Ijen Plateau

The Ijen plateau — the high volcanic upland surrounding Mount Ijen — is itself a landscape of interest beyond the crater. At elevations of 1,200–1,800 metres, the plateau is covered with coffee and rubber plantations, small farming communities, and patches of montane forest. The approach road from Banyuwangi winds through this landscape for the last 30 kilometres before the Paltuding basecamp, offering views over the agricultural plateau and down to the coast on clear mornings.

Within the plateau, several small villages produce Arabica coffee that can be bought directly from growers. The Ijen area is also the starting point for exploring the broader Ijen volcano complex — a caldera containing multiple peaks, of which Kawah Ijen is the most famous but not the only interesting one. The complex is part of the Ijen Geopark, designated a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2023, which covers the geological and cultural landscape of the entire plateau.

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A story
The Ijen plateau is one of the most productive coffee-growing regions in Indonesia, planted largely with Arabica varieties at altitude. The Dutch colonial administration established the coffee estate system here in the 19th century, and some of the original plantation infrastructure — including the manager's house at Pos Paltuding — dates from that period. The local coffee, sold under various names including "Ijen Coffee," is prized for its low acidity and nutty flavour, somewhat ironic given that it grows in the shadow of the world's most acidic lake.