Kelimutu before dawn: three lakes, three colours

Four in the morning, pitch dark and cold. I climbed with a headlamp alongside two Dutch tourists and a coffee seller who had gone up before us. At the top, everyone waited in silence.

Slowly the sky whitened, then broke into pale blue, orange, and pink. Below, three crater lakes began to show: one pale green, one deep blue, one blackish brown. The colours change from year to year, the guide said. That day was enough for me.

Schedule

Kelimutu was one day behind plan. And after this, rain held me in Moni for two days.