There are so many things to see and do in Indonesia depending on what type of holiday you want to have. If you are looking for adventure, two of the top things to do are climbing Mount Bromo {an active volcano} to watch the sunrise & cross the Sea of Sand and hiking down into Ijen Crater to see the “blue flame” followed by the sunrise at the top of the crater. When I was planning our honeymoon to Indonesia, I knew I wanted to make time for these two experiences. However, I didn’t want to take a ton of time to do them so that we still had plenty of time to relax on Bali and hit Komodo Island.
I did a lot of searching in order to find a tour that we could customize and see Mt. Bromo one day and Ijen the next. I personally think this is the best way to go because you will hike them both in the wee hours of the morning so it’s best to do it back to back and then just rest up afterwards.
Below I’ll detail the tour that I created as well as include the contact info for our guide that organized all of it for us once I told him what we wanted to do. We had a really great experience with him so I definitely recommend using him, plus, his rates are much better than you would get if you go with a large tour operator {and you also won’t get to customize it to your timeline that way either}.
Mount Bromo & Ijen Crater Sunrise Tour
Transfer to Mt. Bromo for Sunrise Viewing & Sea of Sand
We flew from Yogyakarta, also on the island of Java, as that is where we started our trip, to Surabaya. You can drive, however, the flight was very inexpensive {around $50} and the drive takes around 13 hours or so. The flight was just over an hour. I recommend you fly directly into Surabaya from wherever you are coming from.
We had Roman, our tour guide {contact info at the end of this post}, pick us up from the Surabaya Airport to start an overnight drive to Mount Bromo. This way, we didn’t need to waste a night staying in Surabaya, where there wasn’t anything we really wanted to do. It’s mainly a transfer through town from what I gathered in research. We also didn’t need to pay for lodging for that night since we spent it in the car driving which was a plus.
The ride is bumpy and semi-long {3+ hours} but we had the whole back of the van to ourselves so we tried to get what sleep we could. Once we got closer to Mount Bromo, you need to transfer into a Jeep as that is the only way they let you go further. Our guide had this all set up for us and the Jeep met us at a little rest stop of sorts where we could layer up some more and use the bathroom {I also brushed my teeth and washed my face so I felt a little fresher}. Mind you, it was still the middle of the night and was very dark at this stop, but it was a nice reprieve.
Once we transferred to the Jeep, we drove the remainder of the way to Mount Bromo {about 45 minutes}. Our guide came with us the whole way, while the car driver stayed with our van and luggage. Our Jeep driver found parking close to Bromo and we began to walk from there. Now we did not hike the entire thing, which was something that I was interested in, but that is a through the night hike I believe and didn’t fit into our trip. From where we parked, we only did about 15 minutes of walking total so not a very high level of difficulty at all.
TIP: Bring a granola or protein bar if you think you may get hungry since you won’t be having a full breakfast. I recommend these bars as they are very high protein and keep you full! Also make sure you have water with you!
The most difficult part honestly was staying warm at the top while you wait for the sun to rise lol! On our way to the top, we stopped at a little spot where they provided us with fried plantains {AMAZING!} and coffee. This was covered by our guide as well and we were able to use the restroom there. In this area, there are also a few vendors selling hats and gloves and blankets etc. in case you decide you need another layer or two!
Check out my full post on “What to Wear & Pack for Mt. Bromo & Ijen Crater” here!
The views are spectacular as the sun rises so enjoy taking it all in!
TIP: Stand along the railing at the front of the viewing area. This will ensure you get photos without a bunch of people’s heads in them. People will try to get in front of you and nudge you out of your spot the entire time, it’s just kind of part of the experience lol.
Sea of Sand & Mt. Bromo Crater
We also wanted to see the Mt. Bromo Crater, and to do so you need to cross what is called the “Sea of Sand” {very aptly might I add}. The same jeep took us from where we parked to view the sunrise and drove us across the vast sandy area to near the crater where we started to walk.
TIP: Make sure you have a scarf or large bandana and sunglasses to cover your face & even neck from the sand. It whips around a lot and can be very painful if you don’t have these items to protect you!
