Best time
April to October is drier, though the Ijen hike closes at short notice whenever volcanic gas readings rise.
At a glance
Cost per day €2482 Rate 2026-08-26 mid-range, per person
Time to give it 2 days on a first visit
Best for
- Eat
- Rujak soto, €12 Rate 2026-08-26. A local warung serving the peanut-dressed salad under beef soup. The combination is deliberate, not an error.
- Book ahead
- Book the Ijen guide and permit a couple of days ahead, and check the Bali crossing rather than assuming a sailing.
- Skip
- Any tour promising guaranteed blue fire. It depends on gas and cloud, and no operator controls either.
Banyuwangi is where an overland Java route ends and Bali begins, and it is worth a night on its own terms rather than a change of buses. The Ijen crater climb starts in the small hours, crosses a sulphur-heavy ridge and drops to a turquoise acid lake at first light.
The hike is genuinely demanding and genuinely conditional: rangers close the crater when gas readings rise, sometimes on the morning itself. Build a spare day here, and treat the ferry to Bali as the next fixed point rather than something to catch the same afternoon.
Sources
- Indonesia destination guide, Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia, accessed
- Ferizy ferry ticketing for ASDP routes, PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero), accessed