- Climbing an active volcano?
- Watching the sunrise over Bromo?
- Reach the sulfur lake that covers Mount Ijen?
All this and more in only 3 days and 2 nights 😉.
3D/2N tour of the Bromo and Ijen volcanoes
For a circular tour of the volcanic areas of Bromo and Ijen, starting and returning to Surabaya in just 3 days, we opted to to rent a car with driver in East Java.
Want to know what other options we considered and how I got it?
Then take a look at the article where I tell you how I made the decision and where I hired the service.
And now for the adventure 😉.
Day 1: Surabaya - Bromo
We got into Abdul's car and headed for Cemoro Lawang, the village on the edge of the crater that contains Gunung Bromo National Park.
The trip took about 4 hours.
From Surabaya to Probolinggo the traffic was very intense, irregular and even surreal at times (many times).
Good thing we had a local with us who drove just as bad... Or good, considering that we didn't see a single accident.
When we felt hungry we said Bahasa restaurant as best we could: "Rumah wakan", and Abdul stopped at the next restaurant he found.
What did we eat? "Nasi goreng" and "mie goreng", our new favorite dishes since we visited Indonesia 😉.
Once we passed Probolinggo, the road became much more rocky and pleasant.
Instead of cars and traffic, there were children and adults in the middle of the road trying to stop cars asking for money. But Abdul whistled them away (just like when he overtook or ran a traffic light, what?).
Our "hotel" in Bromo
When we arrived at Cemara Lawang we asked to be dropped off at Cafe Lava Hostel (much to his regret, because he must have had an agreement with the Cemara Indah).
But Cafe Lava was cheaper: 18€ for a mini-room for two people with shared bathroom and breakfast. It fit the bed (not very big) and little else, but it was fine for one night.
Crossing the sand sea on foot to Bromo
It is usual for travelers who want to climb up to the caldera of the Bromo volcano to do so during the morning, after having seen the sunrise from Gunung Penanjakan.
They usually do this as part of a guided jeep tour. Therefore, if you want to visit the "Laotian Pasir" (Sand Sea) area on foot just at that time, the experience will be, to say the least, dusty, dusty. 😉
However, we started the descent from the park office where you pay 2€/person (PHKA) in the middle of the afternoon, and we were almost alone.
Some motorist offered to take us to the base of Bromo, but nothing more.
To get there you have to follow some white marks on the rock. We deviated a little, venturing through an almost lunar landscape, but we reached the stairs without problems.
And once at the top, wow!
The volcano for us: smoking, imposing and in complete silence.
It was an unforgettable sight.
Of course, wear something to cover your nose and mouth. The smell of sulfur is unbearable when you reach the top.
Planning for the next day
We knew that there were 2 viewpoints where people go to watch the sunrise over the Bromo National Park:
- Penanjakan: the highest and most beautiful, but road access (i.e. for jeep tours) from Cemoro Lawang was cut off at the time.
- Seruni: a place at mid-altitude with good views, but not as good as the first one. Here the jeeps did arrive.
Options?
- Go to Seruni by shared jeep for 7€/person.
- 2 hours trekking with guide to Penanjakan for 30€.
- Doing the trekking route on your own with some super nice Swiss friends that we met at the hotel during dinner.
Guess which one we chose? 😉
Curiosity: it was so cold and we had to get up so early that we slept that night with our trekking clothes on (fleece included).
Day 2: Bromo - Ijen
Trekking to Gunung Penanjakan Viewpoint
We left at 3.15 from Cafe Lava to reach the summit before sunrise.
In 45 minutes we reach the intermediate viewpoint, Seruni.
This part of the trail is easy to follow, as it is the same dirt road that the jeeps drive on (be careful, you will probably breathe a lot of dust).
From this point on, the trail becomes suitable only for hikers, much narrower and steeper.
By the way, be prepared to climb and climb. After all, you have to save 600 meters of altitude.
The good thing?
Even if the temperature is 6º Celsius, what is called cold, cold, you do not pass.
In about 2 hours we had arrived at Gunung Penanjakan viewpoint, just in time for the show:
Of course, as soon as you stop walking (for example, to admire the views), the low temperatures freeze your muscles.
Thank goodness the coffee stands had small stoves to regain the feeling we had lost in our hands as dawn broke over Bromo.
The descent was much easier, but we stopped to take pictures at every step, so it took about the same time.
Drive from Bromo to Ijen
We took advantage of the fact that it was still 8:30 in the morning to take a shower and have breakfast at Cafe Lava.
And while the rest of the travelers headed en masse to the sandy desert, we got in our car with Abdul on our way to Ijen, satisfied to have climbed Bromo the previous afternoon without crowds or hundreds of jeeps kicking up dust everywhere.
The route begins by returning to Probolingo and follows the coast to Besuki.
At this point you turn off to Bondowoso and the landscape becomes much greener, full of volcanoes and forests of leaf litter.
