Kelimutu Crater Lakes in Flores

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Kelimutu is a volcano near the town of Moni in central Flores with three separate crater lakes at its summit, and the reason people cross the island for it is that the three are different colours — and that those colours change. Over the past century they have been recorded as turquoise, green, red, black, brown and white, shifting over months or years as dissolved gases and minerals alter the water chemistry in each crater independently. Two lakes sit side by side separated by a thin wall; the third is a kilometre away.

The three lakes

Tiwu Ata Mbupu, the lake of old people, sits apart to the west. Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai, the lake of young men and maidens, and Tiwu Ata Polo, the bewitched or enchanted lake, sit adjacent, separated by a narrow crater wall. In local Lio belief the three receive the souls of the dead according to how they lived. The colours are independent of one another and are driven by volcanic gas, dissolved minerals and oxidation states in each crater's water — which is why two lakes a few metres apart can be entirely different shades.

Seeing them

Almost everyone goes for sunrise. Vehicles leave Moni at around four in the morning for the thirty-minute drive to the car park, followed by a walk of fifteen to twenty-five minutes up steps to the viewpoint on the summit ridge, from which two lakes are visible together and the third from a short walk further. It is cold at 1,600 metres before dawn, frequently misty, and the light comes up over the mountains to the east. Entry is a national park fee, higher for foreign visitors and higher again at weekends.

Managing expectations

Two things catch people out. First, cloud: Kelimutu is often in mist at dawn, and it can clear at eight or nine or not at all — staying up the mountain for a couple of hours after sunrise substantially improves your odds, and most tour drivers want to leave immediately. Second, colour: whatever picture drew you there was taken at a particular moment in a particular year, and the lakes may be entirely different now. Neither is a reason not to go; both are a reason to go without a fixed image in mind.

Moni and practicalities

Moni is the base: a small village strung along the highway at around 700 metres, with homestays and simple guesthouses at 150,000–500,000 rupiah, a handful of warungs, and a market. It is cool, green, surrounded by rice terraces and waterfalls, and worth a second night rather than a dawn raid. Ende, with the nearest airport, is about ninety minutes west; Maumere is around three hours east. Bring a warm layer, a head torch and cash — the ATM situation in Moni is unreliable.

Kelimutu Crater Lakes at a glance

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