East Java ended up being one of the biggest highlights of our Indonesia trip. Over three unforgettable days we explored towering waterfalls, watched the sunrise over Mount Bromo, stood on the rim of an active volcano, and hiked through the night to witness the famous blue flames of Mount Ijen.

In this guide we’ll share exactly what the tour was like, what surprised us, what we’d do differently, and whether we’d recommend it.

Quick Overview

Duration
3 Days / 2 Nights

Highlights

• Tumpak Sewu Waterfall
• Mount Bromo Sunrise
• Bromo Crater
• Sea of Sand
• Mount Ijen
• Blue Fire
• Sunrise over Ijen crater lake

Fitness level

Moderate

Budget

125 euros for the tour

Best Time

Start of dry season, May to June

Why We Chose This Tour

We are convinced the best way to see everything in East Java is to book a tour. These tour companies know exactly how and where to access these sights. They also have great accommodation for the two nights in between and they arrange all the transport for you. Even better, they often have one single driver that stays with you throughout the whole three days. And since you have to wake up in the middle of the night both nights, this makes it a lot more practical. You also need special gear for the night hike to Ijen, and jeep transport to get to the Bromo crater. All of this is already arranged by the tour company.

Doing this with a tour company just makes the whole experience a lot more efficient and enjoyable. We can recommend Travel with Dee to book your East Java tour!

Day 1 – Tumpak Sewu Waterfall

On the first day, you usually depart from Malang where most of these tours start. You drive towards the gigantic ravine where the most incredible waterfall ever, Tumpak Sewu, awaits you at the end. But the hike down the ravine and towards Tumpak Sewu is just as incredible. Since the whole ravine is filled with incredible waterfalls.

If you already have a pair of shoes that are great for walking in water. Now is the time to bring them. Also definitely make sure to have some dry clothes and swimwear with you, as well as a dry bag for any valuables. You will already get soaking wet just hiking through the waterfalls and caves (which is definitely worth it). But you can also swim at one of the waterfalls.

Afterwards, you spend the second half of the afternoon driving towards your accommodation in the area of Mount Bromo. There you will be served dinner as a group, and shortly after it’s time to head to sleep early. Since you will have to wake up in the middle of the night in order to catch the sunrise at Mount Bromo the next day.

Day 2 – Mount Bromo

Part 1: Sunrise Viewpoint

On day 2, you wake up in the middle of the night, and drive with jeeps to the Mount Bromo viewpoint. You will be accompanied by a guide but it’s pretty straightforward. And there will be plenty of people there already, all ready and waiting to catch one of the best sunrises of their lives.

After passing some small shops and cafes aiming to serve tourists, you walk up a very big and steep hill, which acts as an amazing viewing point. Even before the sun rises, the views are already incredible. You get an immensely wide view of not only the volcanic crater area, but of the whole valley around it.

And once the sun finally rises, and you get to clearly see Bromo, its simply one of the best views you will ever see in your life.

After taking one final moment to soak in the view, it’s time to head back to the jeep and drive down into crater valley.

Part 2: The Crater

It’s a very cool experience to literally drive into the gigantic crater valley that you just witnessed from afar. This valley also carries the name “Sea of sand” for a reason. It completely filled with black volcanic sand.

You will also see many people going through the valley with horses, which we personally weren’t a big fan of. But sadly for tourism purposes these practices are still very common around many parts of the world.

You get to walk a long way through the valley towards the actual crater, where you will have to climb about 250 steps to reach the top. There you can walk around a big part of the edge of the crater and get a great view of the inside of the crater. You can clearly see the smoke coming from the still active volcano. And the strong smell of sulfur is also hard to miss.

Make sure to have sun protection with you, since you will be out in the open for quite a while. And bring some water and snacks with you. After waking up that early, and probably only eating something very small from the viewpoint shops, you will need them.

After you leave the crater, it’s time to head back to the accommodation where you will have lunch and prepare to immediately leave afterwards. Since it will be a long drive towards your Mount Ijen accommodation. There the evening ritual is the same. Quick dinner and immediately head to bed afterwards. Since this time, you will have to wake up even earlier since you will have to hike up Mount Ijen in the middle of the night.

Day 3 – Mount Ijen

After waking up not too long after midnight, jeeps will drive you to the starting point of the Mount Ijen hike. Where you will be accompanied by a guide who will also provide you with a headlamp, glasses and a gas mask. The gasmask and glasses are necessary for the last part of the hike where you start to get close to the crater. Depending on the direction of the wind, you will have to wear the mask early to prevent the strong sulfur smoke from burning your eyes and throat.

The hike takes about 2 hours, but you hike completely in the dark. And for good reason, since the main experience of this hike is to be able to see the blue flaming lava in Ijen’s crater. Which you won’t be able to see anymore once the sun rises. Since the crater is so full of sulfur, it leads to the burning lava creating blue coloured flames.

Seeing the blue fire is not guaranteed, but it is very likely. But if you do happen to catch the big blue flames, you simply won’t believe your eyes. It’s that incredible!

And Ijen has one more surprise for you in store after the blue flames. Since you were hiking completely in the dark, you couldn’t see anything besided the blue fire. But then, once the sun rises, a huge blue crater lake reveals itself just meters away from where you were just witnessing the blue fire.

You then hike back up to the crater rim, from which you can now clearly see the entire crater and its surroundings. And it looks amazing, but also very unique. The crater has a very unique looking pattern cause of all the ridges that were formed from the volcanic eruptions.

Our Honest Review

That is the end of the tour. Afterwards, depending of what your next destination will be, the driver will take you somewhere around the east coast of Java. From here on it would be a great and efficient idea to head to Bali by ferry.

Even though you will lack some sleep by the end of it, it will definitely be worth the experience. Since for us, this was definitely one of the best experiences during all our travels through Southeast Asia.

It is so hard to pick a favorite moment from these three days. It feels like you just immediately roll from one surreal movielike scene to the next. But if we had to pick one, it would probably be seeing the blue fire into the reveal of the crater lake at Ijen.

Is the East Java Tour Worth It?

So all in all, the East Java your is not only worth it, but in our opinion, a must do experience for anyone that plans to travel Indonesia. The three days are exhausting, but you’ll visit three completely different landscapes that each feel unlike anything else in the country.

FAQ

Is the East Java tour worth it?

The East Java tour is 100% worth it!

How difficult is Mount Ijen?

Not too difficult, if you have a moderate fitness level you will have no problems.

Can you visit Bromo without a tour?

Yes you can, but it takes a lot more preparation and it will be way less efficient. Since you will have to rely on finding other local transport towards Bromo and then again to go down the crater.

Is Tumpak Sewu difficult?

It can be a bit steep and slippery sometimes, but you just take your time and it’s not difficult at all. There are ropes to help on those parts as well.

How cold is Mount Bromo?

Since you arrive there before sunrise, it can be a bit colder. But if you go during the dry season you wont need many extra clothes.

Can you see the blue fire every day?

Technically yes, and the best times to see it are between 2 and 4 AM. But if you are unlucky, it could be possible that there is just not that much activity when you’re there. But more often than not, you can see a lot of amazing blue flames!

How much does a 3-day East Java tour cost?

It depends on the tour company that you choose, but for ours, the cost was 125 euros per person.

What should I pack?

You can bring all your luggage that you have with you while traveling. You can leave most of it in the vehicle or at the accommodations. And then you just bring a small daypack with some essentials.

If this got your interest, check out our other Asia posts to get inspired for your next trip to Asia!

And check out our Travel Guides, like our Backpacking Essentials Guide to help you prepare for your trip.