Beautiful... until we approached Sempol:
Arrival at Sempol
The road was full of potholes that were too deep (they ended up damaging one of the wheels) and there were hundreds of trucks making the situation worse with smoke and a snail's pace.
That last half hour made us think that it had not been worth it.
We passed through 3 coffee plantation checkpoints where we paid 5000 rupees ( 50 cents) to open the barrier.
And when we finally arrived at the Catimore Hotel (this time, chosen by our driver), there were no regular rooms left, so we were accommodated in the colonial house....
What a horror!
It was dirty, the mattress was very old and very uncomfortable, the windows did not close well....
The only good news was that we were able to take a walk to the nearby waterfalls to clear our heads a bit before bedtime.
Day 3: Ijen - Surabaya
Climbing the sulfur lake of Ijen
At 3.30 up and about. The breakfast also left a lot to be desired....
The good thing about the Catimore? That on this occasion Abdul did get a good night's rest, in a shared room, but much better than ours 🙂
At 5:10 a.m. we had already arrived at the foot of the Ijen volcano.
And in another hour, walking uphill along the same path that the sulfur carriers were carrying their loads down, we reached the summit.
The sight of that turquoise blue lake contrasting with the festering yellow of the sulfur mine made the previous day's trip worthwhile.
Besides, compared to the miners' work, ours had been a bed of roses.
There is nothing better than looking at the situation from another perspective.
The carriers try to sell you sulfur figurines, take pictures with you in exchange for a few rupees or offer you to go down into the mine for little money to see it up close. That day it was closed to the public because of toxic fumes, although they were still going down.
After enjoying the visual spectacle, we returned to the base of Ijen (Pos Paltuding), where we had another coffee and cookies while Abdul inflated the spare tire he had had to change due to the previous day's damage.
Return to Surabaya
It took us 7 hours to get to the accommodation where we spent the last night in Surabaya: the Majapahit Hotel, the luxury hotel stay that we treat ourselves as a whim in this route through Indonesia...
And what a great time to do it!
After the miles and hours of road travel over the last 3 days, early mornings, treks and mattresses in poor condition, arriving at the Majapahit Hotel was like finding an oasis in the desert:
- Comfortable and clean room.
- Swimming pool all to ourselves.
- A small spa (separated by gender).
We took the opportunity to vary our diet a little and had dinner at Sarkies, a well-known restaurant within the hotel itself.
Next stop
The next morning we had the best breakfast of the entire tour and set course for Derawan, a remote island off the coast of Borneo.
Budget
- Lodging and meals:
- Cafe Lava (room + dinner + breakfast): 24€ (12€/person).
- Catimore (room + breakfast): 16€ (8€/person).
- Hotel Majapahit (room + breakfast): 118€ (59€/person).
- Extra meals: 20€.
- Transportation by car with private driver154€ (77€/person).
- National Parks: 9€ in total
- Cab from Surabaya to airport: 10€.
- Other charges: 2€.
In total we spent 353€ in 3 days and 3 nights doing the circular route Surabaya-Bromo-Ijen-Surabaya (59€ per person per day), treats included 😉.
What to bring and other tips
Clothing
Due to its altitude, this area of Indonesia is very cold, especially at night.
That you're going in the summer? Whatever, I'm serious. Pack a good fleece, wear double pants and choose the warmest wool socks you have.
Do you have gloves that don't take up too much space in your backpack? Throw them on (I missed them a lot).
And tuck the trekking boots in the suitcase (if they are waterproof, the better).
Sol
Even if temperatures are low, don't be fooled.
As soon as it comes out, the sun is as dangerous as anywhere else. So remember to apply sunscreen, wear sunglasses and have a hat of some kind on your head.
Travel insurance
Don't gamble. Nowadays traveling insured with IATI, one of the best insurance companies for travelers, is very cheap.
3weeks traveling calm and relaxed in Indonesia for 110€? Knowing that we wouldn't even have to pay anything in advance if something unexpected happened? Delayed luggage, liability and a lot of money in medical expenses if necessary... I don't travel without them anymore.
And if you want to save even more, book through this link and get a 5% discount on the final price.
Useful Links
- Cafe Lava.
- Cemara Indah.
- Catimore.
- Majapahit Hotel.
- Other accommodations in the area.
- Flights to Indonesia: Trabber, eDreams and Momondo.
- 5% discount when you purchase your travel insurance at IATI from here.
On the road in Indonesia? Then this is of interest to you:
- How to organize your visit to Bromo and Ijen: 4 options.
- 3 weeks tour in Indonesia: Java and Borneo.
- Experience a sunrise from the temple of Borobudur.
- Meditate with Buddhist monks at the Mendut temple.
- 4 days klotok trip in Borneo: encounter with orangutans in the wild.
- Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia.
- Selogriyo: a Hindu temple among rice plantations.
- Pulau Derawan: how to arrive and stay 7 days on the island.