How do you visit Bromo and Ijen from Bali?

East Java holds the two most photographed volcanic landscapes in Indonesia, and from Bali they are closer than most visitors realise: the ferry from Gilimanuk to Ketapang takes about an hour.

Ijen

The blue fire is the draw: sulphuric gases igniting as they escape the vents, visible only in darkness, which is why treks start around 1am.

The walk is about three kilometres up to the crater rim, taking 90 minutes to two hours, then a steep descent into the crater to see the flames. Gas masks are supplied by guides and you need them: the sulphur gusts are genuinely unpleasant and occasionally dangerous.

At sunrise, the crater reveals a turquoise acid lake, the largest of its kind in the world.

The miners. Men carry 70 to 90-kilogram baskets of sulphur up out of the crater and down the mountain, several times a day, for a few dollars a load. It is one of the hardest jobs on earth, it happens while you take photographs, and it changes how the visit feels.

Ijen closes periodically for volcanic activity and gas levels. Check before you commit to dates.

Bromo

A volcano inside a caldera inside a larger volcanic complex, surrounded by the Sea of Sand.

The standard trip: a 3am jeep to a viewpoint on the caldera rim — Penanjakan or the King Kong hill — for sunrise over Bromo with Semeru smoking behind it. Then a drive across the sand and a walk up the steps to Bromo's own crater rim.

It is cold at 2,700 metres before dawn. Bring proper layers; this is not Bali temperatures.

It is busy. The main viewpoints hold hundreds of people at sunrise in peak season. The alternative viewpoints are quieter.

Doing the loop from Bali

Three or four days is the standard.

• Day 1: drive to Gilimanuk (three to four hours from the south), ferry to Ketapang (about an hour), drive to Banyuwangi. Sleep early.
• Night 1 into Day 2: Ijen at 1am, back by mid-morning, sleep, then drive four to five hours to Bromo.
• Night 2 into Day 3: Bromo at 3am, sunrise, crater, back by mid-morning. Drive back to the ferry or continue west to Yogyakarta.
• Day 3 or 4: ferry back to Bali.

Most people book this as an organised tour with a driver and accommodation included, which is the sensible way to do it: the driving is long and the timings are unforgiving.

Costs

Organised three-day tours from Bali typically run 2,500,000 to 5,000,000 rupiah per person including transport, basic accommodation, guides and park fees. Independent travel is cheaper and requires more patience with buses and ferries.

Park entry fees for Bromo and Ijen are charged separately and are higher at weekends.

The alternative: fly

Fly Bali to Surabaya or Banyuwangi and start from there, which removes six to eight hours of driving and ferry. For a short trip, this is the better option.

Practical notes

It is cold. Both sites are high and both are visited before dawn. A fleece, a windproof layer, a hat and gloves.

Masks. Take the one your guide gives you at Ijen seriously, and leave if you are told to.

Fitness. Ijen is a real hike. Bromo is a short walk with a lot of steps.

Altitude. Not extreme, but noticeable at 2,700 to 2,800 metres before dawn.

Closures. Both volcanoes close for activity. Build flexibility into the plan.