Stretching across thousands of islands in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is a vast and diverse archipelago that boasts rich cultures, landscapes, and experiences. With over 17,000 islands scattered across the equator, each offering its own unique charm, it’s no wonder that exploring Indonesia is a journey of a lifetime. Among these islands, Java stands out as a vibrant mosaic of adventure, culture, and natural wonders. While it’s impossible to traverse every corner of this vast nation in a single visit, unlocking the treasures of Java Island promises an unforgettable experience filled with captivating adventures, cultural immersion, and encounters with breathtaking natural beauty.
How to get to Indonesia
We arrived in Indonesia after flying from Singapore it took us an hour and it cost around 90 USD per person, but you do not have to fly from Singapore as Indonesia is a very popular destination there are so many airlines offering direct flights from many countries.
We spent 2 days in Singapore, there is lots to do here, but to be honest, we didn’t like Singapore. It reminded us too much of Dubai with the exceptionally clean streets, high humidity, high-end shopping stores, and the people who live and work here. We spent our time looking around the tourist areas around CBD, Marina Bay Sands, and Gardens by the bay. There are of course many, many other cultural sites and activities to do even if you only have a couple of days here.
We book our flights with Kiwi, which is a great tool that helps you to find very affordable flights and also has travel hacks in case you want to do a long lay-over in any other country before traveling to Indonesia.
Java Island
Java is the busiest island in the entire country of Indonesia, even though it is overcrowded with traffic jams and noisy roads, this island offers more than that. From incredible volcanos and breathtaking landscapes to stunning ancient temples.
In fact Java has it all and is also budget-friendly and the ideal place to start your Indonesia trip.
How to get around Java
You can book your train tickets online here. You will get a PDF with your booking number to get your boarding ticket from the machine in the waiting area. There are different classes, we booked Eksekutif class, which was very comfortable, but there are cheaper options that are also good. If you want to change your ticket, you can go to the station and use the machine to add your ticket number and make changes (for free).
Jakarta
Situated on the northwest coast of Java, Jakarta stands tall as the capital and largest city of Indonesia. With a crazy estimated population exceeding 10 million people, it claims the title of the most populous city not only in Indonesia but across all of Southeast Asia.
Our advice is to spend as little time as possible here. It is highly polluted with a lot of traffic and beeping. Avoid hostels near any main road, as it can get very noisy. We do recommend getting around Jakarta with the taxi app, Grab.
We spent only 1 day in Jakarta (and that was enough) and we used this time to visit malls to find cheap clothes and technology that we needed.
We did try the most expensive coffee in the world – Kopi Luwak. It is produced from coffee beans which have been partially digested by the Indonesian palm civet.
Yogyakarta
We had read online and heard from other travellers that Yogyakarta is nice and a must-visit in Java. It is also located about halfway from Jakarta to Mount Bromo so it seemed like a good stop to rest from the long train journey. We booked 2 days here, however, after a few hours in the city, we decided to change our train tickets to depart one day earlier. In our opinion, Yogyakarta was not worth 2 days.
When we were there was some kind of public holiday and the streets were packed with locals and all the tourist attractions were closed. Unfortunately, we missed the chance to see the biggest Buddhist temple ever founded because it was closed.
However the highlight in Yogyakarta was trying the famous drink they well known for called Kopi Joss, which is coffee with sugar poured with hot water and topped with a piece of hot charcoal. Instead of trying this in the city where it will cost around 25,000 IDR, we recommend walking down towards the palace, on the side of the street we met an old man that had been preparing Kopi Joss for 40 years in the same spot. And here it only cost 10,000 IDR and you get the street experience.
How to get to Yogyakarta
We took the early train departing at 6:20am from Jakarta Gambir Station. We booked Eksekutif Subclass AA for $34 per person. The journey takes 6.5 hours.
Probolinggo
Probolinggo is a small city from where you can go to Mount Bromo. We arrived here late on the train around 7 pm. We heard that Probolinggo is not the safest city so we actually stayed in our hotel before our tour to Mount Bromo started at 2 am.
We stayed in a hostel called Happy House BnB, definitely recommended the host help us with the booking for Mount Bromo and Ijen Volcano.
How to get to Probolinggo
We again took the train with Eksekutif Subclass AA for $22 per person. The journey took 7 hours.
Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen Volcano Package Tour
As we mentioned before thanks to our hostel in Probolinggo we were able to book this very well worth value for money package. The package included:
- Transportation from and to Mount Bromo
- Breakfast
- Transportation from Probolinggo to Banyuwangi
- 1 night hotel with breakfast in Banyuwangi
- Transportation to the ferry
- Ferry ticket
- Transportation from Gilimanuk to Ubud
All of this for just 750,000 IDR, that’s about 48 USD per person. The person from the hostel was always very responsive and always looked after us making sure everything was going well and according to the plan.
