain. They regularly climbed the 2,443-meter volcano before dawn using a torch. They bring a pair of empty wooden baskets and a crowbar to mine the sulphur.
Near the craters, miners pried chunks of sulphur from the volcanic deposits using crowbars. After loading their wooden baskets with 50–70 kilograms of sulphur, they walk for a two-hour journey down the mountain. They worked early in the morning because the toxic gases became more concentrated as the day approached noon. It was dangerous and exhausting work. The contrast between the miners' hardship, and the crater's beauty attracted photographers, journalists, filmmakers, and YouTubers from around the world.
Many of their stories focused on the miners’ risks working surrounded by poisonous gas for a little pay. Images of men carrying heavy loads for hours became the Ijen identity. Thick calluses marked their shoulders and backs after years of transporting sulphur along steep mountain trails. For many miners, that is a better option than other work.
Most came from villages around Banyuwangi, about an hour's drive from the crater. Some were landless farmers, while others owned small plots that could not provide a proper income. Farming offered seasonal earnings, but daily expenses required cash every day.
"I tried every job available," said Sam (36 years), who worked as a sulphur miner for five years. "I worked on plantation and construction sites, but the work wasn't always available. I have a wife and three children to support. I followed my neighbour’s path and became a miner because the company paid us in cash every time we delivered sulphur to the collection point." Like many miners, Sam had only completed elementary school. There are a few employment opportunities nearby for them.
The sulphur mining operation began in 1968 when a company called CV Argomulyo, later becoming PT Candi Ngrimbi, started extracting sulphur from the crater. The mineral was used in cosmetics, fertilizer production, and the bleaching processes for paper and sugar. In the early years, miners were paid just 2 rupiah per kilogram.
By 2010, approximately 14 to 15 tonnes of sulphur were extracted daily from Ijen. Today, production has fallen to around 4 tonnes daily as industries increasingly rely on alternative sources of sulphur. Instead of that, tourism has transformed Ijen.
As news of the crater's beauty spread and the government repaired infrastructure to reach the crater, visitors began arriving in increasing numbers. At the same time, media coverage highlighting the harsh lives of sulphur miners made the crater even more attractive. Recognizing its tourism potential, local authorities began actively promoting Ijen since 2012 through festivals, events, and tourism campaigns. Today, during long weekends and school holidays, the number of daily visitors could reach 1,500 people.
"A French tourist visited around 2015 or 2016," Sam remembered. "He felt sorry for the miners and donated five trolleys to help transport sulphur." Soon, other miners began building similar trolleys. Initially, the carts were used solely for transporting sulphur. Miners parked them near the crater rim and walked downhill for the remaining 500 meters. A miner could make four or five trips to the crater and bring the entire load using the trolley.
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Many visitors wanted to reach the crater viewpoint but found the three-hour hike along rocky mountain paths too difficult. Some began asking miners to transport them using the trolleys. What started as an occasional request gradually evolved into a new source of income.
Today, tourists can pay up to 1,000,000 rupiah ( 65 USD) to be pushed uphill and 500,000 rupiah (34 USD) for the descent. The uphill trip requires two or three people to move the trolley, so they ask for a higher cost. Even so, a single passenger can generate far more income than carrying sulphur. For comparison, miners are paid around 1,500 rupiah ( 1 cent USD) per kilogram of sulphur. Although a trolley allows a miner to transport up to 150 kilograms at once, tourism offers a better income with less physical risk.
As a result, many miners have abandoned sulphur extraction. Sam is one of them. Today, he works as a guide, accompanying visitors around the crater. A five-hour work can earn him around 250,000 rupiah (18 USD) —significantly more than he once made mining sulphur with much lighter physical work. But not every miner has made the transition. Peak tourism is seasonal. The miners still need reliable incomes, and some workers continue mining because it remains the most dependable option available to them. Nowadays, only around 50 miners work full-time extracting sulphur.
