Hiking to watch the world come alive at Kelimutu volcano

'The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.'

Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

This trip came at the perfect time for so many reasons. When we decided to come here, we knew that we had ten days so we decided to stay on the western side of East Nusa Tenggara where Komodo National Park was, seeing as this is the main reason that we chose to come here. We knew that there is a lot that the other side of the island has to offer, so while it was quite sad not to see the rest of this magical island, we figured that we can always come back. Having said this, there is one spot that I really wanted to fit into this trip...but it was on that other side of the island. So, I decided to surprise Josh and fly us to the other side for two nights so that we could go there! Kelimutu is a volcano near Moni and Ende on the east side of the island and this was a destination that every bit of research I found prior to going on our trip said anyone going to the island absolutely had to make time for.

So, we did exactly that! I booked us a little flight over (there are just a few flights there and one flight back a day - like one set in the morning and one in the afternoon, no joke) so that should tell you just how small and remote this island is. Josh was really excited! We packed our backpacks and got a taxi to the airport just out of Labuan Bajo and after the plane being delayed by quite a little bit, we finally boarded the smallest (and honestly shakiest) little plane we have ever been on to get there. If we thought the airstrip near Labuan Bajo was remote...this was even more so. So much so, in fact, that there was deadset a dog just lying on the airstrip and some kids playing! Getting off that plane, we realised that with it being over an hour to get to our accommodation - and with daylight fading fast - it was too late to find a scooter (and it was so remote that there didn't seem to be any for hire near the airstrip anyway).

So, we got into a taxi, agreed on a price, and set off into the mountains, watching the sky spiral into oranges, purples, and reds as the sun sank below the horizon. It was also pretty much immediately aware that reception was spotty here and we were not going to be able to wholly rely on Google Maps to find our way around (not a big deal). On the way, the driver stopped to get what we think were directions. There, we realised that seeing as we didn't know if we could get a scooter to do what we wanted to do here (and to get back to the airstrip the day after, for that matter), we should ask the kind man giving our driver directions if he could ask if we could pay him for the next few days (not an uncommon practice in Indonesian islands anyway). Thankfully, he commicated this to the driver, the driver kindly said he would be happy to do so, and we were on our way to that last stretch.

We finally arrived and communicated with our driver the time we needed him to get back the next morning (early am, to be exact) so that we could make it to the summit before the sunrise. There is no WhatsApp here...so a good old fashioned verbal agreement later and we said goodnight, wished one another well, and went down the stairs to the Airbnb I had booked for us. We were greeted at the sweetest little Airbnb (also someone's wonderful home), found our jungle bungalow, and were treated to a delicious home cooked meal of tofu and vegetables with some German tourists and the owners of the property - and some of the biggest cicada-like insects we have ever seen in our lives. Seriously, almost scary big. The journey to get here was a great example of how winging it during your travels can be hit and miss. You can never plan for everything, but even (and a lot of the time especially) so, we love that about travelling and just seeing where it takes us. 

After a great meal and some awesome dinner conversation, we showered in the outdoor shower and then went to our bungalow. These were the greatest little bungalows, made of bamboo and with the most insanely beautiful view of the stars right above them - and resident pups! Literally my idea of heaven. Even heaven has to have some quirks though, right? Case in point: right before we went to sleep, we heard this loud buzzing noise...right above Josh's head. I have never known Josh to move that fast. It was almost like lightning. We were literally in laughing fits for about half an hour...I will not forget that that moment any time soon, it was such a great memory. We hastily readjusted the thin bug net over our bed and eventually fell asleep...and what felt like five minutes later, our alarms were going off in the dark and it was time to get up to meet our driver. After getting ready quickly we walked to the road. Our driver had to get up crazy early too (this was around 3am), so he was understandably a little late, but he got there and we were on our way!

The car had to take the mountain a little slower than you might expect because of all the wild twists, turns, and steep ascents to get to the carpark area. We wound up through the ribboning dark for a while and then, slowly, light started to creep out, little by little. I was starting to get a little worried that we would make it up after the sun did. Then, out of nowhere, we approached the gated entrance, paid the entrance fee, and our drive parked in the visitor area. We smiled, said thank you, and started to power walk/jog up. Here's the thing...Kelimutu is 1,639 metres above sea level. So it is a pretty small volcano and not too bad a climb (especially because the whole thing from carpark to peak viewpoint is pretty much stonemade stairs). However, we started super hard. We did not stop much (except for me taking a second to catch my breath...I definitely need to workout more, oops). And then, when the sky started to really light up, we reached it. Well, we reached the first point of it. 

