High lights of East Java
YBa4d3n - 4 days
Travel from Central Java to the harbour in Ketapang via Bromo-Semeru National Park and Ijen
Travel from Central Java to the harbour in Ketapang via Bromo-Semeru National Park and Ijen
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A travel day. To get from Central to East Java is quite a distance and we will use this day to pass the miles. Your driver has picked up your luggage the day before (he also brings the train tickets). You get on the train to the East of Java in Yogyakarta (a transfer is arranged). In Malang your the driver/car is waiting with your luggage (approx. 4pm). In Malang you can still do a short city tour.
Train tickets eksekutive or business class are bought in advance. We need a copy of your passport to but train tickets.
Overnight: Santika Premiere, Superior
Your driver is ready at 8am and you head off to Tumpang (Cemore Lawang). Remember to buy some lunch at Toko Oen (or another place) on route there will not be that many opportunities. After the city tour we drive you to Tumpang where you get in to a jeep to drive you through Bromo-Semeru National Park to Bromo itself. You stop at Pelangi waterfall (Coban Pelangi) where you can enjoy your lunch box, then on to Bromo. You arrive at the Bukit Pasir (Sea of Sand) and from here you can walk or take a horse (to be hired on the spot not included) to the foot of Mount Bromo. The stairs (243 steps) are your last obstacle to the Caldera ( the crater mouth) and from there you can 'relax' with breathtaking view. Once you have gone to the crater rim you can find your way back to the jeep and it brings you to the hotel. Depending on traffic on route your car with your luggage might already be waiting. If there is sufficient time to see the sun set then it is definitely worth while to go outside and enjoy this spectacle.
Overnight: Lava View, Bungalow
Before the break of dawn (03.30AM), the jeep will pick you up and take you to the Penanjakan viewpoint to watch the sun rise. The sunrise over Bromo and Semeru is Mother Nature at her best – fantastic photo opportunities! As you have already visited the crater yesterday the jeep takes you back to the hotel once the sun is up. You can have breakfast, freshen up and check out. The car is ready to drive you to Bondowoso. On the way there are some (scenic) stops. Have a rest at the hotel, it will be another early morning tomorrow.
Overnight: Ketapang Indah, superior
(Dept. 1PM) Please be aware sulfur is a hazard good and although the views are stunning it also literally takes your breath away!
Just after midnight the car will drive you to the parking area of Ijen (Paltuding). The starting point of your stunning and truly breathtaking midnight (soft) hike to the top of this volcano. Your local guide will be one of the sulfur miners from Ijen. He does not speak much English but he knows the roads blind folded. Before you are rewarded with the beauty of Ijen's Crater lake and Blue Fire you do need to climb the steep hill of Ijen. If you are relatively fit you will reach the top of Ijen within max. 3 hours. From the top you can already see Blue fire but you can descend to the sulfur mines and see Blue fire and the crater lake close by. A visit to Ijen will be the icing on the cake of your Java experience. Back in the car we drive you to Ketapang harbor where you take the ferry to Bali on your own account.
NB. Sometimes the sulfur damps are more active at night and as small outburst cannot be detected it will not be save to go up in the night and see the Blue Fire. Your driver will inform you if this is the case. Your Ijen tour will then start at day break - 5AM.