Banyuwangi

Hike Ijen Crater at night to see the electric-blue sulfur flames and the world's largest acidic crater lake; Banyuwangi is also the ferry port for Bali.

Banyuwangi Regency sits at the far eastern tip of Java, across the roughly 3-km-wide Bali Strait from Bali, and shares the Ijen plateau with Bondowoso Regency to the northwest. It is best known for the night hike up Ijen Crater to see the blue sulfur fire and the world's largest acidic crater lake. The area also offers Baluran National Park, nicknamed "Java's Africa"; the bull-roaming Alas Purwo primeval forest; the world-class surf break G-Land; Sukamade Beach, where sea turtles nest; Green Bay; Red Island Beach; the ancient Djawatan forest; and the Osing cultural village of Kemiren. Most visitors base themselves in Banyuwangi town or in Licin at the foot of Ijen for 2–4 nights; the two national parks in the south are far away and call for a two-day, one-night trip. The best season is the dry season, April–October; in the rainy season the Ijen trail is muddy and the blue flames are often hidden by cloud and mist. Getting there: the train from Surabaya to Banyuwangi takes about 6–7 hours, Banyuwangi Airport has flights from Jakarta, and ferries run 24 hours a day between Ketapang Port and Gilimanuk in Bali. Notes: Ijen can close at any time depending on its activity level. Night hikers must wear a gas mask and follow a certified guide, so check the announcements from Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) before setting out. The southern beaches have strong rip currents, so be careful when swimming.

Top sights

• Ijen Blue Fire – Blue flames from sulphur gas burning on the crater floor, visible only in the darkness before dawn. A rare natural wonder found nowhere els…
• Ijen Crater Lake – The world's largest highly acidic volcanic lake, about 1 km wide, with milky turquoise water. Sulphur miners carry heavy loads up and down…
• Baluran National Park – A savanna national park in the northeast corner of East Java, where banteng, deer and peafowl roam the grasslands beneath Mount Baluran. It…
• Ketapang Ferry Port – The ferry port at the easternmost tip of Java, with boats running around the clock across the Bali Strait to Gilimanuk on Bali. The crossin…
• Pulau Merah Beach – A white-sand beach with a small green island of red soil standing in the bay. It is most beautiful at sunset and is popular with beginner s…
• Alas Purwo National Park – A primeval forest reserve at the southeastern tip of Java, with the Sadengan savanna for wild banteng, the Pancur beach and mysterious cave…
• G-Land (Plengkung) – A world-class left-hand reef break inside Alas Purwo National Park, known to surfers as 'G-Land' and suitable only for experts.
• Jagir Waterfall – Three waterfalls on the way up Mount Ijen, surrounded by tropical rainforest and only about 30 minutes' drive from Banyuwangi city.
• Kalibendo Waterfall – A waterfall in a coffee and clove plantation dating from the Dutch colonial era, reached by walking through shaded paths and plantation gro…
• Taman Gandrung Terakota – An art park in the rice fields at the foot of Mount Ijen, with over a thousand terracotta statues of Gandrung dancers, which hosts performa…
• De Djawatan Forest – A grove of enormous rain trees in the old timber yard of the forestry office, their branches covered in ferns. Known as the 'Lord of the Ri…
• Bangsring Underwater – A marine protected area managed by local fishermen, where you can swim at floating houses and a shark pool, and snorkel among corals and tr…
• Tabuhan Island – An uninhabited island in the Bali Strait with white sand, clear shallow water for snorkeling, and views of the Ijen mountains of Java and B…
• Watu Dodol Beach – A beach beside the coastal road on Java's eastern tip, with a giant statue of a Gandrung dancer welcoming visitors and views across the str…
• Sukamade Turtle Beach – A turtle nesting beach inside Meru Betiri National Park, where at night you can join ranger-guided viewings of green sea turtles coming ash…
• Teluk Hijau (Green Bay) – A secluded bay inside Meru Betiri National Park, with emerald-green water and a small waterfall that drops into the sea beside the white sa…
• Kemiren Osing Village – A traditional village of the indigenous Osing people of Banyuwangi, where you can see traditional wooden houses, Barong and Gandrung dances…
• Boom Beach & Marina – A seaside leisure area in Banyuwangi city, where an old harbor has been converted into a yacht marina and where large festivals such as the…
• Kawah Wurung – A vast bowl-shaped grassland on the Ijen plateau, whose name means 'the failed crater', with rolling green hills that feel like a landscape…
• Blawan Waterfall & Hot Spring – A waterfall and natural hot spring within an old Dutch coffee estate on the Ijen plateau. It is a classic stopping point on the western rou…

Where to eat

• Nasi Tempong Mbok Nah – A sego tempong favorite since the 1990s, with fresh tomato-chili sauce so fiery it feels like being 'slapped,' and a qu…
• Srengenge Wetan Osing Restaurant – A two-story Javanese-style restaurant beside the Banyuwangi Kilometer Zero monument, where you can sample Osing classic…
• Warung Mbok Sul – A Moroccan-style restaurant run by Banyuwangi singer Suliyana, with a clean setting and refined sego tempong and seafoo…
• Warung Biru Grilled Fish – A long-running, affordable grilled fish institution where you pick seafood from the counter and get it with freshly gro…

Itineraries

• Java West-to-East Crossing to Bali – Travel from Jakarta via Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Malang to Bromo and Ijen, then cross the sea to Bali.
• Surabaya to Bromo and Ijen Volcanoes – Spend half a day exploring Surabaya's old town, then charter a car to catch the Bromo sunrise and Ijen crater, ending a…