Kelimutu lakes, the palette of the gods

Nestled in the highlands of Central Flores, the three colored lakes and stunning scenery of Kelimutu National Park make it the island of Flores' premier natural tourist attraction.

The draw of the park is the incredible view of the crater lakes, but it is the cool misty air and the unique moon-like landscape that make a morning atop Kelimutu memorable.

Although the switchback roads through the mountains of Flores make any travel an adventure, part of the attraction of Kelimutu is how easy it is to reach. A short truck ride from Moni deposits visitors for an easy 10-minute walk from a picturesque lookout, from where it is possible to see all three lakes, and look out above the rugged, lush countryside.

Despite being advised not to bother getting up at four in the morning, I was glad that I was at the lookout before sunrise. It is a surreal feeling to be in the thick of clouds as the morning slowly comes alive beneath you.

The reason I had been warned not to get up so early was because the thick clouds, common at daybreak in the mountains, meant that seeing anything, including the lakes and their different colors, was impossible.

Standing at the viewpoint about 1,500 meters above sea level watching the majority of tourists leave shivering and disappointed amid the clouds at 7 a.m., I was thankful that I was wrapped inside a large ikat cloth and a thick wool blanket I borrowed from my guesthouse in Moni.

Finally, around 8:30 a.m. the clouds began to clear and the spectacular contrasting colors of the lakes became visible. It is a unique sensation being completely engulfed by clouds, and feeling the mist rise away from you and watching the rocky shores and the colors of the lake appear. "It is as if you are on the moon," said David Ziegler, 28, a visitor from France.

Beneath our rocky perch, the colors of the lakes became richer and deeper as the sun slowly climbed in the sky. It soon became clear that the smallest of the three lakes was black, but it was not for another hour when the sun's rays rose above the crater wall and shone directly on the surface of the lake that the rich turquoise hue of one lake and reddish brown color of the other became apparent.

The three lakes could all be seen from one viewpoint, and the reddish brown and turquoise lakes are barely separated by a 15- meter-tall rock wall. The lakes look like pools of paint or ink, and up against each other the colors contrast sharply.

The namesake of the park, Keli Mutu, (in the local language keli means mountain and mutu is boiling) is a passively degassing stratovolcano capped by the three crater lakes.

Like 85 percent of the 1.4 million people living on Flores, the people of Lio Ende are Roman Catholic, but older animist beliefs are still an important part of their lives. To these people, this mountain is holy, and a token of God's blessings that provides fertility to the surrounding lands.

While there are varying local explanations for the colors of the lakes, including a local legend that the souls of the dead go to the lakes, scientists ascribe the different colors to the varying oxygen levels in the lakes that mix with the different minerals in each lake. All three of the lakes are fed by a similar volcanic gas source, but due to the differing subterranean routes that the gas takes it creates different chemical "expressions" in each crater lake.

Just like blood, when the lake waters lack oxygen they look green, or in this case turquoise. Conversely, when they are rich in oxygen they are deep red to black. This mixture of oxygen and minerals, and the colors of the three lakes themselves, are constantly changing. Twenty years ago, the small black lake was white.

From the lookout area a variety of paths meander around the edge of the craters. A walk along the reddish brown lake reveals rich red hues in the shallow water that become more pronounced once the sun has risen above the crater's edge. This footpath runs along most of the turquoise water and ends along the eastern edge, where it joins the path toward Moni. The 12-kilometer trek down from Keli Mutu is pleasant, as the air becomes warmer and more comfortable as you descend.

One clear morning is enough to take in the paths and unique views of Kelimutu, but if the weather does not cooperate, the one street mountain village of Moni, which can be reached by bus or car from Ende and Maumere, is a comfortable place to spend a few days. There are hot springs close by, handmade ikat sarongs and shawls to check out, and lots of clean fresh air to breathe in.

-- Jock Paul