Kawah Ijen Tours is one of the stunning highlights of a trip through Java and is a regular stop on many tours departing from Yogyakarta
and ending up in Bali. The usual way of getting to Kawah Ijen on a tour
involves heading to the inland town of Bondowoso and making your way up
to the crater’s carpark via the rutted road and returning the same way.
Independent travellers usually catch an angkot from Bondowoso to the
final town before the crater which is serviced by public transport and
then make the final ascent by ojek. But we here at Travelfish.org
believe there is a better way for independent travellers to access Kawah Ijen if coming from or heading to Bali which saves time by using the access road leading to Banyuwangi, right next to the port from where ferries depart to Bali.
Since Bondowoso lies inland in the hills 30 kilometres from the main
highway which travels along the north coast of Java and Kawah Ijen is a
further three hours from there, it takes much longer to travel via
Bondowoso when travelling between Kawah Ijen and Bali than the
alternative Banyuwangi route.
With this in mind, if travelling from Bali it is possible to hire an ojek in Banyuwangi
for the journey up to Kawah Ijen, have the ojek driver wait for you to
climb up to the crater. The ojek can then to take you onwards to the bus
terminal in Bondowoso or to a waiting angkot in the first town on the
way down from the crater that is serviced by public transport, Sempol.
This way you can avoid having to backtrack and waste time.
The same is true for those travelling in an easterly direction from places such as Gunung Bromo.
Buses from dusty Probolinggo on the coast below Gunung Bromo will take
you directly to Bondowoso, where most will stay overnight before taking
an angkot to Sempol early the next day. From Sempol it is possible to
hire an ojek who will take you to Kawah Ijen, wait for you and then take
you onwards to Banyuwangi or a further six kilometres to the ferry port
for onward travel to Bali.
The road from Banyuwangi to Kawah Ijen starts off in great condition,
but as you get closer to the top, it deteriorates into something
resembling the surface of the moon. It’s steep, rocky
and even cars have trouble traversing it. But that’s part of the
adventure of travelling this way. After a few voluntary motorcycle
dismounts and some involuntary near dismounts, you arrive at your
destination a good few hours ahead of most other travellers choosing the
more circuitous route via Bondowoso.
Whichever route you choose, the utlimate prize is witnessing Kawah Ijen — and that makes everything worthwhile.
The acidic lake filling Kawah Ijen. Swimming not recommended.
The surrounding mountains along the road to Kawah Ijen from Banyuwangi.
Some 70 kilograms of sulphur waiting for human transportation.
In the bowels of the crater.
We know this is not the moon because of the surrounding jungle (and the motorbike).
The prize that awaits those with determination: magnificent Ijen crater.
created by : http://www.travelfish.org/
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