Kawa Ijen + Mt Bromo from Denpasar
We had this tour organized for two people departing from Denpasar and being dropped off in Surabaya. We were picked up in Seminyak, Denpasar, exactly on time. Having spent a few days in Denpasar prior, we knew that traffic can be challenging for cars. We did make it to Kawah Ijen well on schedule, which in total took about 8 hours. This is quite the journey, after which you go on a rather intense and challenging hike. The tour information could have shown more details on what to wear. It is physically hard work in chilly/cold conditions. You see many people there wearing jackets, face masks, and beanies. Wear shoes with a good profile for grip. While you are standing still, you will cool down quickly, but when you are climbing, you will warm up fast. So wear clothes that you can easily open/take off and close/put back on. You can also let yourself be carried on a cart. There will be many people on the same trail. Especially the descent into the crater is very narrow. Down in the crater, the guides can light the sulfur themselves, so you are guaranteed to see the flames. Many people are taking pictures of and with the flames. So if you want those pictures, you have to wait for your turn, as it is first come, first served. We saw the natural blue flames further down in the crater, in the area where only the local miners could enter. Only from 5:00 am onwards would that section be opened for public access. When we went, we could choose to stay there for another 2 hours or go up to the sunrise point and arrive in time for sunrise. Ascending the crater is a steep climb while many people are on their way down. Personally, I found it challenging, which I enjoy. We were two guys in decent shape who liked to go at quite a pace. We were not the first to leave when the trail opened, but we were among the first down in the crater. Our guide, Jay, did a great job, spoke good English, was funny, and was very interested in us. We had a great time with him, and he took all the care of us that we could have wished for. I had a great experience at Kawah Ijen, and the guide and driver did everything we could expect from them. We were very tired starting the hike after the journey all the way from Denpasar. I would recommend finding a way to start more rested. After checking out at 11:00 am on Friday, we would not see a bed or shower until 2:00 pm on Saturday. After a total of 14 hours of travelling and spending the whole night on the mountain trail, I was very eager to shower and sleep in a bed. If you manage to catch some sleep in a driving car, I envy you :p. We had our accommodation in Cemorolawang. Here, we had plenty of time to eat, shower, and rest. In the evening, we noticed that it was already quite a bit colder here than at Kawah Ijen. We rented a jacket from the accommodation and bought a Mt. Bromo beanie and face mask. There are plenty of people who sell these. There are also plenty of options for getting food. The Mt. Bromo tour is a lot easier than the Kawah Ijen tour. Most of the distance is covered by Jeep. We departed at 2:00 am from the accommodation, parked at 2:45 am, and spent well over an hour at a warung. It was starting to get very crowded. We had a 10–15-minute walk, which was steep at times but nothing challenging. We arrived at the sunrise point around 4:20–4:30 am, where we had to wait well over an hour for sunrise to start. The view of the craters is amazing from up here, and we had great spots. During all this time, we were very happy with the rented jackets and beanie. Next, you go to the Tengger Caldera. This is the crater that you saw continuously fuming. Getting back down takes a while. The road is completely blocked by Jeeps, and if you are far up to get the best view early, it means you will be one of the last to get down. By this time, the sun is getting pretty hot, and the next thing you can do is walk all the way to the crater and climb the stairs. Definitely leave some of the warm clothes in the car and replace them with sunscreen and sunglasses ;). Horses, motorbikes, and people kick up the sand, so be prepared for a lot of dust. The view down into the crater is amazing and well worth the climb!