You can take a horse or walk to the crater, but I honestly have my concerns about the treatment of the horses. I recommend walking, it’s flat until right when you get near the crater and then starts to incline and turns into a steep stairwell at the end. To be honest, the crater is very impressive because it’s so large and you can get so near to it, but if you are on the fence about doing the crater, I would say you could pass on it. We basically did the whole trek up and spent all of 2 minutes at the top probably and then came back down. For the workout factor though, 5 stars lol!
Drive to Banyuwangi with Optional Stop at Madakaripura
Another thing I really wanted to see was Madakaripura, which is a very large waterfall in the Probolinggo area. Since the tour was customized to us, we were able to add this in en route to the Ijen Crater area.
You take a motorcycle {driven by a “guide”} to the area where you are able to start hiking. From there there is also a local guide that takes you through the waterfall. All of the payments for these things were included in what we paid Roman, and he took care of paying out everything. To be honest, you may not have to have a guide, but it was great to have one because he took pictures for us and honestly was very attentive to us.
TIP: I recommend giving a small tip to your guides throughout Indonesia. Most of them do not make a lot of money and are grateful for any and all tips, and it’s a very nice gesture of appreciation.
After touring the waterfalls, we headed back on the motorcycles to get back to our van and on our way towards Ijen. We made a short pitstop at a lodge-type place where we could change {I also rinsed off quickly} and use the bathrooms. We also stopped at a local spot for some quick lunch before getting back on the road.
Overnight in Banyuwangi
The drive to Ijen takes about 5-6 hours so try to get some rest en route if possible. You will choose your own lodging for the night and book it ahead of time. I highly recommend this hotel where we stayed. It was beautiful, the food was great, they were very kind, and I honestly wish we could have stayed there more than one night!
Have dinner upon your arrival at the hotel and then get some shut eye because you will be up early again! Sometime between midnight and 1:00am, you will meet Roman out front of the hotel and start the drive to Ijen. This day is more active so be sure to have water and again snack or protein bars.
Ijen Crater Blue Flame Hike
Once you arrive at the Ijen Crater area, you will meet your Ijen guide {Roman did not come with us for this part, he waited back in the parking area – you need a guide that knows Ijen well} & start to hike. It starts out pretty gradual, but there are some parts that definitely are difficult cardiovascularly. It’s about 1.5-2 hours of hiking total, and all in the pitch black dark. It’s doable by most I would say, but be sure to take rest breaks as needed along the hike and go at your pace.
TIP: Make sure you have a headlamp for this trek & dress in lots of layers. Consider packing extra layers in your backpack too. When hiking uphill, you will likely get very warm, but there is a bit of stopping and waiting and also the hike down into the crater which are all very, very cold.
There is a point where you stop to get your gas mask {you need to rent one and I can’t remember the exact price but it’s pretty inexpensive, under $15 I believe}. You can also purchase coffee or snacks here while you wait if you would like. After a short break, you will continue on the rest of the way.
The hiking down into the crater is rocky so be sure to have good stable shoes on {sneakers with a good grip or lightweight hiking boots} as well as your headlamp so you can see. You will see the sulfur miners carrying heavy, heavy loads of sulfur up so be sure to move out of their way when they come by! Once you get to the bottom, you can view the blue flame.
There’s a lot out of articles out there about whether the blue flame is worth it or not, and honestly, I was more impressed with the view of the crater at sunrise from the top and the views along the hike back. If I had to do it again, I most likely wouldn’t do the sunrise hike {you need to go at dark in order to see the blue flame} and would just do it in the daytime to take in all the surrounding beauty. The blue flame was not really all that exciting to myself or my husband, so if you’re on the fence, I recommend sleeping in and going in the daytime.
After hiking back up the crater rim and watching the sunrise {freezing your tush off!} you will take a stunning walk back to the car. You’ll head back to the hotel for a glorious shower and delicious breakfast if you’re staying where I recommended above! From here, you can decide the rest of your trip, but I highly recommend heading over to Ubud or another destination on Bali as the ferry to Bali is very close to Ijen Crater! Make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter so you can check out my other Indonesia travel posts as I post them! Happy trekking!
Our Tour Guide, Roman’s Contact Information:
Mt Bromo Sunrise Tour and Travel Company
|www.mtbromosunrisetour.com|
Telephone : +62 81216873003
WhatsApp : +62 81216873003
Email : mtbromosunrisetour@gmail.com
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