Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen are 2 of the highlights of the Indonesian island of Java. These towering volcanoes are a must visit if you are planning a trip to Indonesia, but seeing them both can often be very expensive. We chose to visit both Bromo and Ijen ourselves, and not only did we save money, we enjoyed a much more relaxing and peaceful experience. Keep reading for our full guide, itinerary and cost breakdown on how to plan your own DIY trip to Bromo and Ijen without an organised tour!
Why visit Bromo and Ijen without an organised tour?
Most people that come to Java to see Bromo and Ijen opt for a fully organised tour. These generally start in Surabaya or Yogyakarta and include all your transport, park entrance fees and 2 nights in accommodation. Usually taking 3 days, they involve lots of driving, waking up extremely early and are generally very expensive (around 200-300 euros per person!), but it is possible to see both of these volcanoes without a tour and organise everything yourself. Here are the main benefits of planning your own trip to Bromo and Ijen.
1. Travel at your own pace
We personally enjoy a more relaxed pace of travel. Waking up 3 days in a row at 2am to hike up a volcano to see the sunrise is possible, but extremely tiring. By planning your own trip to Bromo and Ijen you can choose to spend an extra day to relax and explore the areas around the mounts rather than getting straight into a minibus after the hike to travel to the next one.
For us, spending an extra 2 days around Mount Ijen was one of the highlights of our trip in Java. The rice fields and countryside in the Ijen area are beautiful to explore, and most people that visit never even have the chance to see it!
2. Choose your own accommodations
We have heard some horror stories from other travellers about the “provided accommodations” in some of these organised tours. Whilst the tours might promise a luxury nights stay at the foot of the volcano, once you get there the reality might be very different! By planning your own trip you can choose your own hotel / guesthouse to stay in, and make sure you have a clean and comfortable night’s sleep. This is even more important if you are planning on being up at 2am to see the sunrise!
3. Save money
This is the real benefit to seeing Bromo and Ijen without a tour. Organised tour prices to see both Bromo and Ijen often cost around 200-300 euros depending on the level of comfort and how many people you share the tour with. This also usually only includes breakfast, so you will be spending another 5-10 euros a day for meals. For us, even 200 euros over 3 days was well out of our budget. It is possible to organise everything yourself and spend just 20 euros a day per person! Check out our full cost breakdown and itinerary below.
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A Bromo and Ijen DIY itinerary for 4-6 days
Depending on the amount of time you have available, you can choose to see everything in 4 days or spend an extra day (or longer!) at each volcano to have a more relaxed pace.
Getting to Mount Bromo from Yogyakarta / Surabaya (1 day)
From Yogyakarta and Surabaya there are a few options to reach Bromo. You first need to get to the town of Probolinggo which is the largest city near Mount Bromo. You can either choose the high speed train, which takes 7 hours from Yogyakarta and 3 hours from Surabaya, or take a bus. Travelling by bus is considerably cheaper but takes longer.
We opted for the bus from Yogyakarta to Probolinggo which cost 140k rupiah (around 8 euros), and it took a whopping 12 hours. The train was probably more comfortable and certainly faster, but it was around double the price at 300k rupiah (around 18 euros). Regardless of which you choose it will be saving you money compared to the tour.
You will arrive in Probolinggo at the Terminal Bayuangga bus station. From here you can either head straight to Bromo or do what we did and sleep near the bus station so you can catch the local bus to Bromo first thing in the morning. We stayed in Happy House BnB just a 5 minute walk from the bus station and spent just 120k rupiah / 7 euros for a very clean and comfortable room with air conditioning.
Probolinggo and Mount Bromo (1 – 2 days)
Returning back to the Bayuangga bus terminal, you can find the local bus that takes people up to the Bromo national park area. This bus only leaves when it is full so we recommend getting there early, around 8am to be safe. It costs just 50k rupiah (2.5 euros) and takes about an hour and a half to reach the town of Cemoro Lawang which is the starting point for hikes to Bromo.
Cemoro Lawang has many homestays for people on a budget, and we found a nice room for 150k rupiah a night. You can visit the crater on the day you arrive if you are in a rush, and watch the sunrise over the caldera the next morning. We chose to spend 2 nights here and woke up the next day to hike up to the viewpoint for sunrise, then went to see the crater that afternoon.
The town of Cemoro Lawang gets very busy during peak season, so we recommend booking somewhere before you arrive. It is also infamous for having lackluster rooms and many places have questionable cleanliness and damp problems. Check out our recommendations below for places that we can confirm are nice to stay in.
