Day 1 – Waterfall, Hill Farms & Savannah
The drive from Malang to Cemoro Lawang (Bromo village) is a beautiful two-hour drive with a 4×4 jeep. You will need a four-wheel-drive car since you will be climbing a lot towards Ngadas village. Just before entering the Ngadas region, you can visit the Coban Pelangi waterfall.
You can either see it from a viewpoint (5 min walk, 10000 IDR) or experience its power at the foot of the waterfall (Free). It is a 15-minute walk down over a well-paved path and definitely not too hard.
Ngadas Village is a vegetable area (farms) located on steep hills. Not many foreign tourists pass this route as it is not a well-known way to follow the Bromo and Ijen tour.
Follow our full Java Route Guide.
After Ngadas, you will start descending into the Savannah, the flat area around Bromo. Drive around through the ‘Sea of Sand’, take some awesome photos with your jeep, and arrive at Cemoro Lawang (Bromo village) before sunset and visit the secret sunset viewpoint, which you can find in the article linked below.
Read: Everything about a Bromo tour
Day 2 – Sunrise at Bromo
Make sure to head to bed early on day one and set the alarm at 2:45 AM. At 3 AM, your jeep will take you up to one of the viewpoints that look onto the Bromo volcano. Followed by visiting the actual crater and have a look inside an active volcano.
Read more: Bromo Tour Guide
On that same day, make your way towards Ijen with a stop at the second-highest waterfall in Indonesia. The Madakaripura waterfall. As water cascades from all sides, you and your camera will get wet. Don’t worry; rain jackets are sold at the entrance. From Bromo to Ijen is a 4-hour drive.
Day 3 – Sunrise on Ijen
For your trip to the Ijen Crater Lake, you have to start hiking at 2 AM to experience the ‘Blue Fire’ or at 4 AM to experience sunrise on the lake. It is a 1.5-hour walk, so make sure to leave on time to not miss one or both of the above-named moments at Ijen.
Read about: Ijen Crater tour
Book a Bromo and Ijen Tour
A Bromo and Ijen tour can be done in many ways. If you are not on a super strict budget, we recommend you to book a tour since it saves so much time and hassle.
Contact our great driver Azhar on Whatsapp (+6281336042045). Make sure to tell him you came via ‘Salt in our Hair’ so you’ll get the best price.
Where to stay near Bromo
Plan to spend the night at a guesthouse or hotel. The village is entirely focused on accommodating visitors, so you should always be able to find a place. Please note that you may not have hot water at a homestay.
Hotels near Ijen
You have a few options to get to Ijen. The easiest way is to find a guesthouse or homestay near Ijen. The best location would be in Banyuwangi.
Another option is to stay in a larger city called Bondowoso. The only downside is that you have to drive for another two hours to get to the starting point of Ijen.
When you purchase something through our links we earn a small fee. However, you still pay the same. Win-win!
- Find Hotels via Booking.com
- Find a Rental Car via Sunny Cars
- Find Cheap Flights via Skyscanner
- Get a Travel Insurance via Heymondo
- Book Tours & Attractions via Viator
- Book a Bus/Train/Transfer via 12Go
Looking for more travel information? Plan a chat with us for personalised travel advice or get an answer from the Salt in our Hair Travel Community on Facebook.
Hi! I followed you recommendation of Mr. Azhar and just had an amazing experience in Indonesia. Highly recommend him to anyone looking for someone to help with their trip in the country – specially Bromo and Ijen.