Three Colors on Kelimutu Lake, a Wonder of the World

Kelimutu Lake or the Three-Colored Lakes is on the top of Kelimutu Mount. It is located in Ende District, Flores Island, NTT, Indonesia. Kelimutu Lake is a famous tourism destination in Flores Island. Somebody said to me, “If you come to Flores but not visiting Kelimutu, it means you’re not come to Flores”.

Kelimutu Mount has 3-crater lakes, that each has different color. So it is named 3-Color Lake or Kelimutu Lake. The colors always change with the passage of time. Now the colors are green, blue, and black.  

The local people believe that each lake has powerful natural force. The first lake is Tiwu Ata Mbupu with black color (the previous color was white). It is the place of the souls of the old people who have died. The second lake is Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai with blue color. It’s believed as a gathering place for the souls of young people who have died. The third lake is named Tiwu Ata Pol. It’s green now. It is believed as the place for the souls of the dead and as long as they lived always do crime or magic. Before changed to be green, the color was red. That’s why if the color of lake is changed, the local people will give offerings for the souls of the died people. 

According of science, discoloration of Kelimutu Lake caused by mineral content within the lake. But no one knows exactly when the lakes were discolored. There was no one who ever saw. That’s why some people said that Kelimutu Lake is one of the Wonders of the World.

Kelimutu Lake was found by Van Such Telen at 1915. But the beauty of Kelimutu Lake is widely known after Y. Bouman describes in his writings in 1929. Since 1992, Kelimutu Zone was stated as National Natural Conservation Area.