How to go to Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi?

Best way to go to Mount Ijen

For those wanting to know how to go to Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, this article will provide you with some information on one of the most popular mountains to trek in Indonesia.

Mount Ijen, or Kawah Ijen as it is locally called, is located in the Banyuwangi Regency, the east most part of Java Island and neighbouring the island of Bali across the Bali Straits.

How to go to Mount Ijen?

Below are some of the best ways to get to Mount Ijen in Indonesia, and please take note that there is much travelling to do to get here.

The obvious way would be to fly into Banyuwangi and then travel overland from there. It also depends on which travel and tour company you choose.

Flying to Banyuwangi

There are a few ways to go to Banyuwangi, and the fastest and easiest way is to fly into the Banyuwangi Airport (BWW) using the local Indonesian airlines.

Most travellers wanting to hike up Mount Ijen would do this to save time. However, if you are a backpacker or budget traveller, you may travel overland from Surabaya, which will take you a cool 10 to 12 hours via bus.

Lapangan Terbang Banyuwangi
Banyuwangi Airport

If you are taking an international airline, you can land at Surabaya Airport and connect to Banyuwangi using Lion Air, Wings Air or Garuda Indonesia.

From Jakarta, you need to transit to Surabaya before connecting to Banyuwangi. Note the flight timings are not as regular as other popular cities.

From Bali to Banyuwangi

Another option is to travel from Bali to Banyuwangi, and this requires overland and a ferry trip which will take you no more than four to five hours.

From Denpasar or Kuta, you need to travel to Gilimanuk Ferry Terminal on the west coast of Bali Island, take the ferry service across to the Ketapang Ferry Terminal, and you are in Banyuwangi.

Ferry Gilimanuk-Banyuwangi
Gilimanuk-Banyuwangi Ferry Service. (Photo credit www.visitijen.com)

Trek up Mount Ijen (Kawah Ijen)

The star tourist attraction of Banyuwangi is no other than Mount Ijen, and the trek up is a tiring one where you need to depart at midnight to reach the foot of the mountain by 1.30am.

Then you need to trek up about two to three hours or so to catch the elusive blue flame just before sunrise. Most visitors who want to see this blue flame would start as early as 11.00 pm.

Many tour companies offer the full Mount Ijen Trekking Package, so you simply need to book your tour and make the arrangements with your guide in Banyuwangi. You can ask your guesthouse or hotel for this.

The 4x4 vehicles and guide will pick you from the hotel, and you will travel overland for about one hour to the foot of Mount Ijen before your briefing and trek up.

In total, you will spend about six hours and will be back by breakfast, and it depends on how capable you are.

Kawah Ijen
The scene at Mount Ijen taken at 5.00am

The trick for trekking up Mount Ijen is to sleep early the night before as you need your rest for the trek up.

This means forgoing your dinner and hitting the sack by about 4.00pm and waking up at 11.00pm. Also, it is best to book a tour from a local tour company as it will be hassle-free.

Note the Kawah Ijen park entrance is around IDR100,000 on weekdays, IDR 150,000 at weekends. A full tour package per person, including the park entrance fees, 4x4 vehicle, guide, torch, and mask, would cost around IDR 600,000 to IDR 700,000.

It is also highly recommended that you shop around for the best tour prices in Banyuwangi, and make sure you ask what is included in the price package.

Conclusion

For additional information, you can also visit the Indonesia Tourism website as they have quite a complete guide to the area.

The above are the best ways to go to Mount Ijen in Banyuwangi, and if you have any comments or questions, please do ask them in the comment form below. Have a great trek and happy travelling.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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