Just came back from the most physically challenging trip in my life and I think it would be a good idea to put my experience into words, for sharing with those who have plan to explore this beautiful place. Bear with me for the quality of photos, my DSLR was sent for repair and all photos were taken by phone. Sob. And would recommend to visit these places during a dry season, and January is definitely not the best month to embark on the trip.
Itinerary
Day 1
Pick up from Surabaya Airport
Six-hour drive from airport to Hotel Ijen
Free program (My suggestion is to have dinner then sleep early)
Day 2
Wake up at 11.30pm
Two-hour drive to Paltuding and start hiking
Reach Ijen Peak
Enjoy Blue Flames and see how sulphur miners working
Sunrise and morning lake view
Six-hour drive to Bromo Area
Free program
Day 3
Wake up at 3am and picked up by jeep
Bromo Program (Sunrise at Penajakan peak, then visit Sea of Sand and Bromo Crater)
Breakfast at hotel
**Add-on program - visit Madakaripura waterfall
Four-hour drive to Batu Malang and check in Hotel Dedaunan
Free program (Highly recommend the massage place opposite to the hotel)
Day 4
Breakfast at hotel
Visit Waterfall Condo Rondo
Fruits plucking at Agrowisata
Optional program - Paragliding (need additional fee)
Four-hour drive to Surabaya
Free program (Cafe hopping is a must and we did massage again)
Day 5
Breakfast at hotel
City tour (Monument Hero and House of Sampoerna)
Drop off at Surabaya Airport
First part of the trip planning was looking for a tour package. We emailed a number of tour agency and the prices varied significantly. The point is the bigger your group is, the cheaper the price you will be quoted. In the end, we found this company from another blogger's blog post, which was also the cheapest package we could get, with only 350k rupiah per person for 2 people (tips are excluded). Unfortunately they do not have an official website. Kindly whatsapp Mr Wahid at +62-8986792740 if interested. All I have to say that the service provided was awesome! Though I don't like the fact that both the driver and the guide are smokers, they will try stay far to smoke, but we still inhaled a fair amount of second-handed smoke.
Accommodation
The accommodation for the first 2 nights wasn't very good, however, as we didn't spend much time in our room so it wasn't a big deal. We spent our third night at Hotel Dedaunan in Batu Malang. The hotel on our fourth day was the best one (modern and chic) but I have to apologise that I couldn't find any photo of it.
Hotel Dedaunan. A traditional Javanese-style bedroom.
Breakfast from Hotel Dedaunan.
Mount Ijen
It was a difficult hike and definitely not for the faint-hearted or people who are afraid of height. However, I have to admit that since we were hiking during midnight, it was actually less scary as you couldn't tell how dangerous the route was (I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing, lol). Having a local guide is a must especially if you plan to travel down the crater to see the mysterious blue fire ~ I was holding to my guide's hand so tightly, I couldn't care much as I was really scared that I would fall and get injured.
Let me describe the trip in a more detailed way. The hike started at 11.30pm. It was a 2-hour drive to Mount Ijen from our hotel. It took us about 3 to 4 hours to reach Ijen Peak and it was tiring indeed. As you are getting closer to the crater, the sulphur smell will become stronger and more unbearable. This is when you will need the gas mask. It can be rented at SGD5 per mask (but I couldn't guarantee the hygiene and would recommend you to bring your own, maybe N95, if you really mind). Another bad news for the contact lenses wearer because the sulphur gas hurts your eyes so much!!! It also makes all my clothes and backpack stinky, T.T. The temperature wise, I find that Mount Bromo was much colder.
From Ijen Peak, it took another hour or so to get to the crater. The beautiful blue flame actually arises from combustion of sulphuric gas. We took a short break at the crater while admiring the stunning blue flames and the hardworking miners performing their jobs. After that, we moved to another spot to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately the weather wasn't good and the beautiful view of volcanic lake was blocked, sigh~ After the sunrise, we started to make our way down and I have to say that I couldn't feel my legs anymore!!! A gentle reminder that there isn't any clean toilet along the way so try not to drink too much water.
I looked so exhausted in this series of photos, haha.
Mount Bromo
After conquering Mount Ijen, we departed to Mount Bromo region. We managed to catch some sleep in the car and reached our hotel (Bromo Permai) in the late afternoon. Walking out of the hotel, the breathtaking view of Mount Bromo stood right in front of us! We had our both meals in hotel restaurant as we were too tired to travel far.
Again, we went to sleep early to get ready for our sunrise tour. The jeep driver picked us up from our hotel at about 3.30am. We encountered some jam along the way but this wasn't surprising considering that Mount Bromo is a popular tourist attraction. There was a short hike to reach the peak of Mount Pananjakan for sunrise. The temperature was close to zero degrees, luckily we were well-prepared in our winter clothes.
Unfortunately, it was another cloudy morning. To be honest, it wasn't a very pleasant experience as it was way too crowded. After this, we travelled through the Sea of Sand in the jeep, heading to Bromo crater. The jeep driver stopped in front of Mount Bromo and helped us to take some really good photos.
Reached the entrance of Bromo in no time and here came another hike. For people who are too tired/lazy to walk, another popular option is to ride a horse. I could reassure you that the hike was much easier than the one in Ijen.
Joining the crowd to crater.
At Sea of Sand.
Little bouquet.
Picturesque background.
Madakaripura Waterfall
Additional activity that wasn't part of our original itinerary but I am glad that we did it because the view was truly magnificent. You have to pay the local to get you a motorbike ride to the entrance. The ride was about 10 mins. From the entrance, a local guide will lead you to the waterfall (about 20 mins). If you think this is a purely sightseeing trip, you are so wrong! He actually brought us walking under waterfalls (yes, that's why we were wearing the raincoats yet they weren't quite helpful as we were still drenched). Nonetheless, the view was really pretty but it was really difficult to take good photos.
Agrowisata
Orchard? Eco-tourism? This orchard was much bigger than I expected. Apart from fruits plucking, we also spent some time at the art exhibition in the orchard. The package also came with complimentary dessert and drink. =)
Food
Tenggera RestaurantWe actually dropped by this restaurant twice, the first time was during our way from Surabaya to Bromo, and the second time was the return trip to Surabaya.
Highly recommend the grilled fish. One of the happiest thing about the trip was I could eat my favourite seafood everyday.
Restaurant at Bromo Permai
I would say the food was quite good. We spent a lot of free time here as this was the only place in the hotel where we had access to Wifi.
Carpentier Kitchen Surabaya
There is never lack of cafe options in Surabaya. It was a big regret that we didn't spend much time in Surabaya to do some cafes hopping. The only one where we visited was Carpentier Kitchen. I think the food wasn't particularly cheap here but it was decent. I was totally in love with the vintage feel of the cafe.
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