Would you like to add Bromo and Ijen to your tour of Indonesia but are having trouble deciding on the best mode of transportation?
If you're traveling on your own, you have up to 4 options to choose from:
How to Visit Bromo and Ijen
Most travelers visit Bromo and Ijen as a one-way stop on their way to Bali (or on their return trip).
At least, that's what 99% of the tourists we ran into were doing.
However, we opted for an alternative to Bali that’s much less crowded—and, as a result, also less accessible. 😉
So we decided to take a round-trip (circular) route from Surabaya to Bromo to Ijen and back to Surabaya but we only had 3 days and 2 nights to complete it.
Is that possible? You bet!
What's more, you have up to 4 options for doing it:
1. Local travel agencies
This is the best option if you have:
- High budget.
- Shortly before and during the trip.
- Little need for customization along the route.
These were some of the quotes we received via email for the 3D/2N Surabaya-Bromo-Ijen-Surabaya:
Please note: These prices and terms were in effect in 2012, so they may have changed significantly.
2. Public Transportation
This is the best option if you have:
- Low budget.
- A long time during the trip.
- The desire to move 100% on your own terms.
Since I didn't go with this option, I can't give you too many details, but I can offer some basic tips that I researched while planning the trip.
You can reach Bromo National Park from Probolinggo, Wonokitri, and Ngadas, with the first option being the easiest to reach by public transportation.
So, to get to Probolinggo:
- From the Surabaya airport, you'll need to take a bus to Purabaya Station, located 10 km south of downtown, so you'll likely need to transfer.
- In Purabaya, take a bus to Probolinggo (a 3-hour trip). In theory, buses leave every 30 minutes, but traffic jams and delays are common.
- In Probolinggo, you can spend the night and go on excursions from there, or continue on to Cemoro Lawang—one of the park’s entry points—by taking one of the private minibuses that connect the two places (chartered by travel agencies).
3. Car or Motorcycle Rental
Do you dare to drive in Indonesia?
So the most common option is to rent a motorcycle, and it's the best choice if:
- You have a low-to-medium budget.
- Do you feel like going on an adrenaline-pumping adventure?
- You want to move however and wherever you please.
Dealing with traffic in some parts of Java—such as on the road from Surabaya to Probolinggo— is an ordeal.
However, on other, more secluded roads, it must be a pleasure to have your own motorcycle and be able to ride at your own pace while enjoying the scenery.
I wouldn't do it, but I know people who recommend it.
So it's up to you. 😉
4. Private driver from Surabaya
And finally, this is the option that worked best for my trip: hiring a private driver.
This is the right choice if you have:
- Medium-to-high budget.
- Shortly before and after the trip.
- The need to customize the route 100%.
Furthermore, this option didn't need to be "finalized" in advance; instead, he could negotiate it upon arriving in Surabaya.
How?
I'll tell you all about it in great detail:
How to Hire a Driver at the Surabaya Airport Tourist Information Office
When you arrive at the Surabaya airport, head to the exit.
Just as you walk out the door where family members, drivers holding signs, and other people eager to sell you a ride are waiting anxiously… right there, on the right, you’ll find the tourist office.
It's a small shop with one or two people inside who, in our experience, will serve you very attentively in English.
After telling them that we only had 3 days (2 nights) and that we wanted to do a circular route to see Bromo and Ijen, but return to Surabaya on the third day, this is what they offered us:
- First, they told us how to get to Cemoro Lawang by taking four buses.
- Then they offered us one-way or round-trip transportation to Bromo (€49 and €82, respectively).
- One of them offered us their tours, but none of them included Ijen.
- The last offer was the final one: a private driver for the 3-day/2-night trip (including gas and the driver's per diem) for 1,900,000 rupees (€154).
If you look at the price list the agencies gave us, that quote for two people was a real bargain, even though it didn't include meals or park admission.
Plus, it gave us the option to go on our own (without a large group) right when we needed it.
So… it's a deal!
Our Experience with a Private Driver in Java
The driver, Abdul, didn't speak English. We were told it was better that way so he wouldn't ask us for more money. But this sometimes made communication difficult.
The car didn't have air conditioning, but as soon as we got closer to Bromo, that wasn't a problem, since the temperatures there are much cooler.
We discovered during the trip that if we didn't invite the driver to eat with us, he wouldn't eat anything when we stopped at our request. So we'd invite him to eat with us (sometimes he accepted, but he'd sit at a different table—we never found out why).
This wasn't a problem at all because we always stopped at very inexpensive places where we paid €3.50 for a meal for three people.
He was also trying to take us to some very specific hotels.
For example, in Bromo, he wanted to take us to Cemara Indah, but we refused and asked to go to Cafe Lava instead, since we knew it was cheaper.
Apparently, since he didn't have an agreement or "commission" with them, he slept in his car that night. So we felt bad for having insisted and decided to let him decide where to stay in Ijen.
He took us to Catimore…
The next morning, Abdul looked much better: he had slept well in a room reserved for drivers, and they had given him dinner.
However, our experience there wasn't so great—more because of bad luck than anything else. But I'll tell you all about that in the trip summary. 😉
What's it like to drive in Indonesia? A 10.
Abdul took us to all the places we wanted to go in record time, navigating massive traffic jams, driving down bumpy roads, and even preventing a bus traveling in the opposite direction in our lane from running us over.
That was a close call!
The only real complaint I could make is that, on one occasion, he started smoking inside the car (with the windows open). It was the very day I'd spent the night in the car near Bromo (and it had been very cold), so we let him do it even though it bothered us.
Conclusion
The decision is up to you, but if you want to plan a trip to Bromo and Ijen on your own, here's my advice:
- Do you like having everything taken care of? Book a package tour through a local travel agency. The table below lists many options—ask them for a quote!
- Are you backpacking? Then take public transportation ( if you have time) or rent a car (if you have a steady hand and a strong sense of adventure).
- Want to explore on your own but short on travel time and prefer to play it safe? Rent a car with a driver at the tourist office and enjoy!
Useful links
- Cafe Lava.
- Cemara Indah.
- Catimore.
- Other accommodations in the area.
- Flights to Indonesia: Trabber, eDreams, and Momondo.
- 5% discount on your IATI travel insurance when booking from here.
Road tripping through Indonesia? Then you'll love these:
- 3-day, 2-night itinerary through Bromo and Ijen.
- 3-week road trip through Indonesia: Java and Borneo.
- 4-day klotok boat trip through Borneo: encounter wild orangutans.
- Experience a sunrise from Borobudur temple.
- Meditate with Buddhist monks at Mendut temple.
- Prambanan, Indonesia's largest Hindu temple.
- Selogriyo: a Hindu temple tucked among rice paddies.
- Pulau Derawan: how to get there and spend 7 days on the island.
Map
Do you know of another way to plan a trip to Bromo and Ijen? Haven't you decided yet which option is best for you?
Let me know in the comments. Maybe between my opinion and those of other readers, we can help you choose the one that's right for you. 😉