“Scars on My Body”: The Sulfur Miners at Indonesia’s Mount Ijen

Every day, hordes of tourists ascend the steep slopes of Mount Ijen, an active volcanic complex located in Indonesia’s East Java province, to witness the blue flames rising from its sulfur deposits. Since the area began to gain popularity in 2010, East Java has become an increasingly important tourist destination for Indonesia. The volcano draws tens of thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. 

Mount Ijen is home to one of the few remaining active sulfur mines in the world. While these surreal landscapes have fascinated adventurers and scientists alike for more than two centuries, tourists have also increasingly come to see the miners themselves, a controversial fact that some critics dub “poverty tourism.” But the miners have toiled at Mount Ijen since the 1960s, decades before the tourists began showing up, and rarely enjoy the financial benefits of increased tourism. 

Still, the local miners brave the challenging climb up the volcano to extract sulfur from its crater. Near the crater’s acidic lake, vents breathe the sulfur, known as “Devil’s gold” to locals, that has become essential to many products bought and sold across the globe — matches and sugar, detergent and gunpowder, to name a few. 

“These Are the Scars”

When they are on the job, the workers carry the load some 9,000 feet, going up a steep mountain to the crater’s edge, then trekking another nearly two miles through the jungle to a collection point at Pos Paltuding. Many only earn between $10 and $15 a day. Still, it remains one of the highest paid occupations in the region. 

Clouds of toxic sulfur engulf them. Some suffer from skin problems and injuries. They cough, and their eyes water, but few have gas masks to protect against the fumes. 

A former miner named Dharma, who now works as a tourism operator, explained that most working the mines prefer the night shift — during daytime, the sun brings scorching heat. Dharma spent years learning English so he could escape the work and transition to tourism, a safer job.

Throughout his three years on the job as a miner, he made the grueling journey up and down the volcano two to three times a day. The flimsy, makeshift baskets the miners use to haul their loads left a mark on his shoulder, a testament to the hardships their bodies endure. 

Pointing to the spot where he had wounds, he said, “These are the scars on my body. Every day for three years, I was carrying sulfur from Mount Ijen three times a day.” The former miner added, “Some days I was carrying 50 kilos [110.2 lbs] per trip, and others 90 [198.4 lbs], but the average was around 75 kilos [165.3] a trip.” 

According to Dharma, many locals from surrounding villages take up work at Mount Ijen to support their livelihoods and their families, often sleeping at company-run shelters. Some have been doing this labor for more than 25 years as their primary source of income. 

Poor Working Conditions 

Nowadays, Dharma passes time at Mount Ijen working as a guide or helping tourists with information about the area. He will spend a month in the area, go home to his family for a week, and then return to Mount Ijen again to work. 

As tourism in the region surges, attracting those who hope to see the blue flames and surreal hues of the crater, hotels have seized the opportunity to arrange volcano tours, typically priced between $20 and $25 a person. 

Increased tourism or not, conditions for those who labor away at the mines have scarcely improved over the decades. The rugged road, rocky stairs, and scarcely present wooden railings remain unchanged, and the miners — equipped with head torches but minimal protective gear — rely on traditional, often outdated equipment. 

Metal rods have replaced sulfur plates, flashlights in the place of traditional torches, but few miners have masks or boots. To protect against the gasses, rocky terrain, and risk of burns, many only wear rubber footwear and wrap their faces with wet rags. 

Tourism and Voyeurism

During the high season, the mountain sometimes sees more than 1,000 tourists a day. Many visitors photograph the miners or take selfies with them, sometimes offering a tip, sometimes not. Some locals sell sulfur trinkets along the path to supplement their income. 

In recent years, tourism has become important for Indonesia’s economy, contributing to both the GDP and overall employment levels. The influx of tourists to Kawah Ijen presents an opportunity for collaboration between the public and private sectors. This partnership could lead to infrastructure development that supports tourism, thereby boosting employment and income.

Yet, even as the miners play a role in attracting tourists to the area, their wages have largely remained stagnant for years. And even when tourists head back home, the miners remain at Mount Ijen, lugging load after load up the arduous path.