Kelimutu — The Three-Color Lakes

The Kelimutu is an extinct volcano (1,639 m) in the center of Flores with a phenomenon found nowhere else on Earth: three crater lakes in different colors, right next to each other, that change color independently.

The three lakes are named in the language of the Lio:

• Tiwu Ata Mbupu (Lake of the Old People): usually deep blue to black
• Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai (Lake of Young Men and Maidens): usually turquoise to light green
• Tiwu Ata Polo (Lake of Evil Spirits): usually reddish-brown to olive green

The colors are created by different concentrations of minerals (sulfur, iron, manganese) and microorganisms in the lakes, which change depending on volcanic activity and oxygen content. Over the decades, the lakes have gone through colors from white to turquoise, green, blue, red to black — sometimes changing within a few weeks.

The locals believe that the souls of the deceased rest in the lakes — separated by age and character. Kelimutu is a sacred place, and the population regularly conducts ceremonies at the crater's edge.

The ascent begins at the parking lot (about a 30-minute walk to the crater's edge) — most come for the sunrise, when the mists clear and the colors of the lakes glow in the first sun. The starting point is the small town of Moni, 14 kilometers downhill from the summit.