Trekking and Climbing of Ebulobo Volcano in Flores

Ebulobo is an active volcano in Flores, almost never climbed and off the tourist trail. how to climb? Where to start? How to get there? Where to find the Guides? How is the climb going? we will try to answer these questions in this article.

Then for those who do not want to have any worries and who want to delegate to Go-Volcano, the organization and the logistics of the trek, you will find the program and all the corresponding prices here.

The 7 Things to Know Before Ascending the Ebulobo Volcano

How to go to Ebulobo volcano?

To get to Ebulobo Volcano, the easiest way is to start from the small town of Boawae 53km east of Bajawa (about 1h30). Then from Boawae you have to find an ojek (motorcycle taxi) for the village of Molakoli at 925m above sea level.

How to go to Boawae and Molakoli?

Boawae is accessible by road via the transflores route. it is on the Ende-Bajawa road. 1h30 of Bajawa and 2h30 of Ende.

There are collective taxis making the Ende-Bajawa connection for around 100000IDR / person. There are also Travel sort of minibuses that shuttles. You have to see Bajawa to try to get a travel.

To go to Molakoli you have to find an ojek about 25000IDR for 40min of journey.

When to go to Ebulobo volcano?

The best time for Flores is in the dry season between April and November, in March and December it is the beginning / end of the rainy season.

How much does the entrance fee to Ebulobo cost?

You must register at the office of kepala desa (village hall) for about IDR 10000 until 20000.

Where to sleep and eat?

In Boawae, there is no real hotel rather basic homestay.

To eat, the choice of restaurants is limited.

Hiking of Ebulobo, with or without guide?

it is almost impossible to find the right path in the forest (cultivated forest).

A guide is more than necessary.

Where to find guide services

At Molakoli

Ascension of Ebulobo Volcano

Climbing to the summit of Ebulobo is relatively easy. It takes approximately 2 hours to hike through a pleasant cultivated forest, before leaving the trees for 30 to 40 minutes of final climb to the rocky and active summit. On a clear day, you will have a magnificent view of the valley around Boawae and on the west to the conical summit of Inerie.

The trail is very steep for about 15 or 20 minutes, but then has a more moderate slope to the edge of the forest. After about 2 hours of regular walking, you should reach the edge of the forest at about 1800 m altitude. We think we have arrived but it’s misleading and you still have 400 m altitude to climb to the top. The rocky climb is a bit steeper but unlike the Inerie the ground is very stable.

When you reach the peaks, you will see a tangle of rocks surrounding a crater that looks more like a crack crossing the summit. There are strong smells of sulfur coming and going in the breeze. The real summit is on the other side of the crater, directly to the west. it will take you less than 15 minutes to go slightly to the left and go around the crater to go to the western edge. It’s not dangerous, but be careful because the rocks are big and entangled, and there are deep holes and cracks, some rocks move. In addition, when the wind is no longer felt the sulfur fumes can be very strong and irritating. Many people go to the highest point (2137 m) because from there, you get the best views to the west on the Inerie. The view on a clear day is magical.

The descent is the same way and takes about 1h30 to 2 hours. It is a beautiful hike, the volcano is clean without any waste. It’s the perfect volcano for those who want to think outside the box. When you return, the village of Molakoli is fully awake and alive.

For this climb, you must know that at night and in the morning it is quite cool. at the top there can be a lot of wind. So you will of course need good hiking shoes, a fleece and a windbreaker, can also be a hat for the summit.

Mount Ebulobo

Ebulobo, also called Amburombu or Keo Peak, is a symmetrical stratovolcano located in the center of Flores Island, Nagekeo District, Nusa Tenggara Timur Province. The summit of Gunung Ebulobo, 2124 m high, contains a lava dome with a flat summit. The crater at the top of the volcano with steep sides, 250 m wide, is pierced on three sides. The Watu Keli lava flow traveled from the northern breach to 4 km from the summit in 1830, the first of only four recorded historical eruptions of the volcano.

Eruptions and vulcanic activities of the Ebulobo volcano

Ebulobo eruptions usually consisted of lava flows that quickly formed mounds but never resulted in sudden eruptive explosions. The last eruptive activity took place in 1941 (1969?) And consisted of a lava flow.

Ebulobo has a dedicated observation post and two seismic instruments. The observation of Ebulobo’s activity is carried out from its surveillance post located in the village of Ekowolo, sub-district of BoaWae, and is carried out visually and according to the tremors. Monitoring is performed using a VR-60 type seismograph and an L4C Seismometer. The readings are transmitted by a telemetric system.

Weekly report from March 08 to 14, 2017

On March 12, 2017, an Ebulobo ash plume had reached an altitude of 3 km above sea level (800 m above the summit) and drifted west.

Eruption in August 2013

The CVGHM (Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation) reported that observers at the Ebulobo Observation Post in Ekowolo, BoaWae District, had noted that in August, plumes of sparse consistency, of white color, under low pressure had reached a height of 5 to 30 m above the summit. The volcanic tremor was detected as of August 10, 2013. From August 21 to 23, incandescence was visible at night on the north side of the summit. Observations made during the night of August 22-23 revealed that the bright spots remained unchanged. The glow was considered abnormal (incandescence was last observed in 2011). The alert level was raised to 2 (on a scale of 0 to 4) on August 23. Residents and tourists were not allowed within 1.5 km of the crater. The exact cause of the incandescent regions has not been reported. No new cracks, lava flow or pyroclastic flow have been reported. The glow was then extinguished, as indicated in an October follow-up report.

In June 2013, the system recorded the earthquakes shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Summary of seismicity recorded at Ebulobo. Dashes mean cases without reported data. Excerpt from the CVGHM reports of August 26 and October 17.

From 1 to 22 August 2013, the seismic system also recorded tremors of maximum amplitude between 0.5 and 15 mm.

The glow decreases and the alert level decreases (up to I). From September to October, white plumes rose up to 100 m above the crater. Despite this, the glowing area was absent after August 27th. On October 17, the CVGHM reduced the alert from II to I (Normal, on a scale up to IV).

The History of Ebulobo Eruptions

Source for Eruptions of Ebulobo: Center for Volcanology and Mitigation of Geological Disasters and the Smithsonian Institution