Although we missed the active volcanoes of Vanuatu, we were able to squeeze in a trip in Indonesia to a different, yet very impressive mountain.
Kelimutu is a tall, dormant volcano on the island of Flores with three craters at the top. Each crater has a lake in it, and although the lakes are very close to each other, they vary drastically in color. When we visited, one lake was dark blue, the other a bright teal, and the third was black. Over time, these lakes slowly and unpredictably change color.
The traditional belief on Flores was that when you died, your soul traveled to Kelimutu where a gatekeeper determined which lake you would enter. It is thus a very sacred and special place.
We hired a car and driver to take us up to Kelimutu for 750,000 rupiah, leaving at 3:30 AM in order to see the sunrise at the top. When we arrived, the mountain was shrouded in clouds, and remained so for the first two hours or so. We hiked to the rim of each lake, but could only see a thick white abyss below us. We also found a sign labeled 'feeding ground' but saw no animals to feed.
As we began to walk back, we stopped once more at the first crater, and slowly the clouds parted, giving us spectacular views of the three lakes (each of which was much larger and further down than we had anticipated).
And to top off a delightful morning, as we passed the feeding ground, we were pleasantly surprised to see a brand new creature for EYE of the World.