Mount Bromo
We started the day very early with 2 am pick up to drive to see Mount Bromo at sunrise. The drivers drive as far up the mountain road as they can, then you will have to walk up the hill and the stairs to the viewing platform. It is very dark so bring a headlight. At the top it is very windy and cold so bring a thick jumper or jacket. It is a very popular touristic thing to do, so count on many people waiting to get the perfect photo taken.
Once we got back to our driver, he took us to have breakfast at a place nearby before returning to the hotel and wait for the next departure. We were back at the hotel at 10 am and the minivan to take us to our hotel in Banyuwangi (near Ijen) was picking us up at 12 pm, so we managed to take a short nap after having only slept few hours the night before.
We were unlucky that the day before we went to Mount Bromo there was a fire near the area and people weren’t allowed to hike the actual volcano, instead the driver took us to a different place where we had Mount Bromo view from the distance.
Ijen Volcano
We arrived to our hotel in Banyuwangi at 7 pm after 7 hours of sitting in a minivan including an hour stop for lunch. We knew we were going to have another early morning start, this time at 12 am, so that meant even less sleep than the night before.
We were picked up at midnight by a minivan and after 1.5 hour drive, we arrive at the base of Mount Ijen. It is freezing cold outside, so make sure you wear proper clothing. They are selling beanies and gloves for a very cheap price here. We can recommend getting a pair of gloves because you will be touching the rocks climbing down to the crater (if you choose to do so). Wear clothes you don’t care too much about as they will get dusty and smell like sulphur.
Let’s just say that this hike is very steep. The first 1.5 hours is a continuous walk uphill in about 30-45 degrees angle. Once you reach the top, after about 2 hours, you don’t really know where to look or go as it is still pitch black. You have the choice to stay up here and wait for the sunrise or continue for another 30-40 minutes climbing down to the crater. The only reason to go down to the crater in the dark is to see the unique blue flame, which is only visible before sunrise.
This is one of our most memorable hikes as it was physically challenging. The uphill trek was exhausting, the climb down to the crater in the dark was difficult, and breathing in sulphuric smoke was not pleasant.
Is it worth climbing down to the crater? If you are going down here, make sure that you get a fully functional gas mask at the start of the trek. We didn’t realise it at the time, but Emmelie’s mask was missing a piece and she was having difficulties breathing when being down in the crater. It took her days to get her lungs back to a normal feeling.
With that said, the blue flame is very unique to see, but don’t expect to be able to look at it for longer than a few seconds as this is where the heavy smoke is so you won’t be able to breath even with a functional gas mask and the smoke is going into your eyes.
The highlight was witnessing the sun rise over the horizon and lighting up the mountain in a beautiful morning light turning the crater into a turquoise blue lagoon.
About an hour after sunrise, around 7 am, we started our ascend back to the base of the mountain track. It is much easier to go down (obviously) and takes about 1 hour. We were back at our hotel at 10 am to have a long shower and breakfast.
How to go from Java to Bali
As mentioned earlier, our package deal included transfer from Java to Bali, in our case Ubud, which made it easy for us. The ferry departs from Ketapang Ferry Port to Gilimanuk Port, which takes about 45 minutes. At this point, over the last 36 hours, we have had a total of 5 hours of sleep and completed 2 sunrise hikes, so you can imagine how tired we were and looking forward to read Ubud and have a long night sleep.
The bus journey from the port to Ubud was not the most comfortable and the journey was long as we have now left Java Island and arrived in the over-populated and busy Bali island. We finally arrived in Ubud around 9 pm and we were starving. If you are doing the same route, we recommend buying food or snacks before or on the ferry as the bus transfer from the port to Ubud (or anywhere else on the East side of Bali) is long and doesn’t stop anywhere except to drop people off in various cities on the way.
Read Next:
Why You Should Skip Bali and go to Gili Islands Instead
From congested streets to crowded beaches, Bali’s charm can often be overshadowed by the sheer volume of visitors.
Conclusion
Exploring Java Island over five days promises an unforgettable adventure, rich with culture, natural beauty, and thrilling experiences. From the vibrant streets of Jakarta to the culture of Yogyakarta, and the breathtaking hikes of Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen volcanoes, each stop on this journey offers a unique glimpse into Java’s diverse experiences.
Whether you are witnessing the sunrise of Mount Bromo or amazed by the unique blue flames of Mount Ijen, every moment of this trip is sure to leave a lasting impression. As we bid farewell to Java and set your sights on Bali, the memories of our adventure will stay with us, inspiring further exploration and discovery.
Leave a Reply