Kelimutu is a volcano on the island of Flores, in Indonesia's Nusa Tenggara, and it has three crater lakes that change colour. At the summit, about sixteen hundred metres above the sea, the three lakes sit side by side in a rocky landscape, one a deep turquoise, one a milky green and one a dark, almost black, though the colours shift over the years, from blue to green to red to brown, apparently according to volcanic gases and minerals in the water. Nobody can predict when or how they will change, and that is part of their pull.
The local people, the Lio, regard the lakes as the resting place of the dead. According to their belief, the souls of the young go to one lake, those of the old to another, and those of the wicked to a third, and the area is treated with respect. The national park around the volcano protects forest, with orchids, tree ferns and birds, and the lakes are reached by a short walk from the car park at the end of the road. Sunrise is the best moment, when the first light touches the water and the clouds drift in the craters below you.
The road from Moni to the lakes is a short climb, about thirteen kilometres, with a series of bends through forest, and it is generally in good condition, though narrow and wet in places. Mornings are cold, and mist or cloud often covers the lakes by mid-morning, so an early start is essential. In the dry season, from about May to September, the chances of a clear sunrise are best, and the rainy season brings thick cloud and heavy showers.
Fuel is a concern in this part of Flores. Ende, the large town on the south coast, about nineteen kilometres away in a straight line but much further by road, has proper fuel stations and shops, and it is wise to fill up there. Small shops in the villages sell petrol in bottles, but quality and supply vary. Carry water and snacks, because the park has little more than a few stalls, and wear warm clothes for the dawn.