Location: East Nusa Tenggara, Flora Island Map
Area: 50 km²
Kelimutu National Park is located in Flores, Indonesia . This
national park consists of hills and mountains with Mount Kelibara
(1,731 m) as the highest peak. Mount Kelimutu, there is a lake of
three colors Lake which is also the place of the Kelimutu National
Park.
In the Kelimutu National Park, there is an arboretum, a 4.5 hectare
small forest representing a collection of flora diversity in the
area. There are 78 species of trees that are grouped into 36 tribes.
Some of the flora collection which is endemic to Kelimutu are uta
onga ( Begonia kelimutuensis ), turuwara ( Rhododendron renschianum
), and arngoni ( Vaccinium varingiaefolium ). Argoni, which has
small white flowers and will turn black when ripe, is believed by
local people to be the food of the gods.
Because of the three crater lakes, each of which
is colored, Kelimutu is a popular tourist attraction. The last known
eruption took place in 1968.
Three lakes of Kelimutu, in which various minerals are dissolved,
change their color from black to turquoise, red-brown or green for
several years. The oxidation-reduction state depends on the balance
of the volcanic gas supplyand the rain rate, and is believed to be
mediated by the underground water system in the volcano itself. The
colors in the lakes change independently of each other, since each
has its own unique connectivity to the activity of the underlying
volcano. Between January and November 2016, the colors of the
craters changed six times. Although the changes are widely believed
to be unpredictable, it is more accurate to say that the lack of
regular monitoring of the volcanic system prevents scientists from
having the necessary data to drive widely available predictive
models. The lake in the west of the volcano is called Tivu-Ata-Mbupu
(lake of the elderly), the other two are called
Tivu-Nua-Muri-Kooh-Tai (lake of boys and girls) and Tivu-Ata-Polo
(enchanted lake).
Locals from the village of Moni, located at the foot of the volcano,
believe that the souls of the dead go to these lakes and the change
in their color means that they are angry. From the village you can
climb the volcano in three hours or drive to the top in Bemo along a
very winding serpentine road.