The sky started to explode with beautiful deep and bright blues, oranges, and yellows. We walked up some stone steps and reached the viewpoint next to the first of the three crater lakes on the volcano. With the sun still not having come over the horizon, we could just see a dark outline of it all beneath and in front of us. So, we kept walking up those stone stairs. At one point near the top, Josh leapt ahead of me and lured me up that last stretch by quite literally leaving the water bottle halfway between him and myself. It worked. I just wanted that water so damn badly. (good work, Josh!). We got up there and the sun started to spill over the edges of the ocean in the distance and...woah. I can honestly say that all the planning to surprise Josh with this little trip, and all the little hiccups it took to actually get there, were entirely and without exception worth it. Seeing the ocean in the distance start to sparkle as the sun rose in the sky, colours vibrantly brightening up with the fresh day ahead. It was so, so worth it.

There were a few other people up there but for the most part it felt like our own little perfect moment in paradise. We started to talk to a man and a woman next to us when he asked us for some advice about figuring out the new GoPro he had to buy before going on their trip (he lost his older model in his recent move). They were best friends in their late 50s-early 60s and had been travelling together since they were young. We exchanged stories, they told us about all of their fondest memories and their best moments all around the globe. These two were the epitome of what I want to be when I am that age...still seeing the world with the people that I love most in the world. And they were so full of life, they had the greatest energy. We had a great chat to them for a while, watching the sun light up the two biggest crater lakes (both a bright turquoise on this day, as it turns out!) and walking around the point while both our GoPro and theirs were set to timelapse the sunrise of this once in a lifetime experience. We looked down the other side to find the smallest of those three lakes...an emerald colour so deep it almost looked black.

That morning was one of the most peaceful mornings I have had in my life (even if it did take a hike in the dark to get there!). We saw some locals selling some beautifully hand-crafted pieces they had made (we unfortunately didn't have any cash on us to purchase some or I would have bought a woven rug) and we watched as the morning started to bring more and more people up the volcano to see this natural wonder for themselves. We stayed for a good few hours, watching the sun continue to rise and the bright turquoise waters of the two crater lakes in front of us become brighter and brighter all the time. Eventually, we realised we should probably head back down as we hadn't given our drive an idea of when we would be back and we didn't want to keep him any longer. So, we eventually hiked back down (luckily before the real heat of the day started to kick in), saying hello to the people coming up the volcano as we were heading back down to the visitor area. Our driver must have known the effect this place would have on us...he greeted us with a massive smile on his face.

This place is a seriously once in a lifetime bucket list experience if there ever was one...watching sunrise over a volcano with the glittering ocean in the distance, paradise all around. It is so perfectly quiet in that first moment when the sun starts to rise up over the edges of the other side of the volcano. The world is coming to vibrant life around you and it is so wild to think that right where you are sitting there have been explosions of fire and lava. This place proves that where natural devastation occurs so can unwavering beauty and peace. I know we will probably go back to this island at some point, however I am so happy that I booked those flights and that Airbnb. There is something truely unbelievable about this place. You have to see it for yourself...we made this trip and a few hours as not enough and yet it was the perfect amount of time to get able to immerse ourselves in this experience. 

We made the drive back to our little Airbnb and spent the day just relaxing in this special little jungle paradise. Our phones died halfway through the day and this little village has no electricity during the day so it was the simple life for us - which was so nice! After having been 'on' for so long with work, this was our first quality time actually off work travelling and being literally and entirely off the grid for a few days - even no internet and no power during the day. So, a quick little note about this Airbnb. This is genuinely one of the best Airbnbs that we have ever stayed at. We love exploring and experiencing culture and this was the perfect Airbnb to do just that. When we got back to our Airbnb mid morning, we thanked our driver, paid him for the day, and arranged to be picked up super early the next morning to catch our flight back to Labuan Bajo. And then we had a last dinner with the family that owns Gecko Homestay. Another incredible meal with beautiful people, exchanging stories and learning about each other's homes and family lifestyles, and playing cards. If you go to Kelimutu, stay there. Trust me. It is a wonderful experience with wonderful people.

We left our pack of cards there with a note of thanks for the son that played cards with us all night after dinner. We would be up and at the airport before the sun was up the next morning and we wanted him to have the cards. We packed our backpacks, filled our big water bottle, and went to sleep, having charged our phones the night before in their main electricity points so we had some battery life. Our driver got us to the airport nice and early for our flight (again, the airstrip was so small and we were the first flight for the day, so we had to wait for the airport to even open). We got on that plane and soared over the vast emerald expanses of the forest below and the glittering blues of the surrounding ocean, all the way back over to Labuan Bajo. An experience of a lifetime and worth every single second, Kelimutu is a wonder to behold and a place you have to see to believe.