Hotels in Bromo View all
Getting to Mount Ijen from Mount Bromo (1 day)
The first step for getting to Ijen from Bromo is to wake up early and take the public bus back down to Probolinggo. Just like on the way up, this bus only leaves when it’s full so we recommend getting to the bus stop at 9am to make sure you get a spot. The bus leaves from in front of Warung Pondok Tenneger. Once you get back down to Probolinggo you can buy a ticket to the Ijen area directly from where you get dropped off. This costs 200k rupiah (12 euros) and has the benefit of dropping you off directly at your hotel.
We recommend booking somewhere to stay in the Licin area around Ijen as it is surrounded by nature and rice fields, and is only 45 minutes from the starting point of the Ijen hike. Check out our recommendations below for where to stay in Licin.
Hotels in Ijen View all
Mount Ijen (1 – 2 days)
Most people visit Mount Ijen at sunrise, but we preferred to visit during the day to avoid the crowds. We wrote all about why we think this option is the best in an article here on the blog!
If you want to visit for sunrise you will have to organise a driver to take you to Ijen in the early hours of the morning. We were quoted 500k rupiah by the owner of our homestay (about 30 euros), so factor this into your budget if you want to visit Ijen this way. We visited in the morning around 7am so we were able to rent a scooter and drive ourselves there for just 150k for the day.
In our opinion it is worth spending another day in this area just to walk around the rice fields and enjoy the peace and quiet and nature. This part of Java is really untouched and beautiful. After finishing at Ijen you can easily take the ferry over to Bali and continue your adventure! The ferry leaves from Ketapang, just a 45 minute drive from Licin.
When booking train and bus tickets abroad, we always use 12go.asia. You can check timetables and prices online and it’s often cheaper than booking in person! Check our 12go.asia here.
Bromo and Ijen full cost breakdown without a tour
This is how much the entire 6 days cost us, including all meals, transport, hotels and park entrance tickets. This budget is based on 2 people sharing, and if you choose to do it in 4 days it could be even lower.
Yogyakarta to Probolinggo – Day 1
- Bus to Probolinggo – 140k rupiah
- Night at Happy House BnB – 70k rupiah
Probolinggo to Bromo – Day 2
- Bus to Cemoro Lawang – 50k rupiah
- Bromo national park entrance fee – 20k rupiah
- Night in homestay in Cemoro Lawang – 125k rupiah
Bromo – Day 3
- Night in homestay in Cemoro Lawang – 125k rupiah
Bromo to Ijen – Day 4
- Bus to Probolinggo – 75k rupiah
- Bus from Probolinggo to Licin – 200k rupiah
- Night in homestay in Licin – 100k rupiah
Ijen – Day 5
- Medical test for Ijen – 25k rupiah
- Night in homestay in Licin – 100k rupiah
Ijen to Bali – Day 6
- Motorbike rental – 75k rupiah
- Ijen national park entrance fee – 100k rupiah
Extras
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner – 100k per person per day – 600k rupiah
Total for 2 people sharing = 1,805,000 rupiah per person = 107 EUR / 117 USD / 89 GBP
Total for solo traveller = 2,400,000 rupiah = 143 EUR / 155 USD / 119 GBP
As you can see, not only is planning your own trip to Bromo and Ijen cheaper, you can also take your time and explore the areas at your own pace, all whilst saving money! This is the only way to see Bromo and Ijen in our opinion and the organised tours are only worth considering if you are really short on time and don’t have a budget.
When spending money abroad we always use our WISE international debit card. You can withdraw up to 200 euros in cash per month free of charge and won’t pay any conversion fees on transactions. Check out the WISE international debit card here.
The best time of year to visit Mount Bromo and Ijen
✅ Due to their altitude, both Bromo and Ijen are visitable all year round. The dry season in east Java is between April and October, when the weather is best and you are most likely to have a dry day and clear skies. Check the weather forecast before you visit and plan your trip accordingly.
❌ The rainy season in Java runs between November and March so visiting Bromo and Ijen during this period is more difficult. East Java generally receives less rain than the rest of the island but you will have to keep an eye on the weather forecast to find a good weather window to visit in.
Did you find our guide useful? Leave us a comment below! If you’ve planned your own trip to Bromo and Ijen, or are doing so now, we’d love to hear about it!
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