It is 4:30 AM and the invigorating morning freshness is our ally in this adventure that promises to be long and fantastic. Part of the team at Azimuth Adventure Travel Ltd and I are on a reconnaissance trip to East Java. The purpose of this journey is not only to discover the region but also to identify trekking and hiking spots never before explored for new itineraries.

From Sukuh Temple to the far eastern tip of Java, passing through the volcanoes Kelud and Bromo, Kawah Ijen is now the final stage of this journey. After watching documentaries, reading articles online, and hearing accounts from colleagues who had been there, I have been anticipating this stage for years. Early enough to avoid the heat catching up with us too quickly, but not early enough to witness the famous "blue flames," our driver drops us at the entrance to the site. The advantage of arriving after sunrise is being able to admire the beautiful landscapes during the short trek and also encountering only tourists on their way down. Upon reaching the crater floor, my colleague and I are alone. The hike to the crater's edge (2,350 m) takes an hour and a half. I chat with several carriers and become interested in their own stories. One of them catches my attention. The man telling it has a cart instead of the bamboo baskets usually used, and I ask him to tell me more about it. He explains that a generous "French" person (sic), who visits Kawah Ijen regularly, gave it to him to make his work more bearable. If this "sulfur laborer" actually found his work easier, the benefactor would return to distribute carts to all his colleagues—around 300 carriers. After investigating, the cart was actually provided by a Swiss man, Heinz von Holzen, a resident of Bali and owner of the restaurant "le Bumbu Bali."

Azimuth Adventure Travel Ltd, a travel agency specializing in trekking, shares the same convictions as Heinz. Indeed, the agency is sensitive to environmental protection and local populations. I decide to contact him to have him explain his project. Before landing in Indonésie, Heinz Von Holzen works for five and a half years in Singapore as a head chef in Hilton and Hyatt hotels. In 1990, he is transferred to Bali at the Grand Hyatt and Ritz Carlton, still as a chef. There he meets his wife, Puji. Eight years later, he decides to create his own restaurant: the "Bumbu Bali, Restaurant and Cooking School". Passionate about trekking, it is when meeting the carriers of Kawah Ijen that he noticed the inhumane conditions of their work. Heinz, his wife, and a few sympathizers to his cause then decided to help them with the following project.

During each trip to Kawah Ijen, Heinz provides carriers with clothing and financial assistance. The cart, designed by Studer Thomas, also Swiss and a mechanical engineering student at the University of Lucerne, aims to relieve the difficult work of sulfur carriers. They carry daily between 60 and 100 kg of sulfur over a distance of more than 4 kilometers and make up to two round trips a day. One kilogram of sulfur costs approximately 900 Indonesian rupiah. Carriers earn on average 126,000 rupiah per day. This is much more than a rice farmer's salary, but it is obviously harder. Life expectancy in this field is approximately 45 years due to exposure to gases and the considerable weight of the baskets. Through his project, Heinz Von Holzen seeks to give sulfur carriers a chance at a better life. It also ensures education for 80 children.

Each day, he devotes an hour to answering questions and requests for help from around the world, and plans to return to East Java about ten times this year to monitor the progress of his project. To achieve his ambitions, he needs financial and material support (clothing). The construction of 200 carts will cost this year between 600 and 700 million rupiah (between 40,000 and 50,000 €), of which half is already financed. Any external help is obviously welcome.

If you too wish to contribute to this noble cause, do not hesitate to contact Heinz at this address: or visit his website about his passion for trekking in Indonésie. Explore Kawah Ijen with us as well! Contact us by email () or fill out the form directly on our website.